Michael has lived in Palatine for more than 20 years and knows the North and Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. He brings a unique mix of experience, enthusiasm and a strong desire to work on the cutting edge of technology. It is this passion that makes him a perfect fit for Silver Crown Real Estate’s vision of doing things better.

Silver Crown Real Estate prides itself on superior agents who work in Real Estate full time, believe that client service comes above our commissions, and who are committed to being trusted advisers versus pushy sales people. To find out more about what makes us different, check out our Why Silver Crown section.

If you think your skills and passions aligns with our vision, we are hiring. Click here for more information.

The first class attended this year was a free seminar put on by Move Inc. They had brought in Max Pigman and Chris Smith. The conversation was on QR codes, but it was a brief promo for Agent Reboot that got my attention. I attended Agent Reboot in Chicago on April 20, 2011 and you can read about it’s impact on this business here. Implementation is the key to success in anything, and, as that article explains, I implemented a number of the things I learned.

What has happened since that event has been nothing short of magical. I have made some great friends in this industry, people who I would have never met without that event. People like Chris Smith, Michael McClure, Matthew Shadbolt, Katie Lance, Susan Stynes, Matthew Coates, Debra Trappen, and the list goes on and on. Relationships mean everything, business is secondary, and I am truly thankful for people who will be life long friends thanks to a single event. I attended Inman Connect San Francisco and will be attending Inman Connect New York right after the new year. Again more great ideas and great people. We launched a new website and then another new website to better serve our customers. We refocused our company on helping renters. I am in the process of becoming the first Verified Professional Agent in the Chicago area! We interacted with 737 new customers to date and helped many find a great home! I am so thankful for those who put their trust in us to rent or buy, sell or invest. Without our clients we are nothing and we are well aware of it. We got the Naperville location off the ground and are in the process of adding 5 agents to our team! This has been the most fun I have ever had in my career.

So thank you to Inman Next and Agent Reboot! Thank you to Michael McClure of Verified Agent and Professional One! Thank you to our new staff! Most of all thank you to our Clients! You will never know how much you have meant to me or how much you have helped me. I am truly blessed!

Happy Holidays!

Jeff Kershner, Managing Broker

I am dedicating this article to our rental clients who are on the fence about whether or not this is the time to buy. This can be an extremely challenging subject, and I will do my best to offer guidelines to aid in this decision.

Before buying an home, work through the following questions to avoid a poor decision:

1. Are you planning on staying put for 5 years?

If you answer “no” to this question, I would highly recommend continuing to rent. While I do believe the market is stabilizing along a price bottom, I do not predict appreciation beyond a couple percent over the next 3 to 5 years. Your expense to sell your home will be around 6% of selling price, so you need at least that much appreciation before you break even. I just don’t see that happening over the few years. I predict that rents will continue to rise over the next 5 years. Remember to consider children and your spouse if you have them or are planning to have them.

Bottom line: If you are planning on staying for more than 5 years, I think it would be a good choice to buy if you meet the rest of the criteria.

2. Have you had stable employment for the last 3 years?

If you have changed jobs in the last three years, you want to seriously consider finding a rental. First of all, lenders are going to look for stable employment before they approve you for the loan. Secondly, there is nothing worse than buying a house and getting let go from your job. It will crush your credit if you just miss a few payments on your mortgage, not to mention the added stress.

Bottom line: Consider your future! If your employment prospect looks bright, then move forward with buying.

3. Can you get the same space for the same money?

A portion of your mortgage payment goes to paying down the purchase price of the home. This is money you will get back when you sell the house. If your TOTAL monthly payment, including property taxes, mortgage insurance AND association dues is equal to or less than your current rent, move forward with buying. The amount you are paying yourself in principal will cover costs of maintenance that you would not otherwise have in a rental. It is important to note, that we believe this should be based on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage! We would be happy to help you calculate this. Just let us know!

Bottom line: It is better to pay yourself. If the payments are equal or less than rent, purchase. If it is cheaper to rent, keep renting.

4. Do you have savings?

If the answer to this is no, you can stop reading. Just keep renting. There will be costs to buying. You will need at least some down payment, you will need some closing costs unless we get them from the seller, and things always come up. We recommend a minimum savings of 7% of the purchase price. This will allow you to put some money down, fund closing costs, and have a few thousand left over after you move.

Bottom line: It takes money and discipline to be a successful homeowner.

