Looking for some fun, Halloween-themed events in Decatur? Look no further. Looking to sell your Central Illinois Home? Get a FREE home value reportLooking to buy a Central Illinois Home? Search all homes for sale There are many exciting things happening in the Decatur area this Halloween season. Whether it’s at the pumpkin patch, at the zoo, or in your own neighborhood, here’s a list of some great Halloween events in the area for you and your family to enjoy in the coming week. We’ve also provided some links where you can learn more about these spooky events: 1. Halloween Hoopla at the Decatur Children’s Museum. 2. Boo at the Zoo at Scovill Zoo. 3. SHC Halloween in the Halls at Millikin University. 4. The Great Pumpkin Patch just south of Arthur. If you have any questions for us in the meantime, or if you or someone you know has any real estate needs that we can assist with, don’t hesitate to reach out and give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon! Happy Halloween! If you have any other questions for me in the meantime or any real estate needs that I can assist with, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

There are many exciting things happening in the Decatur area this Halloween season. Whether it’s at the pumpkin patch, at the zoo, or in your own neighborhood, here’s a list of some great Halloween events in the area for you and your family to enjoy in the coming week. We’ve also provided some links where you can learn more about these spooky events:

1. Halloween Hoopla at the Decatur Children’s Museum.

2. Boo at the Zoo at Scovill Zoo.

3. SHC Halloween in the Halls at Millikin University.

4. The Great Pumpkin Patch just south of Arthur.

If you have any questions for us in the meantime, or if you or someone you know has any real estate needs that we can assist with, don’t hesitate to reach out and give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon! Happy Halloween!

Before The ArtFarm opened in January 2018, owner Peggy Baity showcased local artistic talents in pop-up markets. Now a gallery, it is home to not only local artwork and goods, but also workshops teaching pottery, painting, and jewelry making. The ArtFarm even showcases a different artist each month as part of the 11-1 ANKROM Gallery, which can be seen during normal business hours or during the local gallery walk held the first Friday of each month from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. To learn more about The ArtFarm, watch this short video.

I’m here today to give you a Central Illinois market update for the month of May. I took a look at the numbers and compared them to those from May 2017, and here’s what I found:

Home sales are up by 9.3%.

In addition, we saved our sellers 2.43% over the average that was listed on the MLS, which equated to an extra $3,645 in their pockets on average. 

If you’re thinking about buying or selling in Central Illinois or know somebody else who is, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you soon.

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The holiday season has officially arrived. We hope you enjoy this wonderful time of year and make some fantastic memories with your family and friends.

We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for making this our best year yet. We love helping people make their real estate dreams come true, so thank you for working with us.

This may be a busy time of year, but we are always here to help you and answer any questions you may have.

And in case we don’t hear from you, have a happy New Year!

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The numbers for our August market are hot off the presses, and I’m here to share them with you today.

These statistics are a great indicator of where our market is and where it’s headed. Locally, this August was the best month we’ve seen in over six years.

With 160 houses selling this August, we’ve seen a 24% growth from the number of homes that sold in August of 2016. The number of total home sales this year, up until the end of August, is now nearly even to what we saw last year, thanks to this boost.

Between January and August of this year, a total of 887 homes were sold. In 2016 during that same time, the number of sold homes was 886.

Houses are also selling faster this year than they were in 2016. In fact, the current average for days on market is 83, which is 30% less than the average a year ago.

There is one small piece of news that isn’t so good, which is that the average sale price is down by 8%.

This August was the best month we’ve seen in over six years.

Nevertheless, our market is mostly seeing positive trends. We are in a balanced market when it comes to price ranges below $250,000. This means that there is an equal number of buyers and sellers.

However, price points above $250,000 are still seeing a buyer’s market.

For further information on our current market, you can reference this chart.
 

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Recently I was joined by Amanda Keys, a great agent on our team, to talk about what’s happening in our market.

Amanda told me she has noticed homes have been selling very quickly recently. Homes are moving so fast that if you stop to think about whether to buy, you might miss out.

The saying, "If you choose to sleep on it, you may not sleep in it," really applies here. So, what happens when a buyer is afraid they might be making the wrong decision, even when they find a home they love?

If you choose to sleep on it, you may not sleep in it.

That very hesitation is where inspections come in handy. Having a professional thoroughly go over the condition of a home means that any potential issues can be uncovered and taken care of.

As agents, it’s our job to make sure that buyers are comfortable throughout the process.

We understand that buying a house is a big decision. Oftentimes, it’s the biggest investment a person will make in their life.

We want to help you make a wise decision, so that you can find and buy the home of your dreams.

So if you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Your yard makes up a big part of your home's exterior appeal whether you're selling or not, so it's important to keep it beautiful. To help me give some tips on the best ways to do this, I've invited Kevin McSherry of From the Ground Up Landscapes to join me today.

