Real Estate & Beyond

Weekly updates on the real estate market, mortgage rates, and everything about being a homeowner.

[elfterhomesrealestateandbeyond]

Baseball > beanball

I love baseball. Chicago style baseball. Down and dirty, south side, winning ugly, home run fireworks, you can put it on the board baseball. Growing up, I was as familiar with Hawk Harrelson’s voice as I was my own. My father raised me as a White Sox fan and told me a lifetime's worth of stories about the team, the stadium, the history, and the games he’s seen. Before I was born, he would go see the games with my grandfather. They saw some of the last games at old Comiskey, and the first few at new Comiskey (it will always be Comiskey). It was a rare occasion to see him without his Sox jacket or hat. To call him a Sox fan is an understatement. Among the million things my father has taught me, love for the White Sox is in the top 5.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s get down to business. Anyone who watches baseball has probably noticed 2 increasing trends; the number of players getting hit by a pitch, and the changing focus on speed over control. If you can make a good argument that these two do not coincide, I’d love to hear it. Over the last 30 years, the pitchers speed has increased while the strike ratio has decreased. It’s not uncommon to see a 104mph fastball and a mid90s curveball. It’s also not uncommon to see a lot more balls high and inside. The average amount of players getting beaned is at 0.47 this season compared to .1s in the 1990s. There has been drastic emphasis put on speed over control, and pitchers have complied. I am absolutely not blaming the players, they are simply adapting to the change of the game. I am just curious as to how long this can go on, and at what point does it come to a screeching halt.

One would think that watching Pillar or Harper take a 94mph+ fastball to the face would at least spark conversation. As I write this, I just watched the Yerminator take one to the helmet, his second HBP this week. It’s sickening to watch players go down, no matter who they are. I’d also like to blame the MLB for the new deadened baseball this year. Dear MLB, fans love the game just the way it is. Please stop trying to change it or make it more exciting. There’s nothing exciting about watching players get plunked with a 98mph stone. You want to cut down on home runs? Go fix that embarrassment of a right field wall in NY. A home run over right field at Yankee stadium is barely anything to be excited about. All in all, leave baseball alone and let the players make it exciting.

Now I understand that sometimes a pitcher “has to” take one for the team and send a message to the opponent in response to an event. Speaking of the Yerminator, he was popped by Tyler Duffy after hitting a 3-0 HR off a first baseman that was put in to pitch when his team was down by 11. I don’t care who you are, if you step on the mound you are open to the batters. Don’t want someone going yard with your 47mph lob? Stay in the dugout. Don’t get whipped and then expect your pitcher to stand up for you. If you have a personal issue with a batter and choose to let them know, you’re agreeing to the terms of baseball. Either the batter is going to meet you on the mound for a chat, or you’ve set up one of your teammates for a good bruise. I didn’t write the rules, I just enjoy them. Baseball is a gentleman's game, following gentleman’s rules.

If I have any real issue with baseball and pitchers it’s this….

The National League is a damn joke. You go out and find a pitcher to throw the ball, not to hit it. I don’t want to watch a pitcher stand in the box and try to look like they care to be there. No self respecting pitcher wants to bat. They don’t want to put themselves in a situation that could possibly injure them. Having a rocket come off the bat straight back to the mound is enough of a risk, but having them bat is ridiculous. Don’t give me the “the NL is more about strategy” because it’s not. It’s a waste of good players doing what good players do. Give the NL a designated hitter and let’s all have some fun.

P.s. the good guys wear black

[elfterhomesrealestateandbeyond]

The State Of The (Housing) Union

In my last post I discussed the benefits of buying a home over renting, and how 93% of Americans would rather invest in real estate than in the stock market. I made a few key points on why it’s better to own a home, and talked about a few challenges to the process. I tried making home buying a less intimidating scenario, to ease people’s mind about why they should consider buying. I have to admit I forgot one major key point, and as much as it pains me I really need to get it out there.

Finding an agent, getting a mortgage pre-approval, and looking at homes online is the easy part. Going to walk-throughs can be fun and exciting, picturing how you would decorate each house and make it your own. The financial aspects can all be worked through with a great loan officer, and it’s very important to have an attorney look over everything to ensure your safety. Closing day is one of the most exciting days in anyone’s life (aside from signing a few hundred documents) when they hand you the keys to your new home. Packing and unpacking boxes is tedious, but can also be fun as you get to plan out your new place. These are all the good parts, the easy parts that agents talk about to entice you to buy and sell properties. The key point that I need to make perfectly clear, especially to anyone considering buying or selling, is that today’s market is a very different place.

