Don’t miss this year’s annual Plainfield Spring Fest in downtown Plainfield!  The fest starts on Saturday May 15th, 2010, and runs through Sunday.

This fest has been a Ferenzi Family favorite for many years since we moved here back in 1999!  Back then it was actually called the Strawberry Festival, but for some reason, shortly after, it was renamed the Spring Fest.  There were several vendors that served homemade strawberry shortcake.  I mean REAL strawberry shortcake with biscuits and strawberries and heavy hand whipped cream.  It was heaven I tell you!  HEAVEN.  I miss those delicious desserts.

The carnival has a great deal for an unlimited ride bracelet on Sunday.  Believe me, after a few trips to the ticket booth, you’d be crazy not to take advantage of it. (especially if you have 5 kids like me :o)

Hopefully the weather will cooperate!  I’ve had enough of this stormy spring weather.  It’s great for the garden, but I’d rather be at the park with the kids or heading out for a bike ride.

If you’re at the fest this weekend, maybe I’ll run into you.  I’ll be the crazy lady chasing my kids in thousand different directions.  Cotton candy, carnival rides, prizes, ice cream… it’s enough to bring out the kid in all of us!

We’ve been in our new house for a little over 4 years now.  In that time we’ve landscaped the yard, painted all of the rooms, installed a fence, decorated, re-decorated, cleaned, cluttered and de-cluttered … and then it happened.  My husband started finishing the basement.

It’s bad enough when your husband leaves for work before the sun comes up, and comes home long after it’s disappeared… but I had become a weekend widow to the cement walls beneath our happy home.

Then this past October, about 10 months into his project,  our family got an unexpected surprise; we found out we’re having another baby.  That’s #5 for anyone whose been counting.  Together we decided that even though we are in the middle of a recession, finishing the basement couldn’t wait any longer, and I couldn’t afford to lose my husband for one more weekend!

I will warn you though, finding a contractor was not a pretty process.  There was the good, the bad… and the just plain CRAZY! 

Quotes for finishing our basement ranged from the reasonable to the insane.  It seemed like the bigger the price tag, was an even bigger ego of the person giving the quote.  One company quoted me $35K, and when I told him that was well beyond the budget we had in mind, he reduced his price by $15,000! He was obviously working with some very inflated numbers… in his very inflated head!

We opted for “reasonable” and  we couldn’t be happier with the finished product, especially with the declining home values in the real estate market.  I was really didn’t want to over spend on an investment that has no chance of being recouped in a market like this!

We chose to do our own painting and had a separate contractor install our carpeting which saved us quite a bit of money, and the additional sq. footage we added to our home is priceless.  The two construction workers who completed the work in our house, Isaac and Mauricio, were professional, polite and most of all did great work.

If you’re in the market to finish the basement your own Plainfield home, I highly recommend Complete Remodeling and Painting Inc.  They are licensed, insured, and bonded.  Vice President Roger Wheeler came out to our house to price the quote for our home, and got back to us promptly with his estimate.

You can reach Complete Remodeling and Painting Inc at:

23915 W. Aero Ct. Ste 2
Plainfield, IL 60585
815-254-6997

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

My husband and I moved here to Plainfield, IL almost 9 years ago.  There wasn’t much out here way back then, but over the years I’ve watched 2 lane dirt roads transform into virtual highways, and strip malls appear out of thin air!

I’ll admit, back in 1999 it was a bit of a culture shock to leave the only place I had ever called “home”.  I grew up in Addison, IL exactly 25 minutes west of Chicago.  It wasn’t a metropolis, but compared to Plainfield IL circa 1999, it sure felt like it.  Now, 9 years later, Plainfield IL has become a settled and established community much to the likes of the neighboring cities of Naperville, Bolingbrook, Joliet, Romeoville, and Aurora. 

Speaking from experience, the Plainfield IL elementary school my children attend has the most amazing staff. Not only do we have one of the greatest principals in the district, our teachers are some of the most involved and dedicated teachers I have ever met.  The parents who volunteer to run our school’s PTO never seem to run out of energy and are constantly working on ways to improve the educational experience for all of the students. We actually love our elementary school so much that when it was time for a bigger house we didn’t move far… we moved a whopping 7 blocks away!

