(Reuters) – The Senate voted on Wednesday to give home buyers another three months to settle on their contracts and take advantage of a popular tax credit that sparked a rush of activity in the housing market.

The Senate, with a vote of 60-37, accepted an amendment by Democratic Leader Harry Reid that extends the closing deadline to September 30 for buyers who met the April 30 deadline to have a signed contract.
The current deadline requires buyers to close by June 30 to get the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers. Existing homeowners buying a new primary residence are eligible for a $6,500 credit.

Reid offered the measure as an amendment to a bill that would extend some popular business tax breaks and extend unemployment insurance benefits for jobless workers.

The proposal would not have a significant impact on future home sales as the extension would be only for home buyers who already had a contract in hand by April 30.

The popularity of the tax credit has caused some anxiety because settlement offices are inundated with buyers trying to close on transactions by the end of this month to get the tax break.

As a Buffalo Grove Realtor out of Coldwell Banker, I can help buyers and sellers with Homes in Buffalo Grove. If you need a real estate expert, look no further. The Sharron Kelley Team can help you with all of your Buffalo Grove Real Estate needs. Contact me, Sharron Kelley at 847-465-3638 or email me at Sharron@NorthernIllinoisHomes.com. Visit my website www.NorthernIllinoisHomes.com for all of your real estate needs.

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There are many factors that you need to take into consideration when you are looking to sell your Home in Buffalo Grove. Getting the facts regarding the Buffalo Grove Real Estate Market is the first step to Pricing your home right, and Staging your home to Sell is the next step. Your home needs to finish in the top 3 choices of the buyers that are looking and the competition is stiff.

I always provide a FREE consultation with a Professional Stager to all of our Home Sellers in Buffalo Grove. Small things can make a big difference, such as moving out furniture that makes a room look cluttered, or simply rearranging furniture to make a room look larger. Simply pulling back drapes for more light in a room, removing old wall paper, adding fresh coat of paint, and cleaning the carpeting can make a huge difference in a buyer’s first impression. This is what can set your house aside from the rest and possible get you the offer that you want. I would be more then happy to provide you with a list of contractors that I have worked with to get the job done.

Most Home Buyers looking in Buffalo Grove will want to be in before the beginning of the school year. That means time is of the essence as June is approaching. The season is ripe as we now have interest rates floating between 4.75% to as low as 4.5%. Rates are predicated to stay low for the next several months so what is the next step?

In order to sell Real Estate in the Buffalo Grove Market you have to price your home right. There are currently 227 Single Family Homes for Sale in Buffalo Grove with an average list price of $406,482 and the average days on the market is 170. That is a lot of competition so taking the steps I have suggested above is critical.

Year to date 80 homes have sold in Buffalo Grove with an average sale price of $347,093. The original list price average is $376,833. As you can see that is 92% of the original list price so again being prepared and having a realtor who knows the numbers is very important. Many agents will tell you what you want to hear and not the facts.

Last but not least is the marketing of your home. Remember your first showing of your home today is online and then the second showing is when the potential buyer comes to view the home. Open houses do not sell houses, however internet marketing is what works today. How many web sites will your home appear on? What reports will I receive? What newspapers will your home be advertised in? Do you have any local referrals? These are all great questions to ask.

The bottom line is waiting for another year for the Buffalo Grove Real Estate Market to recover may not be your best choice as we are in this for a quite a while to come.

Buffalo Grove Housing Market Statistics

As a Buffalo Grove Realtor out of Coldwell Banker, I can help buyers and sellers with Homes in Buffalo Grove. If you need a real estate expert, look no further. The Sharron Kelley Team can help you with all of your needs. Contact me, Sharron Kelley at 847-465-3638 or email me at Sharron@NorthernIllinoisHomes.com. Visit my website www.NorthernIllinoisHomes.com for all of your real estate needs.

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Guide to Northwest Suburban Events, Memorial Day Services Brought to You by the Sharron Kelley Team at Coldwell Banker of Buffalo Grove

Barrington Memorial Day Parade, begins at Cook, Park and Station streets, Barrington: Procession begins 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 25, and proceeds to Evergreen Cemetery, where there will be a short service and performances by the Barrington High School band and Barrington Children’s Choir. Conducted by the VFW and American Legion.

