Purchase a Chicago New Home at the Reserve of St. Charles

Have you been searching for a one-of-a-kind custom home? Then design and purchase a John Hall custom home in the Reserve of St. Charles!

These Kane County new homes are built to suit each homeowner’s personal needs and tastes, so no two homes are alike! These gorgeous homes offer four or five bedrooms and options such as three-car side-load garages. Each home in the Reserve of St. Charles is built on an entire half-acre lot, which allows for plenty of space and privacy. Custom home packages start at $475,000 and include landscaping.

John Hall Homes is a 100 percent compliant Energy Star partner, so new homeowners will enjoy low heating and cooling costs in addition to many other quality features. Each custom-built home includes stainless steel appliances, custom finished oak flooring, granite countertops in the kitchen and cultured marble vanity tops in the bathrooms.

The Reserve is located west of the Fox River and across the street from the award-winning St. Charles North High School. Residents will enjoy living close to downtown Geneva, which features a variety of shopping and dining located among historic buildings and picturesque tree-lined streets.

For more information on building your custom home, visit the John Hall Custom Homes website

Only One New Home Left at Charleton Highlands

Act now, because there is only one home left at the Charleton Highlands community in Orland Park!

A three-bedroom plan featuring walk-in closets and hardwood floors is currently selling for $265,000.

This Cook County new home boasts a jack-and-jill bathroom on the second floor plus high-quality panel doors. This is the only opportunity you will have to buy a Charleton home before 2013, so visit the community today!

Residents at Charleton pay a $175 per month association fee that includes snow removal, landscaping, grass cutting and maintenance of common areas, fences and sprinklers. If you are a new homeowner just starting out or an empty-nester, then the low-maintenance Charleton lifestyle is perfect for you!

Homeowners will truly enjoy living in Orland Park! Charleton residents can walk to Lifetime Fitness and take advantage of all the shopping and dining Orland Park has to offer. Orland Park is notable for being an energy-efficient community, so homes at Charleton Highlands include energy saving and ‘green’ options.

In spring 2013, Charleton will break ground on new home models with luxury master baths, upstairs laundry rooms and customized countertop and flooring options! However, if you want to buy a Charleton home before the New Year, this is your last chance.

For more information, visit the Charleton Highlands website.

Gerstad Builders Selling a New McHenry County Home

Gerstad Builders is pleased to announce that their beautiful model home at Liberty Trails is available for immediate move-in! This spacious McHenry new home features the Bailey home design and is affordably priced at $239,490.

Homeowners will love the Bailey's upscale features and finishes including stainless steel appliances, hardwood flooring, nine foot ceilings throughout the main floor, and full walkout basement with three piece bathroom. One advantage to purchasing a model home is that they often showcase upgrades that are not available in other homes. The Bailey home is no exception and includes upgraded kitchen cabinets, Zodiaq kitchen countertops with round over edges, bathroom vanities, and carpeting. The Bailey boasts 1,830 square feet of well-designed living space with two bedrooms, a study and two bathrooms on the main level. If you are looking for a new home that is ready for you and your family, then this ranch-style home is the perfect choice!
Liberty Trails is located within a master-planned community and offers residents plenty of opportunities to enjoy the indoors and outdoors. A green space and tot park provides plenty of outdoor fun for the entire family.

This wonderful community is conveniently located within minutes of great shopping, lakes, Fox River, parks, and golf. Children at Liberty Trails attend Hilltop Elementary, Duker Elementary, McHenry Middle and McHenry High schools.

For more information on the Bailey model home and Liberty Trails, call 815-385-4495 or visit www.GerstadBuilders.com.

Gerstad Builders also offers new homes in Poplar Grove, Richmond and Williams Bay. You can check out all of our great communities on the Gerstad Builders website.

Check out Chicago New Townhomes at Cambridge Lakes

D.R. Horton recently celebrated the opening of several new models at their Cambridge Lakes community located in Pingree Grove. In addition to a variety of single-family homes, Cambridge Lakes also offers many new Chicago new townhome and duplex options.

Cambridge Lakes is an award-winning community with state of the art amenities that include an on-site school, walking and bike trails plus a community and fitness center.

Home buyers can choose from a variety of models that will fit their needs. Options include traditional two-story townhomes, row-home style townhomes or duplex-style living, and pricing starts at $145,000. All townhomes and duplexes at Cambridge Lakes offer two-car garages and two or three bedrooms.

