URBALO

Google introduces a new service: “Find and compare local businesses”. Local businesses and reviews are now getting prominent billing in Google’s search results.
Here is a search for “realtor chicago illinois”

Quoting google: “From now on, you’ll see this every time you search for a place, business, or other local information. In addition to providing the basic contact information and map locations for several choices at the top of the page, we also show ratings and provide one-click access to reviews on the search results page so that you can make more informed decisions about where you want to go.

Official Google Blog

After weeks of brainstorming sessions on how to improve my blog, I’ve decided that I needed to add something interesting, something that will appeal to my readers and will make them come back and enjoy the information. So, therefore, I’m excited to announce the launching of a new service for followers of OwnChicagoHome.com and for all readers of this blog.

The OwnChicagoHome Jobs is a job board that will help employers and job seekers connect. This could be the perfect opportunity for everybody to find the perfect job or the ideal candidate.
Whether you’re looking for consultants, engineers, managers, or marketers, you will find them all right here.

The job board is powered by Job-a-matic, a service of the online job search site SimplyHired. Job-a-matic allows any blogger to easily add a jobs board to their site, and a number of prominent bloggers, including Guy Kawasaki, have already taken them up on it. If you don’t recall the name Guy Kawasaki, he is one of the biggest bloggers in the industry and one of the most famous venture capitalists. I have to admit, as soon as I read his article on the SimplyHired job board, I was sold on the idea.
If you’re an employer and would like to post your available jobs, please feel free to contact me for details on pricing and advertising options.

Thank you again for reading my blog and if you have any questions or suggestions, please drop some comments here.

~cristina

Comparing condo prices may be the best way to gauge the direction of housing prices.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — In trying to get a read on how much real estate markets are slumping, some people may be looking at the wrong indicator.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) tracks sales of both single-family homes and condos.
In the third quarter of 2005, NAR stats for single-family homes show that prices fell 1.2 percent from a year earlier, with 30 percent of markets showing declines.
Condo prices not only dropped more steeply, 2.1 percent, but 46 percent of markets showed declines.

Which gives a truer picture? Adam Koval, a former investment banker who now runs SocketSite.com, which covers San Francisco’s real estate market, insists condos are the way to go.

“Look at the same building six or eight months after the first sales were made,” he says. “The prices then will be a pretty good indicator of what’s going on.”

The reason: It’s an apples-to-apples comparison. With condos, there’s, “no adding floor space or big improvements,” says Koval. If you see a price change, it’s usually pure appreciation - or depreciation.

Contrast that with single-family house stats.
Read Full Article ->

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — From frozen oranges in California to deadly winter storms across the country, extreme weather has taken a very expensive toll. We tell you how to protect your most important assets from the wrath of Mother Nature.

1: Know what’s covered

Winter can be brutal on your home. Your homeowner’s insurance covers burst pipes and ice dams in your gutter. Ice dams are caused when ice forms on your home’s eaves, and water from melted snow flows from your roof, gets backed up behind the ice and flows under the shingles and into your home. You’re also covered (to a degree) if a tree hits your home.

Remember, you’ll only be able to recoup the cost of removing the tree up to $500. But if a tree just falls in your backyard, you’re on your own. If a neighbors tree damages your property, make sure to report it to your insurance company. In some cases you may get your deductible back if your neighbor was found negligent.

And although you’re covered if someone slips and falls on your property under your liability policy, you should be sure to clear your walkways of ice and snow.
Read Full Article ->

By Susan Diesenhouse
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 16, 2007

The letter from Donald Trump’s lawyer didn’t say, “You’re fired.” But it said something close.

Back in 2003, when Trump was planning his downtown residential tower, he gave about 40 insiders an attractive deal: They could sign contracts to buy condominiums in the Trump International Hotel & Tower at a discount. In some cases they agreed to pay about $500 a square foot.

But units in the building, still under construction, are on the market for as much as $1,343 a square foot. That would represent a tidy profit for these early purchasers. Except that Trump has notified them that their agreements are “null and void.”

That’s not as catchy as Trump’s stock phrase on “The Apprentice,” but it has been enough to upset some would-be purchasers who participated in what was called a “friends and family” sales program.

Since the summer, Trump has notified this special class of buyers, many with a professional connection to the project, that their deals have been canceled. If they want to close on units in the tower, now due for completion in 2009, they must pay closer to current asking prices.
Read Full Article ->

I’ve decided to switch over from a Treo to a Blackberry and I had my eyes on the Blackberry Peal for a while. I currently have T-Mobile and other than their slower data network, I found the service to be great and reliable. I really wish they would upgrade to a 3G network sooner. But, I use my phone mostly for emails and Google Maps, and the speed has been ok.

