Oswego, IL Market Activity May 2010 vs May 2009

"In today's economic environment, home buyers (especially first timers like us) need an experienced professional to help them locate the right house, understand financing and legal concerns, and to simply be a reassuring friends when obstacles arise.  We could not have been happier with the guidance provided by Evelyn Santiago in our home buying adventure.  From our first showings in 18 inches of fresh snow, to finally getting keys to our new home, Evelyn was right there with us.  She was immediately available at any time, kept us informed of any information available, and made us feel like the most important clients she had ever worked with. As first time homebuyers, we weren't even sure why type of property we really wanted.  Evelyn was patient is showing us townhomes and single family homes, discussed various advantages and disadvantages of each, and helped us to determine exactly what we were looking for.  As we modified our list of desired traits in a new home, Evelyn was quick to respond by searching the MLS, suggesting properties, and setting up showings.  After seeing twenty-six different properties, we finally found the house that we knew we could call 'Home'.   Her experience and in-depth knowledge of the fluctuating home values enabled her to not only suggest an offer on the house, but she also accurately predicated the price we would pay for the home after final counter-offer negotiations completed! We soon learned, however, that finding a home in this economy can often be the easy part of the process.  Overly-tightened lending practices have created many obstacles that must be understood and dealt with.  Evelyn remained with us to keep us calm, offer suggestions, and encourage us through the maze (and mess) of home lending in a recession. On closing day, when even more paperwork oversights and obstacles suddenly arose that kept us at the title company for the entire day, only ONE person stood by us: Evelyn.  Attorneys for both the buyers and sellers, the seller's agent, and even the title company representative all found "other" meetings as a reason to abandon us during the closing process.  Rather than follow suit and leave us to fend for ourselves at the closing table, Evelyn steadfastly waited, made calls, and represented our interests in a way that greatly exceeded even our highest expectations. If anyone, first-time or prior homeowner, is looking for a new property to call "home", we highly recommend Evelyn Santiago as an extremely qualified real estate agent.  Challenging economic conditions require the assistance of an agent who is not only up to the challenge, but successful in overcoming obstacles, clearing red tape, and staying optimistic until the final goal is achieved. We are now in our new house, and pinch ourselves every day when we drive up to "our home".  We know this dream-come-true would not have been possible without Evelyn.  We are eternally grateful for all her help, guidance, and encouragement. Sincerely, Jim and Patti "