Is New Lenox, IL a Good Place to Live? Moving to New Lenox: Taxes, Schools and Commute
If you're looking for the sweet spot of the southwest suburbs, you might not have to look any further. You'll find a lot of the same things in every town around here: Lincoln-Way schools, growing neighborhoods, and outdoor recreation that's hard to beat anywhere in Illinois. What sets New Lenox apar
How to Buy in a Seller's Market (And When to Offer Over Asking)
Just this past year I listed my own house at $400,000 knowing it was worth more. I had a full price offer in hand the day it went live. I did not take it. A few days and one open house later, I was under contract at $425,000. I am telling you this as the seller who set it up that way on purpose, bec
Marry the House, Date the Rate? An Honest Look
You have heard the line. It is on every real estate social feed, it shows up in listing presentations, and the average agent has used it at least once to coax somebody off the porch and into the buyer pool: marry the house, date the rate. Commit to the home, treat the rate as temporary, refinance wh
Is Manhattan, IL a Good Place to Live? Moving to Manhattan: Taxes, Schools and Commute
More house. More yard. Lincoln-Way schools. That's what everyone looking at Manhattan, IL tells you, and it's why it's on your list. You get all of that. You also get a town that holds onto its traditions, the Wauponsee Glacial Trail running right through it, and a park district with plenty going on
What Happens When You Inherit a House? The Great Wealth Transfer Is Hitting Home
The largest transfer of wealth in history is not coming. It is here. Cerulli Associates projects about $124 trillion changing hands through 2048, with trillions already moving every year and the pace accelerating toward a peak in the mid-2030s. Visa's economists put boomer holdings at more than $93
How to Buy and Sell a House at the Same Time (Without Getting Stuck)
A while back I worked with a couple, John and Jane Smith, who were ready to move up. (And I'd be really impressed if you know the movie reference used to protect my client's names.) Good income, plenty of equity, and a house that would sell fast. We found three homes they loved. They missed on the f
What Does It Actually Cost to Own a Home in Year One?
Most first-time buyers spend months focused on two numbers: the down payment and the monthly mortgage payment. They get those right and think they are prepared. Then they move in. And then they find out about everything else. In the fire service, we plan for the 90%, the calls we know are coming, th
PMI Is Not the Enemy. Waiting Might Be.
I have a family member in my circle who is still waiting to have 20% saved before he buys. Every time I see him, I tell him the same thing: the market is not waiting for him. I have been saying it for a few years now. And every time, the house he could have bought is worth more than it was the last
Why I Hold Three Licenses Instead of One
I hold three licenses because the thing that costs people the most money is not inside any one of them. It is the nine years between buying a house and buying the next one, when your agent's job has ended, your lender's job has ended, and nobody's job description covers what happens in between. Once