Interesting STATS about the future of home prices... from MORALES

The dashed black line is where Case Shiller Futures were trading this time last year, January 2010.  Essentially this is what the experts thought, last year, the home price index would look like in the upcoming 3 years (through December 2013). 

The barbed black line below it is what the experts today are thinking those years (and beyond to January 2016) will look like.  See the spread between the two black lines?  At its widest point, the difference between the 2 lines represent over a 19% drop in what the experts predict to be the index to be in the years to come. 

Based on this data, your home is worth more today than it will be again until at least 2015.  Unless you plan to live in your current home into the year 2015, now is the time to sell! 

If you know anyone who is planning to sell in the next 4 to 5 years, tell them now is the time!   Call me today to market your home!... =)

-

Discover the Diane Difference...
                
Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

Learn more about me! 

The House that Built Me... MORALES

Ever heard the song "The House that Built Me" by Miranda Lambert?  I listened to it several times before I really heard it.  The song talks about going back to the home where you grew up.  I'm fortunate that my parents still live in the home where I grew up.  Years ago, I had the opportunity to visit an old friend* who lived across the street from "my first home" as an adult.  We got to talking about old times when I lived there and mentioned that my old house looked good.  She told me that she was close friends with the new owners of the home and asked if I wanted to go see "my old home!"  GOSH yes!  I was scared and excited all at the same time.  We knocked on the door and she introduced me to the owners!  I walked in slowly and so many memories came to mind!  I was able to share some of the changes that we had made to the home and complimented them on their changes!  It felt good to know that good people were living in "my old home," taking care of it and loving it!  A home is so much more than just 4 walls. 

A home is where you hang your heart. 
It is about how you feel when you walk through the front door;
the way you can instantly see your life unfolding there.
It is your life and your dreams.  ;)

Regardless of how the Real Estate market is doing right now, a home is still the American Dream.  Having a home is something most of us dream about, whether it be a mansion or a trailer on the back 40.  It's yours.  A home is simply not an investment to most.  It's a place to plant your roots, to grow your family, and to relax and retire.  When you pull into the driveway, open the front (or back) door and toss your keys on the kitchen table... That's home!  

Now IS truly the best time to buy a home!  If you've been thinking about it, please give me a call.  Prices are LOW, interest rates are historically LOW and the choice of homes is abundant.  Owning your own home is a feeling that can't be beat.  

FREE EZ search for 1st time home buyers in the Tri-City Area or the Kaneland Area. 

Discover the Diane Difference...
                
Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

Learn more about me!   

It's Snowing and it's beautiful... with MORALES!

It's a winter wonderland outside today!  Even more amazing is the detail of each flake of snow!  Occasionally, when the snow is falling softly, you can see the perfect outline of a flake as it lands on your coat or mitten.  What's incredible is that if you study snow flakes, you'll see that each snowflake is as truly unique as those snowflake cut-outs you made way-back-when in school.  

Snowflakes and snow crystals are made of ice, and pretty much nothing more.  A snow crystal, as the name implies, is a single crystal of ice.  A snowflake is a more general term; it can mean an individual snow crystal, or a few snow crystals stuck together, or large agglomerations of snow crystals that form "puff-balls" that float down from the clouds.

