Chicago "No Parking" street signs contain new fine print...

Always a fixture in Chicago's neighborhoods, the "Street Sweeping - No Parking" signs have a new look this Spring.

The fine print (or not-so-fine-print) foretells of new photo enforcement. No longer will a lazy officer slowly troll down side streets hand-writing (gasp - the horror) parking tickets for unfortunate residents who didn't see the sign put up the night before. Nope, a high-tech van simply zips through the neighborhood snapping photos of every license plate on the street. You'll get your parking ticket in the mail.

How convenient!

Showing, Selling, Real estate in Chicago. Part 3.

I don't know what it is about trying to get appointments to see two, three and four-flats in Chicago, but it seems to be near impossible.

We've written before on the unique convention of Chicago Realtors actually showing up to show their listings here and here.

And when showing apartment buildings, there are even more people to coordinate with.  Of course you remember that to coordinate showings that the listing Realtor shows up for, we need to accommodate the schedule of the Seller, the Listing Agent, the Buyer, and the Buyer's Agent.  Now - add the Tenants.  And the Tenants are usually the LEAST cooperative of the bunch. 

They don't have an interest in the sale.  They usually worry that the new seller is going to raise the rent, kick them out, or perhaps both.   Invariably they're still in bed.  I'm amazed at the number of college grads with decent jobs still in bed at Noon on Saturday.

But we still can't figure out what the problem is with Agents and their Apartment Building Listings.  Trying to schedule six showings on Saturday, we've been told "no", we've been told "not at 1:30, but how about 3:30?", we've been told "not Saturday. How About Sunday?", or still the ever popular ~ Nothing.  No call back.  Silence.

For the guy who told us 3:30 rather than 1:30 because that's when he's showing the building, I hope he's there showing to no one in particular.

Ironically, the same Agent's tagline in his E-mail signature is "Striving to be the best Realtor in Chicago!"

Good luck, buddy!

City of Chicago sticks it to Real Estate Buyers & Sellers one day early

Your trusty guides have several closings scheduled for today; one day before the dreaded increase in the Real Estate Transfer Tax is supposed to take effect.  To no avail.  The City of Chicago and local Title Companies have conspired against forward thinking buyers and sellers of property trying to beat the deadline.

The City of Chicago requires that you PURCHASE your stamps by the end of business TODAY.  Even if you close this afternoon, then dash down to the City Clerk's office and get it the line that stretches out the building, the bureaucrats have vowed that the office will not stay open one moment late to accommodate the rush.

Might it make sense that if you close today, and then head to the Clerk's office with your HUD-1 showing that you closed on your property on March 31, that you would be covered? 

Of course not.

And, if your Title Company actually were to send an associate down to the Clerk's office with a bunch of closing paperwork, the City Clerk will only sell the Transfer Stamps for three transactions.  If you have more than three transactions, you must leave the window and start over again at the end of the line.

Nice.

Chicago City Council debates shifting Transfer Tax burden to Sellers

Today the Chicago City Council takes up the debate on the dreaded Real Estate Transfer Tax today. The debate today is about shifting the burden of the additional $3.00 per $1,000 of the tax (the increase passed last month) from the buyer to the seller in a real estate transaction.

You'll recall from a previous post that the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance raising the City Transfer Tax from $7.50 per $1,000 to $10.50 per $1,000 of the sales price of property in Chicago. The tax increase takes effect on April 1 of this year. The increase in this tax will make up the projected $100-million shortfall in the CTA budget not covered by the sales tax increase.

In a related note, I learned that CARPAC - the Chicago Association of Realtors Political Action Committee - has withdrawn its support and financial assistance for any and all Chicago Aldermen & Alderwomen who voted to increase the Transfer Tax. Normally I am at odds with the Realtors' Political Action Committees, but on this issue, I say "Right On."

I hear through the grapevine that there were only six bold and brave Aldermen and Alderwomen who thought that the transfer tax on Real Estate was an awful idea and voted against the tax. The short list of those Aldermen:

Bob Fioretti (2nd)
Sandi Jackson (7th)
Sharon Dixon (24th)
Rey Colon (35th)
Brian Doherty (41st)
Bernard Stone (50th)

Daylight savings starts today

This is probably old news to you at this point. But I am cooling my jets outside a listing I am supposed to show at 11 am. Of course the buyers forgot to set their clocks an hour ahead and slept through their appointment.

