It's an aMAYzing e•MAY•l ... from Morales!!

			Feb '12		Mar '12		Apr '12
St Charles
# Active			458		462		477
# Sold			18		39		43
MKT Time			170		217		193
Med Sold $			$314,147		$385,000		$310,000
Geneva
# Active			181		184		204
# Sold			20		24		34
MKT Time			180		129		154
Med Sold $			$322,750		$358,750		$277,250
Batavia
# Active			136		144		155
# Sold			10		18		19
MKT Time			307		165		202
Med Sold $			$297,920		$171,000		$292,000
Elburn
# Active			75		83		73
# Sold			10		13		9
MKT Time			216		245		257
Med Sold $			$212,000		$185,000		$281,000
Sugar Grove
# Active			64		56		65
# Sold			5		6		6
MKT Time			127		165		147
Med Sold $			$219,300		$213,500		$196,000
Maple Park
# Active			27		28		30
# Sold			1		6		6
MKT Time			71		707		203
Med Sold $			$178,000		$287,000		$182,500

Misc. crazy and fun-filled facts about the Month of May:

• May is named after the Greek goddess, Maia -- Her name related to a Latin word that means increase or growth.
• May day marked the end of the harsh winter months, welcomed the beginning of Summer
• Traditional May Day celebrations included dancing around maypoles.
• There is an old tale that says that May dew has magic properties and that anyone who has washed their face in it will have a beautiful complexion all through the year. This dew was supposed to be able to remove freckles and also spots and pimples.
• The month of May was considered an unlucky month particularly for getting married. -- 'Marry in May and you'll rue the day'.
• Being born in May was thought to produce a sickly child.
• Never buy a broom in May or wash blankets. -- It is believed if you wash a blanket in May, someone in your family will die.
• Cats born this month will not be good rodent catchers and even worse, will bring snakes into the home.
• The flower associated with May is the Lily of The Valley and the birth gem stone is an Emerald.
• “No Pants Day” is celebrated on the 1st Friday of May.
• Have you ever noticed that no other month in our calendar starts on the same day of the week as the month of May?

Yes, I know... I'm a MAY-niac with these trivia facts!!  It's just that I find this stuff so aMAYzing!  Play MAYke believe!  Cause some utter MAYhem!  Put some MAYk-up on! 

And Don't forget to remember me... ExclaMAYtion Mark!! 

Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

    Diane Morales

          630.709.9882

http://woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/year/may.htm
http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/history/may-trivia-and-unusual-facts/
http://voices.yahoo.com/interesting-facts-month-may-8134776.html

There's NO fooling... with MORALES!!

			Jan '12		Feb '12		Mar '12
St Charles
# Active			427		458		462
# Sold			29		18		39
MKT Time			236		170		217
Med Sold $			$320,000		$314,147		$385,000
Geneva
# Active			161		181		184
# Sold			13		20		24
MKT Time			214		180		129
Med Sold $			$311,000		$322,750		$358,750
Batavia
# Active			129		136		144
# Sold			13		10		18
MKT Time			167		307		165
Med Sold $			$228,500		$297,920		$171,000
Elburn
# Active			81		75		83
# Sold			3		10		13
MKT Time			24		216		245
Med Sold $			$200,000		$212,000		$185,000
Sugar Grove
# Active			55		64		56
# Sold			6		5		6
MKT Time			132		127		165
Med Sold $			$298,500		$219,300		$213,500
Maple Park
# Active			30		27		28
# Sold			1		1		6
MKT Time			294		71		707
Med Sold $			$365,000		$178,000		$287,000

April fun facts:
Many believe the month is named after the Greek Goddess, Aphrodite.  (There is speculation as to whether it was called this because of the Latin meaning, which is “To Open”, or if it is in honor of the Greek goddess of love; Aphrodite.)
The April flower is the daisy (sweet pea)
Diamond is the gemstone

April 3, 1860 began the Pony Express
Martin Luther King Jr. as assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee
April 9, 1865, General Robert E Lee surrendered to Ulysses Grant- officially ending the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865.
April 15, 1912, Titanic struck an iceburg and sunk
Tax Day, when we all have to line up and start paying our taxes, happens every April 15.
Earth day is celebrated each April 22nd
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 and he died on the same day, in 1616.
April 30, 1939, Televisions first public broadcast (from atop the Empire State Bldg)

April Fools
Did you know that before 1582, most people around the world did not celebrate January 1 as New Year's Day? Many ancient cultures celebrated the New Year on or around April 1.  The new year date was set as January 1st by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 and back then word didn't spread quite as quickly as it does now a days -- So, while many people were celebrating the new year in January, there were also many people sticking to the old traditions of celebrating the new year in April. Those who celebrated in April were referred to as "April Fools" and it is believed that they were ridiculed as well as made the butt of various other practical jokes.  Here are some of the better and more well known jokes that have been played in recent years:

• In 1996, Taco Bell took out a full page ad in the New York Times claiming they purchased the Liberty Bell to "reduce the country's debt". They also claimed that they would be renaming it to the "Taco Liberty Bell".
  