• Simple Prisms ~ The most basic form of a snow crystal is a hexagonal prism. This structure occurs because certain surfaces of the crystal, the facet surfaces, accumulate material very slowly.   When snow crystals are very small, they are mostly in the form of simple hexagonal prisms.  But as they grow, branches sprout from the corners to make more complex shapes.  Snowflake Branching describes how this happens.
• Stellar Plates ~   These common snowflakes are thin, plate-like crystals with six broad arms that form a star-like shape.  Their faces are often decorated with amazingly elaborate and symmetrical markings.
• Sectored Plates ~  Stellar plates often show distinctive ridges that point to the corners between adjacent prism facets.  When these ridges are especially prominent, the crystals are called sectored plates.
• Stellar Dendrites ~   Dendritic means "tree-like", so stellar dendrites are plate-like snow crystals that have branches and sidebranches.  These are fairly large crystals, typically 2-4 mm in diameter, that are easily seen with the naked eye.
• Fernlike Stellar Dendrites ~   Sometimes the branches of stellar crystals have so many side branches they look a bit like ferns, so we call them fernlike stellar dendrites.  These are the largest snow crystals, often falling to earth with diameters of 5 mm or more.  In spite of their large size, these are single crystals of ice -- the water molecules are lined up from one end to the other.
• Hollow Columns ~ Hexagonal columns often form with conical hollow regions in their ends, and such forms are called hollow columns.  These crystals are small, so you need a good magnifier to see the hollow regions.
• Needles ~ Needles are slender, columnar ice crystals that grow when the temperature is around -5 C (23 F).  On your sleeve these snowflakes look like small bits of white hair.
• Capped Columns ~ These crystals first grow into stubby columns, and then they blow into a region of the clouds where the growth becomes plate-like.  The result is two thin, plate-like crystals growing on the ends of an ice column.  Capped columns don't appear in every snowfall, but you can find them if you look for them.
• Double Plates ~  A double plate is basically a capped column with an especially short central column.  The plates are so close together that inevitably one grows out faster and shields the other from its source of water vapor.  The result is one large plate connected to a much smaller one.  These crystals are common -- many snowflakes that look like ordinary stellar plates are actually double plates if you look closely.
• Split Plates and Stars ~ These are forms of double plates, except that part of one plate grows large along with part of the other plate. Split plates and stars, like double plates, are common but often unnoticed.
• Triangular Crystals ~  Plates sometimes grow as truncated triangles when the temperature is near -2 C (28 F).  If the corners of the plates sprout arms, the result is an odd version of a stellar plate crystal.  These crystals are relatively rare.
• 12-Sided Snowflakes ~ Sometimes capped columns form with a twist, a 30-degree twist to be specific.  The two end-plates are both six-branched crystals, but one is rotated 30 degrees relative to the other.  This is a form of crystal twinning, in which two crystals grow joined in a specific orientation.
• Bullet Rosettes ~  The nucleation of an ice grain sometimes yields multiple crystals all growing together at random orientations.  When the different pieces grow into columns, the result is called a bullet rosette.  These polycrystals often break up to leave isolated bullet-shaped crystals.
• Radiating Dendrites~  When the pieces of a polycrystal grow out into dendrites, the result is called a radiating dendrite (also called a spatial dendrite).
  
• Rimed Crystals ~  Clouds are made of countless water droplets, and sometimes these droplets collide with and stick to snow crystals.  The frozen droplets are called rime.  All the different types of snow crystals can be found decorated with rime.  When the coverage is especially heavy, so that the assembly looks like a tiny snowball, the result is called graupel.
• Irregular Crystals ~  The most common snow crystals by far are the irregular crystals.  These are small, usually clumped together, and show little of the symmetry seen in stellar or columnar crystals.
  
  ~Courtesy of snowcrystals.com

If you're driving, take it easy today!
Otherwise, go outside and have some fun! 
See how many ways you can categorize the snowflakes you find! 

--
Discover the Diane Difference...
                
Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

Learn more about me! 

Your Monthly Market Update from MORALES...

15 interesting facts about Flamingos

1. A flamingo’s eye is larger than its brain.
2. Flamingos are pinkish in color due to the intake of carotene present in the food that they eat.
3. The legs of an adult flamingo are longer than its body.
4. They eat with their head upside down, thus helping them to suck water and food in with the front of their bill.
5. They are omnivorous and can filter as many as 20 beakfuls of algae-rich water in a second.
6. A vibrantly colored flamingo is considered to be well-fed and healthy while a white or pale flamingo is usually unhealthy or malnourished.
7. Young flamingos hatch with a grey plumage while the adults range from light pink to bright red.
8. While standing in the water, the flamingos use their webbed feet in the mud to stir up food from the bottom.
9. Flamingos can often be seen standing on one leg, the other tucked beneath the body.
10. The speed of a flock of flamingos can reach 31 to 37 miles per hour.
11. When incubating the egg, both the mother and father take turns in sitting on the egg and nursing the chick when it has hatched.
12. More than a million Lesser flamingos found in Africa is the biggest flock of birds found anywhere in the world.
13. Flamingos can fly 300 miles at a stretch to reach a new habitat.
14. They are sociable and live in colonies to protect themselves from predators.
15. Flamingos sit by extending their legs backwards.

