Team Hochberg Blog
Reverse Mortgages Explained
By Terry Savage on June 12, 2026 As Americans live longer and costs continue to rise, a growing number of seniors have decided to tap into the equity they’ve built up in their home, by using a Reverse Mortgage. A RM allows you to withdraw cash tax-free from your home equity – money that does…
Read MoreNavigating the Chicago Real Estate Maze: Insights from Home Sweet Home Chicago
Welcome to the latest installment of the Home Sweet Home Chicago blog. As a mortgage broker and host of a popular real estate radio show on WGN, I’m always eager to share insights and practical advice from our weekly broadcasts. Today’s blog post delves into the complex world of real estate, homeownership tips, and financial…
Read MoreNavigating Home Ownership and Financial Guidance: Insights from WGN’s Home Sweet Home Chicago
Welcome to another installment of insights from Home Sweet Home Chicago, your go-to radio show on WGN for all things related to home ownership, financial guidance, and real estate. As a mortgage broker and host, I aim to provide you with valuable advice and solutions to enhance your journey as a homeowner or potential buyer.…
Read MoreCredit Score to buy a house: Everything you need to know
I just read a great article by Jonathan Russell that details everything borrowers looking to purchase a new home or refinance their existing homes should read. There are many factors that go into determining a borrowers credit scores. These factors include but are not limited to; credit mix, payment history, credit utilization along with collections…
Read More72% of Buyers Who Failed to Find a Home in 2022 Will Resume Their Searches in 2023. Should You?
This was the headline of a recent article published on 11/25/22 by Maurie Backman and I would like to share some of the highlights of his article. This year’s housing market has been tough for buyers. If you dropped out of the market this year, you may be thinking about picking back up next year.…
Read MorePros and Cons of using 401K funds for a down payment
One of the largest barriers to purchasing a home is the down payment and funds to cover closing costs and prepaid interest, insurance and taxes. If you work for a company that offers a 401K that could be a viable option for borrowers to consider when purchasing a home, but there are pros and cons…
Read MoreBuying a home with debt and a large down payment vs. Buying a home with no debt and less of a down payment.
Below are the reasons it is always better to use your savings to payoff your debt and put less money down than it is to purchase a home with debt and having a large down payment. Paying off your credit cards will increase your credit scores and enable a borrower to secure a lower rate…
Read MoreDoes The Real Estate Market Stop During The Holidays Season?
One of the biggest myths regarding real estate is nothing happens between Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl, which is nonsense. Realtor Lauren Dayton of Jameson Sotheby, real estate attorney David Schlueter and I had a great conversation regarding this topic on my show, Home Sweet Home Chicago which I think you will find interesting. Please…
Read MoreCredit Enhancement and Protection Tips This Holiday Season
Credit card and identity theft increases during the holiday season, because more consumers are out shopping. I had Gary Novel, the foremost credit expert who has helped thousands of radio listeners and our borrowers enhance and protect their credit, on my show to discuss these topics. The tips Gary provides during the interview apply to…
Read MoreFire and Carbon Monoxide Safety this holiday/winter season
Temperatures have been dropping the past thirty days, which means most of our borrowers who live in Chicago and other cold weather states will be firing up their fire places. It also means that snow and ice storms might knock out power and that people will be using generators to heat their homes. I recently…
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