"You've Caught the NET!"

Good Morning!

Here's our Chicago Market Stats Update, based on data compiled Sunday evening, June 28, 2009.

Well, the booming increases in Pending Sales, Closed Sales, and Sales Volume, and the decrease in Average Market Time have not continued at their unchecked pace of the last couple of weeks. 

Although Pending Sales remained exactly the same this week in the North and Northwest Side of Chicago Neighborhoods we serve frequently, the other indicators fell a bit this past week.

One key number - listings still take a long time to sell here!  In order for us to truly report a market turn, this Average Market Time must still be brought down - considerably!

Absorption Rate - the theoretical time to clear existing homes-for-sale inventory, fell again this week to just over 14.5 months!  The percentage of homes sell within a normal six-month marketing time frame took a slight step back this week. 

Here are archived annual Chicago Neighborhood Statistics, including Units Sold and Price Trends Data, for 1995 through 2008 courtesy of The Chicago Association of Realtors.

In addition, here is an Interactive Median Price Heat Map, from the Chicago Tribune Real Estate Section, covering Every Chicago Neighborhood.  View the map for links to maps for Chicago Suburbs.  It is updated as new data becomes available.

Communities and clients we serve, reside, or plan to reside, in the Chicago Neighborhoods of The Chicago Loop, The Gold Coast, River North, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Uptown, Edgewater, North Center, Lincoln Square, Albany Park, Ravenswood, Wicker Park, and Bucktown.  

Also, these Great Chicago Neighborhoods: Logan Square, Rogers Park , West Ridge, Portage Park, Jefferson Park, Norwood Park, Sauganash, Edgebrook,and Edison Park.   Plus All Chicago Suburbs. 

SINGLE FAMILY, CONDOS, AND SMALL MULTI-UNIT PROPERTIES - NORTH SIDE OF CHICAGO, NORTH OF ADDISON STREET, WEST OF ASHLAND AVENUE

                                 ACTV LISTINGS        JUST SOLD         CLOSED        EXPIRED

w/e June 28th                  4,239                   68                    77                32

w/e June 21st                  4,249                   68                     83                48

% CHANGE                        -0.2%                +-0.0%              -7.3%         -7.2%

CLOSED PROPERTIES DATA

                              AVG SALE PRICE     AVG DAYS ON MKT     TOTAL VOLUME   

w/e June 28th                 $288,439            202 DAYS                    $22,209,803

w/e June 21st                 $291,838            160 DAYS                    $24,222,554

% CHANGE                         -1.2%                 +26.3%                           -8.3%

THEORETICAL TIME TO CLEAR EXISTING INVENTORY (ABSORPTION RATE) -

w/e June 28th - LAST 12 MOS - 16.24    LAST 6 MOS - 18.54    LAST 3 MOS - 14.57

w/e June 21st  - LAST 12 MOS - 16.16  LAST 6 MOS - 19.20    LAST 3 MOS - 15.02

PERCENT OF HOMES SELLING IN 180 DAYS - 

w/e June 28th - 28.18% (UNSOLD - 71.82%) 

w/e June 21st  - 27.52% (UNSOLD - 72.48%)

SOURCE: MIDWEST REAL ESTATE DATA LLC, AREA MARKET SURVEY DATA

Call our Team anytime for current trends in any Chicago Neighborhood or Chicago Suburb!

Review our Chicago IL Real Estate Stats Pack Archive via BlogChicagoHomes.com. 

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Looking for some good news amidst the savage jobless figures, falling home prices, sliding retail revenue numbers?

Despite the recession, circulation of Chicago Public Library books and other materials (including CD's and movies) is up considerably over last year - 30% higher, as a matter of fact!

According to a Chicago Sun-Times Story by Staff Reporter Mary Wisniewski, Chicago Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey sees many people borrowing books and entertainment material from their local library branch, rather than purchasing it outright retail.

The Commissioner reports that online holds of library material - reserving books, movies, or CD's to pick up at their local library branch, has nearly doubled over last year.  Libraries across the U.S. are reporting similar increases in circulation and library visits, especially as the recently-unemployed use library computers and other resources to seek out new jobs.