--

Don't forget to remember me...
                
Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!
 

 
Got a Smart Phone?  Check out 311 N. May St.

Diane's Daily Discovery 01.06.11

Can someone please explain this to me?!  I've tried for so long to understand HOW gas companies can get away with this...  No where in our monetary system do we offer a fraction of a cent.  Maybe we do?!  But in my 46 years of life, I've never seen or learned about one.  We've had denominations that have come and gone:  $500, $1000, $5000, $10,000, and $100,000 ~and an 1865 law did allow for a $3 National Bank Note, and designs were engraved for a potential $3 Legal Tender Note around the same time, but in each case no $3 notes were ever actually printed for circulation.  Fractionals were issued in denominations of 3¢, 5¢, 10¢, 15¢, 25¢, and 50¢.  But NO WHERE do I find a 9/10 cent!  (The British "had" a haypenny worth 1/2 cent.  But alas, the coin was demonetized and withdrawn from circulation in December 1984.)  SO tell me HOW can gas companies legally charge $3.15 9 for a gallon of gas?!    Seriously.  IF I pump exactly 1.0 gallons of gas, I should be entitled to 1/10 of a cent change.  Correct?  IF I pump exactly 5.0 gallons of gas, I deserve 5/10 or half a cent back. 
Guess what?  I want my money back...  Let's see, IF you add up all the gallons I've pumped in my lifetime:
30 years of driving x 52 weeks/year = 1560 weeks of lifetime driving.
1560 x 15 (average car gas tank) = 23,400
No matter what the price of gas was at the time, it was always something and 9/10...
So, if I take that 23,400 x .001 = 23.40
I WANT MY $23.40 IN CHANGE!! 
Ok, so it's not a lot... but it's the principle of the matter.  Gas companies should be prohibited from charging in fractional cents.  Who's with me?  I say we should protest and file a class action lawsuit against all the gas companies...  Ok, not really (I'm actually against frivolous law suits) but I do think this practice should be abolished. 

As a Realtor®, I drive a lot. So, the cost of driving is something that I'm seriously aware of.  I kind of chuckle to myself every time someone asks me "where" I do business?  Naively, when I started Real Estate, I thought I'd be working just St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia and Elburn... Boy, was I mistaken!  I go where my clients need me to go (and if it's a bit TOO far, then I can refer you to an agent you can trust!  As we have a huge network of qualified agents all over the US and Canada!). 

Next time you're filling up your tank, "Don't forget to remember me!" Ask the clerk for your proper change (LOL) and let me know if you do get that 1/10¢ back...Until then drive safely.  =)

• Find the cheapest gas prices in your town

Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook! 
 
Got a Smart Phone?  Check out 311 N. May St.

Diane's Daily Discovery 01.03.11

I'd like to share some of the sights that I see in/around the Tri-Cities and Kaneland areas daily.  My goal is to generate 1 photo each working day.  IF I start to slip on this goal, kindly remind me!  =)

I pass this barn beauty each day on my way to work.  It's located on Route 38 just east of Beith Road.  I'm fascinated with old barns.  I always "think" about stopping to capture their image but never seem to slow down.  Today, as luck would or wouldn't have it, there was an  accident at the intersection ahead of me ~ forcing me to stop right in front of this old farm.  So, I decided that today would be the day that I would start my "barn" collection. 
You know they predict that barns will soon be a thing of the past.  That's sad.  They're so beautiful in their own right.  Don't you wish you could hear them speak?  To tell all the stories they've seen in their lifetime?! 

It is true, there are the innocent pleasures of country life...

- Henry David Thoreau

IF you'd like more information on the area's open spaces, check out this link.   And click on Parks and Open Space.  

IF you're thinking about buying a home with the charm and character of yesteryear, and where neighbors can't see your every move... Call me.  I can help you find it!

Don't forget to remember me...
                
Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook! 

 
Got a Smart Phone?  Check out 311 N. May St.

Morales wishes you a LUCKY 2011!

2011 (MMXI) is the 11th year of the 3rd millennium and of the 21st century.
I'm reading up on New Year's superstitions and here's what I found to attract luck for 2011.
I found these beliefs VERY interesting...