I take some comfort in the fact that these weren't my clients, which is usually the case. It's quite amazing that every single year, someone sleeps through a showing appointment. For me, it's usually one of my sellers who isn't expecting me for open house for another hour, or one of my buyers missing our first showings. Of course this train wrecks the whole day.

Why don't I learn and simply schedule this day off?

By the way, SIRIUS satellite radio channel Spectrum is really jamming this early Sunday morning.

Spoke too soon yesterday. Cook County contemplating further tax hikes.

I know, it's like beating a dead horse. I think I didn't read deeply enough into the proposals for new revenue being proposed by the Cook County Board. Here's another proposal being contemplated.

An increase from $20 per month to $40 per month in the tax on monthly parking leases. Yes, for you out-of-town readers, just the tax on our monthly parking costs $20 a month - and soon perhaps $40 per month. I think that should send the highest rental parking rates pretty close to $350 per month in the loop.

Cook County Board comes through - for bloated bureaucracy

Your guides previously reported on the potential sales tax increase being contemplated by the Cook County Board. In order to fill a $283-million hole in the budget, board members voted to increase the sales tax in Cook County by 1% making the full sales tax in Chicago 10.25%.

Even staunch tax opponent, County Commissioner Larry Suffredin voted to go along with the increase. Even today, Larry Suffredin's campaign website contains the quote "At this point, I see no need for any increase in taxes. I am opposed to a sales tax because it is regressive and adversely affects the poorest members of the community."

Well said, Commissioner. Too bad you didn't mean it.

Commissioner Suffredin reported that he went along with the tax increase in return for a concession from Board President Todd Stroger. Namely, President Stroger agreed to relinquish control of the Cook County Hospital system to a newly created independent board.

The problem as I see it is that we've just agreed to the creation of another bureaucratic fiefdom completely separate from the Cook County Board. I cannot imagine a concept more diametrically opposed to the reduction and streamlining of county bureaucracy. And the new board is scheduled to automatically be dissolved in two years. At that time, the county health system will revert right back to the current board.

In his campaign materials for his run for State's Attorney, he says "As a reformer, I stood up to Todd Stroger's tax increases." Well, now we can all conclude that in reality, he is an enabler of Todd Stroger's tax increases.

Shall we recap?

• 1/4 of 1% sales tax increase to fund the CTA Pension bailout.
• A 40% increase in the real estate transfer tax to finish the CTA bailout.
• A 1% increase in the sales tax to fill a hole in the county budget.

Anything else? Mayor? Governor?

Cook County President Todd Stroger still pushing for huge tax hike

Egads.

Shopping in Chicago is going to get more expensive ~ again ~ under a plan under consideration by the Cook County Board. Already with one of the highest sales tax rates in the nation at 9.25%, County Board President Todd Stroger is still pressing for an increase in the Cook County portion of the sales tax from 0.75% to 2.0%.

This would raise the sales tax in Chicago to a hefty 10.5%.

To hear the County Commissioners squealing, each quarter percent increase would only raise $106.5-million annually, while the budget deficit in Cook County is $283-million. Poor things. Of course, now we have to listen to County President Stroger's bombardment of negative publicity screeching about how the county will be forced to cut essential services.

Cook County has been awash in tax revenues during the first half of this decade, along with federal funds pouring into the county health care system by way of a loophole in Federal funding programs for county health programs. Unfortunately, a double whammy has occurred: the economic slowdown has area residents spending less and the loophole in the Federal program is now closed. But rather than save for an economic rainy day, the size and scope of the county bureaucracy has ballooned into a massive $3.245-billion (yes - billion, with a B) empire.

Though the deal to raise the sales tax by the full 1.25% seems unlikely, commissioner Deborah Sims (D-Chicago) is all for it. "This country was built on taxes," Sims said.

If you're as fed up with the crazy tax hike fever that seems to have gripped Illinois, Chicago and Cook County politicians, please look up your County Commissioner and let him or her know what you think.

http://www.co.cook.il.us/commissioners.htm

Chicago City Council sticks it to home owners - again - even if they DON'T buy the house

The Chicago Tribune reported this morning that the Chicago City Council is trying to figure out a way to make buyers pay the Real Estate Transfer Tax - even if they don't buy the house!

"Remember what I said about Bea Reyna-Hickey," said Ald. Bernard Stone (50th), invoking the name of the city's revenue director with whom he has clashed. "When there is a corpse lying in a casket she'll shake it to see if any change falls out of its pocket."

