New Development in Waterloo, IL – Natalie Estates

 

If you’ve been wondering what is going on at the corner of Hammacher Road and Rogers Road in Waterloo, next to the tennis courts, the answer is……… a new development!  Natalie Estates, named after the granddaughter of the developer, will see some ground movement in March 2020.

The development will consist of 2 phases.  Each phase will contain about 30 home sites.  Prices will start in the $270’s with minimum square footages being 1400 for 1-story homes and 2100 for 2-story homes.  The exclusive builders will be D&F Home Builders and Quantum Homes.  Each builder will have a select number of home plans for clients to choose from in addition to building custom homes.

A display home is underway as of Jan 15, 2021. We are looking to be fully operational there by end of June. The GRAND OPENING celebration will kick it off! Watch for more details on this.  The public is invited!

Lot holds are now being taken.

 

To download/print information about Natalie Estates, click the links below:
Plat Map
Lot Listings/Pricing
Covenants and Restrictions
Original Plat Map

For more details, or to schedule a meeting with the builder, please contact us!
Raquel Vice: 618-978-0519.  Cindy Veliz:  618-791-6333.

Clear the Clutter and Sell Your House

If you want to sell your house, aside from the washing and the scrubbing, you need to remove the clutter. This doesn’t only mean taking taking out the obvious trash like, empty cans of paint or boxes of unused items that have been sitting in the garage for as long as you can remember. It also means removing personal items from the house. To you, these things are special and look like part of the house. But to potential buyers, they are clutter.

When you show your house to buyers, they need to be able to visualize themselves living in it. But they can’t do this if there are too many personal things like souvenir items from your vacations or events, personalized wall decor, and pictures. Instead of making them feel like this house could be theirs, it will make them feel like they’re intruders.

No matter how clean your house is, if there are many things, it will look crowded and it will be unappealing to buyers. I know, these things are important and special to you, so removing them from where they’ve always been will be heartbreaking. But you don’t have to get rid of them, you just need to move them away from the house you’ll eventually part with too. Consider renting a warehouse where you could still keep them.

You need to clear the house from clutter but it doesn’t have to be empty. Just aim to make the house look neutral.

Classify your things according to the things you’re going to keep, donate, and throw away. It might actually be high time for you to go over your stuff – especially those you haven’t even seen for years and say goodbye to them for good. You can think about selling some of your things in a yard sale or online but it will take time and effort – two things you usually don’t have enough of when you’re in the process of selling your home. If however, you are intent on selling some of them at a later time, eBay and Craigslist are the most popular sites to turn to. But you’d be doing yourself and a lot of people a big favor if you just give away as much as you can.

Here are some tips for clearing the clutter:

  • Take out unnecessary furniture to make the room look more spacious.
  • Clear the foyer or mudroom of shoes, coats, umbrellas and other outdoor items.
  • Remove big equipment like a drum set or treadmill.
  • Take out your photos so the buyers can imagine their own photos in the house.
  • Throw away old magazines, newspapers and books. If you have time and creativity, recycle.
  • Arrange your wires neatly. Make sure it doesn’t look messy and won’t cause accidents.
  • Remove everything you have in your nightstand – tissue, medicines, magazines. But you can keep the lamp, clock and a book to add to the look.
  • Organize your bookshelves so they look orderly. Add a decor like a vase or an artwork to make it look pretty.
  • Clear your kitchen countertops. But you can leave important items like a microwave and toaster. Don’t forget to clear the fridge from personalized magnets, pictures, your children’s drawings, coupons or whatever you always stick there.
  • Put away plants that look unhealthy.
  • In the bedroom, take out shoes, clothes and toys off the floor and make sure the bed is done.
  • Tidy up your bathroom by hiding razors, toothbrushes and shampoos in a cabinet. Prep up your room by putting fresh soaps, towels or maybe plants.
  • Take out some clothes in the closet so they don’t look too full.