Kissing at Midnight: We kiss those dearest to us at midnight not only to share a moment of celebration with our favorite people, but also to ensure those affections and ties will continue throughout the next twelve months. To fail to smooch our significant others at the stroke of twelve would be to set the stage for a year of coldness.

Stocking Up: The new year must not be seen in with bare cupboards, lest that be the way of things for the year. Larders must be topped up and plenty of money must be placed in every wallet in the home to guarantee prosperity.

Paying Off Bills:  The new year should not be begun with the household in debt, so checks should be written and mailed off prior to
January 1st. Likewise, personal debts should be settled before the New Year arrives. 

First Footing:   The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year you're about to have. Ideally, he should be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking, and it would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blonde and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers should be shooed away before they bring disaster down on the household. Aim a gun at them if you have to, but don't let them near your door before a man crosses the threshold. The first footer (sometimes called the "Lucky Bird") should knock and be let in rather than unceremoniously use a key, even if he is one of the householders. After greeting those in the house and dropping off whatever small tokens of luck he has brought with him, he should make his way through the house and leave by a different door than the one through which he entered. No one should leave the premises before the first footer arrives — the first traffic across the threshold must be headed in rather than striking out. First footers must not be cross-eyed or have flat feet or eyebrows that meet in the middle. Nothing prevents the cagey householder from stationing a dark-haired man outside the home just before midnight to ensure the speedy arrival of a suitable first footer as soon as the chimes sound. If one of the partygoers is recruited for this purpose, impress upon him the need to slip out quietly just prior to the witching hour.


Nothing Goes Out:  Nothing — absolutely nothing, not even garbage — is to leave the house on the first day of the year. If you've presents to deliver on New Year's Day, leave them in the car overnight. Don't so much as shake out a rug or take the empties to the recycle bin. Some people soften this rule by saying it's okay to remove things from the home on New Year's Day provided something else has been brought in first. This is similar to the caution regarding first footers; the year must begin with something's being added to the home before anything subtracts from it. One who lives alone might place a lucky item or two in a basket that has a string tied to it, then set the basket just outside the front door before midnight. After midnight, the lone celebrant hauls in his catch, being careful to bring the item across the door jamb by pulling the string rather than by reaching out to retrieve it and thus breaking the plane of the threshold.

Food:   A tradition common to the southern states of the USA dictates that the eating of black-eyed peas on New Year's Day will attract both general good luck and financial good fortune in particular to the one doing the dining. Some choose to add other Southern fare (such as ham hocks, collard greens, or cabbage) to this tradition, but the black-eyed peas are key. Other "lucky" foods are lentil soup (because lentils supposedly look like coins), pork (because poultry scratches backwards, a cow stands still, but a pig roots forward, ergo those who dine upon pork will be moving forward in the new year), and sauerkraut (probably because it goes so well with pork). Another oft-repeated belief holds that one must not eat chicken or turkey on the first day of the year lest, like the birds in question, diners fate themselves to scratch in the dirt all year for their dinner (that is, bring poverty upon themselves).

Work:  Make sure to do — and be successful at — something related to your work on the first day of the year, even if you don't go near your place of employment that day. Limit your activity to a token amount, though, because to engage in a serious work project on that day is very unlucky. Also, do not do the laundry on New Year's Day, lest a member of the family be 'washed away' (die) in the upcoming months. The more cautious eschew even washing dishes.

New Clothes:   Wear something new on January 1 to increase the likelihood of your receiving more new garments during the year to follow.

Money:   Do not pay back loans or lend money or other precious items on New Year's Day. To do so is to guarantee you'll be paying out all year.

Breakage:   Avoid breaking things on that first day lest wreckage be part of your year. Also, avoid crying on the first day of the year lest that activity set the tone for the next twelve months.

Letting the Old Year Out:   At midnight, all the doors of a house must be opened to let the old year escape unimpeded. He must leave before the New Year can come in, says popular wisdom, so doors are flung open to assist him in finding his way out.

Loud Noise:   Make as much noise as possible at midnight. You're not just celebrating; you're scaring away evil spirits, so do a darned good job of it!
According to widespread superstition, evil spirits and the Devil himself hate loud noise. We celebrate by making as much of a din as possible not just as an expression of joy at having a new year at our disposal, but also to make sure Old Scratch and his minions don't stick around. (Church bells are rung on a couple's wedding day for the same reason.)