If you have a home and are looking to sell, this is possibly the best market in history for sale efficiency. There are a ton of homes selling for upwards of 10% over asking price! Within a few days of listing a home, most agents are putting a deadline for “highest and best” due by the end of the week. I’ve seen several homes listed on Thursday, showings held on Friday and Saturday, and offers are due by noon on Sunday. Now this is great for the seller as they get to pick an offer and rarely discuss negotiations, until it’s their turn to place an offer on a home. As a buyer, you’re lined up with a few dozen others that are all fighting over the same house. This challenge puts buyers in somewhat dangerous situations, as many will waive home inspections and appraisal reports. A lender will only give you what the bank can afford, which is what the home appraises for. I said you can buy a home with as little as 3% down, but if the home doesn’t appraise for the value of your mortgage, that 3% won’t get you very far.

A good agent will be able to steer you in the right direction and make the best offers for your circumstances. 3% of a $300k home is $9k, but that home will likely sell for $320k+. That $9k is 4.5% of a $200k home. So if that home sells for $220k, you’re still covered for 3% and have a bit to spare in case of appraisal shortage. Buying a home is challenging, but anything is possible with the right agent to guide you through. It’s all about making smart choices and planning for your future.

[elfterhomesrealestateandbeyond]

The "sellers market"

I guess since I am a Realtor and began this blog for real estate, I should write something about real estate now and then so let’s dive in!

A recent study shows that 93% of Americans would rather invest in a house than in stocks. With the volatility of the stock market, it's easy to see why people feel safer buying a house. Buying a home gives you a sense of security and stability, offers great tax benefits and locks in your housing costs. Owning a home helps grow your wealth through a long term investment, every penny you spend on your mortgage grows over time. The difference with the stock market is that your money may grow, but it has the same chance of sitting idle or burning away. Even though the housing market has seen momentary bumps, it has always been on an upward climb. Investing in a home, is investing in yourself and your future.

There are really only two options when it comes to housing; owning or renting. Renting is a great idea when you are not ready to commit long term to a permanent location. The other benefit to renting is that it usually comes with much less maintenance than owning a home. The general downside of renting is that your hard earned money is being used to pay someone else’s mortgage. When you purchase a home, every mortgage payment brings you closer to owning the property, and also acts like a long term savings account. Rarely does a home lose value without the owner causing such issue, i.e foreclosure or ignoring general maintenance.

The challenge many renters face is thinking that they cannot afford to own and continue the vicious renting cycle. Even with the trajectory of rising home prices, most mortgage payments are still less expensive than the cost of renting. Also, with the rising cost of home prices comes the rising cost of rent. The average rent around Chicagoland is between $1100 and $2000, and that gets you anything from a studio apartment to a 3 bed home. The truth is that for most people, the dream of owning a home is closer to reality than they think. When asking renters why they aren’t purchasing a home, the final answer they give is not having enough money for a down payment. Again, this should not be what holds you back! There are several down payment assistance programs and grants available to get you moving.

The real estate market is a roller coaster, sometimes up and sometimes down, but it always comes back around. You may hear that we are in a “sellers market” since the available inventory is low and prices are high, but this is only half true. 99% of people selling a home are doing so to buy another. While they may be able to sell their home for a high price, and some are getting more than asking, they also have to turn around and become a buyer. The difficulty in a sellers market lies with first-time home buyers who do not have the collateral of a home to sell before making their purchase. To combat this problem, it is best to have an educated agent to guide you through the process of making a competitive offer on your dream home. A good agent may not always give you the answers you want, but that isn’t their job. An agent’s job is to be truthful and act in your best interest, removing the emotional attachment to a property and giving you the best advice and guidance.

[elfterhomesrealestateandbeyond]

Caribbean Chicken Pasta

Growing up I never really looked at food as anything more than just breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just an essential part of the daily routine, nothing exciting. I had no interest in learning to cook, or making anything beyond mac-n-cheese or ramen noodles. Food was food, something that you had to have in order to survive. The only time I really looked forward to meals was when I was hungry, and I didn’t have much concern for what that meal would be. In fact, I can’t really recall the moment that my mind even changed on the matter. I just know that now, the kitchen is my happy place, my temple, my little bit of peace. The more detailed a meal is, the more challenging it is to create, the happier I am. It’s a chaotic orchestra of pots and pans, knives and flames…..and I am the conductor.