Currently, D.R. Horton is offering six townhome models and four different duplex models.

For a great quick move-in option, check out the Andover model townhome. The Andover features 1,400 square feet, two-bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a two-car garage.

For potenital home buyers interested in a duplex, the spacious Marigold model offers 1,798 square feet and three bedrooms.

All Cambridge Lake community homes offer energy efficient features and low-maintenance exterior features.

Pingree Grove is an environmentally friendly community located near I-90.

To tour one of the townhomes or duplexes at Cambridge Lakes, call (847) 984-4883. For more information, visit the D.R. Horton website.

Crown Communities Offers Deal on New Immediate Delivery Home

The Richmond home by Overstreet Custom Homebuilders is a Cook County new home that recently received some great updates. Now the home has hardwood floors in the foyer, dining room, breakfast and kitchen plus crown molding.

Other stand-out features include custom decorator paint colors and fireplace detailing.
The price on the Richmond home is now reduced to $434, 900, and in addition to stand-out amenities, the Richmond boasts four bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths.

The Richmond is located in the Graystone neighborhood of the Highland Woods Community in Elgin. The community offers everything from nature trails to a water park and residents also have access to a private owners club that includes a state-of-the-art fitness room.

For more information on owning the Richmond, visit the Crown Communities website.

Chicago's Most Expensive Real Estate Revealed

Homes.com recently released a report on the most and least expensive real estate in Chicago. The rankings were based on listing price data from the company's website.

In order to compile the rankings, Homes.com used listing price data from its own website. So what are the most expensive neighborhoods in Chicago? The answer is the Lincoln Park and North Side neighborhoods. 

The average cost of a residence in Lincoln Park is $1,093,533 and the average cost of a North Side residence is $1,269,693.

The other most expensive Chicago neighborhoods are as follows:
Wrightwood, Lower West Side and Bridgeport.

And the least expensive real estate is Barletts, where an average residence costs $11,500.

Other less expensive neighborhoods include Riverdale, Englewood and West Englewood.

Homes.com also used data from their website to rank Chicago rental listings by price.

The most expensive rents are in Museum Park, near South Side and near North Side. An average rental in Museum Park costs $3,450.

The least expensive rents are in Gage Park, Chicago Lawn and Burnside.

New Model Home at Williams Bay New Home Community

When looking for that perfect home, it isn't always easy to imagine what your dream place would look like with furniture. The advantage to touring model homes is that they give prospective homeowners the opportunity to get a better vision of what their home will look like when it is furnished.

Gerstad Builders recently sold their model home at Bailey Estates, and are building a new model home featuring the Bayview home design. This single-family home will give homeowners a glimpse of what it would be like to live in the Williams Bay new home community.

The Bayview offers three bedrooms with two bedrooms on the main floor and an optional third bathroom in the basement. The elegant interior showcases upscale finishes with vaulted ceilings in the great room, upgraded carpet, hardwood floors in the kitchen and foyer, stainless steel appliances, and soaking tub and ceramic shower in the master bathroom. Additional features of this home include a two-car side load garage and lookout full basement with coffee porch in the rear of the home.
Bailey estates offers a relaxing country setting with close proximity to city life. Homes range from 1,800 to 3,200 square feet and are built on large home sites of almost a half acre up to 1 1/4 acres.

Buyers can expect high quality features in every Gerstad home with GE appliances, Kohler fixtures, and oak or white Colonist doors and trim. The Gerstad design center allows homeowners to customize their home to better suit their wants and needs.

Residents at Bailey Estates can also enjoy a four-acre park with tennis courts, walking paths, and outdoor basketball courts.

In addition to Williams Bay, Gerstad Builders offers new homes in McHenry County, Richmond and Poplar Grove.

For more information, visit www.gerstadbuilders.com.

Chicago New Homes Available at Autumn Creek in Yorkville

Pulte Homes and Centex Homes are pleased to announce that new homes are available at Autumn Creek Fields and the Groves at Autumn Creek in Yorkville. Chicago new home buyers can choose from a variety of models in the community, which is located on 92 acres complete with walking paths and bike paths.

Autumn Creek Fields and the Groves at Autumn Creek are conveniently located near I-88 and the community also offers an on-site elementary school.

Pulte Homes offers four different models of homes and Centex Homes offers five different models.