Under one proposal now in draft form, City Hall would require the transfer tax to be paid even when the buyer forfeits the down payment, which sometimes happens when a buyer backs out of a deal. Under a second proposal, the requirement to pony up would be triggered immediately when there is an installment agreement--a contract in which the buyer pays the seller over a period of months but does not receive title to the property until the last payment is made.

Nice.

The article continues on containing quotes from officials at the City Revenue Department justifying their opinion that they be entitled to collect the tax in these non-sale situations. However, one question looms in my head:

If the property returns to the market and is successfully sold, and the next buyer pays the tax, too, isn't this double taxation?

Oh, and since I know that a staffer from my Alderman's office regularly scours the internet for references to his name - this is for you:

32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack - you voted in favor of the tax increase. I am a very vocal resident of the 32nd ward. I am a very vocal member of the Chicago Association of Realtors. I have an email database of all my neighbors. I intend to remind everyone that I can that you helped stifle the only bright spot in the U.S. economy at the moment. And that you dealt a harsh blow to my business.

Oh, I feel much better now.

The fine print on the CTA Bailout

While everyone is cheering the (nearly) done deal to bail out the Chicago Transit Authority, one small provision in the new funding bill may cause additional hardship for sellers of property in the city of Chicago.

Everyone knows that the bill increases the sales tax by 0.25% in Chicago and by 0.5% in the collar counties. These sales tax increases leave a $100-million hole in the budget for the CTA. Illinois lawmakers have left it up to the Chicago City Council to finish the task by authorizing the City Council to add another $3 to the real estate transfer tax.

Currently, the City of Chicago imposes a $7.50 tax of each $1,000 of sales price on the buyer of real estate in Chicago - or $750 per $100,000. The Illinois legislature has authorized Chicago to raise this tax to $10.50 per $1,000 - or $1,050 per $100,000.

The funny part - if any part of this could be considered funny - is that the City Council knows that it would surely be political suicide to try to enact this tax on top of the $276-million in taxes and fees the City just passed to balance the 2008 budget. So the Mayor's office tried to convince Illinois lawmakers to give the authority to raise the Real Estate Transfer Tax directly to the CTA Board of Managers. But alas, the CTA Board has no taxing authority of its own. The prospect of giving it that authority created so much disagreement among Illinois Legislators that it threatened to kill the transit funding deal altogether. The proposal was withdrawn as quietly as it was proposed.

So, back to the tax at hand. On last year's average single family home sale of $254,000, the tax would change from $1,905 to $2,667, a $762 increase. On last year's average condo sale of $334,000, the tax would change from $2,505 to $3,707, a $1,002 increase.

This would give Chicago the distinction of having one of the largest transfer taxes in the U.S.

I fully support keeping the CTA funded, but I just cannot fathom what bailing the CTA out of its financial mess has to do with buying and selling real estate.

Prospective sellers in Chicago, learn soon who your local Alderman is. The law that authorizes the City Council to pass this tax lasts for six months. You can expect legislation to pop up quietly and without much notice on several occasions in the coming months. You may only have a few hours to voice your concern before the City Council votes on the measure.

At the City of Chicago's website - follow the links for Local Government.
At the Chicago Association of Realtor's website - choose Advocacy, then Issues & Legislation to keep your eye on any City Council action on the transfer tax.

More woes from ComEd - sticking it to electricity consumers

Regular readers from the early days of this blog will recall my rant about ComEd and Exelon's hair-brained scheme to auction off electricity to the highest bidder resulting in a projected 24% increase in residential electric rates. Well, the Illinois Legislature stepped up and rolled back those rates so we'd only get socked by a 13% rate increase in 2008.

But in another completely unethical move, ComEd and parent company Exelon have made some slick business decisions which should result in 18% rate increases for Chicago Area consumers in 2009.

In this bone-headed move, Exelon decided that our electricity generating plants should join the east coast power grid (known as the PJM) rather than leaving them connected to the Midwest power grid (known as the Midwest ISO.) The east coast PJM grid does not have enough generating capacity and there is tremendous competition and higher prices for electricity sold in the region. Of course, the nearest states in the east coast PJM grid are Michigan, a slice of eastern Indiana, Ohio and the rest of the eastern seaboard.