Here in Chicago, 53 Neighborhood Library Branches have been rebuilt or extensively renovated over the last 20 years, according to Dempsey.  A new branch in the South Side Chicago Neighborhood of Beverly just opened this weekend.  New branches have been started, or are planned, in the Chicago Neighborhoods of West Town, Irving Park, Greater Grand Crossing, Dunning, Little Village, and West Humboldt Park.

Please read our post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

The Reverse Mortgage!

Just like low-interest, low-down-payment loans were several short years ago, Cable TV is loaded with dozens of pitches directed at seniors for this long-established, but still confusing, loan product.

In a nutshell, a Reverse Mortgage allows a Senior Citizen, minimum age 62, to draw out equity from their current home for any reason.  This Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) need not be repaid to the lender until the home is sold, or the owner permanently moves out, or dies. 

According to a story by Real Estate Writer Mary Ellen Podmolik in last Friday's Chicago Tribune, many senior citizens use the equity for long-term care expenses or insurance.  Some use if for vacations or other items.  A few for Home Repair, in preparation for the eventual sale of the home.

But many experts, including U.S. Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan, fear that older homeowners may be particularly vulnerable to aggressive marketing by Reverse Mortgage lenders, much the same way those with blemished credit and low saved down payments fell prey to unethical sub-prime lenders during the peak of the housing boom a couple of years ago.

Many of these mortgage products lend at high rates of true interest, with higher fees than traditional home equity loans which require periodic repayment.  Often times, loan terms are non-traditional, and confusing, even to those familiar with other mortgage products.  However, Reverse Mortgages are guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration.

In 2008, more than 115,000 Reverse Mortgages were written across the U.S., compared with less than 22,000 written five years earlier.  Over 11,600 Reversed Mortgages were written in April, 2009 alone, according to data by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association.

These increases come amidst a sluggish housing market in most U.S. Cities, including Chicago and its suburbs, in which some home values, and the resultant equity against which to draw, have fallen by 18% or more.  However, other assets held by seniors, including 401K Accounts, IRA's, and Pensions, have also fallen considerably in value, making the Reverse Mortgage all the more attractive, and sometimes necessary.

Senior Advocacy Lobbyist AARP is concerned that some Reverse Mortgage Lenders have resorted to high-pressure, too-aggressive practices for selling these loan products, and that these products may not be a strong match for everyone.  Comptroller Dugan wants to make sure these lenders adhere to lending compliance standards, and warns more, tighter legislation may be necessary.

Please read our post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Here in Chicago, it is hard to deny our past reputation as a haven for Famous 1920's and 1930's Mobsters.  Even to this day, our association with Gangster Al Capone over 75 years ago spurs those from around the world to reply "Rat, Tat, Tat, Tat, Tat" when you say the word "Chicago."

Now, the new high-budget movie "Public Enemies," starring heart throb (and accomplished actor, of course) Johnny Depp, is attracting renewed interest in the Chicago Gangster Past.   Will it stir a bit of romance from those long-ago, shoot-em-out days, and rekindle a reputation this city has long attempted to shun?  See coverage in last Friday's Chicago Tribune, beginning in a report by Jay Jones, and continuing in an included Michael Jones video and special Tribune Multimedia Interactive.

Here is the history -

The real John Dillinger (not quite as handsome looking as Johnny Depp, mind you) made a living of robbing banks across the Midwest in 1933 and 1934.  He actually lived on the North Side of Chicago, at 4310 N. Clarendon Avenue in the Uptown Neighborhood, as well as at 2420 N. Halsted in the Lincoln Park Neighborhood - less than one block from where he would meet his eventual demise.

On the night of July 22, 1934, after viewing a Clark Gable gangster movie, "Manhattan Melodrama," at the now-landmark Biograph Theater on the 2400 Block of North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, Dillinger was gunned down in an alley steps from the theatre.  The FBI-Proclaimed "Public Enemy # 1" died moments later.

It is said that women spectators dipped their skirts in the dead gangster's blood, and others dipped their newspapers or handkerchiefs in the pooled blood as well, to save forever a bit of gruesome memorabilia!

But his legend as a "Gentleman Gangster," a kind of folk hero among the poor and downtrodden during The Great Depression, continued to grow in myth and legend.  The New Michael Mann Film "Public Enemies" is only the latest Hollywood film to chronicle the final days of Bank Robber John Dillinger.