The Autumn Creek Fields homes by Pulte are priced starting in the low $190,000s, and buyers can choose from four different floor plans, including the brand new Austin plan that features a two-and-a-half car garage and a library.

The Groves at Autumn Creek by Centex offers homes that start at $114,000, and include ranch-style and two-story floor plans.

Stand-out features at Autumn Creek Fields and the Groves at Autumn Creek include full basements, Whirlpool appliances and designer kitchens that are equipped with Kohler and Moen products. In addition to modern interiors, Autumn Creek homes have distinctive, low-maintenance exteriors.

If you want to set up a tour of one of these homes, contact 630-553-4300 for an appointment.

William Ryan Now Offers Connected Homes

William Ryan Homes has partnered with Digital Innovations to bring Chicago new home residents a special “Connected Home” package.

This special package includes features such as a four-port wireless router and television and telephone distribution modules that can work with any almost any computer or communications device. All of these high-tech items can be controlled by a web-enabled mobile device.

William Ryan Homes also offers the infrastructure package which is priced at $1,500 value and is included at no extra charge. The infrastructure package includes the features listed below.

• The ability to control air conditioning and heating 24/7 from any location.
• The option to turn lights on and off in any room from any location.
• A state-of-the art security system with keyless locks and entry door camera monitoring.
• The ability to control television, movies, subscription video, digital audio and WiFi from your own computer system.

If you are interested in a connected home call (847) 995-8700 or visit the William Ryan website.

William Ryan is currently offering single family homes in Bolingbrook, Cary, Elgin, Joliet, Lakemoor, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Naperville and Shorewood.

Three Chicago Suburbs Make Best Places to Live List

New homes in Chicago buyers now have another reason to be happy with ther purchase. Several Chicago suburbs were ranked in the top 100 of the CNN Money Magazine “Best Places to Live in the U.S.” 2012 list.
The list was revealed in August and ranks communities based on the following characteristics: quality of school systems, jobs, affordable housing and recreational opportunities.

Naperville earned the top spot and was ranked as number 53. The decision was influenced by Naperville's devotion to providing lots of entertainment to its residents such as parades, jazz festivals and heritage celebrations. These events are funded by an additional 1% tax that Naperville adds to food and beverage purchases.

Naperville also boasts top schools and many established businesses, and has a picturesque downtown which features the 1.75 mile Riverwalk and a variety of shops and restaurants.

Bolingbrook earned spot number 62 on the list. During the past few years the suburb has experienced economic growth due to companies such as G&W Electric and WeatherTech opening their headquarters in town. Similar to Naperville, Bolingbrook offers plenty for its residents to do, whether it’s going to a local theater performance or relaxing at the local fishing lake.

Wheaton was ranked as number 80. The town was given accolades for its stellar education system and is also home to Wheaton College.

Bolingbrook and Naperville were featured on the list in 2010, while Wheaton previously made the 2009 list.

Enjoy Fall Foliage in McHenry County New Homes

A McHenry County new home from Gerstad Builders can make it easy to enjoy the fall sights when you have the option of a four-season room. These sun-filled additions not only bring in extra light, they also add approximately 168 square feet of living space to the main floor. As a bonus, Gerstad Builders makes the basement larger to accommodate for the room which gives the home buyer a total of 336 square feet of usable space.

Four-season rooms aren't the only cutzomized option that Gerstad Builders offers. Home buyers can also choose from a variety of finishes including hardwoods,ceramic tile, granite counter tops, designer millwork, and much more. Each home also comes with state-of-the-art GE appliances and Kohler fixtures.

Gerstad Builders currenlty offers homes in four communities throughout the Richmond, Williams Bay, McHenry County and Poplar Grove real estate markets. Residents in these high-quality communities will enjoy close proximity to the best dining, shopping and entertainment that the area has to offer.

Interested in one of these custom homes? Be sure to visit the Gerstad Builders website today!

Get Your Home Ready to Sell This Fall!

Spring and summer may be the busiest real estate seasons, but Chicago home owners can still make a successful fall sale.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has some great tips on how to spruce up your home in preparation for colder weather and shorter days.

Tip #1
Take advantage of your landscaping and make sure your lawn doesn’t look unkempt. A yard full of colorful trees will make your residence the standout home on the block. Keep up with your raking, so that your yard is neat.

