Michele Nixon

Hi Claudia,

Plainfield had some incredible growth prior to the market turning. Because of that growth, they had to build a number of schools including two new high schools. The new construction homes carried the brunt of that expense. Also, because of all the new construction, quite a bit of infrastructure (city water, sewer lines, etc.) needed to be in place. And, of course, once a town starts growing, that means more city services as well.

Will they ever drop? It isn't likely to drop; at least not significantly. I find that once townships start money rolling in, they rarely want to stop that flow and, more often than not, can't stop the flow.

I hope this makes sense. If you have any further questions, I'd be happy to assist you. - Wed Nov 5 2008, 19:09

Hi Laura,

It's unfortunate that there are not brochures readily available for potential buyers. There could be any number of reasons for the brochures not being there, but I'm going to guess that, because the home is vacant, the agent doesn't make frequent trips out there.

The agent could also be of the thought that if the buyers were truly interested, they would call the number on the sign to get more information. Often times we put brochures in the boxes (about 20) and in two days they are all gone. The sad fact is, they weren't 20 potential buyers taking the brochures; they were kids or competing sellers who took them (yes, that happens quite a lot). In as much as the agent may want to keep brochures out there, sometimes its a waste if people other than buyers are taking them.

Another idea may be keeping some of the box brochures with a neighbor (such as yourself) and asking that neighbor to refill the box when it becomes empty. However, I believe listing agents should be visiting their vacant listings a couple times a week - but that's just me. It's smart business and gives the sellers peace of mind.

You might consider contacting the agent to let him/her know that there are people looking for information. - Thu Oct 16 2008, 07:23

Hi Barbie,

Trade-ins from builders occur when you're purchasing a new home from them. They come in various forms but the gist is that they will buy your home if it hasn't sold by the time you close on your new home. Sometimes they will give you a pre-determined price at the beginning. Sometimes they'll do an appraisal or two along the way.

The downside is the price offered by the builder is often far less than you would get selling the home yourself. There are a lot of questions to ask yourself and a willing builder that will determine if this is a good path to go down.

Not all builders will want to get into the business of marketing pre-existing homes but, in this market, you may find a few builders who would be interested.

Click the link below for more information. If you have any further questions, comments, etc., don't hesitate to contact me. Good luck! - Thu Oct 9 2008, 14:58

I'm not certain which candidate will be best in the long run but, regardless of which candidate gets in office, we're almost sure to see some positive changes which will hopefully not be short-lived. This being an election year is exacerbating the concerns, questions and doubts most consumers have (as if we needed more to think about) but, I believe we'll see an improvement once a decision is made. - Sat Sep 27 2008, 15:00

A short sale doesn't only occur when the homeowner can't afford the home. It occurs anytime a homeowner must sell their home and the market value is less than the mortgage. The homeowner will come up "short" at the closing. Most of the time the homeowner can't make up the difference and the bank must decide how much it is willing to lose in the transaction. If there is more than one bank involved, such as with a home equity line of credit on top of the mortgage, it becomes more complicated. Short sales are very tricky and require a lot of patience on everybody's part. - Sat Aug 9 2008, 05:43