Chicago Real Estate Podcast with Dave Auffarth Dave Auffarth

If you’re looking to buy or sell a home, you’ll want an experienced real estate attorney on your side. I’ll go over how to select one today. Buying a home? Search all homes for sale on the MLS Selling your home? Get a home valuation How can you make sure you’re choosing the right real estate attorney? I’ll go over how to select someone who will ensure your home buying or selling process is a smooth one. First, ask your Realtor for their recommendations. Many times, Realtors will have their own list of qualified lenders who can assist you throughout the entire process. These vendors are typically people with whom your Realtor has worked with in the past, which means he or she can vouch for them. If your Realtor doesn’t have a preferred real estate attorney, ask for recommendations from your friends, family, and colleagues. From there you can call a few different attorneys and assess their different fees and services. A real estate attorney will attend the closing to make sure your mortgage and title documents are in order. You also need to clarify who will be working on your sale to ensure that person has the right amount of experience. There are many benefits to hiring an experienced real estate attorney. They take care of all of your documents and attend the closing to make sure your mortgage and title documents are in order, to name a few. If you have any other questions about real estate attorneys or real estate in general, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

If you plan on selling your home, don’t list it before making these three improvements to it. Buying a home? Search all homes for sale on the MLS Selling your home? Get a home valuation What are the three most cost-effective improvements to look at before listing your home? It really comes down to the major areas of your home that buyers are going to notice the most. To many buyers, it’s important that their new home is move-in ready and all the main surface areas are taken care of. Spending the extra money to make sure that these areas are in great shape will pay off down the road. The first thing you want to invest in is paint. A new coat of paint will cover up signs of wear and tear and make your property shine. Next, you want to focus on the flooring. Start by replacing any old carpeting or having it cleaned. Buffing and refinishing hardwood floors may also be wise, as those are a favorite among homebuyers. Investing in these three things will almost guarantee a great return. Lastly, you’ll want to invest in some new lighting fixtures. If a space is too dark, it can be a huge turnoff for buyers. LED lights have become very popular in the industry, both for their cost effectiveness and their ability to really brighten up a room. By investing in these three things, you will not only give your home a fantastic, fresh feeling, but you can almost always guarantee a great return. If you have any questions or anyone you know is looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help!

If you’re thinking about buying your first home, here are four steps you should follow to make it a successful purchase. Buying a home? Search all homes for sale on the MLS Selling your home? Get a home valuation What are the four steps to buying your first home? First, hire an experienced Realtor. The guy next door or your brother’s girlfriend’s cousin who just got their real estate license might be hungry for your business, but that doesn’t mean they’re your best bet. An experienced agent knows things that brand-new agents don’t. They’ll also have important relationships in place that will help you in every phase of the purchase, including: Finding homes that aren’t even on the market yet and/or ones that might be slightly outside of your criteria but still worth considering. Leveraging industry relationships to get great deals or better terms. Managing appraisals and inspections and working through every step of the process to handle any issues that might pop up along the way. Second, don’t be afraid to talk to multiple lenders. Your Realtor will most likely have several that they’ve worked with and can refer you to. You might also want to speak to loved ones and get a referral or two from someone they’ve worked with successfully. Keep in mind, each lender may have a different recommendation and/or knowledge of special loans that might work best for you. Make your purchase a smooth one by following these four steps. Third, mind your credit. Many people have no idea what their credit score is, but if you’re thinking about buying a home, knowledge is power. Different loans have different minimal credit scores and requirements. A good mortgage lender can advise you on the best option to raise your score. The earlier you learn your score and dive into the details with a qualified lender, the more time you have to address any issues you find. Your lender will spell out the do’s and don’ts on how to protect your credit. If you haven’t yet talked to a lender and you think you’re getting close to being purchase-ready, do not open any lines of credit. Finally, stay at your job. Are you not happy at your current job and thinking about changing jobs? If you’re thinking about buying a home, you might have to delay that plan. Part of your qualification for a mortgage will be based on your job history. Making a big change right before you buy or during the process will be problematic. Lenders always advise buyers to stay the course until the home is closed. If you have any questions about this topic or any other topic regarding real estate, please feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to helping you!

We're shifting into the spring market here in Chicago, so I wanted to address some key questions about the market and how to take advantage of it now as a buyer or seller. Buying a home? Search all homes for sale on the MLS Selling your home? Get a home valuation Recently, I've received a lot of questions about the spring real estate market here in Chicago and when the best time to get your home on the market is. If you've been thinking about selling your home, this winter represents a great opportunity. For one, home prices have hit record highs over the past few months—even higher than the peak of the housing bubble in 2006. In spite of this, though, our market isn't experiencing a bubble like we saw 10 years ago. Today's high prices are mostly driven by the lack of supply. That's why you're in such a good position right now if you're looking to sell your house. Secondly, we're seeing periods of high, low, and rising mortgage rates. For example, the average 30-year mortgage has been steadily rising from a low of 3.37% last July to above 4% as of just recently. Historically speaking, rates are still low, but when you combine this with the fact that rates are likely to keep rising in the near future, it's easy to see why buyers are eager to buy a home and take advantage of low rates. Buyers are coming onto the market to lock in a low rate while they're still historically low. Thirdly, we've finally made it to the end of the election cycle. Many people were sitting on the sidelines of the real estate market due to the uncertainty of the election. These people have finally returned to the market, and we suspect this will keep demand healthy in the coming months. Spring is already underway in the Chicago market and is the hottest market of the year. You have to get moving now to take advantage of it. I know the area well and talk to buyers every day, so I have a great feel for the current market. If you'd like to know more about your home's value in the current market or you have any other questions about how to take advantage of our current market, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to help you!

The My City Home Group has buyers looking for homes. Here’s how you can help us. Buying a home? Search all homes for sale on the MLS Selling your home? Get a home valuation Here at the My City Home Group, our team has a bit of a problem. What kind of problem? We’re working with a number of buyers ready to purchase all over the metropolitan area who just aren’t happy with what the current inventory offers. Do you know anyone who wants to sell their home? Inventory levels are low, and I’m asking you to see if you know anyone in your life who’s contemplating selling their home. They can be from church, work, your neighborhood, or just be friends of yours on Facebook. If they’re talking about selling their home, contact me with their name, phone number, and/or an email so I can reach to them right away. I’m confident one of my buyers will buy their home. Thank you very much for your help, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

What's the number one way to make your home more marketable and sell quicker? Staging. Today, I'll explain how. Buying a home? Search all homes for sale on the MLS Selling your home? Get a home valuation As a seller, how can you make your home more marketable and sell it faster? I always recommend staging, so today, I have three staging tips I wanted to offer. The purpose of staging is to create the illusion of more space, and these three tips will do just that: 1. Clean and declutter the home. Having the home professionally cleaned will make for a nice, fresh look. Clear all the clutter from areas like the countertops, bookshelves, coffee tables, and corners of the room to open up areas that suck up space. You want buyers to walk in and feel all the extra space. You're moving anyway, so think of it as pre-packing before you list your home on the market. 2. Paint. Add a fresh coat of paint to neutralize the home's colors. I'd be happy to tell you about the latest hot designer colors on the market that will make your home appeal to more buyers and help your home sell faster and for more money. 3. Buy modern kitchen appliances. Statistics show time and time again that buyers always get excited about new appliances in the kitchen. They make the room pop, which is what buyers look for. You want buyers to walk in and feel extra space. If you have any specific questions about staging your home or about buying and selling in general, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'd be glad to help!