Cooking at the firehouse is probably the best for me. I’m going to get true reviews on the food, good or bad. Personal feelings are out the window when it comes to firehouse food. But that’s the best part for me, because I’m overly critical of my own cooking so I need some honest reviews. The other benefit to the firehouse is that there’s no shortage of cooks. I volunteer to cook every shift, and for the most part they let me, but it is nice to sit back and watch someone else do the job.

This particular dish came to fruition after my partner reminded me of my Jerk Chicken Tacos, and how he wouldn’t mind having them again (hint, hint). Normally I would oblige, but I just wasn’t feeling tacos for once. Wandering around I began to daydream about jerk chicken, the Caribbean sea, our wonderful honeymoon on the beaches of St Lucia and all the incredible food we had. When I came back to reality I was in the pasta aisle, and it hit me...Caribbean Chicken Pasta. A little tinkering and creativity took place in my mind as I decided how to make a dish that would bring out the flavors of the Caribbean mixed with an everyday favorite. So it began…

2 lbs of Chicken Breast

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 bunch of Green Onions

1 Yellow Onion

3 Cloves of Garlic

1 cup Heavy Cream

1 cup Chicken Broth

½ cup Jerk Marinade (shout out to Captain Curtis)

1 lb of Pasta noodles of your choice

½ cup grated parmesan

It’s a pretty easy recipe as long as you can keep track of time.

Boil water and start cooking your pasta, stopping right at al-dente and hitting them with a cold rinse. They can finish cooking later.

Heat some oil in a large pan, drop in the chickens, and season lightly with half of the marinade. Roughly 7 minutes per side for the chickens. Remove from the pan till later.

Heat a bit more oil, throw in the bell peppers for 2 minutes, add the yellow onions and cook for another 5.

Turn down the heat, add the green onion and garlic, 2 minutes.

Pour in the broth, remaining marinade, and cream. STIR IT UP

Season with salt and pepper, mix in grated parmesan cheese.

Let it simmer for 5 minutes to thicken up. Use this time to slice up those chickens and ask google to play Toots & The Maytals.

Add the pasta and chicken slices, stir and serve topped with more green onions.

Take your obligatory proud chef photos and dig in!

I was blown away by the flavor this created and so was my crew. It was immediately placed on the “make it again” list. The jerk marinade is definitely what makes this dish, so act accordingly. If you like sweet, I advise you to find a papaya base marinade. Like it spicy? A traditional pepper-heavy jerk sauce may be right for you. Captain Curtis is a local producer that makes incredible BBQ sauces and his Jerk marinade is my current favorite. This dish is simple, only takes about 30 minutes from top to bottom and will be in my monthly rotation at the firehouse.

[elfterhomesrealestateandbeyond]

What's with the helmet?

Archer has been in his DOC-Band helmet for 8 weeks now, and we’ve been asked every question under the sun. A few people know what it’s for, a few people are inquisitive, and a few give him a sympathetic look. The fun part of it all is that we get to educate people and promote more acceptance of the helmets.

A DOC-Band helmet is a cranial orthotic device used to treat plagiocephaly, or the dreaded “flat spot”. There are a few producers of this helmet, each a bit different, but they all do the same job. The objective of these devices is to help an infant's cranial plates grow equally and symmetrically, rounding the head. The helmet is super light-weight, cushioned with foam interior, and is custom made to perfectly fit the infant’s head shape. A physical therapist will then work with you and your infant to routinely adjust the helmet, shaving away the interior as needed to allow for growth in the desired areas. The soft cranial bone plates of an infant’s head do not harden until the age of 2 years old, giving plenty of time to correct any abnormal shaping.

The latest studies show that nearly half of children develop plagiocephaly during infancy. The study also shows that ½ of those children would benefit from a cranial orthotic, and that ¼ need immediate correction. So, out of 10 babies, 5 would benefit, and 2 absolutely should have it. We knew our little guy’s head wasn’t exactly round, but we did not know the medical issues that could arise from not correcting it.

