JULY 4, 2016This Independence Day, as we celebrate our nation's freedom, we honor the courageous men and women dedicated to preserving it. Please join us in saluting those who stand in service to America! Thank you.Please call 630-881-8655 or email william@thedrmc.com if you have friends or family with Real Estate or Mortgage needs.  07/03/2016

Understanding the DATES on a Credit Report Most credit reports have three major dates listed on any one trade-line. If you are seeing a lot of other dates listed, especially older ones, that’s called bad news as they are probably dates indicating when the client was last late with the creditor (these should be sent to us ASAP). However, today we are talking about the Open Date, Activity Date and Reporting Date and what they all mean when it comes down to credit. The Open Date is definitely the least important, and has the primary focus of calculating the length of credit history on the particular trade-line. Length of Credit History is 15% of your score which focuses on your current and active trade-lines. The Activity Date is very important and will tell you when that account will fall... 02/02/2016

Budgeting for Home Ownership Here's what to make room for in your homeowner's budget. Monthly Expenses Principal and interest payment on your mortgage Real estate taxes Homeowners Insurance--ask insurance agent for an estimate Heat--check owner's current bills Electricity--ditto Optional costs: water, sewer, trash collection, homeowners association dues Repairs Go to your home inspection, ask questions, and hold on to the report. Some repairs may be done by the seller. But some things may be future concerns, like a roof, furnace, or water heater. Inspectors can tell you when major components may need replacing. A furnace can last 12 to 15 years, a water heater, 10 to 12 years. Address all problems when they come up. A loose bathroom tile can be fixed for a few dollars. Ignore it and yo... 01/29/2016

Thank you all for your continued support and referrals. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your families. Let's make 2016 an even better year!!  12/24/2015

    20 Best Cities to Trick or Treat We are #6 It’s our favorite time of year again —Halloween! Bring on the haunted houses, creepy costumes and goodies galore. ... Halloween also means it’s time for Zillow’s annual roundup of the best cities in the U.S. to take your little creatures trick or treating. Zillow’s research team has been data crunching around the clock to nail down the winners, introducing a new and improved methodology that identified areas with the greatest share of population under the age of 15, and where homes are clos-est together. After all, trick or treating is way more fun with other kids and when you can get the most candy in the shortest amount of time. The results are in, and topping the list for the fifth year in a row is San Francisco. Other repeats include D... 10/29/2015

   Addicted To Technology? 5 Good Reasons To Take A Tech BreakThere’s a lot to love about technology. Our smartphones and laptops allow us to work remotely. The Internet enables us to track our investments and our fitness, catch up on favorite TV shows, play word games with friends or strangers and order groceries. But that same technology can also disconnect us from what’s most meaningful in our lives. That’s the direction Ginny Reyer was taking until her good friend and business partner called her out on her constant texting.It wasn’t an easy conversation.“When my business partner told me she thought I was too distracted, I got defensive. I thought, really … what is she talking about? How could she? How DARE she? I DEPEND on it to keep on top of things. And then I realized that, even ... 10/14/2015

  6 routes to finding endless blog post ideas Adding a blog to your website can boost your search engine ranking and attract visitors. Guest blogging and social posts can get you even more traffic, but you still need great topics to keep pulling in readers. How can you keep coming up with great blog post ideas? Here are six ways to go: Brainstorm once a month. Give yourself an hour every month when you turn off your phone, don’t check emails or social media, and don’t let anyone invade your space. Write down questions clients and prospects have asked. Think about topics you’ve seen in the news or on social media that relate to your business. Don’t make judgments. Jot down all the ideas you can think of. You’ll be surprised at how many are usable. Dig down. Go deeper than your customers’... 09/30/2015