Tip #2
Make sure to use the holidays to your advantage. Show off your home’s best features using holiday decorations and consider setting up the dining room table the same way you would for a holiday meal.

Tip #3
Pay lots of attention to the cold weather essentials of your home. Have someone check your heating system and clean your gutters. If you have a fireplace, clean it and make sure it is working properly.

Tip #4
Be mindful of the current real estate market. Buyers have access to lots of information via the Internet and they are savvier than ever! Do you homework and work with your Realtor to find out more about similar homes for sale so that you can successfully negotiate the perfect deal.

If you are putting your home up for sale this fall, make sure to share your own tips.

Highland Woods Perfect for Back to School Season

Back to school season has just begun and residents looking for a new Chicago home may want to check out the Crown Communities neighborhood Highland Woods. Families living at Highland Woods have access to the top-rated Central Community School District #301.

Highland Woods is a new community in Elgin that offers spacious and modern homes with access to a variety of amenities, such as a fitness center and water park. Access to an award winning school district is just another bonus

The nearest elementary school is Country Trails Elementary which is close enough for many children to walk to school. Country Trails opened in 2007 and won an Academic Excellence Award from the State of Illinois in 2011.

Prairie Knolls Middle School is also nearby. The school boasts average test scores in the 90th percentle and also provides a variety of extracurricular activities for students, from sports to music clubs.

High school students living in Highland Woods receive the benefits of Central High School, where teachers give each student one-on-one attention. Students can also participate in a variety of clubs and sports.

Even students at the preschool level will benefit from the location of Highlands Woods, which is nearby several pre-K facilities.

So if you’re looking to move into a new home before back to school season is over, stop by Highland Woods from Crown Communities and check out one of their model homes.

Investment Strategies must take Risks and Fees into Account

If you have money set aside and are ready for an investment strategy, you should be aware that in addition to the inherent risk of loss when investing money, there are costs that should be considered to make sure your money gets invested to the right place at the right time. These fees need to be accounted for when you are planning on saving for anything from retirement to a new Chicago home. The Equifax Finance Blog has an article explaining many of these fees and charges called "Breaking Down Investment Fees and Commissions."

Putting together a fund, like a mutual fund or IRA, takes money and the expertise of a financial professional, or if you are working with a large brokerage, it may require many professionals to make sure
everything goes smoothly when it is supposed to.  There is a general fee for this, called a "management fee," which is often expressed as a percentage. This percentage will charge on the amount invested, and is usually taken from the investment return. Generally, you want to look for the lower expense ratio, but some brokerages may charge higher for additional services so make sure you measure these costs and pick the financial group that is right for you.

Catch Errors in Your FICO Score Before Paying More

Check your FICO Score for errors which are
keeping you from being approved for loans.

If you are considering a big purchase, you should make sure your FICO score is ready to support you. Even if you have combed through your score for inaccuracies, there’s now a safety net in case you missed some. The Equifax Finance Blog explains in the article, “Are You Receiving the Best Interest Rates on Your Loans?”

Due to recent financial reforms, lenders have to give you a Risk-Based Pricing Notice when you don’t qualify for the best rates. This notice can highlight any problems which are causing you to be charged more for a loan. If you find these problems to be report inaccuracies, the path to a better FICO score and lower interest rate is clear. All you have to do is contact the reporting agencies and request a fix.

KBIS is a Showcase of Inspiration for Remodelers

See gorgeous Cambria Quartz counter tops like these
matched perfectly with Wellborn Cabinet styles
at booth 2603 at KBIS 2012!

The doors have opened, and the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) is underway. It is the best chance to see new products and developing trends for some of the most active parts of the home. The event includes an extensive exhibition floor that showcases the latest products, a highly relevant and informative conference program, the Best of KBIS awards program and networking opportunities for builders, suppliers, remodelers and more.

Just one of the great combinations of high profile kitchen and bath producers at KBIS will be at the Wellborn Cabinet booth, #2603. There, you can find Cambria quartz tastefully paired with Wellborn cabinets, specifically nine Cambria color designs matching Wellborn’s all new and simplified Elegant Bath Collection. This is an extensive collection of vanity styles which are available in their most popular door styles and finishes. The Cambria countertops involved in this presentation were prepared and fabricated by Atlanta Kitchen, one of the premier fabricators of Cambria, as well as skilled artisans with many other materials, from granite to Vetrazzo recycled glass.