5. Do you have credit card debt?

If you do, pay it off before you consider buying. It will make getting a loan much easier and it will greatly improve your overall financial health, making it more likely that your house will work for you and not the other way around.

Bottom line: Credit card debt is your enemy. Pay off your past purchases before making new ones.

These five questions are just the beginning. Let us give you expert advice in working through the process of buying or renting a home. We want only your success and have the experience to look at your entire financial plan to make sure home ownership makes sense for you. We would much rather you not buy than make a decision that will haunt you moving forward. We help buyers and renters and would love your business!

Leave us a comment below if you have questions!

Jeffrey Kershner (@jeff_kershner) Is the Managing Broker and Principal leader of Silver Crown Real Estate. Jeff has a background in Architecture and Finance and uses this expertise to help people make wise real estate decisions. Jeff believes in doing real estate better and is involved at the national level for raising professionalism in real estate. For more click here. 

I frequently get asked by buyers “What is this Fannie Mae Homepath financing and does it make sense for me?”

First of all, this type of financing can only be used on Fannie Mae homes, which are homes taken back by the bank from the previous owner by foreclosure. Fannie Mae offers a special lending program which can benefit both investors and owner-occupants.

Here are the details of the program:

- no appraisal required – traditionally when you purchase a home using financing an appraisal (estimate of value) is required by the underwriter. If the home is not considered livable by the appraiser he may require those repairs to be done prior to closing. These repairs may include items like no dishwasher in the home, peeling paint, a cracked window, exposed wiring, or a green pool. By avoiding an appraisal you (or the seller) no longer have to deal with any of these items as a requirement to close. Very relevant to Homepath properties, the borrower may finance the funds needed for renovation of the property into the loan amount. However, this DOES require an appraisal.

- financing for condos becomes easier – many condo project requirements are waved. Currently most mortgage companies will not lend on condo projects that are not considered warrantable. The definition of warrantable varies by lender, but most of the time it refers to the percent of investor-owned units. If that number is too high the condo may be considered non-warrantable. This can apply for conventional as well as FHA financing.

- smaller down payment – 3% down for owner-occupied vs. traditional 3.5% and 10% down for investors/2nd home buyers vs. traditional 20%

- no mortgage insurance – this can save up to 1.5% of the loan amount which is usually tacked on top of the loan

- typically higher interest rates – because Homepath financing has more lax requirements and small down payment amounts the interest rates are traditionally higher

higher closing costs contribution from Fannie Mae – Homepath also allows higher seller contributions towards closing costs than most other loan programs. 6-9% is allowed on a primary home (typically 2% on investor purchase)

Is Homepath financing right for everyone? Of course not. But it can be an attractive option for a home in disrepair where the buyer doesn’t have much cash available. Homepath can be a great way to build equity quickly!

Matthew Coates is the premier Realtor® in the East Valley area of Phoenix and is the author of the Living Chandler blog. He works with both owner occupants and investors helping them reach their home ownership goals. For more information visit livingchandler.com

For more information on Homepath properties in the Chicago Suburbs, please contact Jeff Kershner (@jeff_kershner) today! 630-209-1343

I know this claim seems ridiculous. In Real Estate we get bombarded with get-rich-quick seminar invitations every single day; this article is NOT about one of those. This is my TRUE story on how Agent Reboot completely changed the focus of my business for the better and resulted in increasing my commission income significantly.

To tell you a little about myself, I come from an architecture background and have worked in development and construction for a number of years. I got my broker’s license six years ago to sell houses I was building and get a few bucks commission on my land purchases. Being a REALTOR® was never really a big focus of mine. I liked being a designer and builder; then that world abruptly stopped. I was doing small projects and odd jobs to pay the bills and living off of rental income and savings. I thought to myself, “I should really use this Real Estate license.” Knowing that the market was slow, I sought to differentiate myself from the competition. I was invited by Realtor.com to a free seminar on QR codes, and since I didn’t have anything else to do, I went. After lunch they offered a bonus session with Chris Smith (@chris_smth) the now Chief Evangelist with Inman News. At the end of Chris’s brief, but very informative talk, he mentioned Agent Reboot. I really enjoyed him, so I decided I would attend. Agent Reboot in Chicago was April 20, 2011, three months ago today.

