Thursday, September 15, 2011

"Leave" your old house and "fall" into a great new home today... with MORALES!


 
Jun '11
Jul '11
Aug '11 Averages
St Charles                
# Active  
535
535
515 528
# Sold  
67
62
57 62
MKT Time  
237
191
178 202
Med Sold $  
$330,000
$399,500
$383,400 370967

 







Geneva                
# Active  
258
257
237 251
# Sold  
41
34
30 35
MKT Time  
221
122
114 152
Med Sold $  
$297,000
$319,000
$288,000 301333

 







Batavia                
# Active  
187
190
187 188
# Sold  
39
29
25 31
MKT Time  
123
177
184 161
Med Sold $  
$275,000
$259,900
$240,000 258300

 







Elburn                
# Active  
117
110
114 114
# Sold  
10
7
12 10
MKT Time  
321
310
177 269
Med Sold $  
$198,750
$200,000
$247,000 215250

 







Sugar Grove                
# Active  
80
86
87 84
# Sold  
12
10
5 9
MKT Time  
176
176
190 181
Med Sold $  
$250,000
$234,250
$230,000 238083

 







Maple Park                
# Active  
40
37
33 37
# Sold  
1
1
2 1
MKT Time  
93
278
291 221
Med Sold $  
$158,000
$265,000
$114,500 179167

 








 







Syracuse.png

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." - William Shakespeare

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world" - Albert Einstein

Strange and useless information about September...

September is National Chicken Month.
The poem “Mary had a Little Lamb” was published September 1st, 1830.
The Great Fire of London happened September 2, 1666.  (My birthday!!  Well, a few centuries later anyway!) 
Native American Day is always celebrated on the 4th Friday of September.
The US Treasury Department was established in September, 1789.
Band-Aids were invented in September.
September 11th, 1962 was the day the Beatles recorded their first single,”Love Me Do“.
September 12th is National Chocolate Milkshake
September 16th is National Play-Doh Day.
The 4th week of September is National Dog Week
Did you know the US Food Stamp Program was authorized by the US Congress as a program to distribute surplus food to poor, hungry Americans, September 11, 1959?
September is a perfect time of the year to shop for a new home!  Prices are still low!  Interest rates are phenomenal!  Choices are abundant! 

"Leave" your old house and "fall" into a great new home today with MORALES! 


--
Never pushy, just dependable. 

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


Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

Friday, August 05, 2011

Just watch the neighbor cut the grass... from MORALES!


 
May '11
Jun '11
Jul '11
Averages
St Charles                  
# Active  
512
535
535
527
# Sold  
51
67
62
60
MKT Time  
227
237
191
218
Med Sold $  
$285,500
$330,000
$399,500
$338,333

 








Geneva                  
# Active  
257
258
257
257
# Sold  
22
41
34
32
MKT Time  
213
221
122
185
Med Sold $  
$299,000
$297,000
$319,000
$305,000

 








Batavia                  
# Active  
186
187
190
188
# Sold  
19
39
29
29
MKT Time  
217
123
177
172
Med Sold $  
$253,800
$275,000
$259,900
262900

 








Elburn                  
# Active  
107
117
110
111
# Sold  
10
10
7
9
MKT Time  
223
321
310
285
Med Sold $  
$262,500
$198,750
$200,000
$220,417

 








Sugar Grove                  
# Active  
89
80
86
85
# Sold  
9
12
10
10
MKT Time  
257
176
176
203
Med Sold $  
$245,000
$250,000
$234,250
$243,083

 








Maple Park                  
# Active  
42
40
37
40
# Sold  
2
1
1
1
MKT Time  
175
93
278
182
Med Sold $  
$350,500
$158,000
$265,000
$257,833

 









 








