Realtor | Short Sale Expert | Plainfield, Naperville, Bolingbrook, Joliet, Aurora, Romeoville

90% of all home sales that took place in the combined Clearwater Springs and Aspen Falls subdivision in the second half of 2011 were distressed home sales.  This number is kind of a big deal for two reason:

1. Only 10 single family homes have sold in the subdivision in the last 6 months, and…
2. All but 1 of them were either a short sale or foreclosed property.

60% of the homes sold were foreclosures, and 30% were short sales. The homes ranged in price from $110,000 to $205,000.  Of course the condition of the homes factors heavily into the condition of the final sales price.  Obviously the more distressed the condition of the property, the lower the sales price…

If you, or someone you know, are looking to sell a home in Plainfield IL please call me at 630-673-6233 for a confidential consultation.

Julie Ferenzi  | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Short Sale Specialist
630-673-6233

The amount of foreclosure proceedings for 2011 are up from 660 new pre-foreclosure filings in 2010 to 944 new filings in 2011. These numbers are from January 1st through November 30th for both years.  Until the end of this final month of the year I won’t have the final yearly totals, so I compared both years through the end of November to keep the comparisons consistent.

This is not good news for anyone looking to sell a home as a regular residential sale in Plainfield IL anytime soon. These homes will most likely sell at discount through either short sale or through foreclosure, which will continue to drive down the prices of regular residential real estate throughout the community in the long term.  But really, how much lower can prices get?  I can’t believe the closed comps on some of the single family homes throughout Plainfield.  Maybe prices will plateau sooner than later, because without giving them away, we’ll have to hit bottom somewhere above… well, free?

If you have to sell your home because you are behind in payments and are facing foreclosure, call me to confidentially discuss your options and learn if a short sale it the right answer for you.

Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Short Sales
630-673-6233

In the month of November 2011, there were 77 new properties that began the foreclosure process in Plainfield, IL.  In November 2010, there were 79 new properties that began the foreclosure process.  Not really much of a change when comparing  market snapshots for the same time year to year.

Illinois is a judicial state, meaning that the lender must take legal action against the homeowner in a court to regain ownership of the property.  From the time the Lis Pendens is filed the owners have anywhere from 6 months upwards of nearly 2 years before the lender takes back the property.  Some lenders work faster than others, while some lenders seem to almost passively pursue the ability to reclaim the property.

I have seen some lenders set auction dates as early as 8 months after the Lis Pendens have been filed, and I’ve also had clients miss payments for 2.5 years before the auction date was set.

If you’ve missed payments on your home in the last 2-3 months and don’t know what to expect, I can help.  I have been helping homeowners all over Illinois sell their homes through short sale, and help them get back on track and into a rental property when the sale is complete.  I have also recently started working with a true credit repair agency that can help you get control of your financial situation and rebuild your credit after missing payments affects your credit.

Call me at 630-673-6233 to discuss your options confidentially.

Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Short Sale Specialist
630-673-6233

I like change as long as it doesn’t change the things that already are.  I’m the kind of person that needs something to come home to.

With the recent new construction in the area of Van Dyke Rd. and Lockport St. I have been reminded me that the staples that were here when we moved to Plainfield 12 years ago, are what I first fell in love with in this town.

If you get a chance to stop somewhere for lunch or dinner sometime soon… check out Larry’s Diner!

Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Homes for Sale
630-673-6233

I was so excited to see renovations being done to the commercial unit that had once been a Blockbuster store at Caton Farm Rd. and Rt. 59  in Joliet 2 weeks ago.  At first I couldn’t tell what it was going to be, but was super excited when I caught a glimpse of the interior just this week.  A new Dunkin Donuts should be just about ready to open judging from the looks of the inside… and that my friends could be VERY dangerous for me and my waistline )

I’m most excited about it’s proximity to the kids soccer fields at Van Horn Woods, mainly because for all of those cold and chilly soccer games this past fall, a nice hot cup of coffee will come in handy this spring!  (and if a few dozen Munchkins happen to find their way onto my order, I can’t be held responsible!  I’m weak… so, so…. weak!)

The upside to seeing new businesses open is that corporate projections must be positive enough to indicate that consumers are in the mood to spend.  Looking forward to seeing some of these empty commercial buildings get leased again to new business owners!

Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Homes for Sale
63-673-6233

In October, 74 single family homes sold in Plainfield IL.  The homes ranged in price from $89,000 all the way up to $635,000.

While the number of distressed home sales is still holding steady at an alarming 38.9%, we are down from the 50% ratio that consumed most of these reports in 2010 and earlier this year in 2011.

Of the 74 single family homes that closed in Plainfield, 18 of these homes were bank foreclosures that made up 24% of the total sales for the area in October.  Another 11 single family homes that closed during the same time were short sales, consuming 14.9% of the market share.

Without being either pessimistic, or overly optimistic, seeing numbers under the 50% mark is encouraging.  Unfortunately, the lack of any improvements in the economy, or in the unemployment numbers, makes me wonder if these numbers are going to be short lived.