At Agent Reboot I was blown away. I must have been the least tech savvy person in the room, but that was all about to change. I took tons of notes and decided to implement several things beginning the next day. Looking back, these were the take aways that had the biggest and most immediate impact on my business:

1. Twitter. While Twitter is not stressed at Agent Reboot, everyone was following the #agentrb hashtag, what ever a hashtag was. I wasn’t on Twitter and thought it to be really stupid, but if all these other technologically inclined agents were doing it, it must have value. I signed up in the auditorium on my iPhone and sent out my first tweet that went something like “I just signed up for twitter while sitting in #agentrb.” I got responses from some of the presenters and it was pretty cool that these rock stars of real estate were talking to me. Over the next couple of weeks I built up a following and followed some of the best minds in Real Estate. The conversations with these fantastic content creators have lead to increased business, great ideas and some good friends. They have caused me to branch out my investment portfolio to different areas of the country and have resulted in vast changes to my marketing strategy.

2. Blogging. A famous Chris Smith quote is “Stop not marketing.” He stressed at Agent Reboot that if you are not blogging you are not marketing. I decided to start my blog as a result of his advice and I have now been featured by other great real estate websites and have even been asked to give expert opinions to publications. Chris was right. I had not been marketing myself at all effectively and the blog has put me on the map.

3. WordPress. Part of starting a blog is picking a platform. I had no idea where to begin in my quest to start creating content. My website was old, outdated and had no blog functionality built in so I began trying to figure out how to attach a blog to my site. It wasn’t working. I looked back at my notes and referenced a session given by the guys at Coppyblogger Media and Nichole Nicolay (@nik_nik). I decided to purchase the AgentPress theme and build my WordPress site (barringtonRE.com). The site is fantastic and has brought my average visitors from five or six people a day to over one hundred per day! Nicole Nicolay, the co-founder of Agent Evolution and Agent Reboot master of ceremonies can help any agent get up on a great WordPress site.

4. Social Media. This is simply the new web. Everyone is on social media and I had a very weak presence. Admittedly, I have concentrated more on my personal Facebook page and Twitter than I have on building a business page, but it is on the list for later this year. Join the conversation, don’t broadcast.

5. Mobile and Video. Sellers and buyers want this. All of the Agent Reboot presenters stressed mobile search and adding video. I have a mobile site for my business and will be adding video later this year. I am a firm believer that production quality matters and I am just not set up to do good production yet.

6. iPad. Chris Smith titled his talk “I touched and iPad and I liked it.” I bought one this weekend and it has already revolutionized how I do business. I have my first listing presentation on it this coming Friday. Armed with an iPad, I can do business from anywhere and look really cool while I do.

There is so much more I could say about the value of Agent Reboot. I have gained at least 10 clients as a direct result of the information I implemented from Agent Reboot and hundreds of friends on Social Media. My commission income will be at least double last year because of this one conference. That is some good ROI and it has only been 3 months!

So will you take the next step in your Real Estate career and attend Agent Reboot? AgentReboot.com

Jeffrey Kershner (@jeff_kershner) is the Managing Broker of Silver Crown Real Estate. He has a background in architecture and draws upon that experience in developing and brokering homes and investment real estate in the Barrington area. Jeff has been a leader in design, development and real estate for over 10 years and manages a $1.6 million real estate portfolio.

I offer professional property management to my clients in Illinois, but for my pending acquisition in Arizona, I am hiring a local property manager to take charge of the home for me. That demonstrates how important I believe this subject is for real estate investors. Here are some of the reasons I am so passionate about hiring a professional to manage my investment real estate:

1. Tenant Screening.

A professional property manager will screen your tenants for you. This is an absolutely critical step in the process, as bad tenants can cost thousands of dollars very quickly. Eviction in many areas of the country is very expensive and difficult, not to mention the damage a dishonest tenant can do to the property itself. Professional property managers run credit and background investigations on potential tenants, confirm their work history, salary, and check with prior landlords to identify potential problems before they become your issue.

2. Preparing Lease Documents.

Professional property managers have preprinted lease forms that are customizable for your property and lease terms. This saves considerable money on attorneys’ fees since the bulk of the legal language is preexisting. These leases often have been put together by numerous local attorneys and are “trial tested” meaning they have survived intense legal scrutiny giving you the most affordable option for an enforceable lease.

3. Move-in and Move-out Inspections and Security Deposits.

A huge benefit of professional property management is that the manager will walk the home with your tenant upon move in and note the condition of the property, and again on move out noting any changes in the condition. Having the tenant sign off on the state of the property upon move in greatly reduces the angst of the security deposit return at the end of the lease. The property manager will also hold the deposit, properly adjust it at move out and return the balance to the tenant within the timeframe demanded by law saving you from potentially costly dispute resolution.

