Staff Website Endless REsources.........

Don't miss the Saturday evening festivities in downtown Chicago! Attend the Mag Mile Lighting Fest this Saturday (and get your dose of Mickey too). See all details at this link http://magnificentmilelightsfestival.com/

You can even arrive early and skate Millennium Park! The ice rink is open. Department store windows will be decorated for the season, so come down and make it a magical night. Tell your mouse-loving friends, family and clients!

Once Upon A Time...

Once upon a time there was a bunch
of tiny frogs.... who arranged a
running competition.
The goal was to reach the top of a
very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around
the tower to see the race and cheer
on the contestants....
The race began....

Honestly:
No one in the crowd really believed
that the tiny frogs would reach the
top of the tower.
You heard statements such as:

"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"
"They will NEVER make it to the top."

or:
"Not a chance that they will succeed.
The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One
by one....

Except for those, who in a fresh
tempo, were climbing higher and
higher..

The crowd continued to yell, "It is
too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave
up....

But ONE continued higher and higher
and higher....

This one wouldn't give up!

At the end everyone else had given
up climbing the tower. Except for
the one tiny frog who, after a big
effort, was the only one who
reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs
naturally wanted to know how this
one frog managed to do it?
A contestant asked the tiny frog
how he had found the strength to
succeed and reach the goal?

It turned out....
That the winner was DEAF!!!!

The wisdom of this story is:
Never listen to other people's
tendencies to be

negative or pessimistic....because
they take your most wonderful
dreams and wishes away from
you -- the ones you have in your
heart!

Always think of the power words
have. (There's life and death in
the power of the tongue - Proverbs
18:21.)

Because everything you hear and
read will affect your actions!

Therefore: ALWAYS be.... POSITIVE!

And above all:
Be DEAF when people tell YOU
that you cannot fulfill your
dreams!

Pass this message on to
"tiny frogs" you care about.

Movin' With Morales!

I'm starting a money-saving blog here on our company site to help local Chicago residents save money (I'm quite skilled in this area). My cost-saving tip of the week is to shop at Caputo's Markets. They have an unbelievable selection of grocery items and you're sure to be pleasingly surprised by their prices. It will be worth the trip.

Caputo and Sons Market in Des Plaines, Palatine and Algonquin, IL  http://www.joecaputoandsons.com

Caputo Cheese Market in Melrose Park, IL  http://www.wisconcorp.com/caputocheese.html

The Cheese Market in Melrose Park also sells meats and paste (the Italian word for pastas), olive oils, wine and holiday favorites for every holiday season. The cheese selection is mind-boggling! Find cheeses from all over the world, wonderfully displayed, priced low, waiting to be taken home. If you're accustomed to shopping in or around Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Hyde Park or downtown, someone will have to prop you up as you realize how much you've been fleeced for cheese in the past! It's worth the trip AND there's a FREE parking lot! E-mail me and I'll tell you of my absolute favorite choices. Make it a goal to pad your pocket this year!

I also have talents in finding reality-based homes for clients. If you're looking to move or invest, call me 773-653-7780 or email me at mfonter@PruSourceOne.com. I'll show you some of the 120,000 homes on the market that meet your budget needs and expectations.

- Mark, the REALTOR With His Feet On the Ground, Fonter

Social media is your old fashioned rolodex on steroids.  Get involved.  The following is a blog located at:

http://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/BloodhoundBlog/?p=5538

Thanks Brian Brady for the most excellent post!

"

“Screwing around on social networks is fun but it isn’t gonna get me paid !”

Say it ain’t so, Joe !  I addressed this topic in my “Ninja Social Media Marketing” session at Unchained Orlando.  I’ll lay it all out in Phoenix, this May.  The truth is that a disciplined plan for social media participation...WITH THE IDEA OF CONVERSION in mind, can be very profitable.

The best advice I can give participants is to treat the social media
platforms like a wedding reception.  You would never push your business
card on some unsuspecting schlub at your cousin’s wedding but you
better be prepared to answer the question, “Where’s the market headed?”
if asked.

What is your ultimate goal from your social media marketing?  Conversion. Jeff Turner gives us a nice starting point with this quote from his panel at the NAR Convention:

Your overall business goal of social
networking should be to expand your sphere and move conversations
offline, panelists said. “There’s always going to be need for
face-to-face communication in real estate,” Turner said. “Find a way to
marry the two worlds.”

I’ll take it one step farther…  I know the way to marry those two worlds.  Pick up the damned phone ! In this world of hi-tech toys, the single best device you own is a real-time voice interaction tool (READ: telephone).

