Ready to give you freedom from responsibility. But is this enough? And that’s what I want to talk to you in this video. My name is Janine Sasso . I’m a local agent in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, and I have helped hundreds of renters homebuyers. And I want to talk to you about some of the signs that I saw that they are ready to purchase a home. The first thing that most people complain about is the fact that their landlord keep raising their rent. Now, if you are renting, you’re probably looking at that payment and wow, it’s a lot of money. Can I maybe start owning my own home for that? And one of the first things you should be aware of is how our rent increasing and how is this affecting your budget. If you’re spending more and more and more and more money on your rent, you might do other things behind, like vacation or things you really are trying to pay for. And once in life, do you get money actually for it? Because the feeling is great, right? Having a place to live is great. But we also want to live and that is definitely one of the first considerations to look at. The next thing we want to talk about is your credit score. Yes, we can buy a house with a credit score o f 580. But and I want to be very honest with you, what comes along with that is a very high interest rate. And you need to put up a decent amount of down payment as well in order to make it work. So is it worth it?

Probably. Maybe not. So really make sure you’re going to start working on your credit score to have a decent and healthy for the lenders and get financially responsible and give you a better rate. The next thing we’re going to talk about is your debt to income ratio for these. And what it is, is just the amount of debt that you have to your name. You don’t have to have zero debt. Okay? Like it’s okay to have some debt, but you should really aim to keep that number at 30% for the loan in order for you to have some room and a healthy margin when it comes to your DTI ratio, you have money set aside to handle repairs. This is another great point that I think oftentimes overlook having a down payment. Yes, that’s awesome. Having a repair budget, however, is something that many people don’t talk about. And one of the things that I can point out to my clients and we will make adjustments down payment sometimes in order to look for an emergency fund.

If something does come up, there’s no way to draw anymore. And I don’t want you to ever feel financially strapped when it comes to home ownership. Having a cushion and a little bit of a safety net is really a big, big reassurance. And as I mentioned, down payment. Yes, you will need to have down payment and closing costs available. And down payment can be as low as 60% of the purchase price. So we’re not looking at tens of thousands of dollars now, 20%. We’ll make sure that you do not have to pay something we call private mortgage insurance. However, sometimes waiting longer in order to get to the 20% is outweighed by the fact that you can get into something sooner and get a more stable rate and a lower purchase price. So definitely don’t you consider when it comes to buying now or buying later? The next thing is to know that you’re ready to settle down in one place. If you are moving year after year after year, it does related. Maybe it’s not the greatest time for you to buy a house, in all honesty, because purchasing a home or having somewhere to go to come home to it might make sense to wanting to be a little bit more stationary and at least spend a couple of years there before you decide to sell it to and you become profitable. You have to have a certain amount of equity in the home in order to sell it at a profit. And that’s. We like to sell for profit. Another sign that you’re ready for home ownership is if you are looking at a major life event now that major life events can be graduating from college. It could be getting married or having more children. We think that.

Life events are a catalyst like how to make them go.

So if you are looking at having any of these things happening, maybe it’s a great time to look into homeownership. Does it make sense? And last but not least, the number eight that you know, you might be ready for homeownership is the fact that you have the starter idea that what you might like in a home. Right. Do you maybe look broken or do you like the convenience of a townhouse? Are you enjoying a private yard and a single family home and know your amenities? Right. How many bedrooms in your. This is something that if you have a general idea, we can work with you drilling it down more into the drone vision that you would like to own. So go to our eight signs. Maybe you recognize some of them. You can download the PDF with all time simply by clicking the link below. And if you have any other questions, please with us. My name is Janine Sasso. I’m a local real estate agent in the northern suburbs of Chicago, and I hope this one is helpful for you. Make it a great one.

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So you want to retire in a really, really big home? Well, let’s talk about the new trend that is developing and sweeping the country. Oftentimes, we hear about downsizing, minimal minimizing expenses, but a new trend is actually showing that downsize are looking for more space, more extravaganza than ever. Hi, I’m Janine Sasso, realtor in Schaumburg Hoffman Estates, Barrington and the surrounding suburbs of Chicago. What do people look out for when they downsize into retirement? But they want to have a larger home than what they currently own. A larger place for retirement oftentimes seems to be a good fit if your vision of retirement is family gatherings, people coming to visit all the time, coming to create memories and making amazing, amazing things happen.