The film shot in many authentic locations, including the Lake County Indiana Jail in Crown Point IN, the Little Bohemia Lodge in rural Wisconsin, and several locations in Chicago, including a period-correct restoration of The Biograph Theatre.

In Chicago, crowds of gawkers were huge, struggling for a glimpse of the movie shoot, and its famous star.  The release of the movie, this Wednesday, July 1st, is being met with great anticipation as well.

Chicago-based Untouchables Tours includes Dillinger Lore and his various haunts and residences in its not-city-sanctioned drive-around of the Chicago Underworld of old.  Along with the Biograph Theatre, the Lake County Indiana Courthouse and Wisconsin Lodge have become popular museums to the Dillinger legend, and will likely grow in popularity this summer, if the movie is successful in release.

Is reviving the gangster reputation good for the City of Chicago, however?  Many residents, and most Chicago Politicians, say no!

Please see our post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Good Evening, folks!

Time for my usual Sunday night Blog-a-Thon, from the Northwest Side of Chicago.  Hope you're well!

Short Sale Properties!  Should you consider buying them?  If you are a Real Estate Practitioner, should you counsel your clients to buy one?

Often times, here in Chicago and the suburbs - the answer is clearly NO!  Despite their often-attractive price.

Why not?

For most motivated buyers, who need to be in a house or condo time-definite, short sales are just too risky, and involve the loss of control in the transaction.

This Loss of Control comes in several forms -

1.  The Loss of Control to a Listing Agent who has little or no experience dealing in the nuances of closing a short sale transaction, or little persistence in handling the necessary, day-to-day follow-up to get the deal closed.

2.  The Loss of Control to a Seller's Attorney who has other, guarantee-pay priorities besides this particular short sale.

3.  The Loss of Control to the Lender, or, usually Lenders Plural, who nearly always fail to respond to the short sale in a timely manner.

4.  The Loss of Control to the Secondary Lender, or subsequent lien holders, like contractors or condominium associations, who continue to in fight for an always-higher payout at the expense of any sale at all.

5.  The Loss of Control over Your Own Client,  you Realtors - who may become impatient or distrustful with you and your Team in reacting to the length of the whole process, despite your best efforts to explain the longer time frame and possible pitfalls likely.

Now, don't get me wrong!  In many Chicago Neighborhoods eliminating Short Sale Properties from your search list cuts out 80 or 90% of the available inventory.  You just can't ignore short sale properties!

But you can prioritize, or help your buyer client prioritize, exactly which short properties are most likely to sell and close.

Those with the greatest likelihood for success, in my experience -

1.  Those listed with an agent with a reliable track record for consummating short sale deals, if you can accurately determine that.  Agents who allow you to become authorized to speak directly to the lender to check status score bonus points - but these Listing Agents are quite rare indeed!

2.  Those with only one lender's lien on the home, rather than a main loan and a piggy back or Home Equity Line of Credit attached.

3.  Those properties whose "underwater" status is less than 40% (this used to be 20% - but banks now seem more willing to negotiate lower prices - anything to avoid foreclosure!)  And, prices in many areas of the Chicago Area continue to decline in value month by month - banks are beginning to recognize this.

4.  Those sellers who are easily found and identified.  In many cases, divorced couples where one spouse left town, location undetermined, could scuttle a deal if the bank comes back, after eight to ten weeks, with a counter offer.

5.  Those sellers whose level of distressed is bona-fide and evident.  As you know, banks scrutinize the sellers as well as the buyers before agreeing to a short sale.  Finding a house with a couple of Mercedes cars and a large boat parked on the driveway, and several large HDTV's scattered throughout the house, shows, most likely, seller poor judgment.  If he still is making a good salary, or even not - likely, the short sale will be disapproved by the bank.   Usually, after many weeks of buyer waiting.

Our Real Estate Team will dissuade many of our clients from pursuing a short sale property if a similar property in the same neighborhood fits their needs, even for a somewhat higher price - due to the uncertainty and loss of buyer control as discussed here.

If our buyers do decide to proceed, we are very careful to pre-frame in detail the waiting time involved, and the strong possibility of rejection, as our clients need to stay with our Team to locate another property if the short sale deal does not get approved.

