These tips will make your offer stand out from the crowd in a bidding war. Securing your dream home often means navigating through multiple-offer situations. With three to 10 offers becoming increasingly common, it's crucial to craft an offer that stands out and increases your chances of success. Here are some winning strategies to consider: 1. Understand the seller's priorities. The first step is to understand what matters most to the seller. This information is key in tailoring your offer to their preferences. Whether it's the closing date, specific terms, or price, clarity on the seller's p ..read more

Why You Need an Experienced Real Estate Team If you're considering buying or selling a home, you'll want an experienced real estate team on your side. From contract negotiations to closing, we're here to assist you from start to finish, ensuring you have the best possible experience throughout your sale or purchase! If you're considering buying or selling a home near Chicago, give us a call today ..read more

How Owning Real Estate Builds Your Net Worth Investing in real estate is a significant milestone and both a financial and personal achievement to take pride in. The equity you build as a homeowner gives your net worth a big boost, and if you own multiple properties, you can look forward to monthly rental income as well. With interest rates and inflation at record highs right now, the link between owning real estate and building wealth is critical. “On average some properties in the Chicagoland area have seen their values increase by 30% since 2019.  That means that a house that was v ..read more

It’s no secret that we’re seeing changes in the Chicagoland housing market as interest rates climb and buyer demand slows. Fortunately, there are benefits to selling in a slowing seller's market. We’ve put together our top reasons selling your Chicagoland home now may be a better option than waiting to see what happens in the new year. Benefit: You Have Great Options For Your Move We’ve all seen the growing housing inventory in Illinois and throughout the country this year, as rising mortgage rates slowed the post-COVID lockdown real estate frenzy. While this seems like a negative for anyone g ..read more

Everyone should invest in real estate if they can: Here’s why.  Investing in real estate is one of the best ways to build long-term wealth, so it’s no surprise that I have a passion for it. I invest in real estate in pretty much every way I can, including flipping. However, I prefer to hold onto my properties. Look at it this way. Housing appreciates by 4% every year on average. That means that if you invest in real estate, your wealth will double every 10 years. As an example, I recently purchased a property for about $43,000. I put $15,000 into fixing it up and rented it. However, I dis ..read more

If you haven’t written a will yet, there’s no better time to write one. I recently had a family member pass, and they didn't have a will or an estate. Now, the kids all have different ideas about what to do with the property, so there's a lot of bickering. None of this had to happen—it all could have been planned for and handled in a will. Everybody needs a will, and if you own real estate, you also need a trust. You want to stay out of probate because that costs more than creating the will and trust. Having things planned out will also reduce stress during an emotional time. Having a set plan ..read more

Having a family often means that when you look for a place to settle, there are different criteria for the area. It needs to be more family-friendly to ensure your kids get the most out of their childhood. Some of the things considered for this list include great schools, diverse populations, plenty of recreation options, and other factors that make an area great for families of all sizes and ages. Here are some of the best Chicago suburbs to raise a family in no particular order. Elmhurst Starting off our list of best suburbs of Chicago for families, Elmhurst has an excellent school system. I ..read more

The market has shifted, and staging has become even more important. Properties are no longer flying off the market quite as quickly as they used to over the past two years. Due to this downturn, I often get asked, “Should I stage my home?” The answer is a definite yes. The market’s not what it was a few months ago when people were buying regardless of what the property looked like. Buyers now want properties that are in the best condition possible. Paint and flooring are always the first two things you should revamp. Anything after those two should only be minor upgrades to the bathroom and ki ..read more

We’re still in a seller’s market, though things are slowing down a little. .  June was an excellent month for real estate in the Chicagoland area. Today I’ll share our latest findings to keep you up to date with all the changes. The average sales price in May was $409,000, but by June, it increased to $436,000. That’s an exciting change for potential home sellers, but a $27,000 increase in just a month isn’t sustainable. In fact, price jumps like that are one reason the Federal Reserve has been increasing interest rates—to slow down the market. Rates have already hit 6%, and we anticipate ..read more

Buyers are starting to get a wave of relief from increased inventory. Have you been struggling to find a home in this market? If so, here’s some exciting news: We're starting to see an increase in inventory, meaning you’ll have more options to choose from. More inventory will also likely lead to lower prices and more negotiating power. Buyers should have their credit checked to verify that they’re qualified so they can start looking in the neighborhoods that they’re interested in. Interest rates have stabilized for the time being, but we don't know what they'll do in the coming weeks and month ..read more