4. Makes the property more attractive to tenants.

Landlords are not known for their attentiveness in our culture, so having a manager that can be reached by the tenant in case of emergency, or if something needs repair, puts them at ease and makes your property more attractive than one that does not have professional management.

5. Careful financial reporting.

Professional property managers are meticulous in recording your rental income and property expenses making your life much easier at tax time. Since your properties are managed in a separate trust account, you will have detailed reporting of all the income and expenses monthly. This allows you to stay on top of your investment returns and identify areas that you may be able to tighten up operating expenses to maximize profit.

6. Routine and Emergency maintenance.

Your professional property manager will periodically inspect the property condition and make sure it is kept up. Nothing is more detrimental to investment returns than a deteriorating asset. Professional managers will make sure your property maintains its value by keeping up the condition through maintenance and by making sure your tenant is doing what the lease expects them to do. Your professional manager will also answer the middle of the night phone calls from your tenants and make sure an emergency repair is made limiting damage to the property.

7. Rent collection

Your professional manager will make sure the rent is on time and if a tenant falls behind, will quickly act to collect the past due amounts. This alone is worth the reasonable fee for property management. You can take vacation or concentrate on your day job while someone else worries about enforcing the lease.

As you can see, professional property managers offer a considerable service for a very reasonable cost. They can help protect your investment returns and the value of your property. Managers take every precaution available to make sure your tenant relationships will be successful and grow your wealth!

Jeffrey Kershner (@jeff_kershner) is the Managing Broker of Silver Crown Real Estate. He has a background in architecture and draws upon that experience in developing and brokering homes and investment real estate in the Barrington area. Jeff has been a leader in design, development and real estate for over 10 years and manages a $1.6 million real estate portfolio.

For those who are not familiar, the QRM is being defined under the Dodd-Frank “Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010″ passed last summer, which requires banks retain a 5% stake in loans they write when they are sold on the secondary market unless the loan meets the requirements of the QRM or is otherwise exempt. The idea is banks will take less risk should they be required to hold a portion of the paper in house thus preventing the willy nilly lending that caused the rise and fall of the housing market over the last decade. Banks will incur more cost on non-QRM loans making borrowing more expensive to those who do not meet the potentially strict guidelines. Some analysts are predicting a 3% rate increase for any non-QRM loans.

Of all of the potential rules of the QRM, the one that is getting the most press is a proposal seeking a 20% down payment requirement, and although it is almost certainly going to be reduced, any tightening on mortgage lending will push buyers out of the market.

As I mentioned above, I am conflicted on this topic so I will be addressing each issue from both an investor client perspective and a potential homeowner’s perspective.

1. The affect of a 20% down payment on the rate of home-ownership

Obviously if a mortgage rate is going to be 7% or more if a borrower does not have 20% to put down, new buyers are not going to be able to enter the market. To have the required $40,000 down payment on a $200,000 house, it would take the median income earner in Illinois 9.24 years in savings if they set aside a full 10% of their after tax income. This raises the barrier to entry significantly and will result in a delay in home ownership for many younger buyers and be detrimental to the middle class.

For investors, this results in a much larger qualified renter base, as many would-be buyers who are fully employed and have good credit, simply wouldn’t have the cash to buy. There is also great opportunity for rent-to-own and seller financing under this scenario.

2. The affect of a down payment requirement on the rate of home sales

Even a 10% down payment requirement will impact first time and younger buyers the most. This will reduce the number of potential purchasers on entry level homes thereby keeping downward pressure on home prices at the low end. This hampers existing homeowners wanting to move up and could bring a virtual halt to the entire Real Estate market.

For investors, this results in substantial inventory of potential rental units at a great price. With less competition on the entry level homes that typically result in the best rental returns, pricing will remain depressed allowing investors to increase their number of units, and increase their wealth.

3. The affect of stricter lending on rental rates

Rental rates are going up if any further restriction on home lending is imposed. There are already tight supplies of rental units in most markets and with the increased length of time needed to save, renters will be staying longer. This will constrain supply of available rental units even more, and when supply lacks demand, price increases. For would-be buyers, increasing rents will make it harder to save any required down payment thereby increasing even more the length of time they will be required to rent..

For Investors, increasing rent means increasing return on investment. No investment is more attractive to me in this climate.

