Tax Credit! New Schlitz! Not Just for First-Time Home-Buyers!

Save Money! Never Lose Your Beer Again - with handy beer-markers just like mine! Although, if you had sampled enough of the devilish-good sangria in the background, you still might not find your Schlitz. I made this beer-marker, which also wraps nicely around any wine glass stem as well, using a very basic beading kit, wire, and cutters. It's a fun craft to do around the holidays. Make one for everyone!



But did you know that Schlitz has brought back its original recipe in bottles? You can find it at some bars like Simons in Andersonville, The Sidebar (Fitzgerald's) in Berwyn, and Cuneen's in West Rogers Park.

I'm sure you wanted to know about this tax credit and what all the hype is about. It looks like it will also be extended to current homeowners who have lived in their current residence for at least five consecutive years. The income limits are to be increased as well. Read all about it right here!

Proposed Tax Credit may be extended to ALL Buyers

I was out last weekend with a buyer in Brookfield, IL and the buyers were out in full force! It seems everyone is rushing to get something under contract in order to close in time for the November 30th first-time home-buyers tax credit deadline. Well, there is talk about that credit being extended well into next year and also being offered to ALL buyers with no income restrictions. With that being said, nothing has been changed so the best bet for now is to get out there and close by the end of November.



Check out this article with more details on the proposed changes.

Has One of Your Neighbors been a Victim of Predatory Lending?

Living in a single-income household as a real estate agent brings with it its own bag of worries. Who would pay the bills if I were in an accident and could no longer get out to work? Certainly not my two cats, Lucy and Laura (aka: Devils of Destruction; Demons in Disguise). Their main worries don't go beyond getting enough food and sleep in the sunshine. They have no concern for how the mortgage gets paid on our modest but comfortable condo in a vintage rehab. I've talked with them about becoming productive members of society. They could gather up shedded fur bunnies, knit scarves and sell them on e-bay. To no avail. They will have nothing of it.



But on a more serious note. I recently found out that one of my neighbors here in Evanston, IL was served with a complaint of foreclosure which is only the first step in the long foreclosure process. I reached out to them to see if there was anything at all that I could do and they told me that they were in fact victims of predatory lending. A shady Florida attorney offered to help these first-time home-buyers to refinance which led to a snowball effect of events. They lost much valuable time and now find themselves in the first stages of foreclosure.



To learn more about what is being done in the greater Chicago area to help others such as my neighbors, check out the full article in Chi-Town Daily News.