If you connect with someone on a social platform, you’ve exercised the second pillar of social media marketing;
declaration of identity.  While that can be beneficial as a standalone
virtue, the hidden gold is not your new found social network contact,
its buried in his contact list.  In a world dominated by legislation
designed to prevent you from cold-calling people during dinner, you
must think creatively to build up a potential client list.  Social
media represents the single best way to operate within the current
business unfriendly environment.  Jump from the second to the fifth pillar as quickly as possible.

Remembering the wedding reception analogy, your initial call should
be designed to point out a common interest and give you a chance to
introduce yourself and your business.  If someone has befriended you on
the social platform, they saw something in your profile that piqued
their interest.  It could be as simple as a pretty smile or as complex
as a shared political philosophy but that interest is your starting
point and you can build upon that.

People who disagree with me will claim that “it’s all about the conversation online“ 
It’s all about the conversation OFFLINE.  That’s where the
belly-to-belly salesmanship happens and money gets exchanged.  I’ll
share some of my war stories with you:

1- I met two former Marine captains
on Facebook.  Today, they’re hustling real estate deals in San Diego
County.  While searching for the keyword “REALTOR”, one of their
profiles caught my attention.  I figured that two Naval Academy
graduates (and Iraq war veterans) probably had a pretty good work
ethic. I requested to befriend them with a polite note (Facebook allows
for a brief message with the connection request).  That connection
resulted in a meeting which has turned into $2 million in fundings over
the past four months.

2- I make it a point to check LinkedIn and Facebook for all loan
applicants and I add them.  While I had to decline a LinkedIn
connection for a loan in 2005, he has been the source of three loan
fundings, from personal referrals, with $15,000 in GCI since then.  40
folks like him puts me at $200,000 GCI EXTRA, each and every year.

3- MLS on Myspace seems
like a juvenile approach to social networking today.  In 2006, it was
the source of over $50,000 in GCI.  Today, that number has dwindled
with the efficacy of Myspace but the contacts I’ve made from that
simple idea have been fruitful as we’ve all grown up and away from that
game-changing network.

4- A testimonial on LinkedIn resulted in a second generation contact
introduction.  The addition to the Facebook friends list allowed me to
retain “top of mind status” and resulted in a closed loan, three years
AFTER the connection and answered question.

5- Finally, in what is my favorite social media contact, a single
mother queried about homeownership over 13 months ago.  Our connection
on Facebook afforded her the casual question about mortgage finance,
throughout the year, that resulted in her confidence to purchase a home
for her and her daughter.  That relationship was nourished with
comments on her status bar, a few phone calls (my number is right on my
Facebook page), and the sporadic Facebook IM conversations to alleviate
her fear of homeownership.  She closes at the end of this month.

Connect online and cement the relationship offline. Here are some tips to help you:

1- Upload your Outlook address book to all of your social networks. 
Redundancy is not bad manners, it’s a desired result.  You want them to
see your face every time they log in.

2- If you’re on Facebook, use the status bar to communicate what’s
going on in your life but, more importantly, look and “listen” to the
wonderful things happening in your contacts’ lives.  I logged in to FB
this weekend and discovered, to my horror, that one of my “friends” was
“enjoying her nice new home in Rancho Bernardo”.  I didn’t make the
phone call and it cost me money.

3- Participate in the LinkedIn Q&A function.  You can “listen”
to the questions being asked in various “channels” or initiate one
yourself.  Want a simple suggestion?  Ask the LinkedIn network “Does
anyone think home prices have bottomed in the (Your City) real estate
market? “  Be prepared to host a spirited debate from VERY smart
people.  Then…call everyone who replied.  They don’t have their phone
number on their LinkedIn profile?  Google them.

4- Do you want to do business with more people like your last
client?   I closed a loan for a chiropractor earlier this year.  I had
a blast doing her loan and realized that I’m pretty good at deciphering
1040 forms.  I googled her colleagues
and found a gaggle of social media-crazed chiropractors.  Let’s see if
we have something in common…  I’m good at funding loans for
chiropractors and I love using social media.  Point, click, dial, and
“Hello, Dr Smith?  I’m Brian Brady.  You’re gonna love telling the
story about how we met.”

