Buying a home is a unique experience for most people. It is one of the most significant financial decisions of your life—and it can be challenging for people to leave emotions out of it. Why? Because people envision their lives and future inside of the home they wish to purchase.  Don’t let your vision of […]

RLTO stands for Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance. It was passed in January of 2021 but didn’t go into effect until June of the same year. The ordinance governs and promotes a healthy relationship between landlords and their tenants. For example, after the RLTO passed, there were lockout provisions that went into effect immediately. Landlords could […]

There is an extensive amount of content aimed at thriving within the real estate industry. A significant portion of it focuses on the external factors: buying, selling, finding the right agent, and the mortgage process.  But since we are entering the busiest time of the real estate market, let’s take a different approach: how can […]

When you finally find the home that you sense is right for you, you start planning for the future. You imagine yourself in it celebrating holidays, bringing your relatives together in it, and even expanding your own family while living there. Because there is so much emotion tied up into the house, it can be […]

Before we go into why you need title insurance, we will first establish what it is. If you are new to buying property don’t feel bad if you have never heard of it. Simply put, if you are buying a home, title insurance is a means to guard you financially if there are problems (or […]

Practically everyone who purchases a home in Chicago has a mortgage. Although most first-time homebuyers know that financing the purchase means that they will be making a monthly mortgage payment for decades, they don’t always understand that these payments are more than simply a percentage of the sale price.  In this blog, we’ll explain the […]

The word ‘estate planning’ conjures images of prosperous retirees who’ve spent their lives building up wealth and now want to make plans to pass it on to loved ones. Rarely do you think of young families needing to preserve assets and create inheritances.  The truth is that estate planning is valuable for anyone at any […]

A power of attorney is an estate planning document through which you can grant someone else (called your “agent”) permission to make legal, financial, and/or medical decisions on your behalf. The person who creates the power of attorney is referred to as the “principal” in the arrangement it creates. When acting on the principal’s behalf, […]

What is RESPA? RESPA refers to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. It is a federal law passed by Congress in 1974 and intended to protect those who are purchasing real estate. It essentially aims to prevent unfair practice by brokers, real estate agents, closing service providers, and others involved in the transaction.  What are […]