Home Buying Tips

Mortgages NOW for Buyers Starting Jobs in 60 Days!

Click to learn how you can qualify for a mortgage before graduation! January 25, 2012

Key Mortgage Services is now allowing income from future job employment letting you close your purchase mortgage loan 60 calendar days before you receive your first pay check! This is an ideal tool for graduates from college, especially medical and law students! Click to continue...

How to request showings of Chicago homes for sale

click to learn how to request showings of Chicago homes for sale January 23, 2012

You’ve been looking online at homes for sale in Chicago. You’ve identified a few that you’re financially qualified to purchase and you’d like to see them. Here’s how to request showings. Click to continue...

Gold Coast condos that don’t allow pets

click to see the full list of Gold Coast condos that don't allow pets December 14, 2011

Recently while at a showing for a unit at The Carlyle the listing agent mentioned to my buyer that The Carlyle has a no pets policy. The Carlyle is one of a handful of Gold Coast condos that don’t allow pets. Here is the full list as best as I can determine. Click to continue...

Getting a mortgage for your first rental property in Chicago

Click to read full post October 10, 2011

Rents are rising. Property prices are down. Even better, mortgage rates are down even more! Last week the Chicago Tribune reported that the rate on a 30 year mortgage dropped below 4.0% for the first time. If you’ve never owned a rental property before, but are thinking of buying one, you should first talk with a mortgage consultant. Here are 3 tips on what to expect. Click to continue...

Almost all Chicago Loop condos allow cats & dogs

Click to read full post July 1, 2011

Chicago’s Loop with all of its office buildings may not seem like a pet-friendly environment, but condos in the Loop welcome cats and dogs with open arms! Click to continue...

How to be your own worst enemy when buying or selling a home

Click to learn how to avoid losing 1,000s of dollars! June 13, 2011

If you only read one of my blog posts, this is the one to read. Click to continue...

Buyer loses condo. Her fault or her buyer agent’s fault?

Click to read the full story May 27, 2011

Here’s the true story of what happened on one of my listings recently. Two buyers competed for the downtown condo. Should the buyer who lost out blame herself or her buyer agent? Click to continue...

Home inspector takes advantage of first time home buyer

Click to read full post May 20, 2011

At the closing this week for one of my listings the buyer’s agent was a bit embarrassed when he learned how the home inspector he recommended took advantage of his first time home buyer. Click to continue...

Typical earnest money for Chicago home sales

Click to read full post May 16, 2011

This past week I’ve been working with buyers who are getting very different requests from sellers for earnest money. In Chicago there is no such thing as a typical amount of earnest money or a typical time when it is due. Click to continue...

Better to buy than rent in Chicago according to Trulia.com

Click to see Trulia's Rent vs. Buy Map May 6, 2011

Trulia’s Rent vs. Buy Index for Q2 2011 shows that if you can buy, but are thinking of renting in Chicago, you might want to reconsider your decision. Click to continue...

Chicago real estate agents, listing agents & buyer agents

Click to learn what a buyer agent is February 25, 2011

I had a phone call from a gentleman this week asking if I was the listing agent for downtown condo. I replied that I wasn’t but that I could help him as a buyer agent to which he replied, “What’s that?” Here’s what a buyer agent is along with explanations of other common real estate titles. Click to continue...

3% down condo mortgages now available in Chicago!

Click to learn more about 3% down condo mortgages! February 18, 2011

Condo financing is starting to loosen up! Baird & Warner Financial Services is now one of a few lenders certified to offer 3% down condo mortgages. Click to continue...

Most recent Chicago home buyers paid 96%+ of list price

96%+ September 10, 2010

It may be a buyers market, but buyers are negotiating a lot less off list prices than you may think. To find out how much the majority of Chicago home buyers were recently able to negotiate off list prices I looked at all Chicago home sales in the past 6 months. This included houses, condos, Click to continue...

Credit Reports: One May Not Be Enough

Michael Poland August 27, 2010

This summer, Fannie Mae instructed lenders that they should adopt a new policy that would include a second review of an applicant’s credit report just prior to closing. Why? The answer is simple: the credit profile of a borrower may have changed between the time of the initial review of the credit report and the Click to continue...

Toilet kills $1.2M home sale

Thumbnail image for Toilet kills $1.2M home sale June 23, 2010

Friends of mine called me to share their latest adventure trying to buy a house in the Washington, DC area. At the inspection of a house they had agreed to pay nearly $1.2M for they discovered that the toilet in the basement wasn’t connected to the plumbing in the house! The toilet turned out to Click to continue...

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