Shopping and dining are two of my favorite things to do here... (much to my husband’s dismay!) I actually love the Louis Joliet Mall because we have 4 kids, and it’s all on one level.  I don’t have to maneuver two levels with a stroller!  It seems silly but believe me, it’s worth it every time you hear a little voice say, “I have to go potty! Nowwww!”

The best part is I am only about 5 minutes from both highways, I-55 and I-80.  I can be on Lakeshore Dr. in 40 minutes on the weekend and to the Brookfield Zoo in just under 30… and that’s without speeding :)  There’s also a Metra train station in Joliet that isn’t too far away. 

I really love my house, my new friends, and everything about living here in Plainfield IL .  We really made a great choice when we decided to raise our family here and this is the place my kids will always know as “home”, and that makes me happy!

Read also: What Makes a House A Home?

Do you want to make Plainfield IL home for you and your family?  I know this town inside and out, and I can help you find the perfect home!  Call me at 630-673-6233.

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

As anyone who has been living in Plainfield IL for the last year knows, the downtown area has recently been renovated.  Unfortunately, that meant avoiding the area for quite some time.  About 2 months ago, my car needed some work so I took it up to Plainfield Automotive Inc. on Rt. 59. Since the time it was going to take to fix my car was going to overlap lunch time, I decided to walk into town to get a bite to eat.  I wasn’t sure where I was going to go, but I started down Rt. 59 in the rain and turned down Des Plaines St and ran right into The Front Street Cantina in Plainfield.

I felt like a loser sitting down in the restaurant all by myself since the kids were with my father in law at home, but that wasn’t about to stop this hungry pregnant girl from embarrassing myself!

I’d never been to the Front Street Cantina to eat before, but the food was absolutely delicious.  They had some really terrific lunch specials and authentic complementary chips and salsa.  I thought to myself, this is the perfect place to bring the family for some casual authentic Mexican food, or great place to grab a couple of drinks with friends on the weekend.

I’ve been back several times since my recent discovery of  The Front Street Cantina in Plainfield IL (but this time I wasn’t alone ), and everything I’ve tried on the menu is delicious.  My personal favorites are the Chicken Fajitas and the Cheese Enchiladas.  The food is served fast and hot, which is great if you get the chance to sneak in on your lunch break.

If you’ve never been to The Front Street Cantina in Plainfield, I highly recommend it.  You won’t be dissapointed!

The Front Street Cantina is located at:

15120 N. Des Plaines St.
Plainfield, IL 60544
1-815-254-3474
Or check them out at the their two other locations in Wheaton and Naperville!

Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Real Estate
630-673-6233

My kids had been driving me crazy 2 weeks ago when I decided I needed to do something to beat the cabin fever that had taken over our household.

I have driven past the huge YMCA complex on Rt.126 (Lockport St.) and Rt. 30 (Wallin Rd.) just south of downtown Plainfield IL hundreds of times since it was built 2 years ago, but I had never been inside.  I was pretty sure that they had a lap pool for swimming lessons and swim teams, but I had no idea that they had just added a huge family aquatic center.

It was about 10 degrees below zero that day, and the thought of being couped up in the house for one more night was maddening.  I spontaneously pulled into the parking lot of the C.W. Avery Family YMCA on my way home from dropping off some flyers at a listing I had on Golden Meadow Dr.

I stopped at the front desk and asked about the YMCA family memberships and was quickly led on a tour of the building and the facility.  They have an indoor track, basketball courts, a full gym, sauna, fitness classes, a lap pool, a family aquatic center with water slides, an activity center for kids 8 and older, and a childcare facility for children 6 months to 8 years old.   I was 100% certain I wanted to become a member, but after seeing the facility and everything they offered, I had no idea how I was going to be able to afford it.  That however proved not to be a problem!

The original fee for a family was $120 to join and then it’s just $63 a month for the entire family, with no contracts to sign.  For our growing family of 6… soon to be 7, it will be money well spent.  For $63 a month we can swim, exercise, and take advantage of up to 2 hours a day of complimentary childcare in the Kidz Corner and Activity Center.  The childcare benefit is reason enough for us to use the gym more often (even 5 months pregnant!)  We can also use all of the facilities part of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA!

The best part about the pool in the family center is that the temperature is comfortable enough to get everyone in the water.  I’ve been to pools before that were so cold, that only my toes made it into the pool!