When you are selling your home, the yard always creates that valuable first impression on buyers. For some, it will even determine whether they want to see it after driving by.

As Kevin says, start with the obvious staples and make sure your lawn is mowed and trimmed on a regular basis while your house is for sale. If you have mulch, apply a brand new layer to make it look fresh and get rid of all weeds in landscape beds. Trim any plants as well.

Perennial flowers are becoming more popular than annuals that have to be planted each year.

Most of the work that Kevin and his team do is taking out older landscaping and starting fresh. It's easier and less expensive for homeowners than starting from scratch. One of the most popular things they do is planting permanent flowers for homeowners who are sick of planting annuals every year. They can even space out planting these perennials through the seasons so that something is always in bloom.

They also specialize in low-maintenance landscaping. Kevin says his team does more and more stone instead of mulch because homeowners grow tired of adding new mulch every year.

If you have any questions for Kevin about lawn maintenance, you need some tips, or you're looking to update your landscaping, you can reach Kevin at 217-233-1310 or check out his website at FTGULandscapes.com. 

As always, feel free to give me a call or send me an email if you have any questions about the Central Illinois real estate market or you're thinking of buying or selling a home. I'm here to help!

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I recently sat down with Ryan McCrady, president of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), to talk about everything they do for our local business economy.

As Ryan says, the EDC focuses on non-residential, non-retail economic development. They help businesses here in Decatur/Macon County expand their footprint and help the community retain businesses in the event of things like zoning, workforce, or regulatory issues. They also work on attracting new business to the area to expand the job base and bring new people to the community as well as provide opportunities to the workers here.

The EDC also administers two big initiatives, starting with the Enterprise Zone of Decatur/Macon County. If you operate a business and you're looking to expand or locate a business in the area, there may be incentives they can offer you to do so. As Ryan says, they are administered locally and easy to get your hands. They also oversee the Midwest Inland Port LLC, as well as the community marketing and branding campaign called Limitless Decatur & Macon County.

Ryan added that the staff consists of five people with most tasks coming with an 'all hands on deck' approach so they can do everything possible to get involved and promote the community, grow jobs, and grow the economy overall.

Decatur has a very skilled and loyal workforce.

Just like in our business of real estate, Ryan says that referrals are gold for the EDC. If you or someone you know owns a business and is having some issues, send them Ryan's way and he may be able to help them out.

Economic development can be a mystery to a lot of people, Ryan says. While many people think of it as attracting a business like Chik-fil-A, that's not the whole of it; the whole basis for economic development is job growth and retention. When CEOs want to locate or expand a business, they look at a number of factors.

They start looking at the available workforce, and Decatur scores very high in this category due to a highly skilled and loyal workforce. It's a workforce of more than 500,000 people located within a 45-minute drive. The next factor they focus on is transportation logistics, where Decatur also ranks high. Then, they look at the quality of life, which companies value a lot since they want to attract and retain top talent regardless of the location, which requires a great community. The EDC shows businesses all these great things about our community.

Check out the video above for my full interview with Ryan and all the details about the EDC. If you have any questions, you can reach Ryan at 217-422-9520 or visit DecaturEDC.com to learn more.

As always, give me a call or send me an email with any questions, comments, or concerns you have about real estate or the market here in the Decatur area. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Why do you need a home inspection?

According to Brad Kershner, a home inspector from Central Illinois Inspection and my guest for today, getting a home inspection benefits you greatly whether you’re a buyer or a seller. Brad’s been in the business for 18 years and has done more than 5,000 inspections, so he knows what he’s talking about.

If you’re a buyer, it reduces your risk in purchasing a home because you can locate any major repairs that need to be made that may have been overlooked by the homeowner. This includes issues that may need to be addressed with the roof, the structure, the exterior cladding, the windows and doors, the furnace and air conditioner, the plumbing system, and other areas. When these are taken care of, you’ll go into the purchase with more confidence.

As a seller, getting a pre-listing inspection sets your home apart in the marketplace. If a buyer knows your home has been inspected and needed repairs have been made, it can make the transaction process much smoother.

Getting a home inspection gives you peace of mind.

When I sold my house, I myself had Brad give it an inspection. The house was built in the 1920s and had been updated, but there were still a bunch of little things that needed to be done to make it market-ready. When a buyer came along and had their own inspector walk through it, they didn’t find a single thing wrong with it. If you’re a seller and the reverse happens and the buyer finds a bunch of little things wrong with your house, it will make them very nervous. Especially if they’re a first-time buyer.

Inspectors can’t be everywhere, so after they complete their inspection, they go over it with the buyer or the seller and let them know what repairs are important and what aren’t important. Brad, for example, color-codes his repairs in blue and red ink—minor repairs in blue ink and major repairs in red. This gives each party peace of mind throughout the transaction.

If you have any questions about home inspections, don’t hesitate to give me a call. I’m here to help.