by Lauren Jackson | Jun 24, 2018 | buying a home, Real Estate, real estate closing, selling a home, Uncategorized
When you are selling your home (or any type of property for that matter) sellers are always curious what their closing costs are going to run. Sometimes the costs can make the difference as to whether you get money back or have to bring money to the closing. A lot of...
by Lauren Jackson | Jun 6, 2018 | buying a home, Real Estate, selling a home, Survey
In the state of Illinois, if you own a single family home or a townhouse with its own lot number, and you are selling your property, your real estate contract will require you to provide a survey to your buyer dated within the last six months. If you have bought the...
by Lauren Jackson | Apr 17, 2018 | buying a home, Real Estate, real estate closing, Real Estate Inspection
If you are in the process of buying a home or piece of property, one thing I advise my clients to do as soon as the ink on the contract is dry is to set up an inspection of the property performed by a certified home inspector. A lot of individuals think they can have...
by Lauren Jackson | Apr 3, 2018 | buying a home, mortgage, Real Estate, real estate closing, selling a home
As a real estate attorney, I have seen every reason or excuse as to why a buyer can’t close on time and requests an extension of the closing date. The most common reason being that the buyer’s lender is not ready with the loan approval, due to a plethora of reasons,...
by Lauren Jackson | Mar 19, 2018 | Beneficiary, Estate Planning, executor, Probate
If you know that you are listed as a beneficiary in a will or trust estate plan, what rights do you have when the executor is not being forthcoming? If you are a beneficiary of a will only (not a trust), there should be a probate court case that is open in the county...
by Lauren Jackson | Feb 20, 2018 | Estate Planning, executor, Probate, Small estate
If your mom had a trust and the bank account was properly transferred to be owned by the trust, then the trust should be able to distribute it. The bank should not give you any problems. If the bank account was not owned by the trust, but the amount in the account...
by Lauren Jackson | Feb 7, 2018 | Attorney, Estate Planning, Lawyer, Probate
When you die will your family have an easy time dealing with all of your financial affairs? We understand that talking about your death or even planning for your death is hard to discuss. Below are a few helpful guidelines to remind you what you should review and...
by Lauren Jackson | Jan 23, 2018 | Estate Planning, Probate, Revocable living trust, Trustee
A question I often get asked when discussing the consequences of the death of a parent is: Am I responsible for my parents’ debt when they die? The quick answer to that question is…..no. Whether your parents have an estate plan or not, if they die with debt in THEIR...
by Lauren Jackson | Nov 21, 2017 | Attorney, buying a home, Contracts, Lawyer, Real Estate, real estate appraisal, real estate closing, selling a home
If your home has been on the market for some time (and you are using a realtor) you better make sure your realtor is working for you. Do you know the common ways that realtors and property owners use to market their property listings? Below is a short list that you...
by Lauren Jackson | Oct 9, 2017 | Attorney, Estate Planning, Lawyer
One question that should take top priority when interviewing a potential estate-planning attorney is: What is the amount of experience they have accumulated in the field? The reason this should take such precedence is not only because you want it done right from the...