The Weather:   Examine the weather in the early hours of New Year's Day. If the wind blows from the south, there will be fine weather and prosperous times in the year ahead. If it comes from the north, it will be a year of bad weather. The wind blowing from the east brings famine and calamities. Strangest of all, if the wind blows from the west, the year will witness plentiful supplies of milk and fish but will also see the death of a very important person. If there's no wind at all, a joyful and prosperous year may be expected by all.

Born on January 1:   Babies born on this day will always have luck on their side.

~ http://www.snopes.com/holidays/newyears/beliefs.asp

--

Don't forget to remember me...
                
Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook! 

 
Got a Smart Phone?  Check out 311 N. May St.

Run, run, fast as you can... Merry Christmas from MORALES!

Gingerbread Man Christmas Poem
~Author unknown

Once there was a gingerbread man,
Baking in a gingerbread pan,
Raisin eyes and cherry nose,
Trimmed right down to his fingers and toes,
A gingerbread man in a gingerbread pan

Here’s the old woman who made him sweet,
A treat for she and her husband to eat,
She made him with flour, sugar, and eggs,
Then gave him a face, two arms, two legs,
A gingerbread man in a gingerbread pan

Now open the oven to see if he’s done,
The gingerbread man may surely run,
Out of the oven, on to the floor,
Out of the kitchen and out the door,
If the gingerbread man leaps out of the pan

Chase him old woman, chase him old man,
Now chase him, chase him, fast as you can,
Through the garden and out the gate,
Chase him, chase him before it’s too late,
The gingerbread man is out of the pan

Along came a horse who wanted a snack,
Run fast Mr. Gingerbread, and never look back,
Run, run Mr. Gingerbread, fast as you can,
Shout, “Can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man,
I’m the gingerbread man out of the pan!”

Along came a farmer who wanted a treat,
The gingerbread man looked good to eat,
Run, run, fast as you can,
Shout, “Can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man,
The gingerbread man out of the pan!”

Along came a fox who loved to eat,
And the gingerbread man looked nice and sweet,
“Jump on my back, my gingerbread pet,
We’ll cross the river so you won’t get wet,
Mr. Gingerbread man who’s out of the pan!”

No place to go, no place to run,
And a ride ‘cross the river could be such fun,
Off with the fox did gingerbread go,
What happened next, I think you know,
To that gingerbread man out of the pan

That sly old fox had a wonderful treat,
The old man and old woman had nothing to eat,
Not a bite was left for the cow or dog,
Or the horse or farmer, not even the hog,
No more gingerbread man in or out of the pan…

Wishing You a Cool Yule and a Mellow New Year! 

If you'd like a copy of the Gingerbread Man recipe, click here.

--

‘Oh yeah, in the next 2 weeks you will know of friends, neighbors, or coworkers who are looking to sell or buy a home.  Be sure to tell them about your experience working with me and call me right away with their phone numbers so that I can help them, too.’                
Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook! 

 
Got a Smart Phone?  Check out 311 N. May St.

MORALES' Market Facts, Christmas Facts & Local Tree Farms!

	Oct '10	Nov '10
St Charles
# Active	496	483
# Sold	32	25
MKT Time	191	184
Med Sold	$343,000	$310,500
Geneva
# Active	213	203
# Sold	16	12
MKT Time	142	158
Med Sold	$350,000	$357,500
Batavia
# Active	187	181
# Sold	18	5
MKT Time	163	160
Med Sold	$239,750	$268,000
Elburn
# Active	131	116
# Sold	4	6
MKT Time	166	536
Med Sold	$255,000	$330,350
Sugar Grove
# Active	102	99
# Sold	5	3
MKT Time	154	240
Med Sold	$245,000	$228,000
Maple Park
# Active	48	44
# Sold	1	2
MKT Time	177	138
Med Sold	$180,000	$180,950

If you counted all the gifts that were given in the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” you would realize that the number of gifts being presented were 364 in total, thus a gift was given for each day of the year.

The common abbreviation for Christmas to Xmas is derived from the Greek alphabet. X is letter Chi, which is the first letter of Christ's name in the Greek alphabet.

