Stay on top of Scammers in Naperville.

You hear about these scams on the news or the newspaper. People who take unfair advantage of senior citizens. There are many scams that are active in most states.

Reverse mortgages are an area of concern for seniors.

One of these so-called cons involves offering a free home, investment opportunities or mortgage financing assistance. You know the saying, if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is bogus.

Sometimes a home repair person may recommend a reverse mortgage to a senior as a means to pay for the new roof or siding that they just gave a quote for.

According to Mainstreet Organization of Realtors Senior Service Committee there are several other scams that are being used by less than honorable people. These include an official type of letter that appears to be the local tax assessor’s office. The letter states that if the homeowner pays a fee they would be happy to arrange for a reassessment of the property’s value.

Homeowners, keep in mind that you can call your Real Estate Broker to obtain recent comps of homes that have closed near the subject property. Check with your assessor’s office for the criteria they will accept to attempt to have your property reassessed.

Some other scams include Grandparent scan: The caller will tell you they have your grandson or granddaughter, and to avoid jail they need to pay a fine immediately.

IRS Scam:

Fraudulent calls saying they’re calling from the IRS to say monies are owed. Please note  the IRS does not make such calls.

If you have a loved one who has received a scam phone call, please report it to the Illinois Attorney General’s office 800-386-5438.

Many of these scammers are successful in their efforts because they target seniors who have a land line for their phone, and many are lonely and end up visiting with the scammer.

 

Happy New Year to Naperville!

The holidays are a wonderful time of the year.

As we get to the week between Christmas & New Years I use this time to reflect on this past year and ask myself what were my successes and what were my greatest opportunities for change.

I love setting goals.  Goals must be specific and be measured. I like to read my goals daily. This really helps keep me focused on them as well as checking my progress or any adjustments I might want to change. It’s okay to re-write or change your goals. Life is always changing, your goals are no different.

With 2018 one day away let me pose a few questions.

How will 2018 be different or better than 2017. What will you do to make a difference in someone’s life? How will you serve your clients better this new year than in past years?

Finally, one last question:

How will we treat those people who are different from us? Whether its skin color, amount of wealth a person has (could be perceived wealth) or doesn’t have, type of car one drives, as well as if a person is considered to be attractive or not. Will we have enough compassion to be an individual and be accepting and be more loving towards all and not be part of the herd?

Have a great New Year! Stay Safe! Hire a driver if you need to.

 

Merry Christmas Naperville!!

 

Merry Christmas to everyone!

It’s a special time of the year.

I don’t like to admit that I have needed to go to the mall as well as a last-minute trip to downtown Naperville to purchase a few more items this late in December, but what can I say? Time slipped away a bit these past two months. I’m grateful for the Naper Nut and Candy store. Love them!

I like to observe human nature and people watch while shopping. I wish peace to all. I wish peace to families that think a good Christmas revolves around how much $$ is spent.

I wish peace to residents in senior care facilities who may be lonely on the holiday. I wish peace to those who feel they’re not the perfect parent. You are!

Enjoy your family traditions and time spent with your families. This is the magic of the holidays, being able to spend time with our loved ones.

Be grateful for all that we do have.

Enjoy!

 

Naperville Real Estate Reminders

First of all, Don’t forget to set your clocks one hour back on Saturday, November 5 before you go to bed. Just a few days left until it will be dark at 5:00pm. That is very depressing to me.

 

It’s also that time of the year to put new batteries in your smoke detector. Did you know that your smoke detectors are only good for about 10-years? If your smoke detector or carbine monoxide detectors have turned yellow, it’s time to purchase new ones. I see plenty of homes with old, non operating smoke detectors. Please take a few minutes to protect your family.

You guessed right: It’s also a good time to check your furnace filter as well as the filter for your humidifier. The humidifier often gets overlooked, this filter needs to be changed for best operation of the unit.

If your furnace is over 8-10 years old, you may want to consider having it serviced once a year. There are many Furnace companies that will provide annual maintenance for you. It also has a positive impression on a potential buyer if a seller can show that they have had the furnace & A/C units serviced on an annual basis. It gives them peace of mind.

Have a great week!

 

Naperville homeowners, do you know?

I wanted to talk about a few things that I’m commonly asked or observe.

Did you know that Real Estate Brokers cooperate with other brokerages? By this I mean as a Baird & Warner agent, I’m able to show other homes listed by other brokerages like Coldwell Banker or Century 21. There is an old belief by some members of the public that they need to call the listing brokerage in order to set up a showing. This is not true. As long as the listing is in the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) an agent from any brokerage is able to show other listings. We have an agreement between the different companies to cooperate.

Did you know that there is no “Normal” or “Standard” commission rate? That is correct, the real estate commission that is paid to a brokerage is negotiated between the homeowner and the Broker. So if you hear an agent say things like, “Well the normal rate is” or “my Manager says our rate is “X””, then those statements would be construed to be misleading to the public. While real estate commissions are negotiated, it’s no different from shopping in a Neiman Marcus or a Wal-Mart type of environment. Each seller has to decide what type of service level they want.

Making it difficult for potential buyers to view your home is the kiss of death. Example: I once had a seller that only wanted showings two days a week with a showing notice of at least 12-hours. They also did not want to have a lock box or a sign. While as an agent I want to honor any and all requests from perspective sellers.  When the showing instructions are so restrictive, I can pretty much guarantee that most buyers will move on to another property that is easier to show. Sometimes seller’s do have a real need to have specific showing hours because of an elderly or a handicap family member who is living there. Remember, in these cases it may take longer to market a home that has these circumstances.

 

2nd Annual Move for Warmth Coat Drive in Naperville

2nd Annual Coat Drive for Naperville.

Needed New or Gently Used Coats and Outerwear for Men, Women and Children.

Drop off at the Naperville Baird & Warner Office, 836 W 75th Street, Naperville.

Collecting October 26th through November 5th.

Where are the coats and outerwear being donated?

 All coats and outerwear collected during the drive will be delivered the first week of November to Dupage PADS, Wings Woman’s Shelter and the Catholic Church Charities Daybreak Center.

This is a great program. Even if you have one coat!

If you need me to pick up your coats contact me and we can make arrangements.

Warm regards,

Michael

Michael.cellini@bairdwarner.com   email

630-748-9101 Cell

Time to Change the Clocks November 1, 2015

Time to change the clocks!

This Saturday night (or to be more precise, Sunday morning, November 1st at 2:00am) we move our clocks back by one hour. So we gain an hour of sleep. That’s the good news. The brutal truth as we all know is that now at 5:00pm it will be dark.

To balance my post the other goodness is that the Winter Solstice is coming and the days will again get longer in terms of daylight.

Have a great week!