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Chicago, IL Real Estate News

By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
3a. Closing Costs / Earnest money Closing costs typically amount to around 2%, but you might even finance that: The options for this will follow in the next posts. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
2d. Down Payment NOTE:  This applies only to better, easier times.  This is probably not available now. Your third mortgage choice is: 0% down. A 100% loan is one option-and the only option some buyers qualify for. Here you pay PMI, but as noted above, for many families, PMI charges are now tax-deductible (and no longer so disadvantageous). Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
2c. Down Payment Your second mortgage choice is: 80 / 15 / 5. Here your cash down payment is 5%, and you avoid PMI by taking out a 2nd mortgage for 15%. (Since the first mortgage at 80%, this combination is called an 80 / 15 / 5.). With 10% down, this would be called 80 / 10 / 10. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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By Eric Marcus
(Eric Marcus Real Estate Group)
I have lived in the city of Chicago for the last 17 years.   When I first moved here it from a small town in Indiana, it seemed like there were not too many great neighborhoods to live in.  The Gold Coast and Lincoln Park were popular and Lakeview was getting better but still a bit on the edge and I did not any other areas of town that people were really excited about.  17 years later - WOW - what a difference.  Redevelopment is going on in so many areas that there is hardly a part of our town that is not experiencing a true renaissance.  Chicago is really a big city made up of a lot of little neighborhoods. Neighborhoods like Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, Roscoe Village, Logan Square, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, the South Loop and West Loop to name a few have become destinations for ...
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By Sara Bonert, Real Estate Internet Marketing
(Zillow)
If you live in Chicago, you know street festivals in the summer are HUGE here.  Almost every weekend you can visit a different neighborhood's festival, hear good music, drink cold beverages and just enjoy being outside.  This weekend (June 14th) is Wrigleyville Summerfest, the festival that my church puts on every year.  The weather can really determine the attendance and this year it looks like we are again are going to blessed with great weather.  So for all you Chicagoans that have cabin fever from the long winter we had, come out and enjoy the activities, which can all be found on the website here.  I am especially excited to hear Too White Crew, one my favorite local Chicago cover bands.  For the last 3 years, since joining the church, I have headed up the marketing efforts for the...
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
2b. Down Payment Your first mortgage choice is: 20% down. With 20% down you avoid PMI and have a lower monthly payment, but this is NOT an option that many first-time buyers have the resources for! Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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Wrigley Field on a sunny Summer afternoon... Few things in life provide such a rare pleasure. And with the Chicago Cubs tearing up the national league with a major league-leading 42 wins, the Friendly Confines have rarely been friendlier real estate to this life-long Cubs fan. Early on Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano was tagged for a two-run shot to left. But given the offensive firepower surrounding him and with the wind whipping the left field flags like mad, this deficit seemed puny and easy to overcome. Except it wasn't. Inning after inning the northside nine put up goose egg after miserable goose egg. In days of old (going back an entire century) Cubs fans would have anticipated the worst. An "L" for loss would be lifted atop the center field score board and that would be that, a simple s...
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
2a. Down Payment If the primary mortgage is for MORE than 80% of the value of the property, you normally must pay PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance). This has been, for most people, a no-no, but as of January, 2007, for many people PMI charges became tax-deductible-and the biggest objection to PMI may have vanished. The alternative for most is to take out TWO loans, with one being for 80% and the other for up to 20%. Specific choices will follow in subsequent posts. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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By John Marlow, John Marlow
(Foxhall Investments)
Part of being a good agent is knowing what is going on around you.  Your clients (and potential clients) consider this when they evaluate you as an agent.  With that said, what are you doing to understand the markets you do business in?  If you do happen to be an agent who put in the effort to understand the market, is your sphere of influence aware of your knowledge?At our company, we have a monthly e-newsletter that goes out to clients and friends.  This newsletter contains information about current events in Chicago, as well as information about new developments and current market conditions.  We feature statistics that are compiled from Chicago market data by one of the company's principals each month.Consistent, value-added touches like this will demonstrate to your contacts that y...
