What type of Garage do you prefer? I will never forgot a conversation between my Mom and my husband when we first started house hunting. We were discussing our “Priorities” for a home and he mentioned a detached garage. My mom was shocked that someone would prefer a garage not connected to the house. Truthfully,…
Continue ReadingStart with a free consult from us! Last year, we blogged about using a Realtor as your “Voice of Reason“. A good Realtor is going to tell you the truth, even if it isn’t want you want to hear. It is very hard to be impartial and unemotional, especially when you are not just selling…
Continue ReadingFill your yard with Native Plants Besides the animals, my favorite thing about our home is all the native plants that grow. Our yard is very wooded and we have lots of woodland plants, mostly Spring Ephemerals, that grew naturally in our yard. The best thing about native plants, besides their beauty, is how easy…
Continue Reading5 Tips to ease the trip when House Hunting with children When we were house hunting (which took over a year), we brought the kids on every trip (except one). We quickly learned that holding young children’s attention and keeping them out of trouble can be manageable with a few easy steps. Tip #1: Set…
Continue ReadingApply for a mortgage while filing your taxes Nobody enjoys filing (or paying) taxes, but it’s something we all have to do. The good news is if you are thinking of buying a new home and need a mortgage, this is the perfect time of year to do both. Many of the documents you need…
Continue ReadingAre you ready for some Selling? With weather like we have had this week in the Chicagoland area, Spring seems so far away. BUT…. in the Real Estate world, things are about to get hot! Home Sellers are preparing their homes for the market and Home Buyers are anxious to see new inventory coming on…
Continue ReadingStarting the Mortgage Process Thinking of buying a house in the near future? It’s never too early to start the mortgage process. But where do you begin? Let’s look into two terms that seem similar, but have some major differences. Pre-Qualifying: For a Mortgage in theory only To pre-qualify for a mortgage, you contact a…
Continue ReadingDone with the city? Tired of the suburbs? Why not try the Exurbs! According to the Urban Dictionary:Exurb – A sparsely populated area, that is currently making the transition from rural to suburban, located usually on the fringes of a metropolitan area. Often times, it may be populated by wealthy estates, hobby farms, as well as existing rural towns,…
Continue ReadingBuying a house with your pets in mind Imagine this: You find a house online that looks adorable from the outside…you want to see more! All new appliances, new A/C and furnace and a roof that’s just a year old. Sounds great. The price…lower than your budget. Then the pictures inside show an immaculate house…
Continue ReadingGiving Tuesday Giving Tuesday began in New York in 2012. According to GivingTuesday.Org, “Entering its seventh year, #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. It’s a great reminder to help people (and animals in need). In addition to our KoenigRubloff Cares Foundation, our company supports…
Continue Reading