Sending electricity generated here in Illinois in plants paid for by Illinoisans is another sharp stick in the eye to Illinois utility consumers. Clearly, Exelon CEO John Rowe lacks any semblance of ethical behavior in his business dealings in directing his company towards ever greater investor return on the backs of his customers.

I repeat my argument from my previous post: Power plants in Illinois were paid for by Illinois consumers. The shenanigans involved in the divorce of the power plants from the distribution system and the subsequent creation of the evil step-parent company now known as Exelon has been a decades-long delicate dance of corporate treachery perpetrated against the consumers of electricity in our state. Regulator's and Legislator's complicity in this unsavory scheme just goes to show how powerful large business interests are in Illinois and the depths to which politicians will stoop in their quest for power, selling out their constituents in the process.

Those plants are ours and we should take them back.

No Fat to Cut?!

Here’s my rant for the day.

My taxes are going up. Not just property, but sales taxes, vehicle registration, etc. At the same time, city, state and county services are being cut. The powers that be want more of my money to do less and less for me and my neighbors.

All levels of government complain that there is no more fat to cut. Their only choice to keep “moving forward” is to raise existing taxes and invent new ones.

Add to that I’m stressed about global warming.

How can we help fix both at the same time? I got it!

We can start by having these four City of Chicago vehicles that have been sitting in front of my house with 9 city employees standing around doing nothing for the past two hours, idling and burning EXPENSIVE fuel do two simple things: 1) Turn off the darn engines when just sitting for more than a few minutes; and 2) Stop paying employees who sit around doing nothing. It is the old one guy working while four supervise.

Hmmmm…..No fat to cut?

I hadn't meant to post on this topic, but...

It seems Chicagoans are in the middle of a perfect storm of tax increases. I had not meant to post on this topic as the subject has been covered quite thoroughly in all our local media outlets. But a couple of items have caught my attention and I wish to bring them to yours.

Between the City of Chicago, Cook County, and the CTA, lawmakers and taxing bodies are looking for approximately $1.2-billion in new revenue.

Mayor Daley wants a $293-million in new taxes for Chicago. Of course, he can't be bothered to explain why other than to attack critics as being against Libraries.

Cook County cannot afford to maintain the new hospitals complex that it just finished building and has slashed community services in the last 18 months. County President Todd Stroger proposes $888-million in new taxes.

The Chicago Transit Authority can not function as a viable transit agency without funding from the State of Illinois. It never has. Mind you - no transit system in the world can function without subsidy. But the budget for the CTA in the State of Illinois' budget is zero. The budget deficit to make ends meet is $158-million.

Both Mayor Daley and County President Todd Stroger both proclaim that there is no more fat left in the system to be trimmed. No more waste can be eliminated. No more patronage contracts can be routed out to benefit taxpayers.

Right.

In Chicago, trash collectors still patrol the city's alleys with trucks manned by three man crews. Every single private collection firm in Chicagoland manages to collect trash with a trash truck manned by one guy. In Chicago, however, it seems that one man must drive and cannot get out of the truck, and two men are required to pick up the trash.

Also, tradesmen who work for the City have just been granted 10-year contract extensions guaranteeing a health, benefit, pension package that is the envy of anyone who works in the private sector, and the "prevailing wage" paid to counterparts in the private sector. Never mind that those employees in the private sector are not guaranteed a 40-hour work week and are not granted such generous insurance, pension and early retirement.

In Cook County, administrators discovered a loophole in the application process for Federal Funding for expansion and administration of vital resident services in the late 1990's. This loophole was exploited to fund the construction and expansion of the massive Cook County Hospital and community health services. The Federal Government took notice early in the New Millennium and closed the loophole. What had been a quarter-billion-dollar-a-year torrent of Federal cash has slowed to a trickle and is now nearly shut off.

Other than this massive boondoggle, Cook County government has actually been contracting. Over the past several years, the County has frozen hiring and retired or laid off nearly 1,200 employees.

Unfortunately, since it was clear that a tax increase would be required to maintain the new hospital and health service complex, County President Stroger figured he may as well restore all the slashed positions in the same maneuver.

It is clear that Cook County cannot afford to maintain the massive health complex. I only wish someone in the elected government would be willing to admit that the County is stretched way beyond its means and either privatize or otherwise abandon some of these enormous burdens.