We have been members for just over 2 weeks now and we’ve made more than good use of our monthy membership fee.  The kids are addicted to the pool, and they are all sleeping like babies when we put them to bed at night!

This is one part of Plainfield IL that both new and established residents need to check out.  You won’t be disappointed!

Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Real Estate
630-673-6233

Tony and I don’t get to go out alone very often.  Other than the occasional weddings over the last 2 1/2 years since our youngest son was born, I think we’ve been out without the kids only a handful of times.  Thanks to my in-laws, this past weekend was one of those rare occasions.

We were celebrating Tony’s birthday so I left all the choices up to him.  He had no problem picking the movie, but dinner was up for grabs…  and we both refused to spend a night without kids cooped up in a booth a Applebee’s. (Don’t get me wrong, I love any eating establishment in which I don’t have to cook

A while back a vendor for Passport Unlimited visited my real estate office and I bought a couple of these cards that offer a free entree with the purchase of another entree at participating restaurants.  Most of the restaurants are for fine dining so I figured that a night without kids certainly qualified.  We decided to give J.Todd’s Steakhouse in Plainfield IL a try.

On our way to the Kerasotes Showplace Theaters in Naperville IL I remembered passing J.Todd’s on Rt. 30.  I must have passed that place at least 200 times since they opened and didn’t realize that is where it was!

I was really impressed with the atmosphere at J.Todd’s and I have to admit it wasn’t at all what I expected from the exterior.  J.Todd’s Steakhouse holds the anchor unit at a large strip mall just south of 135th and Rt. 30, but that didn’t for one second hinder the dining experience on the inside.

Dinner was absolutely delicious… and we even splurged on dessert.  Of course I swore off eating ever again after consuming so much food, but it was worth every calorie.

I think we are just going to have to find more frequent occasions to sneak off to dinner at J.Todd’s without our kids!  They also have an elegant bar area… and even a karaoke night.

You’ll love J.Todd’s and the atmosphere, but don’t just take my word for it.  See for yourself! If you want to get your Passport Unlimited card for your complimentary entree from J.Todd’s you’ll  just have to buy, sell, or rent a house from me this year
Julie Ferenzi | Realtor®
Plainfield IL Real Estate
630-673-6233

I just wanted to take a minute and say thank you to all of my clients and blog readers this holiday season.  This year in real estate has been difficult to say the least, but knowing that I can continue to do what I love, with people that I enjoy working with, makes the prospect of a Happy New Year even brighter!

May you be wrapped in the warmth of the season, and the comfort of good friends and family.

Happy Holidays from the Ferenzi’s!

Last week during the record rainfall many Plainfield IL area neighborhoods found themselves underwater.  My oldest son and I had a little bit of some rainy weather ‘cabin fever’ and we headed out on Sunday to survey the damage around town.

A lot of the areas closest to the DuPage and Illinois Rivers were hardest hit.

Later that night we got a phone call from the Plainfield District #202 automated phone system notifying families that school for Monday had been canceled due to flooding.  Awww, man!  Didn’t we just send these little critters back to school 3 weeks ago?!  Actually, we did end up spending a very nice day together and getting a lot done around the house.

The best part of the whole weekend for me was showing a house in New Lenox that was in a flood plain to clients of mine on Sunday; Cathie and Greg Gray.   The home was on 5 acres, zoned for horses, and it was listed at just $219,000.  I called the agent and asked what the catch was?  Seriously, 5 acres for under $225K!?  The jig was up when he said the property was actually located in a flood plain.

We found that out for sure, early Sunday morning, when all but about .25 acres of the property was under water!  We have had several laughs at our experience viewing that property over the last week.  Hey, even if nothing came out of the drive all the way out to New Lenox… laughter is good for the soul!

Needless to say we won’t be writing an offer anytime soon.  Good luck to the sucker who got stuck with marketing that property during a season of flooding!

On Tuesday, I headed out to the Brookfield Zoo with the littlest Ferenzi’s and my best friend Brigid and her kids.  I ended up getting a police escort by the Brookfield Zoological Society Police which was utterly the highlight of the afternoon to my 2nd oldest son!  I was re-routed due to flooding on 1st Ave. in Brookfield and couldn’t maneuver my way around town to get to the zoo.  I stopped at a gas station on Ogden Ave. and just my luck, there was a police cruiser parked right outside!

