Abe Loper's (chicagoabe) Blog

    As the buying season begins, I want to help some buyers understand the implications of the season.  For buyers that have been looking for 3-5 months and have found themselves negotiating their contracts AWAY from a sale, they should know that things are going to get worse.  There will soon be...

  First, let me say that as I've continued to take classes and learn about this industry, I've become more and more aware of the value of good credit.  I've also become more aware of the fact that NOBODY (even my instructors) have the system figured out.  None of the three Credit Reporting Bureau...

 The other day I was looking at a potential property and I thought to my self that if I wanted to buy it I would have to pick up my credit score a bit.  Most of us know what that's like.  We pile up debt fixing places or making payments between renters, etc.  So, I've got a couple of credit cards...

As I write this, I'm struck with an accute awareness of my audience.  I already know that most of you are reading this blog looking to prove, once and for all, that I am, in fact, nuts.  I'll concede that point streight away, so let there be no more discussion of my sanity.  Instead, let's turn o...

As I was reading a blog (on a different site) recently, I made a comment that we should all keep in mind.  Ryan Dehler wrote a wonderfully inquisitive blog that questioned why we even teach others to do what we do, as it, more or less, creates competition for us.  Colin wrote a thorough and well ...

Ok, everyone, I'm gonna let you in on an amazing secret I recently discovered.  It's more or less a loop hole in the way banks lend money.  I know it sounds like I'm giving out fairy dust here, but I swear this makes sense.  Here's how it works. If you currently have a HELOC (home equity line of ...

As many of you may have seen, there has been a rash of ads for 1% home loans lately.  I just checked out one site in particular.  It's what we call an Option Arm.  They've got a really bad reputation, but aren't all that bad.  It just depends on what sort of investor you are.  Here's the skinny.I...

Hey, I was recently leaving a comment on a user's blog and realized that the information could be good for everyone.  So here it is."I recommend you start an LLC for EACH of your investment properties.  For example, you would have one called "123 Main St. LLC".  And another called "8910 Washingto...

I'm gonna try to make this quick, as it seems that spending all day reading blogs might not be the best use of our collective time.  But, I think this is important to know.  Fellow investors, especially those of you who are "buy and hold" investors, let me give you a quick tip.  1) If you live in...

  HB4050 is the short term for House Bill 4050, which was passed this past year in Illinois. The long and the short of it is this. In order to cut down on predatory lending and foreclosures, the state house thought that it would be a good idea to locate the 10 most victimized zip codes in the sta...