All of this paints a sour picture for those selling short to escape likely foreclosure - but, when buying or working with buyers, you have to find the property likely to close, with certainty - or at least as much certainty as we can reasonably find these days.

Am I wrong?  Please share!

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

It will be a crazy weekend in Chicago, folks!

This is the first weekend of our Internationally-Famous Food Orgy, The Taste of Chicago, running through July 5th at Grant Park in the Chicago Loop!  It's also Crosstown Classic Weekend for Baseball Fans, as the Chicago Cubs travel to the South Side to take on the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.  (C'mon - ain't no way you can be both a Cubs and a Sox fan in this town.  It's a physical, and emotional, impossibility!)

Enjoy all that Chicago has to offer in the Summertime, because it summer never lasts forever here . . . yes?

In this week's Chicago Neighborhood News, our Team Member Cathy Mallers takes us to the Chicago North Side Neighborhoods of Lakeview, Lincoln Park, The Chicago Loop, and The Gold Coast, as well as to the Chicago Suburb of Oak Park IL, just west of the city.

Got a special event for your organization you would like us to publicize?  Just let us know, and we'll help get the word out.

Dean's Team Chicago offers the Number One Rated Active Rain Real Estate Blog in Chicago, and across Cook County IL!

LAKEVIEW

As you may or may not know, this is Pride Month.  This weekend culminates in the 40^th Annual Pride Parade, celebrating the contributions and culture of the GLBT community.

This year the parade is dedicated to all those who were a part of the Stonewall riots in New York City with grand marshal Alexandra Billings.

There are many events happening between now and then, all of which you can read about here.

LINCOLN PARK

You're seeing the promos.  You can walk right by the Biograph Theater in Lincoln Park all on your own.  Now you can buy the gun that is responsible for the death of John Dillinger. 

On July 28^th the .38 caliber Colt Army Special revolver will be auctioned at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.  Due to City of Chicago laws, the actual gun will not be on the premises as it is illegal to have a handgun or automatic weapon within city limits.

To read more, click here.

THE LOOP

It's almost here.  Wait for it.  Wait for it.  Wait for it.  It's The Taste of Chicago.

Situated on Chicago's Grant Park, this is the festivity of all festivities when it comes to food.  There are rules and regulations but you don't want to hear about all that stuff.  There is the Trolley for free between Grant Park, METRA stations, the Museum campus and other downtown CTA stations.

Just remember that there's so much to experience, you may want to come back.  To view the entire map and events by date, click here.

GOLD COAST

Hey, it's happening throughout the country.  Now there is a group that's out there who wants to make the effort of networking and job search affordable.

Enter Chicago Pink Slip.  They "facilitate unique networking opportunities that create valuable career contacts. Their events provide face to face interaction for a diverse group of job seekers, employers, executive recruiters, and those exploring career opportunities."

Lucky for us their next event is coming soon.  To read more, click here.

OAK PARK

The Oak Park Rotary is just getting warmed up!  The Rotary is celebrating its 90^th anniversary this year.

Rotarians like John Barclay (one of the earliest members who joined in 1962) and Telfer MacArthur (the first president of the club) have fond memories of their continued community service.

The club motto of "integrity and service above self" is well evidenced by the support of the various literacy programs, teen mentoring programs and humanitarian programs around the world.

To read more about this wonderful organization, click here.

Here's a link to Cathy's Chicago Neighborhood News Blog Archive, via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

Have a great weekend!

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

According to many Real Estate Experts, what happened to the Real Estate Market across the state of California foretold the downward spiral of home prices, and overall home sales, across the country.

Now, however, California Home Sales appear to have turned a corner.  In May, the Median Sales Price of a CA home increased to $267,570 - up over 4% from April, according to the California Association of Realtors, as reported in today's Wall Street Journal by Reporter Stu Woo. 

The California Inventory of Unsold Homes also continues to fall.  Today, experts calculate a 4.2 month supply of homes unsold, versus 5.6 months supply in April, and 8.7 months of supply in May, 2008.    However, the Realtor Association calculates median home prices are still 30.4% lower than they were this time last year.

Will this CA turnaround predict a similar turnaround in the Chicago Real Estate Market?

