Prepare Yourself to Purchase a Home
If you adopt a mantra when it comes to purchasing a home, make it: be well-prepared. Looking at homes and attending open houses can be fun and easy, but there are several steps you should take before jumping in and picking the color of your paint.
Prepare Your Finances
- Make sure your credit is the best it can be, and if it's not, fix it.
- Realtor.com suggests that at least one year prior to purchasing, assure you pay all your bills on time and in full including rent, utilities, credit card bills and car payments.
- Save for your down payment and closing costs.
- Avoid making big purchases immediately before or after the purchase of a home.
What Can You Afford?
- Determine how much you can afford by using online calculators or speaking directly to a lender.
- A ballpark figure of what you can afford is equivalent to two and a half times your annual salary.
- Experts suggest you allocate no more than 25% of your monthly income toward paying your mortgage.
Get Pre-Approved
- Have your paperwork ready for getting a mortgage loan including tax returns, bank account statements and pay stubs.
- Secure a pre-approval letter from your bank or lending institution to show you are serious about purchasing a home; learning how much money you can borrow will set the price range for your home search.
How Will You Search for Your Home?
- If you search independently, you are able to buy and view homes that are For Sale By Owner (FSBOs) which account for about 20% of homes available.
- If you hire a Realtor®, you will have access to all "listed" properties for sale, which account for about 80% of homes for sale.
How to Choose a Realtor®
- Interview several candidates before you commit.
- If you are a first-time homebuyer consider an exclusive buyer agent who can help you strategize during the bidding process.
- Ask friends and family for referrals.
- Look online for offices near you and review customer testimonials.
Attend a Homeownership Class
- You'll learn about your credit report, how to get pre-approved for a mortgage loan and much more!
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We represent Homebuyers and Property Sellers in Chicago and Suburbs - Northern Illinois: Chicago Homes For Sale, Illinois Real Estate Listings, Short Sale Homes, Pre Foreclosure Houses and Investment properties in Addison, Arlington Heights, Algonquin, Alsip, Antioch, Aurora, Bannockburn, Barrington, Bartlett, Belvidere, Bensenville, Berwyn, Bloomingdale, Bolingbrook, Buffalo Grove, Bridgeview, Burbank, Burr Ridge, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Cary, Cicero, Crystal Lake, Deerfield, Deer Park, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, Dundee, Edison Park, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Elmhurst, Elmwood Park, Evanston, Fox Lake, Forest Glen, Franklin Park, Geneva, Genoa, Glencoe, Glendale Heights, Glenview, Grayslake, Great Lakes, Gurnee, Hainsville, Hampshire, Hanover Park, Harwood Heights, Hawthorn Woods, Highland Park, Hinsdale, Hoffman Estates, Huntley, Ingleside, Inverness, Island Lake, Itasca, Ivanhoe, Irving Park, Jefferson Park, Joliet, Kenilworth, Kildeer, La Grange, Lake Bluff, Lake in the Hills, Lake Forest, Lake Villa, Lakeview, Lake Zurich, Lemont, Libertyville, Lisle, Lincoln Park, Lincolnshire, Lindenhurst, Lombard, Long Grove, Marengo, McHenry, Melrose Park, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Niles, Naperville, Norridge, Northbrook, Northfield, North Center, North Chicago, Northlake, Norwood Park, Northshore, O Hare, Oak Brook, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Old Town, Orland Park, Palatine, Park Ridge, Plainfield, Prairie View, Portage Park, Prospect Heights, Richmond, River Grove, Riverwooods, Rockford, Rogers Park, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Round Lake, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Skokie, Sleepy Hollow, South Barrington, South Elgin, Spring Grove, Spring Grove, St. Charles, Stone Park, Streamwood, Sugar Grove, Summit, Sycamore, Sugar Grove, Tinley Park, Vernon Hills, Villa Park, Winnetka, Wadsworth, Wauconda, Waukegan, Wayne, Westchester, Wheaton, Wheeling, Willowbrook, Wilmette, Winthrop Harbor, Wonder Lake, Wood Dale, Woodridge, Woodstock, Zion. Illinois. Cook County Real Estate, DuPage County Real Estate, Lake County Real Estate, McHenry County Real Estate, Will County Real Estate.