Perhaps surprising to you, your guides support funding for the CTA. Any reader that has experienced the convenience of the Paris Metro, the London Tube, or even the gritty yet efficient New York Subway knows what a benefit to a city their transportation system is. In college urban planning classes, the CTA was studied as a model of an ideal transit system. The economic benefit to Chicago is so great that to ignore it could lead to a collapse of the business climate in Chicago. Politicians beware - killing the CTA by choking off funds to keep it running could cause a collapse of Chicago's economy.

Some thoughts:

A sizable chunk of Chicago's revenue comes from the City's real-estate-transfer tax. The tax is $7.50 per thousand - or $750 per $100,000 - on the sale price for each property sale in Chicago. One tax increase proposal is to double the transfer tax on real estate. Keep in mind that the transfer tax on a fairly typical $500,000 condo or townhouse would double from $3,750 to $7,500. Just in case there isn't enough of a chill on the city's housing market.

Did you know that there are still some states out there that do not have state income tax? You can give yourself a 5% to 10% pay raise by simply moving to one of these states. Like Texas. Or Washington.

Just in case your reaction to this fact is to blame tax-and-spend Democrats, Illinois' income tax was enacted by Republican Governor James Ogilvie in 1969. Republican Governor James Thompson raised the state income tax several times. Republican Jim Edgar was elected even though he favored making temporary tax raises permanent and his Democratic rival opposed it.

Elections for Cook County Board, the Mayor of Chicago and the Illinois Legislature all took place in 2006. As there are not elections for another several years, politicians are betting Illinoisans have a short memory.

They may be right: A recent study found that legislators who backed major tax hikes were returned to office 90 percent of the time. Those numbers suggest that Stroger, Daley, commissioners and aldermen can back tax measures with minimal political risk.

Is there any chance we can prove them wrong?

If anyone reads this - Please, STOP using OBEO for Virtual Tours

Readers - please check out the Virtual Tours hosted by OBEO. For me and Steve, it seems that more than half the time, when we view a Virtual Tour that's hosted by OBEO, the viewer crashes and causes all Internet Explorer windows to close unexpectedly. Here are a few links to OBEO Tours:

7120 N. Sheridan Rd.
4553 N. Magnolia Ave.
560 W. Roscoe
5728 N. Kenmore

Post your comments letting me know if you have success viewing this OBEO tour, and any others you may come across. Thank you!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Update on October 25, 2007: Steven from OBEO's parent company posted in the comments a few months back, and I tried the above tour links again. Still crash my system. Someone from OBEO was on this page again yesterday, which prompted me to re-try the tours. The photos and the slide show worked, but clicking on the panorama tab still ground my browser to a halt, rendering it un-usable and necessitating a ctrl-alt-delete to close the window. Still no good.

32nd Ward Runoff Election (Continued) - West Lakeview & Bucktown

Last week I spoke too early. Today I received EIGHT (8) pieces of campaign literature for the two battling candidates in Chicago's 32nd Ward.

My nod to the candidate that offered something of substance in his literature is to Scott Waguespack who sent two positive mail pieces and two negative pieces. Alderman Matlak, on the other hand, sent out all negative material.

Highlights from Scott's not-quite-yet garbage: "You don't believe in the tooth fairy. So why would you believe Ted Matlak's lies?"

And from Matlak's campaign bird-cage-liner: "Scott Waguespack wants you to believe he's a reformer. But he was FIRED for doing politics on taxpayer time and his administration is under investigation for possible illegal hiring."

Also "Ghost of corruption past. Scott Waguespack was FIRED for campaigning on taxpayer time."

Man, if I learned that even a dime of my tax money was spent on any of this trash, I'd vote either one of them out of office.

32nd Ward Runoff Election Rhetoric Heats Up - West Lakeview & Bucktown

For anyone who doesn't know, the 32nd ward Alderman, Ted Matlak, did not receive over 50% of the votes during the last City elections. This means Alderman Matlak must run again against his closest runner-up - Scott Waguespack.

We've been receiving quite an impressive bunch of campaign mail and today's stack was most remarkable: four direct mailers from Alderman Matlak and two from Scott Waguespack for a total of SIX direct mail flyers just today.

What's most perplexing to me is that only one piece of the mail today listed any qualifications for the job. All other campaign pieces focused on smear tactics or fear mongering. I think this is just so wrong.