It is considered unlucky to cut a mince pie with a knife.

Electric tree lights were first used just 3 years after Thomas Edison has his first mass public demonstration of electric lights back in 1879. Thomas Edison’s assistant, Edward Johnson, came up with the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees in 1882. His lights were a huge hit. It took quite a few years, however, before they would be made available to the general public.©

In 1895 Ralph Morris, an American telephonist, invented the string of electric Christmas lights similar to the ones we use today. The actual strings of lights had already been manufactured for use in telephone switchboards. Morris looked at the tiny bulbs and had the idea of using them on his tree.

The popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells" was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was originally called "One-Horse Open Sleigh". It was actually written for Thanksgiving, not Xmas.

~ http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/facts.html / ~ projectbritain.com

How To Keep a Cut Christmas Tree Fresh

Some people believe Christmas just isn't Christmas without a real Christmas tree. Here is an easily printable guide that will help you preserve that perfect tree whether you purchase it from a neighborhood lot or a Christmas tree farm. These steps should help you keep a Christmas tree fresh through the holiday season.

1. Refresh the tree by making a straight cut, taking one inch off the butt and immediately place in water. This will improve water uptake (See Tip 1).
2. Place the tree in a stand that can hold at least 1 gallon of water. You should expect the tree to take up additional water. Water the new tree until water uptake stops.
3. Always keep the base of a tree in water. If the base dries out, resin will form over the cut end and the tree will not be able to absorb water and will dry out quickly. You don't need anything other than regular tap water - drying out deters future water uptake and will need a new cut. Commercially prepared mixes like aspirin, sugar and other additives introduce into the water are not necessary. Research has shown that plain water will keep a tree fresh.
4. Check for worn Christmas tree light electrical cords and always unplug at night. Use UL approved electrical decorations and cords. Using miniature lights produce less heat and reduce the drying effect on the tree or any chance of fire.
5. Take down the tree before it dries out. Many fresh cut trees if properly cared for (using the first five steps) should last at least five weeks before drying out. Some species keep their moisture longer that others.

~ http://forestry.about.com/od/christmastrees1/ht/fresh_cut_xmas.htm

Some local FRESH tree Farms! =)

Honey Bee Acres Christmas (847) 464-9627 41w072 Bowes Rd, Elgin, IL

Kuiper's Farm
1N318 Watson Rd, Maple Park, IL 60151 / (815) 827-5200

Lee's Trees 45W002 Lees Road
Lily Lake, IL 60151

Ziegler Christmas Tree Farm 42W109 McDonald Rd.
Elgin, IL 60124

--

Don't forget to remember me...

Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook
for market news you can use!

Got a Smart Phone? Check out 311 N. May St.

MORALES... Thank you for allowing me to serve you!

Thanksgiving is more than Tradition...
It is an Attitude of the Heart.
Wishing you a Thanksgiving blessed with a harvest of happy memories
and a future full of promise.

--

Don't forget to remember me...

Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook
for market news you can use!

For top-of-the-line service for all your real estate needs, call me. I'll put my years of experience and professional integrity to work for you. Thank you in advance for introducing my services to your friends & family.

Grateful is... buying your first home!

T is for the trust the pilgrims had so many years ago.
H is for the harvest the settlers had to grow.
A is for America, the land in which we live.
N is for nature and beauty which she gives.
K if for kindness, gentle words, thoughtful deeds.
S is for smiles, the sunshine everyone needs.
G is for gratitude... our blessings big and small.
I is for ideas, letting wisdom grow tall.
V is for voices, singing, laughing, always caring.
I is for Indians, who taught them about sharing.
N is for neighbors, across the street, over the sea.
G is for giving of myself to make a better me.
~ Judith A Lindberg



Speaking of things to be grateful for... buying your own home is one of the most rewarding experiences life gives us (equal to marriage and birth). When you first consider buying your own home, have a plan...

• Minimally, you need 3.5% percent saved for your down payment plus closing costs (these may vary by lender!) When comparing lender to lender, ask about the APR versus just "what's the rate?" The APR calculates in other factors such as points and is a better comparison.
• Locally, you also need about 1% to put down as earnest money when you're ready to make an offer. (This amount may vary by location!) This money WILL be credited back to you at closing.
  