5- Do you find your connecting well with a particular immigrant/ethnic group?  Search that group in the “forums” and look for housing discussions. (Geno or Tom, I just found you a potential customer-click the link)

6- Finally, look for like-minded people.  Check out meetup.com for a hobby group. 
This is a great way to interact offline with people whom you connected
online.  This can be a very unassuming approach to meeting new people
and I recommend meetup.com for everyone.  In addition to meeting new
people, you might lose some weight or rekindle that loving feeling
along the way.

The old saw about working smarter not harder applies when looking to
convert social media contacts into customers.  You can Tweet eight
hours a day and you WILL find customers.  That, however, is akin to
standing in front of the 7-11 and handing out your business cards; both
will get you results if you do it consistently.   I choose a more focused (and profitable) approach to social media marketing.

Today being Veterans’ Day, I’ll paraphrase a quote from the late, salty submariner, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover:

If you want to sink an aircraft carrier, you don’t
surface from afar; you surface inside the carrier’s battle group and
fire upon it.

Online conversations are great but we want to fire our torpedoes
with alacrity when opportunities manifest on social media.   In
closing, another great Rickover quote:

Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must
be driven into practice with courageous impatience. Once implemented
they can be easily overturned or subverted through apathy or lack of
follow-up, so a continuous effort is required.

Be courageously impatient in your continued effort on social media. 
Adhere to the “wedding reception rule” about behavior but always remain
courageously impatient.  This disciplined, results-oriented focus will
reap quick rewards to the committed.

Happy Hunting!

"

So, you're thinking of selling your home, and you approach an agent to take the listing. Don't be surprised if he or she turns you down.

In another manifestation of how cockeyed the real estate market has become, agents are telling me that, to their own regret, they're hearing themselves just say no. Some houses — make that some prices — are such a tough sell that agents conclude they just can't afford to invest what it would take to find a buyer.

"You have to look more closely at a listing as a business decision [nowadays]," said Mike Stodola, a broker with the Libertyville office of Koenig & Strey GMAC. "With homes being on a market for long periods, it costs a lot more in time, money and mental fortitude to get it sold."

And so, he said, if you're a seller who's adamant about getting what the agent thinks is a sky-high price or if your home needs updating that you're unwilling to spend money on, you might find yourself getting a thanks-but-no-thanks handshake instead of a listing agreement.

"Unfortunately, we have to look at properties and values and be very honest with sellers," Stodola said. "If they have a higher [price] in mind, we wish them luck. We've had to make the decision to walk away."

To some, this might seem counterintuitive. After all, in this era of the housing-market swoon, one might think that agents would be snapping up every opportunity for a listing in the hope that at least one would turn into a bull's-eye.

But some brokerages are counseling their agents not to become entangled with listings whose advertising and promotion costs will be losers. 

"When you're doing those tasks [mailings, advertising, holding open houses, etc.] on a weekly basis and homes are sitting there for six, nine, 12 months, the costs skyrocket," Stodola said. "Many brokerages are struggling. We've seen a lot of the smaller boutique companies folding up." 

Some recent studies shed some light on the mis-meeting of consumers' and agents' minds. In a national survey conducted by Zillow.com, about 49 percent of homeowners said they believed that the value of their homes had increased or stayed the same over the last year. But a Zillow executive, citing "clearly some kind of denial," said 74 percent of U.S. homes have lost value in the past year. 

QuantumDigital, a firm that handles direct-mail marketing, recently surveyed 10,000 real estate agents, who said that typically 10 percent of their gross commissionable income goes toward marketing costs, though that gross income typically has to be shared with their brokerages or spent on support staff.

Less-quantifiable expenses, agents said, come in the form of time spent, and that could be the breaking point between agent and seller.

Saying no can be touchy, agents say. For some sellers, the price they're seeking is based less on erroneous notions of what the home is worth than it is on netting enough just to pay off the mortgage on a house with a declining value.

So, if you won't—can't—budge on your listing price, you might brace yourself for agent rejection. 

"I'd love it if people get their higher price," Stodola said. "I'd love it if I'm wrong because it would mean the neighborhood is going up in value.

"But the last thing in the world that we want is unhappy sellers."

'CSI' for dogs

Think your homeowners' association doesn't have enough to do? How about passing a rule that residents must register their dogs' DNA? And then the group could also direct someone—the president, perhaps?—to run around and collect the little souvenirs that doggies are known to leave behind and send them off to a lab.

That's the suggestion of BioPet Lab, a Knoxville, Tenn., company that suggests that one way to get pet owners to clean up after their animals is to require participation in a DNA registry. The company recently introduced—I'm not making this up—PooPrints.