• In 1998 Burger King ran an ad in the USA Today, saying people could now order left-handed Whoppers. The funny part is that people actually ordered the new burgers, and some others requested the old right handed version.


• In 2010, a TV show called The One Show from the UK, did a news story on "cloned unicorns".


• In 1997, Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek switched hosting roles. Pat hosted Jeopardy and Alex hosted Wheel of Fortune.


• In 2010, Google advertised a new "animal translator" which they would be adding to their other translations.

Don't be a fool to be Movin' Without Morales?!

Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

    Diane Morales

          630.709.9882

http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/trivia-facts-about-april/
http://roadtickle.com/the-facts-about-april/
http://www.interestingfactsonline.com/interesting-facts-april-fools.asp

Your Proper Change... with MORALES!

			Dec '11		Jan '12		Feb '12
St Charles
# Active			437		427		458
# Sold			28		29		18
MKT Time			106		236		170
Med Sold $			$254,950		$320,000		$314,147
Geneva
# Active			180		161		181
# Sold			20		13		20
MKT Time			215		214		180
Med Sold $			$279,500		$311,000		$322,750
Batavia
# Active			125		129		136
# Sold			26		13		10
MKT Time			193		167		307
Med Sold $			$220,000		$228,500		$297,920
Elburn
# Active			80		81		75
# Sold			5		3		10
MKT Time			75		24		216
Med Sold $			$180,000		$200,000		$212,000
Sugar Grove
# Active			56		55		64
# Sold			10		6		5
MKT Time			180		132		127
Med Sold $			$223,750		$298,500		$219,300
Maple Park
# Active			27		30		27
# Sold			2		1		1
MKT Time			389		294		71
Med Sold $			$178,950		$365,000		$178,000

Since the price of gas seems to be everyone's least-favorite subject right now, I thought I'd chime in. 
Here are some ideas to help you save gas:

• Avoid rapid acceleration/braking
• Observe the speed limit --You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon for gas.
• Remove excess weight
• Avoid excessive idling (the difference with or without a/c is only about 1¢ savings!
• Use cruise control to maintain a constant speed
• Use Overdrive
  

Below is my blog that I wrote last year in January.  Seems only fitting to include it today. 

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

Your friendship and goodwill are the heart of my business!
Thanks for your continued support and referrals!!

Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

Leaping to Serve You... from MORALES!

A leap year is any year whose date is exactly divisible by 4
except those which are divisible by 100 but not 400.

Why such complexity? Because the exact number of days in a solar year is actually ever-so-slightly less than 365.25 (it is 365.242374, to be precise), so the algorithm had to be designed such that every now and then a leap year is skipped to keep the calendar.

Only one in every four centenary years is a Leap Year (the first two digits have to be divided by four). Therefore, 1800 and 1900 didn’t have a Feb. 29, but 2000 did.

Persons born on leap day, February 29, are called "leaplings" or "leapers." However fun it may be to rib them for enjoying 75 percent fewer birthdays than the rest of us over the course of their lives, they do have the special privilege, between leap years, of celebrating their nativity a full day earlier if they so choose. It was once thought that leapling babies would inevitably prove sickly and "hard to raise," though no one remembers why.
 
A whimsical tradition dating back at least four centuries holds that leap years confer upon women the "privilege" of proposing marriage to men instead of the other way around. The convention was that any man who refused such a proposal owed his spurned suitor a silk gown and a kiss — provided she was wearing a red petticoat at the moment she popped the question.

Another tall tale — dates the origin of ladies' privilege to the 5th century, around the time St. Patrick supposedly drove the snakes out of Ireland.  As the story goes, St. Patrick was approached by St. Bridget, who had come to protest on behalf of all women the unfairness of always have to wait for men to propose marriage. After due consideration, St. Patrick offered St. Bridget and her gender the special privilege of being able to pop the question one year out of every seven. Some haggling ensued, and the frequency ultimately settled upon was one year out of four — leap years, specifically — an outcome which satisfied both parties. Then, unexpectedly, it being a leap year and St. Bridget being single, she got down on one knee and proposed to St. Patrick on the spot. He refused, of course, bestowing on her a kiss and a beautiful silk gown in consolation.  We may conclude, among other things, that St. Patrick was better at dealing with snakes than with women.

