Detect a zombie foreclosure before it ruins your buying power



 If you'd like my free e-book of the Top 10 Credit Do's and Don'ts, you can contact me!

What is a Zombie Foreclosure?
Many of my clients in Libertyville have been asking me about a strange phenomenon called Zombie Foreclosures. A Zombie Foreclosure is a situation that occurs when you have left your home and it has been foreclosed, but you are still on the title to the property. This is essentially a property that is in your name because the bank did not come back and repurchase the property in a sherriff's sale.

It's extremely important to figure out if you are still on the title to the property because it can prevent you from purchasing a new home. FHA rules state that you cannot make a new purchase until you are off of title for 36 months.

Zombie Foreclosures are difficult to detect and most loan officers will not take the time to do a thorough check for them. However, there is one way to find out, and that is by contacting the Recorder of Deeds Office and purchasing a copy of the deed for your home. You can also call your local title company here in Libertyville and have them search for your name (this costs around $75).

It's extremely important before going through the mortgage process to figure out if you have a Zombie Foreclosure because it could affect your buying power for years to come. If you need any assistance in this process or if you would like to learn more about Zombie Foreclosures, please feel free to contact me via phone or email. 



Introducing my Preferred Lender: Clay Krumpos



 If you'd like my free e-book of the Top 10 Credit Do's and Don'ts, you can contact me!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my video blog, where I'll be letting Clay Krumpos introduce himself today. 

Clay is a licensed Illinois Loan Officer and has a long history with construction and real estate. In 2013, Clay entered the mortgage industry, and has quickly become my preferred lender. Outside of work Clay is an avid golfer and a pet lover (he has an English Mastiff).

As my preferred lender, I just wanted you to get a sneak peek at Clay and see what he is all about. From my own account, I would call him a work-hard play-hard type of character. If you ever have any questions or are seeking help with financing, be sure to contact either Clay or myself. You can contact Clay at (847) 362-1335 or email him at Clay.Krumpos@theDRMC.com

Thanks for watching, and I look forward to doing business with you in the future!

Buying a home can unlock a door to a great tax return



Welcome back and happy New Year! It’s tax time and nobody looks forward to that.  I have some exciting news, though. Did you know that if you itemize your taxes you are able to deduct up to $1 million of total mortgage interest?

You can also deduct $100,000 of equity mortgage interest. Make sure to check with your accountant or give me a call if you have any questions.

Also, if you know of anyone who is thinking of buying, be sure to send them my way!

The 3 Must-Haves in Order to Buy a Home



Thanks for joining me today. One question I get asked frequently is: What does it take to buy a home? Obviously, there are a lot of important requirements before you can step into  your dream home, but I've boiled it down to the three most important must-haves for buyers.

1)  Credit. You've got to have a credit history. You start a credit history when opening a credit card, purchasing an item with a loan, or attending higher education and taking out student loans. Whether that credit score is good or not depends on whether your payments have been timely. And a good credit score is needed and you need a credit score of at least 640.

2)  Two year job history. A lender wants to know that you have a steady income and verify how much you will be making in ratio to your mortgage payments.

3)  Money. Of course I'm stating the obvious, but you may not need as much as you think. With the FHA loan, you can put down as little as 3.5%. That is $3,500 for every $100,000 that you borrow.

If you have any questions about how to qualify for a home or what your credit score may be, please give me a call today and thanks for watching!