As you can see, the Qualified Residential Mortgage, while detrimental to a large number of potential home owners, would be a win fall for Real Estate Investors. My advice is this: If you are thinking about buying a home, act now before these rules potentially drive up loan costs, and if you are an investor, or want to be, pay close attention to this issue because many will be forced to delay home ownership as a result of ANY further restriction on mortgage lending. The QRM standards are still fluid, but it is looking very likely that stricter lending standards and more expensive home loans are around the corner.

Silver Crown Real Estate specialized in investment and owner occupied real estate in Barrington, IL and the surrounding communities. Let us show you how to win in residential property.

Jeffrey Kershner (@jeff_kershner) is the Managing Broker of Silver Crown Real Estate. He has a background in architecture and draws upon that experience in developing and brokering homes and investment real estate in the Barrington area. Jeff has been a leader in design, development and real estate for over 10 years and manages a $1.6 million real estate portfolio.

1. Choose an area expert to help you!

Thankfully I had that one down. Matthew really knows his area and the surrounding communities and we were able to quickly view nearly 30 properties narrowing the field down to just four in one day. He also had great contacts for property management  which has aided the research.

2. Make sure you can get the information you need when you need it.

This one I did not do right. It hurt the efficiency of my trip and is most likely why I still don’t have a property under contract. I did not make sure the property manager would be available while I was there and I did not have figures for rental comparables and property management fees until right before I was supposed to leave. Had I properly confirmed the availability of this information, I could have retooled my search and went back at it on Saturday or Sunday. This would have greatly increased the chances that a purchase could be made as a result of this trip.

3. Plan a follow up search day.

The next time I do this it will be one day of viewing properties, one day of research followed by another day of viewing properties. Had I done this, I would be much more informed and comfortable than I am right now.

4. Check Multiple Sources for Rental Rates.

Bright and shiny homes that look really awesome to me don’t rent in Phoenix for anything near what they do in Chicago. I initially ran all of my numbers based on my own opinion of comparable rents which built up my excitement only to let me down in the end. I used Craig’s List and Realtor.com, but it still gave me falsely high hopes on the rental rates for the properties. This is why point number two in this is so important.

5. Learning an area takes time.

Even accompanied by a local and being advised by an expert, it still takes time to get your head around an area. I drove the properties multiple times to get a real feel of location. Google earth just doesn’t give you the true feel of how long it takes to get from point A to point B or what the surroundings really look like. Plan to drive to each property a couple or three times in order to solidify the location in your mind.

6. Take time for entertainment.

Checking out the value of a community is more than looking at the houses. Plan time for dining, exploring, sight seeing and shopping. Step into the lifestyle for a day or two. This will allow you to see the benefits that your renters will enjoy, and if there isn’t much to be excited about, your renters probably won’t pay very much.

7. Understand the employment picture.

The job centers in Phoenix are much different that in Chicago. In Chicago suburbs, I look to the proximity to the city as a critically important factor. In Phoenix, much of the employment and culture is not in the downtown, so proximity to other micro-economies and employment clusters is much more important.

8. Start at Home.

If this is your first step into Real Estate Investing, I say start local. You may hear stories of cities with easy return and great opportunities, but investing in Real Estate is not for everyone, and it is best that you get your feet wet in your own backyard. If you don’t develop a success track record locally, chances are this profession isn’t for you, and you don’t want to make a mistake thousands of miles away.

I’m sure I will end up with a rental unit or two in Phoenix, but as a first-time out of state purchaser, the trip was beneficial for far more than just that. I learned things that will make me far more effective and productive as a Realtor® working to increase the investment portfolio of my clients.

Silver Crown Real Estate are experts in residential rental investment real estate and would be happy to share our expertise with you in your investment property search. We have developed extensive financial modeling to help you identify profitable rental units. We offer full service Real Estate brokerage and property management for investor clients in Barrington, IL and the surrounding areas.

Jeffrey Kershner (@jeff_kershner) is the Managing Broker of Silver Crown Real Estate. He has a background in architecture and draws upon that experience in developing and brokering homes and investment real estate in the Barrington area. Jeff has been a leader in design, development and real estate for over 10 years and manages a $1.6 million real estate portfolio.

We have all seen the shows on TV. An ordinary person decides to buy a beat up house and renovate it to flip. They almost invariably take on the work themselves, often with little or no actual experience, but they somehow pull it off and sell the home for big profit. You are much more capable than the people on the show and you are right, there is money to be made in rehabbing and flipping homes.