8 Steps Involved in Selling Your Home

  • Take time to think about why you want to sell your home. It can be from a need to move to another place or you need to find a bigger home for your growing family. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish from this sale. As you think about this, you need to also define the time frame and profit margin that you have in mind. Discuss these goals with your real estate agent.
  • Set your price. In setting the selling price, you need to be fair. You need to research the selling price of comparable homes in your area as well as the real estate climate in your area. Most homeowners set a price based on the personal value of their home. Don’t make this same mistake. Take into consideration the condition of your house – the age, wear and tear, and damage. It’s usually hard for sellers to set a realistic, unbiased price so you’ll need to consult your real estate agent. This is why you must find an agent you can trust. Your agent should be able to provide you with information about the selling price of comparable houses in your neighborhood and the average time they waited to be sold. You could also ask someone to do an appraisal on your house so you could have a second opinion and a more objective one. Setting a fair market value price on your house is important. Studies show that houses priced higher than 3 percent of their market value, took a longer time to sell. When a property takes a long time to sell, buyers start to think there’s something wrong with it. This leads sellers to become desperate and sell the property for far less than its actual market value.
  • All sellers want to sell their homes quickly. But only some are willing to make their houses look salable. Take away eyesores to make your house attractive to buyers. Check every area of the house, especially the garage, and make sure to remove clutter or stored boxes. Fix what needs to be fixed – broken light, hard-to-open windows and doors. The appearance and condition of your house will influence its price and salability. Cleaning up doesn’t only mean wiping away the dust or scrubbing the floors. It also means putting away most of your personal stuff. It will be hard to sell a house that has so many family photos and mementos. When there’s too much of the seller’s stuff, the buyers will have a hard time thinking about making it theirs. Ask your real estate agent for some suggestions on how you could make your home attractive to buyers.
  • Market your home. Get as many people to know that you have a house for sale. The internet is the best way to do this. It allows you to reach potential buyers from anywhere in the world who are probably planning to move to your city. But yard signs and local paper advertisements are still effective ways of reaching buyers. Your agent will know how to bring in qualified buyers. The first three to six weeks are the busiest.
  • Receive offers. When you receive an offer, your real estate agent will first check if the potential buyer is prequalified or preapproved. The next step would be to review the contract. The contract should include the following: Legal description of the property, Offer price, Down payment, Financing arrangements,  List of fees and who will pay them, Deposit amount, Inspection rights and possible repair allowances, Method of conveying the title and who will handle the closing, Appliances and furnishings that will stay with the home, Settlement date and Contingencies. As the seller you have three options: to accept the contract as it is; accept it with revisions; or reject it. You need to be careful in dealing with contracts. It is legally binding. If there is anything at all that is unclear, ask your agent or lawyer before signing it.
  • Negotiate. Most offers have to undergo negotiating so both parties can get what they want. Real estate agents are experienced when it comes to this and they should be able to look after your interest and lead you throughout the bargaining process. These are the negotiable items: Price, Financing, Closing costs, Repairs, Appliances and fixtures, Landscaping, Painting, and Move-in date. As soon as both parties have agreed to the terms of the sale, your agent will prepare the contract.
  • Preparing to close. When you accept an offer, the next thing to do is to think about all the things that you and your buyer need to do before you can close the sale. The house may need repairs, or the property needs to be surveyed and appraised. Your agent can act as your spokesperson and deal with the buyer’s agent and service providers. It depends on your negotiation if you as seller need to pay for the cost of the services or a portion of it or even none of it. If the terms of the contract are fulfilled, then you can proceed with the sale. If however, there are problems in fulfilling the terms, you or the buyer can opt to revise or walk out. If you both decide to push through with the sale, make sure to prepare the papers. A few days before the signing, check to be sure that the necessary documents are there.
  • Closing the deal. This is when the whole process of selling your house will end. After the signing of contracts, you are no longer the owner of the property. Your agent should be there to guide you through the process. You may also invite a lawyer to be present. Some states require this. After the closing, there are still a few things you will need to take care of. You will need to cancel services like electricity, gas, lawn care, cable, and other routine services. If the new owner decides to keep the services, change the name on the account.

14 Things to Consider Before Buying a Home

When you see a house that seems exactly what you’re looking for, you’ll feel the impulse to make an offer right away. A beautiful, airy and relaxing house can make buyers easily fall in love with it. But don’t allow your emotions to make you forget about what’s real.  Leslie Levine, author of “Will This Place Ever Feel Like Home?”  says, “Sometimes we want something so badly, we’re not willing to ask all the questions we should.”