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Client Testimonials:
"we had our house listed with a local "top producer" for 6 months with no results. We found Michael Sorensen on the internet and at first we were skeptical because his office was located 20 miles away from our Schaumburg home, but eventually decided to give him a call. Michael sold our house in 4 weeks for 99% of the asking price.
"we hired Michael Sorensen to sell our Portage Park home. He did a great job and saved us a lot of money on the commissions, too. We truly believe that his service is worth more than what he charged us. Thanks Michael!"
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REMAX City Realtors - Chicago Real Estate - Northern Illinois MLS Listings - Top Chicago Real Estate Agents Brokers, Best Selling Remax Realty Office in Chicago Illinois, Chicago Homes For Sale, Chicago MLS listings, Short Sale, Pre Foreclosure Real Estate Listings.
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- Michael Sorensen ranks in the Top 10 Best Selling Realtors in Condo Sales in Des Plaines IL in 2008 (source: MLS 2008)
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Search Illinois MLS Property Listings from 6 different MLS Systems participants and Illinois Homes For Sale on my web site - we show you all properties for sale, not just the REMAX listings. here you can find real estate property listings by RE/MAX and other premiere real estate brokers in Illinois: Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Baird & Warner, Keller Williams, Realty Executives, Prudential, Starck Realtors, ERA, GMAC, and many other real estate brokers and new home builders.
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Illinois Community Resources, Chicago Suburbs, Links to Local City, Government, School, Neighborhood and Real Estate info:
Addison: www.addisonadvantage.org
Algonquin: www.algonquin.org
Arlington Heights: www.vah.com
Aurora: www.aurora.il.us
Bartlett: www.village.bartlett.il.us
Barrington: www.barrington-il.gov
Bensenville: www.bensenville.il.us
Berwyn: www.berwyn-il.com
Bloomingdale: www.vil.bloomingdale.il.us
Buffalo Grove: www.vbg.org
Chicago: www.cityofchicago.org
Carol Stream: www.carolstream.org
Crystal Lake: www.crystallake.org
Deerfield: www.deerfield-il.org
Des Plaines: www.desplaines.org
Elgin: www.cityofelgin.org
Evanston: www.cityofevanston.org
Elk Grove Village: www.elkgrove.com
Elmwood Park: www.elmwoodpark.org
Franklin Park: www.villageoffranklinpark.com
Fox Lake: www.discoverfoxlake.com
Glencoe: www.glencoevillage.org
Glendale Heights: www.glendaleheights.org
Glenview: www.glenview.il.us
Hoffman Estates: www.hoffmanestates.com
Hanover Park: www.hanoverparkillinois.org
Harwood Heights: www.harwoodheights.org
Highland Park: www.highlandpark.org
Itasca: www.itasca.com
Kenilworth: www.villageofkenilworth.org
Kildeer: www.kildeervillage.com
Lake Bluff: www.lakebluff.org
Lake Forest: www.cityoflakeforest.com
Lake Villa: www.lake-villa.org
Lake Zurich: www.lzarea.org
Libertyville: www.libertyville.com
Lincolnshire: www.village.lincolnshire.il.us
Lincolnwood: www.lincolnwoodil.org
Melrose Park: www.melrosepark.org
Mount Prospect: www.mountprospect.org
Morton Grove: www.mortongroveil.org
Mundelein: www.mundelein.org
Naperville: www.naperville.il.us
Norridge: www.villageofnorridge.com
Northbrook: www.northbrook.il.us
Niles: www.vniles.com
Northfield: www.northfieldil.org
Park Ridge: www.parkridge.us
Palatine: www.palatine.il.us
Prospect Heights: www.prospect-heights.il.us
Roselle: www.roselle.il.us
River Grove: www.villageofrivergrove.org
Schaumburg: www.ci.schaumburg.il.us
Streamwood: www.streamwood.org
Skokie: www.skokie.org
Schiller Park: www.villageofschillerpark.com
Vernon Hills: www.vernonhills.org
Wood Dale: www.wooddale.com
Wheeling: www.vi.wheeling.il.us
Wilmette: www.wilmette.com
Winnetka: www.villageofwinnetka.org
