NAR Relief Fund

NAR (National Association of REALTORS) has a fund to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. On top of covering all admin costs the NAR has also kick started the fund with $1,000,000. Please read the below qoute from NAR's site:

"All administrative costs of the project will be absorbed by NAR; 100 percent of all donations will go directly to aid the victims. Contributions can be made online through the following secure site powered by NAR’s e-commerce system: https://www.realtor.org/relief. Contributions are tax deductible. To make contributions by mail, checks should be made payable to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation and sent to: REALTORS® Relief Foundation, Attn: NAR Finance Division, 430 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60611."

Thank you for your support!

Schaumburg MLS (Multiple Listing Service)

The MLS or multiple listing service is how Real Estate agents find properties for their clients. Many websites are designed to trick visitors into thinking they are going to get to see the MLS when in fact they are just lead generators. These sites sell your name and contact information to one or more agents. Lending Tree, Home Gain, RealEstate.com, and many others make millions selling unsuspecting visitors information to real estate agents.

To avoid this you show look for local real estate agents sites, avoid big commercal sites. The local agent is the only one that has access to the MLS, large national sites can't post the MLS as they do not have access. The local agent is a free resource to buyers and should be used. A good agent will have free MLS access on their website, but will need a little personal information. The reason for this is that the real estate boards require a login for MLS access.

If you are interested in viewing the Chicagoland MLS or Schaumburg MLS you can visit SuburbanHouseHunters.com.