Ok, about the phone, the Pearl looks absolutely beautiful, great design, very slick, and perfect size. I was worried that the screen will be too small to read email and look up directions( remember, I was coming from a Treo who has a larger screen), but for my surprise, I was very satisfied with the screen size. I think it helped the fact that I lowered the font size, so more text lines could fit on the screen. The Peal doesn’t have a full keyboard such as the larger Blackberries or the Treos, but the software makes the typing very intuitive, so typing an email is really easy and fast. Also, I love the scrolling ball, it’s easier than using the side scroll wheel on other Blackberries.

The Blackberry Pearl comes with all whistle and bells software needed for a business phone. The learning curve is not high at all, so you should be able to get everything up and running within minutes. The most time consuming part was to setup my work email since I had to log in to my T-Mobile account, setup an address there and then call my company IT department so they can register the new address.

Bottom line, I really recommend this phone, it’s a great tool for any realtor and the price/quality ratio can’t be beaten.

Here are some reviews:
Business Week

Engadget

The Kimball station on the CTA Brown Line will reopen Friday, transit agency officials said today.

“We are pleased to announce that after nearly four months of renovation work, Kimball station will reopen this Friday, a few days earlier than promised,” CTA President Frank Kruesi said in a news release. The station had been closed for renovation work as part of the $530 million Brown Line capacity-expansion project, scheduled for completion in late 2009.

At Kimball, construction crews have installed brighter lighting, heaters and windbreaks, new benches, and an information kiosk, according to the release.
Work will continue after the station is reopened. Crews will be installing permanent station signs, security cameras, original artwork, windows and canopies, according to the release. They will also continue work to complete the extension of the platform.
Read Full Article ->

What kind of second home can you get these days for $250,000? It depends on where you’re looking.

Want something of a bargain? Then head north. Even though the Canadian dollar has gained strength recently against its American counterpart, second homes just over the border still represent relatively good value for buyers.

In the Eastern Townships, a rural region just over an hour southeast of Montreal “you can expect a good quality home of 2,000 to 2,400 square feet with access to the water,” said Albert Brandt of ReMax d’Abord in Magog, a real estate agent who has been selling there for 20 years. With about 10 towns to choose from like Magog, Knowlton and North Hatley, the region - a 4 1/2-hour drive from Boston and six hours from New York - is a favorite of Montreal residents, whose cosmopolitan tastes in food, wine and clothing add flair to local restaurants and shops.
Americans represent no more than 5 to 10 percent of second-home buyers there, Brandt said, and most of them buy in North Hatley, known to Americans for its upscale lakeside inns like Hovey Manor. English-speaking buyers have bought second homes in the region for generations, drawn by its low density, excellent skiing, pristine lakes and mountains.
Read Full Article ->

Starting and effectively managing a company is a monumental step in a real estate professional’s career. One cannot underestimate the degree of planning, business-savvy, and commitment required for this venture. This new 3-day workshop is designed for brokers who are interested in starting their own real estate company and want to save themselves thousands of dollars in wasted money, reduce startup mistakes, and put their brokerage on the fast-track to success. The program will take place February 7-9, 2007 in Chicago, IL.

“For the broker who holds a burning passion to have their own firm, there is no better time than now! This program will accelerate the growth of your business and help you avoid unnecessary mistakes,” said Cliff Perotti, course author and President/CEO of TheBrokerCoach.com. He continues, “Over the course of this 3-day workshop, participants will gain the proper mindset and knowledge to launch their own companies-right from the start.”

The program coincides with Perotti’s forthcoming book, “The Real Estate Entrepreneur,” which is due to hit in May of 2007.

For more information, contact Corinne Revel at 415.945.9895 or visit http://www.TheBrokerCoach.com.

Hello everybody,

I would like to thank all of you that have been reading my blog constantly and supported it. Without you, I would have never probably had the motivation to keep writing articles.

As you can see, I have a new design for my blog, and I would love to hear your opinion on this. Please share with me all the negative or positive aspects, so I can improve your reading experience.

Why did I decide to change the “look” ? Well, I kept reading articles on how to improve your readers’ experience on a blog and what makes a good design and what not. I saw the need of adding a third column and making the body a little wider, so I can fit more information on a row and also to be able to use larger fonts. I decided to go with a white background and black fonts, so it will be easier to read or scan the page. Also, as you can see, I went with a pink color for the headlines since they seem to stick out more and bring out the articles that might interest you.
By adding a third column to it, I can add more widgets and information on those bars and it will be accessible easier than having to scroll down the page constantly.

What other features I’m planning on adding? Well, I will share two of them with you:

1. a Flickr widget where I can show some beautiful Chicago pictures, and maybe even some new interesting developments that are being built. There so many great real estate properties being built all year long and it can be hard to read, hear or see all of them.

2. I’m planning on adding an Event section, where I can keep track of all the new social/entertainment events that take place in Chicago. If the feedback is great, in the future, I might be keeping track of business events as well, if you are interested.

Thank you again, Happy New Year and feel free to write me your suggestions.

~Cristina