If you are having a hard time making your payments, or are facing foreclosure, call me to discuss the possibility of doing a short sale.  Banks are working with homeowners in default to allow them to sell their homes for less than what they owe.  In addition to helping you sell your home, I also refer my clients to a company that helps you get back on track financially.  Selling your home is only the beginning of recovering from a financial hardship.  Call me today at 630-673-6233, to see how a short sale can put you on the path to financial recovery.

Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Short Sale Specialist
630-673-6233

Several months ago I lost access to my website and the server that was hosting it!  FINALLY, I’m up and running and will be posting on a more regular basis.  There is a lot to report in the world of real estate these days and I’ll be making a point to make sure to to update real estate happenings in Plainfield in the days to come!

In the meantime, if you have any questions or a property in the Plainfield area to sell, please call me at 630-673-6233.

Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Homes for Sale
630-673-6233

Tomorrow starts the beginning of the fall sports season here in Plainfield, and parents all over town are going to be filling up their minivans with kids in uniform!

The parks will be host to baseball, soccer and football games all throughout town.

There are several sports organizations in Plainfield available to register for these sports, including travel teams. You can register your child for football and/or cheerleading through either Plainfield Junior Cats (PJC) or through the Plainfield Saints. For soccer you can register through the Plainfield Soccer Association (PSA) which includes both recreational and travel teams.  If you have a baseball or softball player in the family, you can register your child with the Plainfield Athletic Club (PAC). My kids have been playing soccer and baseball on these teams for the last 8 years, and I look forward to the start of every season.

I have enough jerseys at this point to clothe several teams from our personal collection… yet somehow we have ended up with more than our fair share of burgundy jerseys, lol.  But maybe that is actually a good thing considering the running joke that with our 6th child on the way that we are somehow attempting to have our own sports team.  I guess we’ll all just be wearing burgundy uniforms in the delivery room!

Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Short Sale Specialist
630-673-6233

There’s a quaint little church off of Arbeiter Dr. and Caton Farm Rd. You wouldn’t know it was there if you didn’t know where to look, (especially now that the corn is super tall!) so that’s why I’m telling you about it.

We had been going to Holy Family Parish in Shorewood, on and off for the last 8 years or so, but we had some problems with the religious ed program at Holy Family this year after I had volunteered to be a teacher for one of the 7th grade classes. These problems escalated and never got resolved to anyone’s benefit. After my daughter made her first Communion this spring, I started visiting different churches in the area in hopes of finding a church that we could finally call home.

I wasn’t raised Catholic so I kind of felt like an outsider to begin with, but after completing RCIA last year I was committed to raising the kids with the foundation of our family faith. With school starting again, I’ve been frantic about where we were going to send them for religious ed this year. I have one making his first Communion this Spring and another being Confirmed.

I knew that St. Francis was “somewhere” off of Caton Farm Rd., just past the Clublands and Greywall Club, but I don’t have many reasons to go much further down Caton Farm Rd. I knew it was there because Fr. Dennis, who was one of the first priests at the new church, lived next door to my mom in Greywall Club when the church was first built. I hadn’t become Catholic by that point, and I was still fairly content at Holy Family so the exact location remained a mystery to me until earlier today. It really is pretty much hidden behind the high summer corn!

To make a long story a little bit shorter, I just wanted to say how much I really liked the church, the service, and the pastor that served today. Unfortunately this was Father Burke’s last day at the parish, as he took a calling to continue his work in the Seminary, but I could tell how much he had been appreciated there, and that he was very well loved by everyone. I didn’t even know him before today, but that didn’t stop me from sharing in the emotion of the moment and shedding a few tears. I could easily blame it on being 5 months pregnant, but the truth is… it was hard not to feel the love in the room and how much he was going to be missed.

So, I think we’ll be going back this Sunday and joining St. Francis as it opens the book on another new chapter in the life of this young church.

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church is located at 2500 Arbeiter Rd in Joliet IL.  Masses times are:

• Saturday 4:30 pm
• Sunday 8:30 am
• Sunday 10:00 am
• Monday 9:00 am
• Thursday 9:00 am

Julie Ferenzi  | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Homes for Sale
630-673-6233

The numbers of distressed sales are holding steady from the same time last year with only a slight increase in the amount distressed home sales from up from 37.8% in June 2010 to  38.2% in June 2011.

There was also an increase in the amount of sales in Plainfield IL totaling 110 closed single family homes up from 95 closed single family home sales last year.  In addition average market times decreased from 190 days in June of 2010 to 165 days in June 2011.

Unfortunately the average single family home value in Plainfield continues to decline.  The average single family home price in Plainfield IL right now is at $229,414 which fell another 8.4% from the same time last year which was $250,234, which isn’t great news for anyone hoping last year that the market values would improve.

Did you know that even if you are current on your mortgage and you are facing a hardship forces you to move, you can do a short sale to sell your home if you are one of the many homeowners that are upside down on their mortgage?  Changes in the family structure and job relocation are just some of the reasons for needing to do a short sale.  Call me to find out if a short is right for you.

Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Short Sale Specialist
630-673-6233