Alderman Matlak says:
• Scott Waguespack is an imposter.
• Scott Waguespack implies that he’s an attorney but he failed the Bar exam and is not legally allowed to practice law.
• Scott Waguespack is a patronage hack from Berwyn.
• Scott Waguespack is not a property owner in the 32nd ward.
• Scott Waguespack is a deadbeat for not paying his taxes.
• Scott Waguespack is not to be trusted.

Scott Waguespack says:
• There’s runaway development in the ward.
• Ted Matlak is responsible for it.
• Ted Matlak took $350,000 in campaign cash from developers.
• Ted Matlak ignores the runaway threats that development poses.
• Ted Matlak awarded a company millions of dollars in tax giveaways that cost homeowners of the 32nd ward.
• Ted Matlak took $7,000 in campaign contributions from a company tied to the “Hired Truck” scandal.

Geez, guys, how about a little bit of info on what you will DO for the residents of the 32nd ward. I don’t think I have ONE SINGLE piece of info on a plan that these candidates have for improving the quality of life in my neighborhood.

The problem with this situation is that I am leaning towards going with “The Devil I Know” instead of the unknown. I know that I can call Alderman Matlak’s office and get a dead tree replaced. I know that I can call the office and get a stop-sign installed on a busy corner.

A particular weakness in Scott Waguespack’s campaign rhetoric is that I am involved in Real Estate. I make money off Real Estate Developers. I was raised in a Real Estate Appraiser’s home and I think that property should be put to its “Highest and Best Use.” Look, we live in Lakeview or Bucktown. The next 12 unit building is not going to affect traffic one bit as we’re already saddled with gridlock. The run-up in property values and the shot in the arm of the economy have everything to do with new development.

At least with Alderman Matlak I can point to:
• Pretty good schools in my neighborhood.
• New playground equipment on West Nelson.
• New 2-acre park on North Hermitage.
• New baseball field renovations at Hamlin Park.
• New stop sign in front of my new townhouse development.
• New trees to replace ones that died in my neighborhood.

This is not an endorsement – by me – and especially by anyone at YoChicago. And just to be fair, here are the websites for the candidates.

www.TedMatlak.com

www.ScottForChicago.com

Neither one of these websites contains anything of substance.

Classic Chicago Scene on Ashland - at the back of the Liquor Store

This pack of pigeons has lived behind the liquor store on Ashland longer than I have. Why - oh why - do people feed them!? One day this week I walked by and saw pounds upon pounds of bread crumbs. A literal mound several feet in diameter. Is it just me that finds this flock a dirty menace?

In order to SELL Real Estate, you have to SHOW Real Estate

It's Tuesday and I'm finally getting around to catching up from the weekend. The past two weeks have been SLOW (Bears in the playoffs and few people doing real estate.) Next weekend the Bears are in the Super Bowl - so nothing will be happeing in Chicago. Given all that - EVERYONE was out shopping this past weekend.

What kills me is that both selling agents and sellers just don't seem to get it. There are many truths to real estate; two of which surely are 1) in order to sell your home you have to show your home, and 2) the person bringing the money (ie- the buyer) gets to say when.

(See our previous post on the unique nature of Chicago real estate showings.)

Here's my experience last weekend:

Wednesday 8am - Start making phone calls to set up Saturday appointments. 10 requests for a morning buyer client and 2 requests for a quick tour with an afternoon client. Result - one confirmation.

Thursday 8am - Starting making repeat phone calls to get appointments. Result - one more confirmation; one outright "no, I'm having an open house on Sunday, come then only", 9 - still no answer.

Friday 8am - Start making calls again to try and get showings. Results - 4 confirmations, 2 no can do's, 1 who said she purposefully ingnored my calls to see if an offer they got earlier would go anywhere (they did come to agreement so she didn't want to bother with any more showings), 1 no because the owner decided the weekend was the perfect time to have the unit unavailable while they had a contractor refinish the wood floors - but please come on Sunday. and 1 still never called back.

So in the end - I was able to get 6 of 12 showing requests, five "no" answers and one who just never called me back.

At the same time, we serviced all our listings and didn't turn down a single appointment request. See a pattern here?

So here is some sage advice for all of you out there who are interviewing agents: Along with all the other questions the pundits tell you to ask, here's one - "Just how available are you to show and sell my house?"

Stick to business when conducting real estate showings

I had an unproductive real estate showing today, and my first draft of this post came off more like a rant than anything useful to our readers. Here's the second try with some helpful hints to keep you focused on the business at hand - namely: finding a new home for yourself (if you're the buyer) or your client (if you're an agent.)