Here in Chicago, in the North and Northwest Side Neighborhoods our Team serves frequently, average home prices have see-sawed the last few months between $250,000 and $295,000 - considerably below the mid-$300's average of mid-2006.  Inventory levels of homes for sale still stands at over 15 months in these same neighborhoods - although it pushed the scary 19+ month level as recently as six months ago - and, at 15 months, is still, by any reasonable assessment - very high! 

Track Chicago Real Estate Trends and Stats via our Chicago IL Stats Pack Archives.  You'll find it at  BlogChicagoHomes.com.

Back to the California numbers, some feel that one of the reasons for the turnaround in median prices is the fewer foreclosed properties, with their heavily-discounted market prices, currently headed to market.  But CA prognosticators are wary, as the state has a very-high 11.5% Statewide Unemployment Rate (IL, by comparison, had an Unemployment Rate of a still high 10.1% in May).  The state may need to trim up to $10 Billion of state spending, and the resultant loss in jobs, to partially close a massive, $24 Billion budget shortfall.

Across California, over 556,500 homes were sold in May - up 35.2% from May of last year.  Sales in many Chicago Neighborhoods, especially those closer to Downtown Chicago and The Loop, is also surging - especially in areas with high concentrations of young professionals, many of whom do not need to sell their current home or condo in order to buy a new one.

The decision to buy - a smart one right now?  Perhaps, if, as many feel, median prices are nearing a possible bottom.

Please see our post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!

I'm back again, you dogs, with my Human Dad Dean!  Hope you're enjoying the summer weather.  Here in Chicago, uncharacteristically cool weather turned 90-degrees-plus in a hurry, earlier this week.

These days, the recession has hit the U.S. Economy hard, and the Travel Industry even harder.  In business, employees are taking fewer trips, and bunch out-of-town excursions together in hopes of saving their companies money, and perhaps prolonging their own jobs.

Despite the down economy, however, one Schiller Park IL entrepreneur is doing quite well, thank you, with his new ultra-swanky, 24-hour/7-day dog and cat boarding facility near Chicago O'Hare Airport.  The Paradise 4 Paws Resort, very close to the airport, offers private rooms, flat-screen HDTV's, webcam access and wi-fi, an indoor grassy area, and a cooling play pool.  Read the whole story, by Reporter Ann Meyer, in the June 22nd Edition of the Chicago Tribune.

The facility is geared to the growing number of Chicago Area Pet Owners who need to board their dogs or cats before leaving town on business, and find the limited hours of neighborhood Doggy Day Care facilities unacceptable for their work and travel schedules.

The "Resort Fee" - a pricey $47 per night!  Included:  a private room, plenty of playtime (my Lil' Sis Gracie Ella Moss would love this), and expert, loving care around the clock.  Doggy Day Care - available anytime, day or night, runs up to $32 per day.  Discounts are provided for pets desiring extended stays, for repeat customers, and for those boarding more than one dog or cat during a trip.

As you dogs well know, we are just another member of the family for most humans - they treat us like their own kids!  And I, for one dog on four paws, am not complaining!   Perhaps that is one reason the pet care market seems nearly recession-proof.

In 2008, spending on humans' pets reached nearly $43.2 Billion, up from $41.2 Billion in 2007.  This year, on of the pet industry trade associations predicts another 5% rise in spending on we dogs and cats -  perhaps as high as $45.4 Billion.

Indeed, retail pet food and supplies giant PetSmart, has even jumped on the pet resort trend.  They currently run 152 PetsHotel Locations, including several here in the Chicago Area.  Personal Care, room without bars, as opposed to cramped cages and kennels, and loads of exercise and playtime are the norm here as well - although these facilities are not open around the clock like Paradise 4 Paws is.  According to a PetsHotel spokesperson, occupancy peaks around traditionally-heavy travel dates and holiday weekends.

And the new facilities are indeed swanky, so we dogs can enjoy some R & R while our humans are away.  Paradise 4 Paws offers standard rooms - not cages - sized to 4' x 7', with an additional 4' x 4' patio.  Larger rooms, drywalled, are also available for families with more than one dog - perhaps, for example, me and Gracie.

You listening to me, Daddy Dean and Momma Susie?  Next time YOU go out of town, won't you send US DOGS to the resort, too?