BIG WIG  In the 18th century when many men wore wigs, the most important men wore the biggest wigs. Hence today important people are called big wigs.
CROCODILE TEARS  These are an insincere display of grief or sadness. It comes from the old belief that a crocodile wept (insincerely!) if it killed and ate a man.
CUT AND RUN  In an emergency rather than haul up an anchor the sailors would cut the anchor cable then run with the wind.
FROM THE HORSES' MOUTH  You can tell a horse’s age by examining its teeth. A horse dealer may lie to you but you can always find out the truth 'from the horse’s mouth'.
GIVE SOMEBODY THE COLD SHOULDER  When an unwanted visitor came you gave them cold shoulder of mutton instead of hot meat as a hint that they were not to call again.
GOODBYE  This is a contraction of the words God be with ye (you).
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK  This old saying probably comes from a Medieval law which stated that peasants could use branches of trees for fire wood if they could reach them with their shepherds crook or their billhook.
LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG  This old saying is probably derived from the days when people who sold piglets in bags sometimes put a cat in the bag instead. If you let the cat out of the bag you exposed the trick.
PEEPING TOM  According to legend a man named Leofric taxed the people of Coventry heavily. His wife, lady Godiva, begged him not to. Leofric said he would end the tax if she rode through the streets of Coventry naked. So she did. Peeping Tom is a much later addition to the story. Everybody in Coventry was supposed to stay indoors with his or her shutters closed. However peeping Tom had a sneaky look at Godiva and was struck blind.
A PIG IN A POKE   This is something bought without checking it first. A poke was a bag. If you bought a pig in a poke it might turn out the 'pig' was actually a puppy or a cat.  (see "Let the cat out of the bag" above.)
POT LUCK  In the past all kinds of food went into a big pot for cooking. If you sat down to a meal with a family you often had to take 'pot luck' and could never be quite sure what you would be served.
RED TAPE  This phrase comes from the days when official documents were bound with red tape.
RED LETTER DAYS  In the Middle Ages saints days were marked in red in calendars. People did not work on some saint’s days or holy days. Our word holiday is derived from holy day.
RULE OF THUMB  This comes from the days when brewers estimated the temperature of a brew by dipping their thumb in it.
SHAMBLES   Originally a shamble was a bench. Butchers used to set up benches to sell meat from. In time the street where meat was sold often became known as the Shambles. (This street name survives in many towns today). However because butchers used to throw offal into the street, shambles came to mean a mess or something very untidy or disorganized.-- 
START FROM SCRATCH  This phrase comes from the days when a line was scratched in the ground for a race. The racers would start from the scratch.
STRAIGHT LACED  This phrase was originally STRAIT laces. The old English word strait meant tight or narrow. In Tudor times buttons were mostly for decoration. Laces were used to hold clothes together. If a woman was STRAIT laced she was prim and proper.
TRUE BLUE  This phrase was originally true as Coventry blue as the dyers in Coventry used a blue dye that lasted and did not wash out easily. However the phrase became shortened.
WILLY-NILLY  This phrase is believed to be derived from the old words will-ye, nill-ye (or will-he, nill- he) meaning whether you want to or not (or whether he wants to or not).
WHITE ELEPHANT  In Siam (modern day Thailand) white or pale elephants were very valuable. The king sometimes gave white elephant to a person he disliked. It might seem a wonderful gift but it was actually a punishment because it cost so much to keep!
I found these old sayings interesting, and hope you enjoyed them!  
And of course, I had to google Real Estate
sayings:

* If you think no one cares you're alive, miss a couple of house payments.

* If you want to know exactly where the property line is, just watch the neighbor cut the grass.

* I have a temporary mortgage. What do you mean temporary? Until they foreclose.

* Realtor: First you folks tell me what you can afford, then we'll have a good laugh and go on from there.

* The dream of the older generation was to pay off a mortgage. The dream of today's young families is to get one.

* This country is great. It's the only place where you can borrow money for a down payment, get a 1st and 2nd mortgage and call yourself a homeowner.
IF you know of any that I overlooked, won't you please share them on my facebook page?

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




Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

Foreclosures & Short Sales ~ Tri Cities & Kaneland

First Time HomeBuyers ~ Tri-Cities
First Time HomeBuyers ~ Kaneland

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Blooming good numbers in June... from MORALES!


  Apr '11
May '11
Jun '11
Averages
St Charles                
# Active   497
512
535
515
# Sold   40
51
67
53
MKT Time   247
227
237
237
Med Sold $   $307,250
$285,500
$330,000
307583

 







Geneva               0
# Active   231
257
258
249
# Sold   16
22
41
26
MKT Time   152
213
221
195
Med Sold $   $367,500
$299,000
$297,000
321167

 







Batavia               0
# Active   188
186
187
187
# Sold   12
19
39
23
MKT Time   195
217
123
178
Med Sold $   $251,250
$253,800
$275,000
260017

 







Elburn               0
# Active   101
107
117
108
# Sold   7
10
10
9
MKT Time   198
223
321
247
Med Sold $   $288,000
$262,500
$198,750
249750

 







Sugar Grove               0
# Active   90
89
80
86
# Sold   13
9
12
11
MKT Time   173
257
176
202
Med Sold $   $199,000
$245,000
$250,000
231333

 







Maple Park               0
# Active   41
42
40
41
# Sold   2
2
1
2
MKT Time   273
175
93
180
Med Sold $   $97,500
$350,500
$158,000
202000

 







Sunflowers are truly inspiring plants.  It is a useful plant with many unique characteristics.  The sunflower is native of North America.  With approximately 60 varieties, they stretch most of the Great Plains.  The earliest sunflower provided food, by grounding into flour for soups and breads, and the seeds were boiled to extract the oil. 
Did you know that one sunflower actually hosts hundreds of tiny flowers called florets? (See photo below.)  Its rather thick stem can grow upwards of 10'.  On top of the stem appears to be one giant flower with yellow petals and a brown center.  This is actually called a "head" and is not a flower, but rather a a mass of flowers -- all individually growing and from where the seeds will originate. 
The name Sunflower's genus name comes from 2 Greek words meaning Sun and Annual.  Interesting enough, the sunflower head points east towards sunrise in the morning, and by evening it redirects itself to the west.  Overnight, the sunflower redirects itself to its original eastward position again.  Once they bloom, however, the stem generally freezes in the eastward-facing position.  
Sunflower seeds are edible.  They can be eaten directly or roasted.  The seeds can also be pressed to extract oil-- mostly used in the kitchen, cosmetics, and machinery lubricants. 

Sunflower-LucaPostpishl.png

IF you know anyone who is thinking about planting themselves in new soil, please call me! 
Buying or selling, I promise to take bloomin' good care of them. 


--
Sending happiness to you...
            
Diane Morales
Thank you for MOVIN' WITH MORALES!!
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
(630) 709.9882

cow-surrounded-by-sunflowers.jpg


Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

Find out more about me

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. 

Monday, June 06, 2011

Your Community Sales ... from MORALES!


  Jan '11
Feb '11
Mar '11
Apr '11
May '11 Averages
St Charles                      
# Active   440
453
469
497
512 474
# Sold   25
30
32
40
51 36
MKT Time   276
262
237
247
227 250
Med Sold $   $385,000
$279,750
$311,500
$307,250
$285,500 313800

 










Geneva                     0
# Active   183
185
219
231
257 215
# Sold   9
10
17
16
22 15
MKT Time   177
202
216
152
213 192
Med Sold $   $259,000
$268,000
$315,000
$367,500
$299,000 301700

 










Batavia                     0
# Active   171
173
177
188
186 179
# Sold   12
7
14
12
19 13
MKT Time   218
279
119
195
217 206
Med Sold $   $233,250
$220,000
$227,500
$251,250
$253,800 237160

 










Elburn                     0
# Active   108
106
99
101
107 104
# Sold   3
2
9
7
10 6
MKT Time   188
89
218
198
223 183
Med Sold $   $240,000
$252,500
$255,000
$288,000
$262,500 259600

 










Sugar Grove                     0
# Active   89
82
82
90
89 86
# Sold   6
3
7
13
9 8
MKT Time   319
129
232
173
257 222
Med Sold $   $219,500
$240,000
$315,000
$199,000
$245,000 243700

 










Maple Park                     0
# Active   37
43
46
41
42 42
# Sold   2
3
4
2
2 3
MKT Time   45
586
78
273
175 231
Med Sold $   $345,000
$195,000
$157,500
$97,500
$350,500 229100

 











 











2011-06-04_1335kw.png

IF you'd like to know what the home down the street sold for, call me!  I can tell you! 



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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. 

Udderling Amazing... from MORALES!

