Your Ultimate Guide to Buying a Home in Chicago

Are you interested in buying a home in the Chicagoland area? If so, this blog is for you! In it, we will cover everything you need to know about the process.  

We'll start by discussing loan programs and assistance programs available to Illinois home buyers. Then we'll move on to the actual buying process, from finding a lender to getting the keys to your new home. So whether you're just starting out or are ready to buy now, this blog has everything you need!

In this Home Buyer Guide, we will be suggesting a variety of different programs and resources. All the relevant links you'll need are provided in the description box below! Our primary focus will be the Chicagoland area, but the…

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Living In Clarendon Hills-[ 2022] Everything you need to know

If you close your eyes and imagine a utopian place to live, you might picture somewhere like Clarendon Hills, Illinois. Leafy green, outdoorsy, clean, safe, quiet, and friendly — this village is the Eden of suburban life. 

Clarendon Hills is often overshadowed by its big sister Hinsdale, just to the east, but they also have a lot of good things in common. Clarendon Hills contributed to and benefits from the superb school system and because of its size, it is a much tighter niche community. 

This cozy village is less than 2 miles square and only about 8,785 residents call this place home. Clarendon Hills is conveniently located between both major airports and is only 18…

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Best High Schools in Chicago Suburbs

Chicago is home to many world-renowned talents, including sportsmen, musicians, writers, journalists, and filmmakers – but they didn’t appear out of thin air. They each were nurtured and nudged towards success in one of Chicago’s many enriching schools, which has us wondering... Which schools are the best in the Chicago suburbs? 

Here we take a look at the brightest, brainiest, and most brilliant schools in the Chicago Suburbs. Qualities that earned institutions a place on our list include AP and honors classes, strong academic performance, athletics, excellent facilities, and, where possible, student diversity. We couldn’t cover every incredible school in the Chicago suburbs in detail, but if we could,…

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10 Simple Steps to Buying a House in Chicago

So you're thinking about buying a house in Chicago? The first step is to figure out if you are ready. There's plenty of information online about the step-by-step process, but this blog post will provide 10 steps that will help you from start to finish.

We'll cover everything from how much money for a down payment to finding the right realtor, getting home inspections and appraisals, and what to expect during the closing table!

Here are the Ten Steps to Buying A House in Chicago

  1. Are You Ready To Buy A house?
  2. How Much do you need for a down payment?
  3. Finding the right Real Estate Agent
  4. How much can you afford to buy?
  5. Determine your housing needs?
  6. Making…

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Best Chicago Suburbs For Young Families 

Something you might not know about us here at the Ralphie and Ryan Show is that we’re both family men. So, since we’ve done it ourselves, we thought it was about time we covered the best suburbs in Chicago for raising a young family. 

We asked ourselves – what mattered most to us when creating our ideal family life? We each had our unique boxes to tick, but what we had in common was good schools, nice parks, a sense of security and safety, and neighborliness. Aside from that, we had our differences about whether we were looking for proximity to the city, a downtown, and how affordable the suburb needed to be. That’s why you’ll find suburbs on this list that answers to all of those. 


Without…

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How Are Realtors Paid In Illinois?

How are Realtors Paid In Illinois? Real estate agents are paid on a commission basis, usually 5-6% of the property’s sale price, often split between the buyer’s agent and the listing broker.

A real estate agent in Illinois, is paid, depending on the home sale price. Most people are motivated to get a real estate license by the impressive amount of money they can make in the real estate sector. But, in reality, a Chicago real estate agent makes money by earning a commission or a sale percentage when they help an individual sell or purchase a property.

Check out this guide below to understand how Illinois real estate agents are paid.

How does a realtor get paid when buying a house in Illinois?…

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