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
1c. Your Pre-Approval And the third thing you need to know is: Debt / Income Ratios. Lender guidelines are no longer so rigid here, and you will get credit for most or all of rent collected, but of course it remains that lenders want to know you can afford the payment. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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  Chicago IL, USA, June 18, 2008 – A slow real estate market hasn’t knocked out one realtor who is fighting to debut a new foundation named after his late brother.   David Vargas, a full time real estate agent with @properties in Lincoln Park will raise money for The Bobby Vargas Foundation while competing at White Collar Boxing July 12th at the Aragon Ballroom. Proceeds from event tickets purchased through The Bobby Vargas Foundation will benefit area high school students.   Working with The Illinois Institute of Art, the foundation will promote art related education. “My brother was a very talented artist and it’s because of him I pursued a degree in advertising,” explains Vargas. “I rely on my art education every day because without a strong marketing strategy in real estate it’s har...
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
1b. Your Pre-Approval The second thing you need to bring with you is: Documented vs. Stated Income. Many people are in jobs that allow for a stated (not documented) income application. The interest rate for Stated may be a little higher, but there can be extra flexibility in what you qualify for. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
1a. Your Pre-Approval You and I both need to know what you can afford BEFORE we begin to shop, and a preapproval letter will be needed for any offer you make.  The first thing you need to bring with you is: Credit Score. Most lenders regard anything above 700 as very good - and anything below 600 as a serious problem!  You should talk with your lender about what your score is-and potentially how to improve it. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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As a kid I was a voracious reader. Starting with comic books at the dinner table and moving on to reading newspapers cover to cover to learning to love reading books under the tutelage of my third grade teacher Miss Bruch. As I read today's Chicago Tribune I mused about an old-school journalist I used to love to read - Sydney J. Harris. One of the hallmarks of his well written columns was a section he called "Things I learned en route to looking up other things." The unspooling of an informational ribbon, especially as I rapidly connect the dots using google, never ceases to amaze me. The one thing that stuck in my mind from today's Tribune was a reference to the anticipated use of the Esquire Theater on Chicago's Oak Street. Hmm, I thought to myself, the decision by the developer to no...
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
Finally, remember that, especially in this market, all that glitters is not gold! Few mortgage brokers are true experts in this market-and the initial low rate many quote may turn out to be something that you won't be able, in reality, to qualify for. Instead, we recommend you explore your options with an expert. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
•·        Whatever you choose for your initial financing is probably temporary financing. In the beginning, your equity is just what you put down (0%, 5%, or 10%). Later most plan to refi to get a better rate (based on a higher equity) or pull money out for repairs. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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Don't believe the hype!  If your mortgage broker or banker tells you that the new law is ending Stated Income/Reduced documentation loans just say, "FOR YOU!" The state bill known as 1167 has severe consequences for many of the lenders that it effects.  I know we have all read the ads saying that it will only effect 5% of deals in Cook County.  I say to those ads "really?"  How is that?  And if its true why was so much money and effort put into blocking this law? Federally chartered institutions are exempt from the bill.  So if you have a borrower who is in need of a reduced documentation or stated income loan-- give us a call!  We want to help those who have complicated tax returns not those who are interested in committing fraud. Theres no need to throw the baby out with the bath wate...
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By Thomas McCarey
(@properties)
If the rhyme were true then April's showers would be a thing of the past by now leaving us in June to luxuriate in the perpetuated scent of May's flowers. But here in Chicago where the weather can stop on a dime nothing of the sort was present just two days past. And so Tuesday morning I selected my sons' very stylish clothing for the day based on the previous day's "ain't life grand" foray into the 80s (degrees, not decade). Unfortunately the day veered drastically from its most immediate predecessor and we were greeted by a day straight from London - chilly, wet, and unforgiving. So as we made our first stop at Nookie's on Wells for breakfast it was a mad sprint from our parking space a block away to the comfortable climes of a Chicago landmark. Making the tumbling raindrops even more...
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
In general it's easier to get ‘owner-occupied' than ‘non-owner occupied,' but even for a 3- or 4-flat investment property, 10% down may be all you need to put down. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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By Bill Bein
(Chicagoland2to4Flats.info)
Financing a multi-unit is now easier, but, at least in some ways, it is now almost an ‘art.' Credit score (your ‘FICO') as well as your intent to occupy will influence rates a lot, but it may not be necessary to have a big down payment to get a reasonable rate, especially if you have ‘fully documented' (as opposed to ‘stated') income. For certain, we think you should avoid an ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgages) with a low INTRODUCTORY rate and then virtually no cap on how high the rates can go. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes with two or more flats.
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