The helmet is for more than shaping, it helps prevent future medical issues associated with plagiocephaly. The PT explained to use that as Archer’s brain grows, it will only grow in the space it’s allotted. This means that if his head shape is not corrected his brain may not develop equally, which may then cause deficiencies. As parents, your number 1 job is to promote the safety and development of your child. Part of this is to do what is best for them, even if it makes you uncomfortable. I say this because some people have shared judgmental looks with us, thinking that something is “wrong” with Archer. We don’t like it, but it is what's best for him, and that's all that matters to us.

The reality is that the helmet sucks…. We have both been whacked with it when he swings his head around, he is getting a false sense of security since it cushions impact to his head, and most of all...it stinks something horrible. We clean it every day, but he has it on for 23 straight hours, giving it plenty of time to soak up all his sweat. He grabs for it when we take it off at dinner time. He has grown to like it, it is part of his normal day now. It isn’t going to be an easy adjustment when we take it off for good in 2 weeks. Mainly because as I said, he has developed a false sense of security with it. He stands up and falls over, the helmet softens the blow. He smacks his head on his crib bars, the helmet protects him. He uses it as leverage sometimes to move around……

In all, we were surprised by the amount of information we learned in the process of having him diagnosed and fitted. These bands have been around for a while now, but it seems that new parents are still under the thought that “their head will round out on its own”. They may, but they also may not. Why chance something that you can easily fix? “Why aren’t there a bunch of flat-head adults if this is so important?” Well, your parents probably put you down on your belly in your crib when they brought you home from the hospital, something that has changed over the past 30 years. They also put you in bouncers and play stands, keeping you off your head. New studies show that until 3 months of age, most babies spend ⅔ of their life on their back in some way or another.

#Our little guy took a few hours to get used to his helmet, and now it’s growing to be a part of him. The fun part is that you can paint them, decal them, and design them any way you want. Arch has been rocking the baseball stitching, with both Chicago teams logos (it’s apparently only fair).

If you’ve got a little one, or are expecting, just keep this in mind…

You swore to do the absolute best for your child, no matter what.

[elfterhomesrealestateandbeyond]

An important question that needs to be asked from time to time, who am I?  Life happens fast, and every event and reaction changes us just a little bit. There are many things that can define a person; their style, their job, their attitude, the interests, their hobbies. I often find myself chasing after the next big thing. Once I succeed, I immediately move on to the next one.  It’s a vicious cycle that I have been running for years. Lately though I’ve come to terms with it, with the feeling of wanting more.  I have everything that I could ever want or need. I am learning who I truly am.  I am, a work in progress.

It is necessary to take some time here and there to check in on yourself, get back to the basics and find peace.  A reset, if you will.  So after becoming a realtor and getting caught up in the buzz of it all, I had to stop and think, who am I?  I am a Realtor. I’m also a plethora of other things.  A father and husband. A son and brother. A friend and confidant. A firefighter and student.  I am constantly working on improving myself, and sometimes it’s hard to find a balance.  To give 100% of yourself in everything you do is impossible, something is always sacrificed. Are you willing to sacrifice a little of this, if it improves that?

I love my job, it’s the best job in the world.  Being a firefighter is an honor, something to be proud of.  It’s a job that puts trust on the front line.  You need to trust yourself and your crew, and work so that they trust you too.  Above the fire service, my greatest joy is my family. My wife is my rock, my teammate.  She told me marriage and love are not always a 50/50 split, sometime its 60/40 or even 90/10. You give and take, you learn and grow together.  When your partner is struggling, you compensate and support them. We have a son together, the light of my life.  My boy is my everything, and I am so grateful I get to be his dad.  I will never be the best dad out there, but I will be the best dad I can be. I will be the best version of myself, for him.

This will be my journal moving forward.  I will write about my life, about my family, my favorite food and recipes, about real estate and the market, about the fire service, and anything that comes to mind.  I want to change the narrative.  I’m not your typical Realtor. I don’t drive a Mercedes, or wear expensive suits. My name and face isn’t along the highway billboards, nor will you see it on bus stops benches.  I don’t care about the expensive side of real estate. I care about people, and making life a little bit easier for everyone. I want to be different, helpful and memorable.  If you choose to follow my adventures, I thank you. I promise you’ll find this page funny and honest, and even informative at times.  

-Niko

#realtor #firefighter #father #family #cooking #money #friends