Here's the drill: The pet owner offers a sample of Fido's daily product in order to create a DNA PooPrint, at a cost of $29.95 per dog. Associations would then send in waste samples left behind by mystery dogs to the lab for identification and matching with registered dogs. Follow-up processing of waste samples is $49.95 a pop. 

The company suggests that PooPrints are just the ticket for condos and apartments, but also recommends them for cities and entire states. Good luck with that. 

Chicago Tribune: Mary Umberger | House & Homes: On Real EstateNovember 9, 2008 

"What is opportunity, and when does it knock? It never knocks. You can wait a whole lifetime, listening, hoping, and you will hear no knocking. None at all. You are opportunity, and you must knock on the door leading to your destiny. You prepare yourself to recognize opportunity, to pursue and seize opportunity as you develop the strength of your personality, and build a self-image with which you are able to live -- with your self-respect alive and growing."~ Maxwell Maltz

MOVIN' WITH MORALES!

Discover the Diane Difference

Diane Morales

630.940-0150

In today's Real Estate environment, many of you may be just like me.  I'm in a constant search for new ways to get the most impact from the dollars I spend to promote myself and my listings.  Everywhere we look, we are besieged by company's scaling back, cutting expenses and saying no to charitable contributions. 

With our annual dues to the National Association of Realtors and the Illinois Association of Realtors waiting to be paid on December 1st , plus quarterly Board dues, the holiday season can be an expensive time for Realtors.

Since your contribution to RPAC, (the Realtors Political Action Committee) is voluntary, it may be an easy way for all of us to say no this year to the contribution and think that we'll make it up when things get a little better. 

In reality, this year may be one of the most important years ever to continue to make our RPAC contributions.  The strength of our collective voice needs to be heard.  Your RPAC contribution helps amplify our voice.

Ever wonder what a particular street is named after?  Care to know?  I grew up on laporte, named after the Indiana town, and currently live on Cicero, named after the Roman orator, Marcus Cicero!  Can you guess what Plymouth is named after??  Yup, Plymouth rock.  See the full list at:

http://www.chsmedia.org/househistory/nameChanges/start.pdf

And have a great day!

Jerry Seinfeld was asked if he had any tips for a young comic.
 
He said get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker.
He said for each day that he did his task of writing, he got to put a big red X over that day. "After a few days you'll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You'll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job next is to not break the chain."
"Don't break the chain," became his mantra.
 
It works because "inch by inch anything's a cinch." Inch by inch doesn't work if you don't move an inch every day.
Daily action builds habits...good and bad, unfortunately.
Think for a moment about what action would make the most positive impact on your life if you worked at it every day. Earn your big red X today!

 ~Courtesy of Leo J Quinn Jr

MOVIN' WITH MORALES!

nOW gET oUT tHERE aND eARN yOUR bIG rED "X".

If you know of anyone who has a home to sell and wants creative marketing, please have them call me!

and Discover the Diane Difference!...

Via Kurt's email:

"Effective Monday, November 10, 2008, if a primary photo is not in the
system within ten (10) days of its entry into the MLS system, instead of
taking a photo and billing you for it (which MRED will no longer do),
your listings will be placed in a Hold status until a primary photo is
loaded for it.  The only people able to view the listing while it is in
hold status will be the Listing Agent, Broker and Office Secretary.  It
will not be viewable by anybody else in the system during searches and
automated prospect matching, and it will not be included in any VOW or
IDX data feeds, or in feeds to any property data aggregation sites
including realtor.com.

To avoid any of your properties being placed in hold status and the
possibility of fining for violation of MRED Rules and Regulations,
please insure that all of your listings have a primary photo in the
system and that all of your future listings have a primary photo in the
system within seven (7) days of their entry into the MLS."

Great new condo in Lake Hinsdale Village! Two bedrooms with large walk in closet in master, large family room opening up to great kitchen. Seperate laundry room, 2 baths,formal living room and dining room-making it one of the largest units available! Fantastic views of the greenbelt and pond! Offered 10% BELOW what they paid for it 3 years ago!! A STEAL at $293,000. MLS #07058996.

Hi everyone,

Some of you are well aware how great our email platform is, but some of you have your doubts from time to time.  A blog I read earlier discusses the Google Enterprise email solution(our email backend) and apparently Google boasts a 99.9%  reliability with their email solution.  A recent study even goes so far as to state that it was 4 times more reliable than Microsoft Exchange Server, and twice as reliable as Novell's solution. 

