Chicago Real Estate Investing Blog

By Mark Ainley

Be Sure To Pay Attention To Cook County Property Taxes.

On multiple occasions, throughout this podcast, we've said you have to watch out for your property taxes.In February each year, Cook County Treasurer releases the property tax rates to the public. These numbers are then used to determine your tax bill. But...

By Mark Ainley

VILLAGE INSPECTIONS - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Here’s an informative blog post from our residential property management company about how cities and local villages are playing a larger role in the investor’s life cycle around owned real estate. You will learn about Point of Sale Inspections, Annual Rental License ...

By Mark Ainley

The 5 Most Common Mistakes When Using the BRRRR Strategy

Imagine you are in a room at a real estate investor networking event. You hear someone say “BRRRR.” Chances are, they are not talking about the air conditioning, but rather discussing the popular investment method known as the BRRRR method.So what is the BRRRR st...

By Mark Ainley

Three Signs Of Progress In Your Community

When choosing a community for an investment, Ciere Boatright, Vice President of Real Estate and Inclusion at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNI), recommends looking for these signs.In this short clip from the episode, Ciere shares great tips and secrets ...

By Mark Ainley

How Accountants Contribute to Your Business

Tax preparation and tax planning are two valuable services offered by the best CPA (Certified Public Accountants)/EA (Enrolled Agents). In this article, I'll detail some ways a skilled accountant can help your business. Tax preparation is ensuring you and your rental bus...

By Mark Ainley

What is Debt Service Coverage Ratio?

What is Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) and as a Chicago real estate investor why should you care? DSCR is a measurement of your property’s net cash flow compared to your debt obligation. To calculate your DSCR you take your annual net operating income (NOI) and divide b...

By Mark Ainley

Multi-member LLCs for Taxes: The Inside Scoop

LLCs are often talked about in real estate circles. Everyone knows about the asset-protection benefits that LLCs provide. And, as it turns out, many people also don't realize that LLCs can save them a substantial amount of money on their taxes, too. In this article, I'll ...

By Mark Ainley

How Chicago Investors Benefit From the NSBC

By: Tom Shallcross, an interview with Nicky DeLeon and Jeff WeinbergI had the pleasure of sitting down with Nicky DeLeon and Jeff Weinberg who head-up the Northwest Side Building Coalition (NSBC). The NSBC is one of several great organizations within the Neighborhood Building Own...

By Mark Ainley

THE CLOSING STATEMENT: A TREASURE TROVE OF VALUABLE INFORMATION

When you close on a property, at the closing you'll receive the Closing Disclosure. This will show you, amongst other things, your principal and interest, mortgage insurance, escrow amounts, and cash to close. However, there's so much more information that becomes va...

By Mark Ainley

RETIREMENT ACCOUNT FOR THE SELF EMPLOYED

While it is increasingly more popular to become an entrepreneur, there also needs to be some consideration for setting yourself up for future growth. In traditional W-2 jobs, there are 401(k)’s that function as excellent retirement vehicles with some restrictions. When you&...

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