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

Approved vs. Actually Affordable: Know Your Real Number

I had friends who got pre-approved for $450,000. The houses they wanted were in that range, and the temptation to just go for it was real. But when we sat down and ran their actual numbers, take-home pay, monthly expenses, what they wanted their life to look like after closing, the number that made

Should I Keep Renting or Buy a House in the Chicago Suburbs Right Now?

In the fire service, we have a saying: plan for the 90% but be ready for the 10%. What that means is you train hard, keep everything in working condition, and prepare for what you know is coming. But the 10%, the calls that are unlike anything you've trained for, that's what separates people who wer