I'm sure that last statement is mere gibberish to many of you, but the important point is your email solution is the best available.  When used with the other great features such as Docs, Calendar, Video, Sites, etc, your email becomes more than an email.  It becomes a central hub for some serious productivity!

So rest assured, if you sent it, then it will get there.  If you expect it, you will receive it.  Unless of course you are that 0.01%, then maybe it is best to forgo buying a lotto ticket that day.

In closing, here are some ways I use our email platform to streamline my life:

1. I use the calendar for my schedule.  Sure, a weekly planner is nice, but will your planner text message you a reminder before an appointment?  Or send you an email a week before an important event? 
2. I rarely use a stand alone word processor(Microsoft Office) or a spreadsheet program(Excel).  I simply use the google docs for these tasks.  The beauty of it is that wherever you go, all you have to do to access your files is login to your email.
3. Filters.  Do you often receive correspondence that you want to keep receiving but do not want in your inbox?  A filter can take those correspondences, skip the inbox,  and put them in a label(read: folder) automatically.

There are many perks we have at our disposal, so next time you see me or Steven, ask us to show you something neat about your Prudential Sourceone Realty email account!  Trust me, we like to share our geek tips!

I received an email that had a very good suggestion. Tell your sellers that this is another opportunity to have their homes viewed by neighbors, prospective buyer or someone who may know of a buyer. Make sure that the For Sale Sign is visible and the area of the home that is seen from the front door neat and tidy.

Have a Spookie Night

Jim Rybowiak

Hello,

I'd like to announce a new feature to the staff site. The new feature is a Search field at the top left hand corner. You can now search keywords within this site and pull up past Blog entries and Forum topics. This whole site is now searchable.

~Steven

Happy Leaf raking to everyone,

It is that time of year when the leaves are falling, the AC is shut off, the fireplace gets fired up, and we start our winter hibernation. I came across some handy tips on Yahoo, written by Paul Bianchina. It is very useful information for all of us and to share with our clients.

Jim Rybowiak--Hinsdale

"Fall checklist for a safer, warmer home
Published: 10/17/08, 8:00 AM EDT
By Paul Bianchina

Inman News

High energy prices are taking their toll on just about everyone this year, so it's important to do whatever you can to create and maintain an energy-efficient home. Fall is the ideal time for weatherization projects, so this year's fall checklist is centered around what you can do to create a warmer home that has less impact on your wallet.

___Check all insulation levels: Improving insulation levels can be a highly effective way of increasing your home's comfort and energy efficiency, so make it a point this fall to check the amount and condition of all visible insulation. This includes the attic, under floor, kneewalls, skylight shafts and ductwork. A call to your local utility company will tell you what levels are considered optimum for your area, and if repairs are needed and you don't want to undertake them yourself, they can also recommend qualified insulation and weatherization contractors.

___Check and seal heating ducts: Crawling around in the attic or crawlspace isn't anyone's idea of a fun afternoon, but it's the only way to examine and repair your heating ducts. Check for gaps between ducts and fittings, and seal them with a quality metallic tape -- not regular duct tape, which doesn't last. Also, check to be sure that all of the ducts are up off the ground and adequately supported.

___Check weatherstripping: Gaps around doors and windows -- no matter how small or seemingly insignificant -- allow cold outside air to enter your home. The result is uncomfortable drafts and wasted energy. Closely examine each exterior door and window to see that the weatherstripping is doing its job. There should be no visible gaps, the weatherstripping should be clean and undamaged, and windows and doors should operate smoothly and close completely. If any repairs are necessary, you can find everything you need at your local hardware store or home center, or contact a qualified weatherization contractor or handyman.

___Seal exterior penetrations: Weatherstripping is not the only culprit when it comes to air leaks. Spend a day working your way around the outside of the house with a caulking gun and a couple of tubes of high-quality, flexible caulking, and seal any gaps around window and door trim, plumbing and electrical penetrations, flashings and other openings.

___Add outlet gaskets: Shut the power, remove switch and outlet plates, and add precut foam outlet gaskets, which are available from home centers, hardware stores and other retailers. Do the interior walls as well as the exterior walls, and don't forget exterior outlets as well. It's a small thing, but small things definitely add up.

___Change furnace filters: Fall is always the perfect time to put in new furnace filters. It's another one of those simple and inexpensive tasks that can add to your home's efficiency and your family's comfort.

___Upgrade your thermostat: An older thermostat that's a couple of degrees off can result in a lot of wasted energy, and so can forgetting to set the thermostat down at night. You can take care of both of those problems with an upgrade to a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats are digital and typically very accurate, and they allow for easy, set-and-forget programming of temperatures for different times of the day, including energy-saving nighttime and workday setbacks.