Maybe a larger property is just what you need. Few considered a senior living facility or community. When you retire, I hope you really thought this one through. You want to know why? If you are looking to retire into a retirement community, make sure that you are fully aware of some of the rules that they have in place for people, family, friends that are visiting regarding the age restriction and limitation. You want to look at things up. What is there to do? And you want to look at things like what is nearby? If you are out in the middle of nowhere with no amenities, do you think your grandchildren will enjoy spending the night if they even can?

There is a lot of consideration that goes into selecting a retirement community. Regardless of your retirement community, you should definitely keep an eye on major travel ways. How far are you from an airport? Are the major roads to get to you? Because now that you’re retired, two things might happen. You might have more people come and visit you, which then they utilize those. Or maybe you want to take up more traveling. And let’s be honest, if you are closer to something like an airport or a major road, it makes things a little bit more enjoyable for you. Oh, here. I bet you did not consider the next thing on my checklist. Or did you? A spare bedroom might go a long way when it comes to selecting a retirement home. Maybe you need it for an overspill office where you still do something.

A hobby room. But what about your visitors? I mean, comfort for your visitors has become increasingly important for retirement homes because you want to make sure they have access to a bathroom. They have a private bedroom. And you love to have visitors over, at least in most cases, I would think. Keep you company. And selecting your retirement home. You want to make sure that you have your level of comfort front and center when it comes to the decision making process. Sure, we want to make sure that everybody is happy. The pool for the kids. You want to be near the major airports. You want to do this. But what is it that you want? Not that you want to do for somebody else. Keep your happiness front and center at all times during this process. Let’s summarize the upsizing in retirement.

You want to keep a few things in mind? How often will you have visitors? It can be enjoyed by young and old. How about the access to major airports and highways? Importance of enough space and most of all, your own happiness with your selection. If you require our guidance in choosing the perfect home, please reach out to me and my team are specializing in making sure we’re keeping your own preferences front and center. We are your vocal advisors that make sure we are really telling you what was important to you in the first place to make sure you are not traveling down a rabbit hole.

My name is Janine Sasso. I’m your local Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Barrington and the surrounding suburbs of Chicago realtor. And I hope you will subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hit the bell. And I cannot wait to see you in the next video.

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Buying a home was cash. Play your cards right and protect yourself. Watch till the end and learn what to do and what not to do when it comes to purchasing a property with cash. And I will give you my absolute phenomenal checklist that you can use for this process. So first off, Congrats on your ability to pay cash. This is a huge accomplishment. Now, first things first, though. I don’t think you should be going from open house to open house. Striking up a conversation was every real estate agent you encounter about your rather large financial asset that you’re planning to invest? So what are you going to do?

Recognize that there are multiple people involved in a real estate transaction and not everybody has your best interests at heart. So who should you trust? Hi, I’m Janine Sasso, realtor in Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Barrington and the surrounding suburbs of Chicago. First thing you should have in place is a designated buyer agent. A designated buyer agent will have your best interest at heart. And the best part. He won’t cost you a. A buyer agent is somebody that you should feel 1,000% comfortable with because you will be disclosing certain financial data to that person. Keep in mind that they are hired for your best interest. But personal feeling and intuition goes a long way. If you have an iffy feeling, who is your guard? Find the agent that just seems right for you and what you need. The listing agent seems to be the best point of contract when it comes to purchasing a property.

After all, he has a direct connection to the seller, so why don’t we talk to the listing agent and tell him that we have a boatload of cash to invest? Listing agents job is to protect the seller’s best interests and get the best possible terms for the seller. Now you tell me where you think that listing agent might have your best interests at heart. You think they will watch out for you? You think that we should be disclosing your financial picture and abilities to the listing agent? Look, I get it. Sometimes you wind up with an agent where you still don’t feel 100% comfortable and you don’t want to disclose everything that there is to disclose through your situation.

Maybe I don’t trust the agent. Maybe you are obligated to use Cousin Freddie that you promised your Aunt you will use them even though you don’t like them. Maybe you just have a very private, whatever the reasons. I get it. In that case, you can always have your lending institution draw up a letter that states that you are financially capable to purchase the property was an address inserted without giving them a financial number that you can qualify for and you’re still keeping some of that very private. The listing agent then has the ability to go to that lender and verify that you have the necessary funds available to close.

Here’s another tip. Don’t send heat of the moment replies in any time of the transaction. You never know when somebody will just forward. An email making may be unaware that there is, you know, confidential data enclosed. So. We’re talking about a different topic here when we get into wiring fraud. Well, keep that for a different video. But if you do have a boatload of cash to invest in a property, keep your cards close, keep your trusted advisers closer and find somebody that can represent you to a level that you are 1,000% comfortable with. My name is Janine Sasso. I’m a local Chicagoland real estate agent, servicing Hoffman Estates, Barrington Schaumburg. And if you are looking for any more real estate advice, please reach out to me and my team. We’d love to help you and make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel. Ring that bell and I’ll see you in the next video.

