Central Illinois Real Estate Blog - Ryan Campbell

Key Factors that Influence Your Home’s Value

As low inventory and low-interest rates continue to fuel our hot local real estate market, homeowners are aware of the temperature and eager to take advantage. When considering putting your home on the market, one of the big questions potential sellers want to know is “what’s my home worth?”

Here are some key factors that influence your home value to keep in mind:

Location

Let us restate, “location, location, location!” Most realtors will agree that the biggest factor is your property’s location. Just to list a few variables driving steeper home prices in some areas and neighborhoods to consider:

~ condition of surrounding properties

~ on the lake/lake access or scenic acreage

~ school district and access to other educational…

2922 Views, 0 Comments

A Home in the Woods - 3280 E Fitzgerald Rd, Decatur, IL

Does your growing family need more space to roam? Do they long for a backyard shared with nature, wildlife and all the serenity it brings? Robert Frost wrote, “Good fences make good neighbors.” For some of us, wooded acres and scenic surroundings make the best neighbors. If you crave the outdoors and privacy paired with the conveniences of the city, keep reading to learn more about this sprawling ranch family home in the woods on Decatur's southeast side.

3280 E Fitzgerald Rd, Decatur, IL 62521

Listed at $339,900 

5 bd | 2.5 ba | 4,524 Sqft | 3.9 acres

Following the private lane, you’ll find a spacious ranch home nestled into the generous 4 acres included in this picturesque property. Wherever the day takes you next is up to you with all…

4424 Views, 0 Comments

5 Things Your Mortgage Lender Wants You To Know

Unique economic and health uncertainty have changed our daily lives, our interactions, and the way we conduct business. For some of us, it has offered new perspective into our wants and needs. A home where once content, we’ve now discovered it’s time to make a change.

With record-low interest rates and low inventory, our local real estate market has become a competitive race for buyers to find their next home. Now more than ever, it's critical to be pre-approved before starting your search if you want to stay ahead of the pack. Read on buyers, there are some post-COVID new norms when it comes to home financing you’ll need to keep up with.

We talked to a couple of local lenders and here are 5 important things you need to know about new lending…

3140 Views, 0 Comments

The State of Real Estate in Macon County - 2nd Quarter 2020 Update

As we rounded the halfway point of 2020, we reflected back on the 6 months behind us. We’ve moved from a pandemic lockdown to a gradual reopening. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has reshaped how we live our lives. Unique health, social, and economic factors have intersected to create an equally unique housing environment. Even during these inclement times, our local real estate market remains strong. As we emerge from these unprecedented times, we take stock of the present and make plans to move forward.

One question residents of Macon County want to know: What’s happening in our local real estate market?

Through the first half of 2020, there were 636 sales vs. 574 sales in the first half of 2019 which represents a 10.8% increase in the number of…

2751 Views, 0 Comments

Tips for Buying a Home in a Seller’s Market

The housing inventory continues to ride lean and low in Macon County. For home buyers, that means increased competition, and in some cases, even bidding wars.

“These days if you sleep on it, you’re not likely to sleep IN it,” laughs Brinkoetter Realtor, Louis Kappler.

So if you’re thinking about buying a home today, when properties are selling almost as quickly as they’re listed, here are a few tips to consider that will help you hold your own in a seller’s market. 

Tip #1: Get Pre-Approved for a Home Loan

One of the smartest things you can do to ensure your chances of buying the home you want is to apply for a pre-approval on a mortgage. Applying for a mortgage after making an offer on a home may signal to home sellers you’re not as motivated to…

3021 Views, 0 Comments

Checking in with The Key Team

2020 has been a year of improvising and transitioning to virtual platforms, and real estate is no different. We've had to adapt many of the ways we collaborate as a team, show houses to buyers, market our sellers' listings, and sign contracts. 

Before the COVID era, we enjoyed multiple collaborative meetings as a team throughout the week either in our office, or in a local restaurant or coffee shop.  During the stay at home order we knew we still needed those regular touch points to collaborate for our clients, as a team, so we have utilized FaceTime calls, group chats, and even meeting in our homes while maintaining a safe distance. We can't wait to start meeting together in local small businesses to do our collaboration.

Because community…

2602 Views, 0 Comments

Real-ationships: The advantages of working with a realtor who knows you, your needs, and your story

The Key Team is taking over the Brinkoetter "Vlog" this week, talking about the advantages of working with a realtor who knows you, knows what you need, and knows your big-picture story. Check them out!

2435 Views, 0 Comments

Macon County Residential Real Estate Update

There’s good news for the residents of Macon County: not only is our Real Estate Market doing well, we remain the most affordable housing market in the country. 

Here’s the good news, by the numbers:

- The average sales price of a home rose from $109,859 in 2018 to $118,195 in 2019 which represents an increase of 8%.

- Days on market averaged 85 in 2018 and 66 in 2019 which represents a decrease of 29%.

- The average sale-price to list-price ratio was up to 96% in 2019, representing an increase over 2018’s 95%.

- A lack of housing inventory over the past year is the main factor driving these positive numbers. At the time of this publication, there are less than 400 active residential listings being marketed in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).…

2874 Views, 0 Comments