Tricks and Tips

The Mystery of Your Credit Score

by Matt Hernacki November 12, 2011 Chicagoland Real Estate

How did my credit score get there? How am I supposed to do anything about it? Free class helps you plan to improve your score!

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Wall Street Journal Gives Real Estate Green Light

by Matt Hernacki October 15, 2011 Algonquin Real Estate

Chicagoland is on the list of places where it makes more sense to buy than rent. We could have told you that, but will admit hearing it from the WSJ carries more weight!

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$ Money for Your Down Payment $

by Matt Hernacki September 29, 2011 Algonquin Real Estate

The biggest stumbling block for most people’s home or condo purchase is the down payment. Despite what you may have heard from friends or seen on the news, you don’t need 20% down to buy your home, townhome, or condo. FHA still allows you to put as little as 3.5% down, and there are may programs …

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New and Improved MisterHomes.com Coming Very Soon

by Matt Hernacki September 13, 2011 Real Estate - local markets

In order to make your Real Estate search for information and listings better, we have redesigned MisterHomes.com! In the next few days the new and improved site will go live. Please write down any listings you have saved so that you don’t lose them during the switch. We are very excited about the new site …

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New Mortgage Plan from the President

by Matt Hernacki September 1, 2011 Real Estate - local markets

Apparently we should see a new mortgage plan coming from the White House to help a larger number of homeowners refinance in the coming weeks. Here’s hoping this plan actually helps some people and is not just political marketing like many of the plans in the past have been.

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Condos: Very Low Prices, Very Low Rates, and Now $1500 for Your Assocation Fees

by Matt Hernacki August 16, 2011 First Time Buyers

If extremely low prices and extremely low interest rates are not enough to get you excited about buying your first condo, maybe an extra $1500 will help! Freddie Mac, through their HomeSteps program is now offering you $1500 towards your future association fees when you buy one of their eligible condos for a limited time.

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Save Now On Your FHA Mortgage

by Matt Hernacki April 3, 2011 First Time Buyers

If you’re buying a home soon and using an FHA mortgage to do it, you need to be aware of a change that is right around the corner. Starting on 4/18/11, just 2 weeks from tomorrow, the monthly mortgage insurance on an FHA mortgage is increasing.

This means that on a $200,000 FHA loan the …

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MisterHomes ON THE AIR again Today!

by Matt Hernacki February 5, 2011 Real Estate - local markets

Back on Bruce Beddard’s Real Estate Radio program in a couple of hours. It will be on the air from 2-3 PM on AM 1160 WYLL, or you can listen online. Thanks for having me back Bruce!

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Celebrating 1 Year – Thank you!

by Matt Hernacki December 1, 2010 Real Estate - local markets

One year ago today, after 13 years in the Real Estate business, Dominic and I decided to part ways with Remax and open MisterHomes Real Estate. It has been a good year despite the challenges faced by everyone dealing with Real Estate these days. We wanted to thank you for your support. We are very grateful and …

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Price is the Same, but it Costs Less

by Matt Hernacki November 16, 2010 First Time Buyers

Depending on the neighborhood, home prices are back to where they were 7-10 years ago. There is one huge difference between back then and today though: Interest rates. Check out the monthly savings on the chart below due to the historically low rates right now. That multiplies into huge savings over the life of your mortgage. This is another …

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