Home affordability is shrinking fast. Here’s what you should do to get ahead of the curve. Home affordability is shrinking rapidly, according to research by Arch Mortgage Insurance. In the first quarter, affordability (defined as the size of the monthly mortgage payment needed to buy a home) dropped by 5%. This was mainly due to the increase in mor…

The real estate market remains red-hot. In fact, Zillow estimates that homes sold more quickly in 2017 than ever before. And 2018 seems on-pace to beat 2017. However, one segment of the real estate market seems to be lagging. I’m talking about luxury homes. Prices in the top 5% of the real estate market increased just 5.1% in 2017, almost 2% lower …

Before hiring a real estate agent, you need to do some vetting. Here are the questions that we recommend you ask. Buying or selling a home is a major project. Having a trustworthy agent to guide you through that project can be an invaluable asset. But how can you vet potential real estate agents to see who would be a good fit for you? Here are thre…

If you’re buying a home with a mortgage, you absolutely need to get a pre-approval first. Here’s why. There's no doubt about it. It's a very competitive market today if you are looking to buy a home.Inventory is near record lows, and more and more homebuyers are entering the market. This means you need every advantage to grab that perfect home when…

Happy New Year! We hope 2018 is your best year yet. Happy New Year! We want to take a minute to thank our wonderful friends, clients, and family members who worked with us or helped us this past year. Thank you so much for your trust in us here at Diamond Residential Mortgage- Libertyville. Jan has been serving mortgage clients for over 20 years no…

The Fed’s announcement to cut back its balance sheet means the longer you wait to buy or sell a home, the harder it might be for you. The Federal Reserve just announced a move that will have a big impact on both home buyers and sellers. At the latest Fed meeting on September 20th, Fed Chair Janet Yellen announced that the Fed would start to cut bac…

Real estate investing is on the rise. Here are five different ways you can get involved. Investing in real estate is no longer restricted to the super wealthy. According to a recent survey, real estate investors now make up 15% of the population. That translates to almost 50 million individuals who invest in at least one property other than their p…

Home remodeling is as hot as it's ever been. Here are five projects that bring the best return on investment. Home remodeling is hotter than ever. According to researchers at Harvard University, remodeling investment is up 6% over last year and now makes up a $324 billion market. According to a survey of remodelers and real estate professionals, th…

The Fed’s recent rate hike shouldn’t have any significant impact on our market. In fact, it might actually stimulate it. On June 14th, the Federal Reserve increased its federal funds interest rate by 0.25%. They’re also widely expected to raise rates once or twice more over the course of 2017. What does this mean for the real estate market? While a…

Today I want to inform you about how Fannie Mae, the nation's largest underwriter of mortgages, recently introduced three new rules that will affect those with student debt. If you have a student loan or you are a cosigner on one, I have some good news for you. Fannie Mae, the nation's largest underwriter of mortgages, recently introduced three new…

Today, I want to share with you all the options you have for an affordable down payment as a homebuyer. What's the biggest obstacle to homeownership? According to a recent survey, "saving enough for a down payment" comes at the top of the list. A whopping 55% of prospective homebuyers cited this as their main stumbling block. And with the continuin…

I recently read some advice for self-confidence from a teenage girl's website, and I think it can actually be really helpful to you and your career. Try thinking about these scenarios in a different way to help yourself. Sometimes when we use our same introduction or phrasing over and over again, we can get a little bit stale. In turn, I think we c…

Are you curious why so many people choose us to help them buy and sell homes? Let Liz Cannon tell you. Here at Liberty Mortgage, we value our clients’ well-being above all else. As a testament to our dedication and the quality of service we provide, today we’ve brought in a former client of ours, Liz Cannon, to share her experience of working with …

I think Joe Maddon is not only a great baseball coach, but he also has some great philosophies on life I’d like to share with you. Today, I wanted to share with you an inspirational quote by Joe Maddon, the coach of the reigning World Series champion Chicago Cubs: “If I’m honest with you, you might not like me for a day or two, but if I lie to you,…