Jennifer Ames' Blog

There are pros and cons to having your home on the market during the holidays. Typically, there are far fewer buyers actively looking this time of year, but the good news is that those who are out tend to be serious about finding a home. This means that if you must interrupt your holiday to show your property, it will likely be worth your time.

Still, showing your home during the holidays can pose new challenges. While a little holiday ambiance can enhance your home’s presentation, too many decorations will cause your home to feel crowded and turn off buyers. Here are some points to consider if you are trying to sell over the holidays.

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I've written twice before about fire safety, once after a friend’s home sustained significant damage after an appliance caught fire and again after I took my children to a fire station for a tour and safety demonstration. Now, I want to let you know about an important new exhibit on fire safety at the Chicago Children’s Museum on Navy Pier.

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When I entered the real estate industry over fifteen years ago, I was the “chief cook, bottle washer and rainmaker” all in one, juggling every task and initiative on my own like most agents. As my business grew, I kept bumping into the same problem… not enough hours in the day. As technology evolved, I also ran into the challenge of developing skills that were better suited to today’s younger generations. So, I figured out how to get the best of all worlds.

Today, I employ a team of eight professionals specializing in sales, marketing, technology and customer service, including a seasonal intern, a virtual assistant based from home in Peoria, and a marketing assistant living abroad in China. This has kept me out from behind the paperwork and other distractions that tie down most agents, and allowed me to develop my core skills and stay focused on my clients and their needs.

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Are you thinking about buying your first home, or perhaps upgrading, downsizing or buying an investment property? Or maybe you’re searching for a home to buy or thinking about starting? If either case describes you -- and you live in the Chicago area -- we invite you to join us for our two upcoming seminars on how to buy or sell a home in today’s market.

The event is free, and presenters will include industry experts such as Home Inspector Alex Ratarac of Household Inspection Team, Real Estate Attorney Leo Aubel of Deutsch, Levy & Engel, and of course, members of my award-winning Jennifer Ames Chicago team.

Full details at the link below.

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My “Live and Play” brand is no longer just a blog. My Team and I will soon be releasing the very first edition of Live & Play Chicago, the magazine.

This 84-page full-color publication will include profiles of the homes we have listed for sale and rent, information about favorite neighborhood amenities, and articles on a variety of residential real estate topics including luxury home development, landscape architecture, staging, home security, the local and resort home markets, and Chicago’s Trump International Hotel and Tower.

We’ll release the magazine as a PDF document on www.liveandplayinchicago.com when the time comes, but if you’d prefer to have a glossy copy of your own, contact us at (877) 440-3760 and we’ll send you one free of charge.

Read more at www.liveandplayinchicago.com...

Halloween is almost here again, and if you live on Chicago's North Side, there's a wide variety of family events available to you. I've once again compiled a map of the Halloween parades, park district events, and other activities being hosted on the North Side this Halloween holiday.

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I recently sat down at our Gold Coast office with the Joe Askins from YoChicago to talk on camera about developments in the residential market as well as my experience of starting and maintaining my blog, Live and Play in Chicago. You can view our interviews at the links below:

Five questions with Jennifer Ames

Creating and managing Live and Play in Chicago