Place to live- Working family driving in opposite direction- Peoria & Springfield

[AnimalLover]

I've never heard of someone being forced to sign for a loan or of a 'phony' closing.
Sorry you've had bad experiences - I'm sure you know we're not all the same as all people are not the same, no matter what profession they are in. I hold myself to very high standards - and have a long list of happy clients.

The Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure form is required when selling most residential property (there are exceptions such as new construction, estates and foreclosures). This is where the seller discloses known problems such as recurring leakage or flooding in a basement or crawl space, electrical, plumbing, foundation, roof, termite damage, etc. The buyer also signs this form.

I recommend all my buyers have inspections done - even for new construction. Some people mistakenly think they don't need to worry about those things with new construction. I've had new construction fail an inspection due to building code violations as those are enforced differently in different areas. Some properties are sold 'as-is'. In this case, at least in our area, the buyer must sign this addendum to the contract stating they are aware of the condition of the property, have had an opportunity to conduct any inspections, have satisfied themselves as to the condition of the property and understand they are buying the property in 'as-is' condition.

Realtors are not inspectors - and inspections are optional. We can only strongly recommend our clients have them done.

There are many factors to consider when purchasing a home, age is just one of them. There are many older, well maintained homes. I would rather have a solidly built older home that has been well taken care of than a newer, inferior quality home that has not.

[linicx]

I agree. Old houses were built better and a 2x4 actually measured 2x4. was better, but it doesn't mean the seller doesn't lie to the realtor and banker. As to realtors, there are a lot more rascals than good guys. My mother was an exceptional realtor.who worked for an honest broker. She knew the banks, she pre-qualiied - did all her own paperwork and matched her borrowers with the right bank. She also sold a lot of houses after midnight when second shift ended, and she worked all weekend. And she was a million dollar producer. She w asn't ever home. .

I'll teach you now to hold a phony closing. Devalue the house becuse you have a buyer.. Have a handy pre-signed LA. Conveniently forget to include Sellers contingency of no possession at closing. Your pre-qual Buyer MUST HAVE possession at closing, Put Buyer and Seller together. Lie to Buyer; promise possession at closing.. A week before closing Seller tells Buyer no possession, why and that the realtors lied. He backed out. Told agent's Broker he was going to sue for the money he was out becuse of their lies. Broker says he can't realtor; Sue seller.
Two days later Broker calls Buyer and says he can have house in 48 hours. No contract for this farce was signed by Sellers. Oops! Closing is still set. Buyer finds out. Calls mortgagor and kills the sale. Notifies title company and stays home. Buyers agent is out. Agent's Broker takes Buyer to the closing at title company. Seller doesn't show. Broker and Title co Manager assure Buyer the Seller backed out of the deal and Sellers are liable for the money he lost. and Buyer believed every lie he was told a second time and tried to get the meny. This was only the first six weeks.

The LA was a year . It was contentious. Threats of jail, accusations of collusion, and a realtor who stalked me for six months. It ended with the ex-parte order. I told her Broker if she set one toe on my property again, she was going to jail. I never saw her again.. The broker kept her license on his wall. What a pair.

[Scio42]

Hi Livonian,

If you're looking to live between Springfield & Peoria, your best bet for the quickest, trouble-free commute would be one of the towns along I-55, I-155. Remember, we usually have a couple bad snow/ice storms in the winter and the interstate is usually cleared first.

Lincoln's not a very big place, about 15,000 pop. I'm not sure what statisics you read about crime, but the crime in Lincoln is not beyond what you could reasonably expect for a town that size. You'd find worse crime in either Springfield or Peoria. Lincoln has some shopping & restaurants and there are some nice neighborhoods, or you could live just outside of town. (There's also a nice hot air balloon festival every year). It's worth a second look if you really want to live between Springfield & Peoria.

The other best options that would require a bit more driving (but still under your 50 mile req) are Broadwell, Elkhart or Tremont. They're much smaller towns (there's not too much in Elkart & Broadwell), but close enough to either Peoria or Springfield that it's not a hastle to drive into town if you need something.

There's also Hartsburg & Hopedale, but there's not too much in either of those towns (shopping & dining wise). They're the furthest from any kind of convient shopping.