With the help of my friends Matthew Coates (@realtormatthew), Sheri Moritz (@RealLifeSheri) and Lacey Fisher (@LaceyFisher), I want to warn you of some of the common pitfalls that we see as Real Estate Professionals with rehabbing.

1. Choosing the wrong Realtor®

This one comes from Sheri Moritz, and it the critical first step in being a successful Real Estate Investor. Not all Real Estate agents are qualified to give investment advice. While they may be great at finding you a place to live, many have very little experience with the process of rehabbing, costs of rehabbing, and overall return on investment calculations for investment property. When you are entering the arena of Real Estate investing, pick an expert who has a lot of experience doing this themselves or representing clients who do a lot of this work. The right agent has the knowledge to advise you on the entire flipping process.

2. Overpaying for the Property

It is really easy to fall in love with a deal. This was one of my repeated early mistakes in my Real Estate career and it cost me big time! As someone who worked for a large architectural firm, I would walk into a home, see the potential changes right away, think my ideas were going to sell the place no matter what, and I didn’t fight for a good price. A few deals into my faltering career a good friend and mentor told me “you make all of your money on the buy.” He was absolutely right! If you can buy the property right, it will be easy to get out of barring some huge mistake.

3. Cutting Corners

Lacey Fisher reminds us that buyers are smart. They notice when a rehabber cheats. Those of us who sell homes regularly see it all the time. We walk into a home and see fresh carpet and new tile while all the windows leak and the air conditioner is 25 years old. The proverbial saying “you can’t put lipstick on a pig” is true! If a rehabber thinks they are going to cheat their way to wealth, they are wrong! Never cut corners even behind the walls. It doesn’t cost much more to do it right and doing it wrong can cost you everything.

4. Failure to Get a Permit

It is much easier to get a permit than pay what could amount to thousands of dollars in fines. These days with local governments cashed strapped, they have stepped up enforcement of their building ordinances and violations. Also, many lenders and appraisers will note new or rehabbed rooms and search with the municipality to see if a permit was issued. If not, your buyer’s financing could be in jeopardy.

5. Biting off more than you can chew

We have seen this one over and over again. A novice investor decides to do all the work themselves. Only the most experienced tradesman can pull this off, and even those that I know wouldn’t do everything. The two risks in doing the work yourself are that you will make mistakes, requiring you to buy duplicate materials and that it will take you much longer than you planned. After you take into account your hours and the extra carrying costs for not being completed on time, it is really easy to work for minimum wage as a rehabber. I advise only doing the things you can do at the same speed as a professional (i.e. demolition).

6. Underestimating the Costs

Sheri Moritz and Matthew Coates note that failure always occurs when you underestimate the costs. It is really easy to do this! Always, Always, Always have a contingency budget. I recommend 20% of your planned renovation cost. You will miss things and you will find things behind the walls you did not expect. It is just the nature of the business.

7. Pricing the Finished Home Wrong

Matthew correctly insists that the finished product needs to be priced right. Everyone falls in love with the work they have done; you will too! This is another reason it is so important to choose the right Realtor® for your Real Estate investing. An objective Real Estate Agent will tell you the market facts and the pricing to get your home sold quickly. When you overprice the home, interest costs, property taxes, utilities, and tied up equity eat away at a successful deal really quickly. Over pricing will also cost you other opportunities as you can’t use the funds tied up in this project toward your next one. A quick smaller profit is still a profit!

In short, call an expert if you are considering rehabbing and flipping or rehabbing and holding properties. We can help make your Barrington area Real Estate Investing a huge success!

Thanks to my colleagues and friends for contributing to this post. If you would like more information about some markets outside of suburban Chicago, they would be happy to help you:

Matthew Coates is an experienced Realtor® Chandler, AZ in the Phoenix metropolitain area. He is my adviser for investing in Phoenix. livingchandler.com

Sheri Moritz is an active investor, Realtor® and teacher to the Real Estate community. She has taught me so much and earned my deep respect. WakeHomeTeam.com

Lacey Fisher is a premier distressed property expert and Realtor® in Modesto, CA. LaceyFisher.com

Jeffrey Kershner (@jeff_kershner) is the Managing Broker of Silver Crown Real Estate. He has a background in architecture and draws upon that experience in developing and brokering homes and investment real estate in the Barrington area. Jeff has been a leader in design, development and real estate for over 10 years and manages a $1.6 million real estate portfolio.