Last Friday's Chicago Tribune had a good article, "Understanding the square footage of your new home" by Erik J. Martin. It contains helpful points … [Continue reading]
Why you shouldn’t take square footage as an absolute truth
Non-US Citizen Mortgage Lending Available
Any person, who is lawfully residing in the U.S. as a permanent or a nonpermanent resident alien, is eligible for a mortgage on the same terms as a … [Continue reading]
How to request showings of Chicago homes for sale
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 … [Continue reading]
How to be your own worst enemy when buying or selling a home
If you only read one of my blog posts, this is the one to read.Yesterday's Chicago Tribune had one of the best real estate articles for both … [Continue reading]
Buyer loses condo. Her fault or her buyer agent’s fault?
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 … [Continue reading]
Typical earnest money for Chicago home sales
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 … [Continue reading]
Chicago real estate agents, listing agents & buyer agents
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 … [Continue reading]
Why you don’t want to buy a short sale
A year ago I started working with a woman, Carolyn, who wanted to buy a house. She was a first time homebuyer and excited to take advantage of the … [Continue reading]
My blog content used without permission by Altisource Portfolio Solutions
Last Wednesday I sent an email to Go Homing telling them to stop publishing my blog content and remove all of it from their Go Illinois REO site. Go … [Continue reading]
Should you view homes above your price range, if they’re on market 30 days or less?
This week I received a great question. Michael M. asked, "Is it wise to see a home that only recently came on the market (let's say less than 30 … [Continue reading]
A Good Example of Why Bringing a Home Purchase to Closing is a Team Effort
Yesterday I had a closing for a Lakeview condo that wouldn't have happened for a few more days, if it weren't for the extraordinary efforts of the … [Continue reading]
Safety – Another Reason to Use Realtor When Buying a Home
Yesterday I scheduled a showing for a house in Schaumburg. When I called the seller I explained that I'd like to show his home between 3:30 and 4:30 … [Continue reading]
Chicago Real Estate 101: How Realtors are Paid
On Saturday a woman wanted me to show her a house in Naperville. Even though the house was priced at $750K, I politely declined. The problem was the … [Continue reading]
Know What a Mortgage Preapproval is, Your Agent & Loan Officer May Not!
Want to maximize the strength of your offer and minimize the time it will take to get it accepted? Make sure you have a mortgage preapproval, not a … [Continue reading]
How to Raise Your Credit Score in 45 Days!
Try these five simple steps to improve your credit score…you could see dramatic results!PAY YOUR PAST DUE ACCOUNTS This may sound obvious but … [Continue reading]
Will Your New Home Be In A Special Service Area (SSA)?
A week ago one of my buyers said he wanted to take a second look at a townhouse in Aurora. The showing instructions said to call the seller to … [Continue reading]
Fran Bailey, Realtor