___Clean and service fireplaces and woodstoves: Make sure that your gas, wood, and pellet-burning fireplaces and stoves are clean and operating correctly. Check door gaskets, blower operation, flues and flue caps, thermostats and all other aspects of these important appliances. If you're not sure what to look for or how to do any cleaning or repairs, check with a qualified, licensed fireplace shop or chimney sweep.

___Install a carbon monoxide detector: If you have any gas appliances in your home, there is always the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning should any of them ever malfunction. This is a very real danger, especially as we close our homes up for the winter, so make it a point this fall to install a carbon monoxide detector. These lifesavers are inexpensive, easy to install, and available from most home centers and hardware stores.

___Check smoke detectors: Same warning every fall -- check to see that your smoke detectors are operating correctly, and install fresh batteries. If you have an older home with a limited number of detectors, install additional ones outside each bedroom, and make sure that you have at least one on each floor of the house."

tHOUGHT tHESE fACTS mIGHT bE iMPORTANT 2U ... 

Hispanics Account for Half of U.S. Population Growth Since 2000, New Report Finds
WASHINGTON - Hispanics accounted for just over half of the overall population growth in the United States since 2000 - a significant new demographic milestone for the nation's largest minority group, a new Pew Hispanic Center report released today finds.
 
The report, "Latino Settlement in the New Century," includes a series of web-based interactive maps that illustrate the size and spread of Hispanic population growth since 1980, including easy access to detailed state and county-level data. It also presents a list of the counties with the largest Hispanic populations, as well as a list of those counties with the fastest-growing Hispanic populations.
 
In the 1990s the Hispanic population also expanded rapidly, but its growth accounted for less than 40% of the nation's total population increase in that decade. From 2000 to 2007, Latinos accounted for 50.5% of the total U.S. population growth, even though, as of mid-2007, they made up just 15.1% of the total population.
 
In another change from the 1990s, Latino population growth in this new century has been more a product of the natural increase (births minus deaths) of the existing population than it has been of new international migration, according to Pew Hispanic Center analysis.
 
The report identifies 676 fast-growing Hispanic counties among the nation's total of 3,141 counties. These counties all share two characteristics: a 2007 Latino population of at least 1,000; and an above-average Hispanic growth of at least 41% from 2000 to 2007. The list includes 148 counties that did not experience rapid growth in the 1990s.
 
There are both continuities and differences in the Hispanic settlement patterns of this decade, compared with the patterns of the 1990s. The dispersion of Latinos in the current decade has tilted more to counties in the West and the Northeast than it had in the 1990s.  Despite the new tilt, however, the South still accounted for a greater share of overall Latino population growth than any other region did from 2000 to 2007.
 
Much of the Latino population growth in this decade has taken place in small and mid-sized cities and in suburbs - many of which had relatively few Latino residents until the past decade or two.  A handful of big cities have also played a sizable role in Latino population growth in this decade. For example, the Latino population grew by more than 400,000 from 2000 to 2007 in just three counties: Los Angeles, Maricopa (Phoenix) and Harris (Houston). But because these counties already had a large base of Hispanic residents at the start of the decade, the growth of their Latino population since then has been less dramatic in percentage terms.
 
Percentage growth in the Hispanic population from 2000 to 2007 exceeded 300% in three counties - Frederick and Culpeper counties in Virginia and Paulding County in Georgia. These two states are home to eight of the 10 counties with the greatest percentage growth in the Hispanic population since 2000. The other two counties are Kendall County in Illinois and Luzerne County in Pennsylvania.
 
Other major findings include:
Hispanic population growth since 2000 has been widespread. The Hispanic population has grown in almost 3,000 of the nation's 3,141 counties. 
At the same time, Hispanic population growth in the new century has been fairly concentrated. Hispanic population growth in just 178 counties accounts for 79% of the nation's entire 10.2 million Hispanic population increase.
In spite of dispersal to new settlements, the Hispanic population continues to be geographically concentrated. In 2007, the 100 largest Hispanic counties were home to 73% of the Latino population.
By this measure, Hispanics are more geographically concentrated than the nation's black population. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) of the non-Hispanic black population live in the nation's 100 largest non-Hispanic black counties. 
The report "Latino Settlement in the New Century," is available on the Center's website, www.pewhispanic.org.

MOVIN' WITH MORALES!