Buffalo Grove Memorial Day Ceremony, at Knopf Cemetery on Arlington Heights Road, north of Checker Road, Buffalo Grove. 11 a.m. Monday, Monday 25.

Grayslake Memorial Day Parade, begins at Grayslake Central High School, Lake Street, and ends at Memorial Park on Monday, May 25. Lineup at 9 a.m. Parade begins at 9:30 a.m.

Libertyville Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony, from the Metra train to Cook Park., Libertyville: Parade participants gather at train station at 9 a.m., and march to Cook Park at 9:15 a.m. Closing ceremonies and laying of wreaths begins at 9:30 a.m. The VFW, American Legion and their auxiliaries, Scout troops and honor guards, community organizations and the Libertyville High School band participate.

Mundelein’s Memorial Day Parade, |Mundelein Village Hall, 440 E. Hawley St., Mundelein: 10 a.m. Monday, May 25. Parade runs to Memorial Park at Emerald and Pershing.

Palatine American Legion Memorial Day Parade, starts at Cornell Avenue and Eric Drive, ends at the Veterans Memorial in Community Park, Palatine Road and Northwest Highway, Palatine: 10:15 a.m. Monday, May 25. Ceremonies follow at 11 a.m. at Community Park and at 12:15 p.m. at Town Square.

Round Lake Area Memorial Day Parade, the American Legion Hall, 111 E. Main St., Round Lake Beach. 10 a.m. Monday, May 25. The Village of Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Park, Round Lake Heights, Hainesville, the Round Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and the American Legion sponsor this event.

Make Your Next Move With The Sharron Kelley Team!

Sharron Kelley and her team are experts in the Buffalo Grove Real Estate and surrounding Northwest Suburbs of Illinois. Not only can we help you buy or sell a home, but we keep you up to date on the market trends and the area happenings.

Contact a team member at (847) 465-3638

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What is Relay For Life?

Relay For Life (often shortened to Relay) is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Originating in the United States, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries worldwide. Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace. Although the main objective of Relay is to raise money for cancer research and cancer patients, the event is held to spread cancer awareness, celebrate the lives of survivors, remember those who lost their lives to cancer, and unite a community in the fight against cancer. It is estimated that Relay For Life events have raised over 3 billion dollars to date. The first team to raise over one million dollars is the Rosebud Miners, and the largest per capita fundraiser for a college or university is Loyola College in Maryland. The largest virtual fundraising event is Relay For Life of Second Life, which has raised almost $700,000 since 2004.*

*Content from Wikipedia and is used under the creative commons license

The Village of Vernon Hills has their very own “Relay for Life” Team consisting of various people that work for the Village. They host events throughout the year, one of which will be the “Relay for Life: Luncheon. This event will be held at the Vernon Hills Arbortheater from 11:30am – 1:30pm. For a $5.00 donation you can come out and enjoy Burgers, Brats or Hotdogs, Chips & Drinks.

The Village of Vernon Hills is not only doing an amazing job supporting those in the community but their generosity will be shared with others around the world. Make sure to do your part and support your community by donating to the Village of Vernon Hills Relay Team.

For more information about the Village of Vernon Hills “Relay for Life” events and team, you can visit their website at www.vernonhills.org

For more information about the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” you visit their website at
www.relayforlife.org

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It has been an honor to receive the awards that have been presented to me, and toping off as the number one agent in my local office and the number three agent in the Northwest Region was a pleasant surprise. All of the hard work throughout the years which my team and I have put into Real Estate in Lake County Illinois has paid off.

Being that this is a great honor for me, I am happy to share with all of my fellow realtors in Buffalo Grove and the surrounding areas this great letter. I look forward to many great years with Coldwell Banker, and I would like to thank all of my friends, family and clients who have made this possible.

I know that market may be down, but it is the little things like this that make me believe, we may be down but we are not out.

Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Sharron Kelley
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
350 Half Day Road
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089

Dear Sharron,

2009 was another year of great challenges in the real estate industry. Yet your hard work and dedication to your clients and to our profession has placed you in the top 2% of the agents in our company. It is with great pleasure that I congratulate you on your accomplishments and welcome you to the 2010 President’s Club.

In the next few weeks you will receive an invitation to a President’s Club Breakfast where you can network with the other members of this year’s group and at that time we will share more specific details on this year’s retreat.

Congratulations on your outstanding achievements. I look forward to celebrating your success with you.

Best regards,
Fran Broude
President, COO

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