• Check first with a trusted lender for a pre-approval (NOT pre-qualification). Make sure the monthly mortgage payment is an amount you're comfortable with. Do NOT over extend yourself. You never want to get stuck with a payment you can't ultimately afford.
  

• To get pre-approved, you'll need 2 months of bank statements/2 months of pay stubs/2 years of W-2's/and proof of down payment.

I specialize in first time buyers. Allow me to help you find your first home.
I will guide you thru the process, step-by-step!

I take great pride in providing honest, reliable, and professional services to my clients! I am sensitive to your needs and will help fit the best scenario for your situation. Never pushy, just dependable.

Click below for an EZ, automated search for homes under $225,000:

First Time HomeBuyers ~ Tri-Cities

First Time HomeBuyers ~ Kaneland Don't forget to remember me... Diane Morales Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!! Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty (630) 709.9882 Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook for market news you can use!

MORALES is Talkin' Turkey (and some OCTOBER stats too!)

										Oct '10
St Charles
# Active										496
# Sold										32
MKT Time										191
Med Sold $										$343,000
Geneva
# Active										213
# Sold										16
MKT Time										142
Med Sold $										$350,000
Batavia
# Active										187
# Sold										18
MKT Time										163
Med Sold $										$239,750
Elburn
# Active										131
# Sold										4
MKT Time										166
Med Sold $										$255,000
Sugar Grove
# Active										102
# Sold										5
MKT Time										154
Med Sold $										$245,000
Maple Park
# Active										48
# Sold										1
MKT Time										177
Med Sold $										$180,000

TALKIN' TURKEY here...

• The average American consumes over 15 lbs. of turkey each year
• 226 million turkeys were consumed in 2009 (or 736 million pounds of turkey)
• The heaviest turkey weighed in at 86 pounds ~ their average live weight is 28 pounds
  
• Male turkeys are called Toms
• Female turkeys are called Hens
• Baby turkeys are called Poults
• Turkey eggs are twice the size of chicken eggs and cream-colored with brown speckles
• Turkey eggs take about 28 days to hatch
• Turkey's heads change colors when they get excited
• Turkeys grind their food in their gizzard (as they have no teeth!)
• Turkey feathers were used by Native Americans to stabilize their arrows
• The first meal on the moon was foil food packets of roasted turkey and the trimmings
• High carbohydrate meals (such as Thanksgiving Dinner) contain tryptophans, which is believed to make you sleepy.
• Turkey is good for your eyes because it is rich in zinc
• Big Bird's outfit has over 4,000 white turkey feathers that are dyed yellow
• Benjamin Franklin wanted the national symbol to be the turkey instead of the bald eagle.
• Turkeys have great hearing, but no external ears. They can also see in color, and have excellent visual acuity and a wide field of vision (about 270 degrees), which makes sneaking up on them difficult. However, turkeys have a poor sense of smell, but an excellent sense of taste.
• Domesticated turkeys cannot fly. Wild turkeys, however, can fly for short distances at speeds up to 55 miles per hour. They can also reach speeds of 25 miles per hour on the ground.
• Turkeys sometimes spend the night in trees.
• Some believe Christopher Columbus thought that the land he discovered was connected to India, and believed the bird he discovered (the turkey) was a type of peacock. He therefore called it 'tuka,' which is 'peacock' in Tamil, an Indian language.

http://www.factmonster.com/spot/tgturkeyfacts.html

What did the turkey say before it was roasted?
Boy, I'm stuffed!

Why did the police arrest the turkey?
They suspected it of fowl play!

Can a turkey jump higher than the Empire State building?
Of course, buildings can't jump.

The wishbone is a tradition of Thanksgiving. When two people grasp each end of the wishbone, after making a wish, they pull it away.
Who ever gets the joint-portion gets their wish!



Turkey HELP Lines...

• Butterball Turkey Talk Line 1.800.28.8372
• HoneySuckle White 1.800.810.6325
• Reynolds Wrap Turkey Tips 1.800.745.4000
• Shady Brook Farms Turkey Tip Line 1.888.723.4468
  

--

Don't forget to remember me...

Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882



Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook
for market news you can use!