Earlier today, Saturday, I met a broker who brought her client with to view our loft in St. Ben's. In tow, she brought her real estate partner/husband, and their 3 year old toddler.

I just can't imagine what these agents were thinking - I don't think anything was accomplished with this client today. When showing real estate to clients, an agent's objective should be to:

• Present the features and amenities of the property you are viewing.
• Afterwards, determine whether the property meets the needs of the buyer.
• If at first pass, the property does meet the client's needs, try to establish a ranking of preference of the acceptable properties.
• At the end of the discussion and ranking, see if the client would like to move forward by writing a contract offer on the highest ranked property.

For each of the points listed above, the client and the brokers were distracted:

• I was interrupted frequently by the toddler during my presentation of the property as he wanted to press the buttons in the elevator, play with all the light switches in the home and run around in the home.
• As the brokers were in their family minivan, the client followed in her own car. Time spent in the car right after a showing is invaluable to gauge a client's level of interest and focus him or her on prioritizing what they just saw.
• Struggling with the car seat and keeping track of lost hat & gloves pushed the brokers further and further behind schedule. It was clear everyone was distracted and anxious.
• Without coming across too much like a "salesman," the time in the car at the end of a tour is the perfect opportunity to question the buyer as to whether they might be ready to put an offer together on a property. Since the agents and the buyer were in separate cars, the buyer simply shook hands with the agents, promised to call later, and went off on her own. This was a huge missed opportunity.

If the buyer's objective was to tour some nice properties, but isn't in the market, then they accomplished their goal today. The problem here is that no consideration was given to the listing agents who also had to accompany these appointments.

My goal is quite clear: I am showing property today in order to sell it to someone.

Buyers, it's perfectly reasonable to let your agent know if he or she is not productively using your time if you're actively in the market for a new home. Agents, don't let opportunities to move your clients along the decision-making process go by, and show consideration for your fellow agents out in the field.

Why ComEd rate hikes are a rip-off to Illinois consumers

Does anyone remember history? I mean before a week ago, or last year?

ComEd and Excelon keep harping about how ComEd is just a delivery company, and that it doesn't own any electricity generating capacity. Does anyone remember why?

Yes, our rates have been frozen for 10 years, and today, they're artificially low. Can you remember why?

During the energy crisis of the 1970's, Commonwealth Edison embarked on a bold plan to ensure Illinois would have energy to spare well into the future. Even into the New Millennium - 30 years into the future. They built the largest collection of nuclear power plants in the nation. By the mid 1980's, however, it appeared that this initiative was mis-guided as Illinois had the highest electric rates in the nation in order to pay for the wildly expensive plants (estimated at $45-billion) and there was so much excess capacity as to cause politicians to wonder why they were ever built and if the capacity would ever be needed.

Reagan era deregulation further eroded the perception of the plants' value. More regulatory meddling in the name of monopoly-busting led to the creation of a separate Electricity Producing Company - Excelon and our Electricity Delivery Company - the new and improved ComEd.

In one of the most ridiculous moves ever approved by the Illinois Legislature, the sale of all nuclear plants to Excelon Corp. was approved, and as the price was based on prevailing market energy rates and the plants had tremendous excess capacity, the sale price was established at mere dimes on the dollar.

Fast forward to today. The rate freeze is ending, but somewhere in the middle, bureaucrats pretty much gave away the power plants we've all been paying for. What was envisioned for the end of the rate freeze was an energy utopia where Illinois consumers had paid up front for the capacity to enjoy cheap electricity for a couple more generations.

Well, we paid. But Illinois regulators - seemingly asleep at the helm - allowed the proverbial rug to be pulled out from under us.

I do not pretend to understand how to undo decades of legislation and corporate monopoly-busting. All I know is that Illinois rate-payers paid a dear price for these nuke plants. And now we have to listen to ComEd whine about being a simple delivery company while at the same time parent company Excelon can freely sell electricity to whoever will pay the most on the open market.

Those plants are ours and I'm not opposed asserting our rights to them. Call your legislator and tell them to look back in history ~ say, longer than the last election, and try to do right by their constituents. Extend the freeze. Undo the sale. Transfer the ownership of the plants to a new energy co-op. I don't care, but to let Excelon profit while proclaiming innocence in all this is a total rip-off to Illinoisans.