A beautiful house may only mean a beautiful facade. A closer inspection is necessary to ensure that this is really the house you want. You may see a basketball hoop over the garage and assume the neighborhood is great for kids. But a closer inspection may show that it’s rusted and hasn’t seen a ball in a decade, and that other yards in the neighborhood have no jungle gyms or tire swings out back, Levine says.

  • Visit the house at different times of day
    One of the features you may love about the house is its large windows. But it can be a big problem at night when you have a peeping neighbor. If the house is beside or across a school, you may think of it  as an advantage. Visit the house during school hours so you can find out if you can handle the hustle and bustle that the school brings. You could visit a house in the middle of the day and think it’s a quiet neighborhood but it could be noisy and busy during morning or evening rush hour.
  • Go through recent newspaper archives
    You might find out that the neighborhood’s water supply has a high level of contaminant; or they’re thinking of putting a high voltage line through the house  you’re eyeing. Levine suggests,  “Make sure you’re getting information on what you can’t see.” It’s also a good idea to check with the county or city for proposed projects in the area.
  • Talk to neighbors
    How many of the people around you are actually homeowners? It will be hard to tell at first if most are rental houses.
  • Ask the neighbors if they have an association
    “Is there a newsletter for it? How often does the neighborhood get together? Do they have a block party every year?” According to Levine, “Even if you don’t plan to attend, the fact that they’re having a gathering says they care about their community, that they want to get to know each other, that they’re willing to socialize that way. People who behave that way are building a community. They’re going to look out for your kids; they’re going to look out for your house. It’s a nice, safe way to celebrate something.”
  • Ask the sellers
    The house may have had past problems that you need to know of. Even if they’ve been fixed, it’s still worth knowing so you won’t do anything that could damage it again. The house may have had water damage years ago because of an ice dam. Knowing this will allow you to prepare and take preventive measures. You might find a landscaping which might seem to be unlikely to you. But you might find out it was actually made to prevent basement flooding.
  • Get a home inspection
    According to National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents, all houses have defects. Some may be obvious and most of it can be fixed. Being aware of the damage or potential problems of the house allows you to prepare for future expense or help you negotiate for a lower price. You should also consider having your house inspected for lead, radon and wood-eating pests.
  • Ask for records of past improvements
    If the house went through renovations or repainting. Ask if they could show you the receipts. If the whole project cost just $1,000, it means cheaper paint was used. Be prepared to repaint it soon. Getting these records isn’t always porrible but it’s worth the try.
  • Don’t assume remodelling will be easy
    If you talk to the seller about your ideas for future improvements, they might tell you more details you need to know. For example, you might notice a shower in an unexpected place. You’ll probably discover that there’s a structural problem that would’ve cost the previous owners a lot if they put a shower where it’s supposed to be.
  • Consider the view
    Levine says, “So many neighborhoods now have teardowns. So look at the two houses on either side of you. If this neighborhood has had some teardowns, one of those houses might be a candidate. And they may build some behemoth structure that affects your light or the way your house looks or your view.”
  • Check the utility bills
    You may love the house for its high ceilings, walls of glass or perfectly beautiful green lawn. But it might cost a lot to maintain them. The previous owner may have paid a so much for heating or cooling.
  • Consider the taxes
    It’s not enought that you look at the latest tax bill. Ask what the previous years tax bills were. In some areas, houses are re-appraised and taxed higher frequently. The house may seem like a good deal but with taxes that keep going up, you might want to reconsider. If you can’t get the information from the seller, you can also look for it in newspaper archives or ask your real estate agent about this. In some areas, the school’s funding come from property taxes. If this is the case, taxes will increase faster than in other areas.
  • Check with city hall
    NAEBA suggests checking the zoning of the neighborhood. You might also want to check any potential easements, liens or other restrictions that has something to do with your property. The seller should be able to tell you this but it’s better to do your own research. You can also ask your real estate agent about this.
  • Reconsider the bells and whistles
    Are you okay with a one-car garage? Are you comfortable with on-street parking?  You may consider a house with a pool as a perk but can you really afford one?
  • Explore the surrounding area
    This is especially important if you’re new to the city or state. Make sure you’re not moving into an ugly part of town. I’m also certain you don’t want to move in a noisy area. Find out if the property is near an airport, fire station, police station, hospital or railroad track. You might also want to live away from agricultural or industrial areas as they are prone to air pollution.