Bill Bein's (wbein) Blog

2.  What are common investment options to consider, if I DO have a lot of capital? a)    3-4 Flats rented commercially (not Section 8). Expect to have to put 20% down and even then, in most areas, you won’t get much pre-tax cash flow. b)    Commercial property (5 units +). Expect to put 25-30% do...

1.  Why should I move from just stocks to having investment property? a)     You can buy property with anywhere from 0% to 30% down—whereas with other investments you typically must invest the full purchase price. b)    Investment properties tend to offer good CASH FLOW only if you put a lot down...

As much as we love our Magic Map search talked about in the previous post, we must tell you that NO online search system currently available to the general public, including ours, provides the kind of detailed information available through the advanced connectMLS system that we can set up for you...

On the Property Search page of each of our websites we offer an ONLINE Property Search with 'Magic Map'. When you move your cursor over the houses, you'll see a description appear—and when you click on a listing, a more detailed listing sheet will open up!!! And that is why we call it the 'magic ...

Many people know that owning a 2- to 4-Flat can be a very good thing, but may not know the ’rules of the game,’ like the THREE ways to judge any investment property purchase.  1.  Pre-Tax Cash Flow is never large on a 2-4-flat unless you put a lot down. But, if you are going owner-occupied, we pr...

We think there are FOUR “Laws” of Real Estate that, if you have been looking for property for any length of time, your own experience probably confirms. Law 1 of Real Estate: Big and cheap NEVER equals wonderful. Many people, when they first start picking property to see, focus on properties that...

My 10+ Customer Service Commitment   When clients choose me as the REALTOR® to exclusively represent them in the purchase of their new home, I take that responsibility seriously. In fact, here is the promise I make: •1.     Provide you with 10+ customer service during the entire buying process. •...

Englewood (census tract ) traditionally has the most two to four flat building sales in the city of Chicago.  Originally, the land was swampy prairie occupied by the Mascouten Indians. As Chicago grew, it became a center for railroads. When the Great Chicago Fire destroyed a large portion of Chic...

Economic and Real Estate Trends. We are also pleased to provide a link to what we think is the best regularly updated assessment of risk that we have seen, a quarterly report from the people who issue PMI. We think you will want to study the whole report--and quarterly keep coming back to check f...

Are you interested in learning more about a particular neighborhood of the city? Two websites we think you ought to check out in particular are Wikipedia and a lesser known one called "Center Stage Chicago." •·       Here is the link to Wikipedia profiles of each area of Chicago: http://en.wikipe...