We promise not to cause a dog riot that will worry you, or make you cut your trip away short!

See my post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,

BUDDY HOLLY MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Hey, everyone!

For some reason, I just can't get the old tune, "I Want You Back," by The Jackson 5, out of my head tonight!  So long MJ!

Been to Chicago?  Or, do you live in Chicago?

Chances are, if you have been to the Northwest Side of Chicago, near the corner of Devon and Milwaukee Avenues in the Norwood Park Neighborhood, you've driven by one historic, nostalgic drive-in restaurant that specializes in Chicago Style Hot Dogs, included French Fries, and a complimentary Sour Tomato.

You'll notice the place by it's distinctive royal blue and black color theme, it's car-hop served stalls - and, of course, its two twelve-foot-tall hot dog statues perched atop its roof.

The restaurant - Chicago's Superdawg, and it's been a Chicago Fixture on the Northwest Side since still-owners Maurie and Flaurie Berman opened the place back in 1948!

Well now, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune by reporter Mike Hughlett, one stand operator - in New York City, of all places - wants to pilfer the restaurant's name.  Nearly it's name - "Superdog".  The stand is run by Danny Omari in NY. 

The original, Chicago Superdawg is taking Omari to U.S. District Court in Chicago over trademark infringement.  Scott Berman, the son of the owners, a prominent Chicago Real Estate Attorney, and fixture in the restaurant each weekend, says his parents' company has asked many other hot dog stands to cease using the Superdawg name, or a close variation of it, over the years.  All have complied - although the current New York City Superdog has yet to relent.

According to Omari Attorney Leonard Budow, his client has yet to be served official court papers, but has received a written "cease and desist" request from the Chicago hot dog icon.

The younger Berman contends his efforts to prevent trademark infringement of the Superdawg name are quite valid.  He points out several menu similarities between the two restaurants. 

And recent Cable TV Restaurant Review Shows have prominently discussed and reviewed Superdawg as a shining example of Chicago Style Hot Dog Prowess.  Berman feels he and his family now have an "international following" they must satisfy.

So . . . eat dem' dogs, you Chicagoans!  New Yorkers - you can never come close!

See our post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

DEAN MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

It's been a while, folks - sorry!  Been doing this thing they call here in Chicago . . . Real Estate!

Perhaps you might have heard of the concept.  It's simple:  You buy homes.  You sell homes.  You make investments.  These days, fewer people around here seem to be doing these simple things!

Hey - What's Your Smartphone?  The Blackberry Storm or Curve?  The Treo 700-something?  The I-Phone?  The LG Instinct or the HTC Touch?  The new Palm Pre?

Does it really matter?  These days, I dunno!

Used to be, a long time ago - say . . . 2001 or so, cell phones did only one thing - enable a conversation.  It was so cool to carry on a long-distance conversation while driving down the Kennedy Expressway at 60 MPH.  (Boy, haven't cruised the Kennedy at that speed in a while - usually, it's only SIX MPH!)

Then, crazy little devices came along.  The Blackberry.  The Palm PDA.  The HP Ipaq.  Soon, these PDA devices tied in with the cell phones, creating today's Smart Phone.

So today, it's Text Messages.  Email on the run.  On-the-go, high-speed, 3G Internet Browsing.  Never-get-lost directions and an attached-to-your-hip GPS.  Who was the fifteenth President of the United States - Google it, from the road (Buchanan, I think!)

When I bought a strange-looking device called the Palm Pilot back in late 1996, I was considered "cutting edge."  Today, cutting edge changes about every 10 minutes or so!  Want more cutting - it will be along, shortly!  And my own Treo 755P, purchased in July, 2007 - it's considered a dinosaur now, with a too-slow response time, and an antique Operating System!

So what is your fave Smart Phone or PDA?  Are you a phone-only purist?  Or a techno-geek who can't get by for more than a minute without texting your client?  Or, chatting with your friend, or your spouse?  Or Googling that new Organic Eatery in the next neighborhood over?

Has the continually-evolving Smart Phone revolution brought you more business?  Made your life easier, more efficient, and with greater productivity?  Or has it just made you a slave to technology, in a world where a five-minute wait to return a call or text is about four-and-a-half minutes too long?

What say you?  Please share!

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO