Mari L. Van Meter - BHHS American Heritage

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Mari L. Van Meter - BHHS American Heritage Residential Realtor | I help NW Suburban Chicago homeowners navigate life transitions with clarity and care. Mari L.

Van Meter is a dedicated real estate professional with Fly Home Dragonfly, affiliated with BHHS American Heritage Real Estate Agency. With a passion for helping clients navigate the buying and selling process, Mari combines local market expertise with personalized service. Her commitment to integrity and attention to detail ensure that every transaction is smooth and successful, making her a trusted partner in the real estate journey.

Could you live in downtown Des Plaines without relying on a car for every trip?For some people, the answer may be yes. F...
10/14/2026

Could you live in downtown Des Plaines without relying on a car for every trip?

For some people, the answer may be yes. For others, becoming a one-car household may be the more practical goal.

The Metra station is right in the downtown district, near restaurants, coffee shops, the Des Plaines Public Library, local businesses, housing, and Pace bus service.

But distance on a map doesn’t tell the whole story.

Before choosing a home, map out an ordinary week. Consider your commute, grocery trips, appointments, family visits, pet care, evening plans, and winter weather. Then test the actual routes at the times you’d normally use them.

A home can look close to everything online and still feel inconvenient in real life.

Would you consider living car-free, or would a one-car household feel more realistic?

Sometimes the best way to understand Arlington Heights is to slow down and explore it on foot.Three areas offer especial...
10/13/2026

Sometimes the best way to understand Arlington Heights is to slow down and explore it on foot.

Three areas offer especially interesting walks:
• The Historical Museum and downtown core
• Scarsdale
• The residential streets near Pioneer Park

The museum route is where I would start. It combines documented historic buildings with older residential streets, downtown Arlington Heights, the Metra area, Campbell Street, and Harmony Park.

As you walk, notice the porches, rooflines, brickwork, mature trees, additions, and newer homes built within older blocks. These details help tell the story of how Arlington Heights has changed over time.

One important note: these are history-rich walking areas, not necessarily officially designated historic districts. If you’re researching a particular home, confirm its age and history through official property records or the Arlington Heights Historical Museum.

Which Arlington Heights area would you most enjoy exploring on foot?

If you’re thinking about selling a home in Elk Grove Village, here’s one number I’d pay attention to:55% of detached hom...
10/07/2026

If you’re thinking about selling a home in Elk Grove Village, here’s one number I’d pay attention to:

55% of detached homes that sold went under contract within the first 7 days.

That first week matters.

The data also showed a big difference between homes that were priced right from the start and homes that needed a price reduction.

Homes that never reduced their price sold for a median of 100% of their original asking price and went under contract in a median of 6 days.

Homes that reduced their price sold for a median of 94.4% of their original asking price and took a median of 41 days to go under contract.

That’s why I don’t believe in “testing the market” with an inflated list price.

Before you list, I’d rather look closely at your actual home, the right comparable sales, its condition and updates, and the competition buyers will see alongside it.

I updated my Elk Grove Village seller guide with current market data, neighborhood-level numbers, pricing strategy, prep recommendations, local transfer requirements, and what to expect from listing through closing.

Thinking about selling a home in Rolling Meadows?One of the first things I would NOT do is start pricing out a new kitch...
10/06/2026

Thinking about selling a home in Rolling Meadows?

One of the first things I would NOT do is start pricing out a new kitchen or choosing a list price from an online estimate.

Start with your actual house.

Rolling Meadows has a mix of detached homes, condos, and townhomes, and those properties don’t compete in the same market.

In the most recent 12 months of MLS data I reviewed:
• Detached homes had a median sale price of $388,500
• Attached homes had a median sale price of $257,500
• Median market time was 9 days for detached homes and 16 days for attached homes

But those numbers still don’t tell us what YOUR home is worth.

Condition, updates, location, taxes, association fees, layout, and the homes currently competing for the same buyer all matter.

There are also a few Rolling Meadows-specific details sellers need to plan for, including the city transfer tax and final water reading before closing.

I put everything together in my updated guide:
Selling a Home in Rolling Meadows, IL: 2026 Guide

If you’re trying to decide where to live in Arlington Heights, I wouldn’t start by asking, “What’s the best neighborhood...
09/30/2026

If you’re trying to decide where to live in Arlington Heights, I wouldn’t start by asking, “What’s the best neighborhood?”

I’d start with a much more useful question:

What does your normal week actually look like?

Do you need to get to the Metra most mornings?

Would you use Lake Arlington regularly?

Do you want a ranch, or are stairs fine?

Would you rather have an older home with character, or something newer?

That matters because one of the more interesting things I found when I updated my Arlington Heights neighborhood guide is that detached-home prices in 60004 and 60005 were remarkably close.

The bigger differences often come down to housing style, age, proximity to places you use regularly, taxes, and the individual home itself.

I broke down neighborhoods including Northgate, Scarsdale, Ivy Hill, Terramere, Pioneer Park, Greenbrier and more, along with several condo and townhome communities.

Rolling Meadows can be easy to overlook when you’re comparing Northwest Suburban communities.But its location is one of ...
09/29/2026

Rolling Meadows can be easy to overlook when you’re comparing Northwest Suburban communities.

But its location is one of its biggest strengths. It sits near Arlington Heights, Palatine, and Schaumburg, with access to Route 53, I-90, and several nearby Metra stations.

The important thing to understand is that Rolling Meadows isn’t built around a traditional downtown or an in-town train station. Homes, parks, restaurants, and everyday services are spread throughout the area.

That can work very well if the right address gives you:
• A manageable commute
• Easy access to the roads you use
• A nearby park or recreation facility
• Reasonable monthly housing costs
• A practical route to the places you visit every week

My recommendation is to compare the whole routine, not just the house.

Test the commute. Verify the school boundaries. Review the taxes and HOA information. Then map the places that are part of your real life.

When you’re choosing a community, which matters more to you: a walkable downtown or convenient access to several nearby areas?

How could this not make me smile? I'm honored.
09/25/2026

How could this not make me smile? I'm honored.

Thinking about selling your Arlington Heights home, but not sure what you actually need to do before listing?The good ne...
09/23/2026

Thinking about selling your Arlington Heights home, but not sure what you actually need to do before listing?

The good news: most sellers do not need to renovate everything.

I usually recommend starting with the basics:

• Declutter and create some breathing room
• Deep clean • Take care of visible repairs
• Look at paint, lighting, and small cosmetic updates
• Improve curb appeal
• Make each room easy for buyers to understand

And one of my biggest recommendations? Talk with your Realtor before spending money on a major project.

Sometimes the smartest preparation decision is knowing what not to do.

I put together a practical guide to preparing an Arlington Heights home for sale, including where I would start, what may be worth updating, and what you may be able to skip.

Most people know Wheeling for Restaurant Row.But if you’re actually thinking about living here, I think there’s a lot mo...
09/22/2026

Most people know Wheeling for Restaurant Row.

But if you’re actually thinking about living here, I think there’s a lot more worth looking at.

Wheeling has access to the Des Plaines River Trail, 12 neighborhood parks, Heritage Park, community recreation, and a housing mix that ranges from condos and townhomes to detached single-family homes.

And those things matter.

When you’re comparing Northwest Suburbs, I don’t think the question should just be, “Which town is better?”

A better question is:

What would I actually use in my everyday life?
Would you walk or bike the trail?
Do you like having a lot of restaurant choices nearby?
Would you use the parks or recreation center?
And what does your housing budget actually buy in that community?

I pulled all of that together in my updated guide to living in Wheeling, including current 2026 housing numbers.

“Walkable to downtown” can mean very different things depending on the actual house.If you’re considering living near do...
09/16/2026

“Walkable to downtown” can mean very different things depending on the actual house.

If you’re considering living near downtown Arlington Heights, my advice is simple:
Actually make the walk.

A six-minute walk and a twenty-minute walk can both get described as “close to downtown,” but they create very different everyday routines.

Walk from the property to the Metra station.

Walk to Vail Avenue or Campbell Street.

See how long it takes to get to the library, restaurants, coffee, or the places you think you’ll actually use.

And if you’re seriously considering the home, come back at another time of day.
Downtown gets noticeably more active during warm-weather evenings, Arlington Alfresco, weekends, and community events. A location can look very different on a quiet weekday morning than it does on a Saturday evening.

There’s a lot to consider when living near downtown Arlington Heights, from housing type and parking to assessments, train access, activity, and the exact block.

I pulled those pieces together in my guide to Living Near Downtown Arlington Heights.

Address

1010 Rohlwing Road
Elk Grove Village, IL
60007

Opening Hours

Monday 12am - 11:59pm
Tuesday 12am - 11:59pm
Wednesday 12am - 11:59pm
Thursday 12am - 11:59pm
Friday 12am - 11:59pm
Saturday 1pm - 6pm

Telephone

+16302671808

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