Well, several years ago I was trying to write about some of my favorite restaurants here. With the popularity of Yelp, a community of other people who like to eat, it seems to make sense to post my restaurant experiences there.
About Food – Not Naperville Real Estate
Written by angus on July 22nd, 2010Veterans coming home
Written by angus on June 30th, 2010Guest Post
If you are an active duty service member coming back from abroad, there is no better feeling than to have a place to call home. And if you don’t have one yet, now is the time to start looking – if you buy a home within the next year, you can receive an $8,000 tax credit. Coupled with a loan backed by the VA home loan gauranty program, this tax credit presents a great opportunity for veterans to save bundles when purchasing that first home.
To qualify, veterans have until April 30, 2011 to buy a home or enter into a binding contract, and all sales must be closed by June 30, 2011. These deadline dates, according to the Internal Revenue Service are specifically for military service members, intelligence community personnel, and foreign service employees. Military buyers must also have spent 90 days on active duty outside of the U.S. between January 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010 to qualify, unless medical issues did not allow for completion of time abroad.
Also, the tax credit is mainly for first-time homebuyers (buying their first primary residence within the last three years), as only they can receive the full $8,000 credit. And with VA mortgage foreclosures at a new two year low, military families who meet certain criteria can rest assured they will be able to find a home and stay in it. Long-time residents (have owned and lived in the same home for five consecutive years) can buy and still qualify for up to $6,500. Other basic restrictions include…
- Home prices cannot exceed $800,000
- Single-filers’ income must be less than $125,000 to qualify for the full credit, and less than $145,000 to qualify for any credit
- Joint-filers’ income must be less than $225,000 to qualify for the full credit
If you qualify, start looking now so the deadline does not pass you by – there’s no reason not to save!
James Kelley blogs on veteran’s issues and real estate across the United States at VA Benefit Blog . He also works for VAMC, proudly serving American military families as the nation’s premier VA lender.
Golf Course Communities in the Naperville Area
Written by angus on June 29th, 2010Here are three upscale private golf course communities in Naperville and Aurora, they are significantly different from each other while remaining lovely, vibrant and unique
The White Eagle Club is a 27 hole Arnold Palmer designed “links” styled course. The course was started in 1985. Featuring a beautiful clubhouse with full amenities. In addition to the country club, White Eagle also has a separate Owners Club for the neighborhood (Pool, Tennis etc…)
Cress Creek was started in 1963, the course was designed by Ron Prichard and a new clubhouse was built several years ago. The neighborhood has been ripe for renovation and new construction. With it’s convenient north side location, Cress Creek is a desirable destination for the country club lifestyle.
Stonebridge is located just off of I 88/Eola Road interchange. Close to the Metra Station and shopping this neighborhood is exquisitly located. The course was designed by Tom Fazio and has been host to the Senior Open and LPGA events. A private club with a terrific clubhouse, Stonbridge is a delight.
Showing properties
1 - 5 of 145.
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Naperville Area Golf Course Communities.
(all data current as of
7/29/2010)
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$234,900 : 1489 Aberdeen Ct, Naperville2 beds, 2 full, 2 part bathsSize: 1,254 sq ftLot size: n/aYear built: 1993Parking spots: 2Walk Score™: 42
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$290,000 : 1463 Aberdeen Ct, Naperville2 beds, 2 full, 2 part bathsSize: 1,363 sq ftLot size: n/aYear built: 1995Parking spots: 2Walk Score™: 42
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$450,000 : 1445 Monarch Cir, Naperville4 beds, 3 full, 1 part bathsSize: 3,276 sq ftLot size: n/aYear built: 1992Parking spots: 2Walk Score™: 43
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$107,999 : 1121 W Ogden Ave, Unit 264, Naperville1 beds, 1 full bathSize: n/aLot size: n/aYear built: 1979Parking spots: 2Walk Score™: 48
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$449,800 : 2370 Chandler Ct, Aurora5 beds, 2 full, 1 part bathsSize: 3,358 sq ftLot size: n/aYear built: 1993Parking spots: 3Walk Score™: 40
Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.
Gated Communities in Naperville
Written by angus on June 20th, 2010There are two. That’s right, two.
One is an upscale development on Naperville’s (unincorprated ) far east side and the other is an “Over 55″ community on the city’s far southwest side. I’m including those homes below and you’ll be able to tell by price, which is which.
I often get folks in from Texas and Arizona looking for gated communties, but with a little re-education we settle in. You also won’t find every house with a “This home has an alarm that is so loud that it is designed to induce heart attacks in the whole state” sign in the front yard.
In fact, I was showing houses to a couple relocating from Massachusetts a couple of weeks ago, one of the houses we liked (in Plainfield) was across the street from a house with a large sign that read ” This home under Video Surveillance” It completely creeped them out and we stopped considering that property. (Fortunately we found a MUCH better one, all is well)
I just want to know.. If you look around trying to figure out who the crazy neighbor is.. but you can’t.. does that mean it’s you?
Showing properties
1 - 5 of 10.
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Naperville Gated Communities.
(all data current as of
7/29/2010)
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$725,000 : 8S323 Hampton Cir, Naperville5 beds, 5 full, 1 part bathsSize: 5,098 sq ftLot size: n/aYear built: 1997Parking spots: 4Walk Score™: 18
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$819,900 : 8S264 Hampton Cir, Naperville5 beds, 5 full, 1 part bathsSize: 4,740 sq ftLot size: 16,988 sq ftYear built: 1990Parking spots: 3Walk Score™: 25
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$287,750 : 2807 Normandy Cir, Unit 4891, Naperville2 beds, 2 full bathsSize: 1,370 sq ftLot size: n/aYear built: 2007Parking spots: 2Walk Score™: 29
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$359,450 : 3763 Idlewild Ln, Naperville2 beds, 2 full bathsSize: 1,760 sq ftLot size: n/aYear built: 2009Parking spots: 2Walk Score™: 42
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$264,900 : 2913 Normandy Cir, Naperville2 beds, 2 full bathsSize: 1,370 sq ftLot size: n/aYear built: 2007Parking spots: 2Walk Score™: 26
Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.


Walk Friendly Homes in Naperville?
Written by angus on July 23rd, 2010Lisa and I love to walk. One of the things that we love about Naperville is that there are many places and neighborhoods that are walkable. Here are the homes available in Naperville, ranked by their “walkability” score starting with the highest (best) score as ranked by walkscore.com:
Showing properties 1 - 10 of 500+. See more city of Naperville real estate.
(all data current as of 7/29/2010)
Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.
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Tags: Commentary, Naperville, Walking