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Refinancing to a 15 year mortgage is not right for everybody. Stay with me through the end of this video. And you will know if refinancing into a shorter term loan is right for you. And I’ll make sure you have my checklist at the end as well. I am Janine Sasso, local real estate agent in Schaumburg Hoffman Estates and Barrington Servicing the northwest suburbs of Chicago. So you’ve been in your home for a while and are wondering if you should refinance short or long term. Might be able to let you pay off your home faster. But there’s got to be a drawback right now. Let’s look into it today. Refinancing into a shorter term will most likely increase your payment under normal interest circumstances. So we are saying the interest rate remains the same, but your loan term is actually getting shorter. Most likely your payment will be going up.

This is something to keep in mind if you are already on a tight budget. So how will you know if it makes sense? If you do decide to refinance. Make sure you are comparing a few lenders for the best possible rate and term. Here’s another fact a refinance might be right. If you’re looking to be facing some tough decisions that are coming towards you in the near future. We’re talking maybe job loss income that becomes decreased or if you have to cover financial emergencies when you are considering to refinance. Consider how this new monthly mortgage payment will be impacting your overall budget of debt repayment, utilities, general cost of living, emergency repairs, and adding to your investment and retirement savings as compared to your current mortgage payment.

You can pay off your mortgage faster by simply making an additional mortgage payment. Periodically, the catch your interest rate will remain higher on the longer term loan than if you were to refinance to the shorter one. Financing to a shorter term loan can actually tie up some of your cash that could be used differently. So instead of refinancing, maybe consider bumping up your padding on your for one case, your retirement savings or even your investments. This money might be working for you a little bit better than tying it up into your home. But wait, there’s more. It’s strategic about your refinancing goals. Really make sure you evaluate the long term, the short term, the goals that you have and the planning that gets into it.

Not everybody will have the same answer after looking at all those things we just covered in this video. I hope you found this helpful. And make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel. Ring that bell. My name is Janine Sasso. I’m your local Schaumburg Hoffman Estates, Barrington and surrounding suburbs realtor right here in the Chicagoland area. And I cannot wait to see you in the next video.

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Does anxiety keep you from purchasing a home? Let’s get into that. And I’m sure I can help you. With me for the next 1 to 2 minutes, and I will show you how to get your anxiety under control when it comes time to purchase a home and become a homeowner the smart way. Hi, I’m Janine Sasso, local real estate agent right here in Schomberg Hoffman Estates, Palatine Barrington and the surrounding suburbs of Chicago. Rents are rising and many people are remaining renters. And the current situation? Why is that? A majority of current renters still have vivid memories about the market crash, and they saw friends and family members lose their home, which was devastating and emotionally draining. Now there’s anxiety in play. What do we do about it? A recent study found that home owners are financially more prepared than renters in the event of a recession, when anxiety about the home purchase process starts to creep in. It is very important to remember your why and why it is important for you to make that decision.

Do not focus on the what if scenarios. There’s way too many out there and they are distracting you from the ultimate goal. Controlling your mind and approaching the matter objectively can be very successful. When it comes time to look into purchasing a home and controlling the anxiety. You can reduce your anxiety of purchasing a home by using a reputable lender. Because let’s be honest, if you have to worry about the fact will actually get the loan, then this is a worry that you don’t need. A reputable lender needs to be able to show you that they know what they’re doing, they know why they’re doing it. And most of all, they need to have the skill set that they have to show you that they can do it. They can be your rock. So once that part of the part of the puzzle is taken care of, you do not have to worry about it and you breathe a little bit easier.

Anxiety is no joke when it comes to the home purchase process, and it’s important you remind yourself that you are in control. Remind yourself of the why you are doing it. Why are you purchasing a home? Compare it to why will you be financially better off then continuing to rent. Do not travel down the rabbit hole of what if scenarios and most of all make sure you have a team of trusted advisers on your side that will help you navigate this big purchase in your life. And Janine Sasso, local real estate professional in Schomberg Hoffman Estates, Burlington and the surrounding suburbs. And this is exactly what me and my team are doing when it comes to the purchase and selling process. We’re there every step of the way. We make sure that every stone that needs turning is unturned to make sure that you sleep at night without the worry because you have a team standing right next to you to make sure will go all the way to closing without any hiccup.

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