In another European tradition, men have to pay if they said no to being wed; one legend holds that a man who rejects a proposal must buy the person 12 pairs of gloves — to hide the ringless finger.

In the Lunar calendar, a leap month is added about every three years. The Jewish calendar also adds an extra month in a leap year, which occurs seven times every 19 years. The Iranian, or Persian, calendar has about eight leap years in a 33-year cycle.

If you’re working on a fixed annual salary, you’re essentially working for free on Feb. 29. Look at this way — it’s still a day or two shorter than a regular month! 

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/historical/a/leap_year.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/leap-day-tips-and-traditions/2012/02/27/gIQAunhAgR_gallery.html#photo=1

IF you are proposing to buy or sell a home,
call me today! 
I'll LEAP to the opportunity to serve you!! 

Your friendship and goodwill are the heart of my business!
Thanks for your continued support and referrals!!

Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

Happy Valentine's Day... Love from MORALES!

Superstitions:

It is said that the kind of bird a girl watches on Valentine's Day predicts her future husband:

Sparrow: a poor man
Owl: remain spinster
Bluebird: a happy man
Blackbird: a priest or clergyman
Crossbill: an argumentative man

• To be awoken by a kiss on Valentine's Day is considered lucky.
• On Valentine's Day, the first guy's name you read in the paper or hear on the TV or radio will be the name of the man you will marry.
• If you see a squirrel on Valentine's Day, you will marry a cheapskate who will hoard all your money.
• If you see a goldfinch on Valentine's Day, you will marry a millionaire.
• If you see a robin on Valentine's Day, you will marry a crime fighter - maybe they mean Batman!
• If you see a flock of doves on Valentine's Day, you will have a happy, peaceful marriage.
• If you find a glove on the road on Valentine's Day, your future beloved will have the other missing glove.

Valentine's Day is the largest card-selling day, second only to Christmas!
Women purchase 85% of Valentine's cards -- in order of popularity: teachers, children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets!
Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given out on Valentine's Day.
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentines Day candy box in the late 1800s.
Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone, an "Improvement in Telegraphy", on Valentine's Day, 1876.
- http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-fun-fact.html

The Valentine Heart:

• The heart is associated to Valentine's Day as it is considered the source of all human emotions. The custom of drawing a heart shape is supposed to have come from early attempts to draw an organ that no one had seen. The symbol came on to become as a sign of love.
   
• The heart has been the most common figure of romantic love over the decades. Ancient cultures believed the human soul lived in the heart. The heart may be linked with love because the ancient Greeks believed it was the goal of Eros, known as Cupid to the Romans. Anyone shot in the heart by one of Cupid's arrows would fall hopelessly in love. Because the heart is also closely linked to love, its red color is considered as most romantic.    -http://www.mydearvalentine.com/valentines-day-facts/

We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.  -- John Lennon

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.  ;)

Your friendship and goodwill are the heart of my business!
Thanks for your continued support and referrals!!

Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

It's No Surprise... with MORALES!

Click on the links below for some surprising uses for common household items!!

Vicks Vapor Rub
W-D 40
Duct Tape
Including #50, removing warts!!  Supposedly it does work!! 
Mayonnaise
Salt
Tea
Dishwasher

And something that should be NO SURPRISE to you by now is the local market!!
 Check out the trends below for your town. 
After all, it's a "perfectly balanced" time to buy...

 

			Nov '11		Dec '11		Jan '12
St Charles
# Active			472		437		427
# Sold			28		28		29
MKT Time			167		106		236
Med Sold $			$218,350		$254,950		$320,000
Geneva
# Active			197		180		161
# Sold			29		20		13
MKT Time			100		215		214
Med Sold $			$279,750		$279,500		$311,000
Batavia
# Active			138		125		129
# Sold			21		26		13
MKT Time			156		193		167
Med Sold $			$238,000		$220,000		$228,500
Elburn
# Active			93		80		81
# Sold			3		5		3
MKT Time			142		75		24
Med Sold $			$175,000		$180,000		$200,000
Sugar Grove
# Active			61		56		55
# Sold			7		10		6
MKT Time			293		180		132
Med Sold $			$223,000		$223,750		$298,500
Maple Park
# Active			29		27		30
# Sold			2		2		1
MKT Time			215		389		294
Med Sold $			$245,000		$178,950		$365,000

Your friendship and goodwill are the heart of my business!
Thanks for your continued support and referrals!!


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

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