Michael Sorensen is a Broker Associate of Remax City Realtors, Top Realtors, Best Realtors, Top Realty, Top Real Estate Agent, Chicago Best Selling Remax Realty Office in Chicago Illinois, Real Estate Agents in Addison, Arlington Heights, Algonquin, Alsip, Antioch, Aurora, Bannockburn, Barrington, Bartlett, Belvidere, Bensenville, Berwyn, Bloomingdale, Bolingbrook, Buffalo Grove, Bridgeview, Burbank, Burr Ridge, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Cary, Cicero, Crystal Lake, Deerfield, Deer Park, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, Dundee, Edison Park, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Elmhurst, Elmwood Park, Evanston, Fox Lake, Forest Glen, Franklin Park, Geneva, Genoa, Glencoe, Glendale Heights, Glenview, Grayslake, Great Lakes, Gurnee, Hainsville, Hampshire, Hanover Park, Harwood Heights, Hawthorn Woods, Highland Park, Hinsdale, Hoffman Estates, Huntley, Ingleside, Inverness, Island Lake, Itasca, Ivanhoe, Irving Park, Jefferson Park, Joliet, Kenilworth, Kildeer, La Grange, Lake Bluff, Lake in the Hills, Lake Forest, Lake Villa, Lakeview, Lake Zurich, Lemont, Libertyville, Lisle, Lincoln Park, Lincolnshire, Lindenhurst, Lombard, Long Grove, Marengo, McHenry, Melrose Park, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Niles, Naperville, Norridge, Northbrook, Northfield, North Center, North Chicago, Northlake, Norwood Park, Northshore, O Hare, Oak Brook, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Old Town, Orland Park, Palatine, Park Ridge, Plainfield, Prairie View, Portage Park, Prospect Heights, Richmond, River Grove, Riverwooods, Rockford, Rogers Park, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Round Lake, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Skokie, Sleepy Hollow, South Barrington, South Elgin, Spring Grove, Spring Grove, St. Charles, Stone Park, Streamwood, Sugar Grove, Summit, Sycamore, Sugar Grove, Tinley Park, Vernon Hills, Villa Park, Winnetka, Wadsworth, Wauconda, Waukegan, Wayne, Westchester, Wheaton, Wheeling, Willowbrook, Wilmette, Winthrop Harbor, Wonder Lake, Wood Dale, Woodridge, Woodstock, Zion, Illinois.
Your House Value - The correct market value of a home is the highest price estimate that a potential buyer might be willing to pay. To assist you in determining the correct asking price we provide you with a comprehensive market analysis of comparable properties recently sold, under contract and offered for sale in your neighborhood. Please complete the following information for a free, no obligation, comparative market analysis of your home.
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REALTOR; Not every Illinois real estate agent is a REALTOR. A Realtor is a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) - North America's largest trade association, representing over 1 million members (2006) - and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. This professional is committed to protecting and promoting private ownership of real property, establishing and maintaining high professional standards of practice, and creating unity in the National Association of Realtors organization and respect for the real estate profession. NAR's membership is composed of residential and commercial real estate brokers, real estate salespeople, immovable property managers, appraisers, counselors, and others engaged in all aspects of the real estate industry, where a state license to practice is required. Members belong to one or more of 1,600+ local Associations of Realtors and Boards of Realtors such as the Chicago Association of Realtors or Illinois Association of Realtors. Common misspellings include: Chicago Relator, Chicago realator, Chicago realater, Chicago relater, Chicago realter, Chicago reltor, Chicago reeltor, Chicago reelter, Chicago realitor, Chicago realiter, Chicago reality, Iliinois realator, Iliinois realter, Iliinois relator, discount rebate realty real estate.
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