Police escorts trump zebras any day!

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

One of my favorite parks in Plainfield IL happens to remind me very much of the park in the neighborhood I grew up near, at Cherokee Park in Addison, IL.  My oldest son plays Mustang baseball, and every other game is at Ottawa Park on Ottawa Street in downtown Plainfield.

This weekend between two of our son’s baseball games, I secretly packed a some sandwiches & snacks and ran home to pick up our dogs Cleo and Ceaser, and we had an old fashioned picnic at Ottawa Park in Plainfield.  The weather was great and we still had some time to play before the game started.  I had a meeting with the broker at my RE/MAX office in between games so it was a perfect excuse to run home, change, and grab a few things for the picnic.

Cleo and Ceaser were in Heaven!  They got all of the left-overs :0)

The thing I love the most about this park is the gorgeous umbrella of trees.  I will love it even more in a few weeks when the colors start to change.  Ottawa Park is located on a quiet street deep within town.  There is a pond next to the open field just South of the actual park.  I bet it’s great for sledding… we’ll have to give this hill a try later this year!

I am so excited that all of the construction in downtown Plainfield IL is almost done.  I can’t wait until we can enjoy the downtown area again!  I really missed the summer festivals this year.  I know they still had them, but we didn’t want to fight the crowds for parking.  Last week we went to the “train” park off of James St. in Plainfield and the two littlest Ferenzi’s had a great time!  The kids and I both made some new friends while we were there. Isn’t that awesome?  Even at 31, I can still make new friends at the park!

I really should find out what the “train” park is really called, but for now… the kids and I know what we mean :0)

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

I have been schlepping around down looking pretty frumpy for the last few months. Okay I’ll admit it, it’s been exactly 19 months… since our youngest son was born. Hey, having 4 kids is hard work!

As I have mentioned before on this site, I was a hairstylist previous to my career in real estate. I have no idea what on earth gave me the idea that just because I’m good at doing other people’s hair, that I was doing a good job on my own, or that it should even be attempted.

I have known for a long time that my hair was starting to look like a prop from Jim Henson’s imagination; I like to refer to it as Muppet Blonde. It’s hard to find the time to break away from the everyday obligations for any amount of time, much less do it with out at least half of the kids in tow. Tonight I decided to do something for myself… I went to visit an old friend at her new salon. (well, not really new, it’s been around for more than 2 years now)

To make a very long story surprisingly short, I met Cherise Kehres about 7 years ago at a family wedding. We were introduced through conversation at the reception because we were fellow hairstylists who had both recently moved to Plainfield from suburbs closer to the city. I had just started working at a new salon and mentioned that it was kind of crazy she was still making such a big commute to work everyday. I told her she should come check out the brand new salon I had just started at, and before long we were working together. We had some really great times at that salon!

I stopped working in the salon industry after realizing that my heart just wasn’t in it anymore, but Cherise went on to do great things. Two years ago she took the next step in her very successful career and opened Salon Nine in downtown Plainfield.

While I had stopped in to see the salon not long after it opened, last night I finally decided to do something about my out of control Fraggle Rock hair. I knew the only person that could save me from myself (and a bottle of bleach) was Cherise, and I couldn’t have been more on the money. I love what she did, and I can finally come out of hiding. The cut is perfect and the color is amazing.

I have been the victim of some really horrible haircuts and atrocities of color, but I left the salon tonight feeling like my hair looked like it actually grew from the head of a human being… and that felt good! Cherise does what she does with passion and that’s the difference between someone who “does” hair for a living, and someone that is doing what they absolutely love to do.

If you decide to make an appointment at the salon and can’t get in with Cherise, don’t worry. All of the clients that I saw leave the salon that night looked fabulous! The Salon Nine team is great, and and the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. I wouldn’t recommend bringing the kids because of the chemicals and sharp scissors, and the experience is definitely baby-sitter worthy!

The salon is located at 24402 Lockport St. in downtown Plainfield IL. You can call to make an appointment at 815-609-1644.

Hours:

Tuesday -Thursday 11:00-9:00
Friday 9-5
Saturday 8-4
Sunday-Monday closed

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