Are you tired of throwing your money away on rent? Thinking of buying your first home?
Taking that first step toward home ownership is always the hardest one. But having a plan, a road map to follow, will make that first step much easier.
"Action without planning is the cause of all failure. Action with planning is the cause of all success." - Brian Tracy
Step 1 -
Here are some questions you might first ask yourself:
Can I afford it? The worst thing you can do is to get into a situation where you become house poor. Living a lifestyle with an affordable house payment gives you the freedom to enjoy your life and not worry about making your payment each month. Using a financial worksheet will help you determine how much you can comfortably afford to spend on a home.
Do I have enough money saved? There are costs involved when purchasing a home and knowing what those costs are will help when budgeting for a home purchase. Costs may include; loan application fee, inspection fee, closing costs and down payment. It's best to talk to a mortgage professional who will go over costs with you and will work out a plan that best fits your needs.
Do I have a stable work life? Lenders like to see employment stability. A steady income and a solid career record in the same field, will give lenders reassurance that you have the ability to meet your monthly obligations.
Answering these questions and knowing where you are financially will put you on the right road that will lead to a successful home purchase.
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email:mmastrolonardo@remax.net
Servicing the towns of: Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Warrenville, Wheaton, Woodridge or other surrounding areas.
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email:mmastrolonardo@remax.net
Servicing the towns of: Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Warrenville, Wheaton, Woodridge or other surrounding areas.
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email:mmastrolonardo@remax.net
Servicing the towns of: Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Warrenvinlle, Wheaton, Woodridge or other surrounding areas.
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email:mmastrolonardo@remax.net
Servicing the towns of: Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Warrenville, Wheaton, Woodridge or other surrounding areas.
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email:mmastrolonardo@remax.net
Servicing the towns of: Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Warrenville, Wheaton, Woodridge or other surrounding areas.
The Naperville Ribfest is how Naperville kicks-off the summer, the first of many summer festivities.
Here is a list of Fourth of July festivities that I found for Naperville and surrounding areas. As you can see some towns have their fireworks on July 3rd, not July 4th.
Festivals and Fireworks:
Lisle: Lisle Eyes to the Skies Hot Air Balloon Festival July 2-4
Naperville: The fireworks show is at 9:30 pm on July 4.
Warrenville: The celebration at Cerny Park runs from 5 to 10 pm, with fireworks at the end of the festivities on July 3.
Aurora: The fireworks at Aurora Central Catholic High School begin at 9:30 pm on July 4. There will be family activities for before the show.
Downers Grove: Independence Day Ceremony is at 9:30 at Downers Grove Museum. The parade kicks off at 12:30 pm in Main Street. Fireworks are a 9:00 pm at Lemont Road and 75th "Street in Downers Grove on July 4.
Glen Ellyn: The fun at Lake Ellyn Park begins at 1:30 with family fun, food, carnival and music by "1969." The fireworks begin at dusk on July 4.
North Aurora: The fireworks show is at dusk at Aurora Towne Center on July 4.
Wheaton: The 2009 parade is the conclusion of Wheaton's yearlong 150thanniversary celebration, themed "Celebrating Tomorrow." The parade begins at 10 am at Hawthorne and Main Street and travels south. The fireworks show begins at dusk at the DuPage County fairground on Manchester Road east of County Farm Road. The fairgrounds open at 6:30 pm. Arrive early as parking fills up quickly on July 4.
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email:mmastrolonardo@remax.net
Servicing the towns of: Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Warrenville, Wheaton, Woodridge or other surrounding areas.
Naperville home-buyers - this is a great post from Sheldon Neal of NJ, that shows proof regarding the $8000.00 tax credit. Now is the time to take advantage of this tax credit, this opportunity ends Dec 1st.
This is an actual check from one of my First Time Buyers who bought a home last month, and immediately filed his 2008 tax return - which he had already filed an extension for - and this week received the above check !
... before his home purchase, his return was going to give him a refund of approximately $4,000 !!!!... as you can see, he qualified for the tax credit, and received $8,000 additional dollars from the government for buying his home.
@@@ FOR FURTHER INFORMATION - BE SURE TO CONSULT YOUR ACCOUNTANT TO SEE IF YOU CAN RECEIVE THIS YOURSELF @@@
Per the IRS.gov website, you may qualify to receive this credit if you meet the following qualifications:
"... qualifying taxpayers who buy a home before Dec. 1, 2009, can claim the credit on either their 2008 or 2009 tax returns. They do not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their main home for 36 months after the purchase date. They can claim 10 percent of the purchase price up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately.
The amount of the credit begins to phase out for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is more than $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers.
For purposes of the credit, you are considered to be a first-time homebuyer if you, and your spouse if you are married, did not own any other main home during the three-year period ending on the date of purchase."
The credit itself:
Applies to purchases that close after April 8, 2008, and before Dec. 1, 2009.
Applies only to homes used as a taxpayer's principal residence.
Reduces a taxpayer's tax bill or increases his or her refund, dollar for dollar.
Is fully refundable, meaning the credit will be paid out to eligible taxpayers, even if they owe no tax or the credit is more than the tax owed.
So if you were considering buying a home this year - be sure to talk to your accountant as you may also qualify to get $8,000 extra dollars for buying your first home !
ALSO: Be sure to check out a post from respected Loan Officer Jeff Belonger explaining how you may be able to receive an 'up front loan' for this credit to use towards closing costs or additional downpayment over your mandatory 3.5% payment on your FHA loan !
@@@PLEASE NOTE: ALL INFORMATION ABOVE DEEMED RELIABLE PER THE IRS.GOV WEBSITE, HOWEVER IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY POINT ON ANY DAY ! - CONSULT YOUR TAX ACCOUNTANT BEFORE EXPECTING ANY PORTION OF THIS CREDIT.
@@@@ UPDATED: BELOW IS THE FORM NEEDED TO FILE FOR THIS CREDIT IF YOU QUALIFY - YOUR ACCOUNTANT SHOULD HAVE IT AND WALK YOU THOUGH IT ! GOOD LUCK !
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email:mmastrolonardo@remax.net
Servicing the towns of: Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Warrenvinlle, Wheaton, Woodridge or other surrounding areas.
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email:mmastrolonardo@remax.net
Servicing the towns of: Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Warrenvinlle, Wheaton, Woodridge or other surrounding areas.
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email:mmastrolonardo@remax.net
Servicing the towns of: Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Warrenvinlle, Wheaton, Woodridge or other surrounding areas.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
follow, will make that first step much easier. 
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email: 
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email: 
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email: 
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email: 
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email: 
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Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email: 
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email: 
Maria Mastrolonardo is a Realtor Associate with RE/MAX of Naperville and has been assisting home-buyers and home-sellers since 1997. Maria can be reached at (630) 248-6077 or email: 
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