June is National Dairy Month!  And in honor of it, MOO-VIN' With Morales wants you to know some udderly amazing facts!
  • There are dairy farms in each of the 50 states.
  • The 5 leading states for milk production are California, Wisconsin, Idaho, Pennsylvania, and  New York!
  • The average cow produces enough milk to fill 90 glasses per day/ 350,000 in her lifetime.
  • More than 1/3 of all milk produced in the US goes to produce cheese.
  • Milk leaves the cow at 101° and is quickly cooled to 40°.
  • A gallon of milk weighs 8.59#s
  • A cow has 4 stomachs and 24 teeth.  A cow has 207 bones (just 1 more than humans).
  • Long ago, when people traveled they took their cows with them to have milk.
  • Cows spend about 6 1/2 hours a day eating.  They spend a good majority of the rest of their day lying down. 
  • It takes 2 days for the cow to process her food into milk.
  • It takes 12 1/2 gallons of milk to make one gallon of ice cream.
  • The holes in Swiss cheese are caused by the expansion of gases within the cheese curd during its ripening process.

Words of wisdom from a cow... 
  • Always wake up in a good moo-d.
  • Don't cry over spilled milk.
  • The grass IS always greener on the other side of the fence.
  • Turn the udder cheek and moo-ve on.
  • Seize every opportunity and milk it for all its worth!
  • It's better to be seen and not herd.
  • Honor your mudder, your fodder and all your udder relatives.
  • Never take any bull from anybody.
  • Always let them know who's the bossy.
  • Black & white is always an appropriate fashion statement.
And my favorite...
  • Don't forget to cow-nt your blessings every day! 
~Kane County Farmer, June '11

2106_cute_little_cow_seen_flying_bee_tns.png
            
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

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. 

Saturday, May 07, 2011

What's your deal breaker?... from MORALES!




  Jan '11
Feb '11
Mar '11
Apr '11
Averages
St Charles                    
# Active   440
453
469
497
465
# Sold   25
30
32
40
32
MKT Time   276
262
237
247
256
Med Sold $   $385,000
$279,750
$311,500
$307,250
320875

 








Geneva                    
# Active   183
185
219
231
205
# Sold   9
10
17
16
13
MKT Time   177
202
216
152
187
Med Sold $   $259,000
$268,000
$315,000
$367,500
302375

 








Batavia                    
# Active   171
173
177
188
177
# Sold   12
7
14
12
11
MKT Time   218
279
119
195
203
Med Sold $   $233,250
$220,000
$227,500
$251,250
233000

 








Elburn                    
# Active   108
106
99
101
104
# Sold   3
2
9
7
5
MKT Time   188
89
218
198
173
Med Sold $   $240,000
$252,500
$255,000
$288,000
258875

 








Sugar Grove                    
# Active   89
82
82
90
86
# Sold   6
3
7
13
7
MKT Time   319
129
232
173
213
Med Sold $   $219,500
$240,000
$315,000
$199,000
243375

 








Maple Park                    
# Active   37
43
46
41
42
# Sold   2
3
4
2
3
MKT Time   45
586
78
273
246
Med Sold $   $345,000
$195,000
$157,500
$97,500
198750

 








Is there anything that would stop you from buying a home? 
What if you found the perfect home, but...

Occasionally, I've gone out with a buyer who likes a home, only to find out later that it's been ruled out because of an external obsolescence!  An external what?  What if your ideal home was right next to a water tower?  Is that ok or does it scare you?  What about near a gas station?  Or right next to rail road crossing?  A cemetery?  Each buyer has his own thoughts and concerns about these "neighborhood" features.  Some folks absolutely love the fact that it means privacy for their home.  While others fear the "what could happen" scenarios. 
Ten years ago, when I bought my first home on my own, my home was very close to a train.  Growing up, my grandmother lived close to an airport, so I knew from that experience, that you "get used to it!" ... I knew I'd be ok with the rattle of trains eventually.  Now ten years later, I can tell you that I rarely wake up to their horns.  The good thing is that now I've numbed myself to many other night time noises.  I don't hear loud thunder storms anymore.  Sometimes I go to work the next morning and hear co-workers talking about how they were kept awake all night from the storm.  To which,  I'll reply, "Really?  Did it rain last night?"
I guess it's the glass half-full or half-empty theory.  Is a cemetery scary?  Or is it relaxing because it's always so peaceful and calm there?  I'd love to hear what your home deal-breakers are...


railroad-rural.jpg

PS-- Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful Mothers that I know!! 
            
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

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.