Your mother died three weeks ago. You have the death certificate and the folder from the funeral home. You sat down at her bank to close out the checking account, and the teller said she needs to see ...
5 Title Problems That Can Kill a Closing in Illinois
For a real estate agent, a title problem is the deal-killer you do not see coming. The contract is signed, the closing is on the calendar, and then the title search comes back with something nobody kn...
Naming a Guardian for Minor Children in Illinois
Most parents of young children have not signed a will. The reason is not laziness. It is that the first real question a will asks is who raises your kids if you are not here, and that question is hard...
Can I Call the Police on a Squatter in Illinois? What Changed in 2026
You drive past a rental house you own in Mt. Vernon. The locks are different. Someone is living inside. They have no lease, you never rented to them, and when you call the police, the officer tells yo...
College Student Power of Attorney in Illinois at 18
You have been making decisions for this kid for eighteen years. You signed the sports physicals, you talked to the pediatrician, you saw the report cards. Then there is a birthday, and legally none of...
What Agents Should Tell Buyers About Owner’s Title Insurance
Sooner or later, every buyer asks some version of the same question: “The lender is already making me buy title insurance, so do I really need to pay for my own policy too?” How a real est...
Selling a House in Probate in Illinois: How It Works
Sometimes there is no shortcut. The house was owned by one person, in their name alone, and to sell it the estate has to go through probate. That is not the disaster most families fear. In Illinois, a...
Do You Need Probate to Sell an Inherited House in Illinois?
You inherited a house. Maybe it was a parent’s home, maybe a relative’s, and now you would like to sell it. The first question almost everyone asks is the same: do you have to go through p...
What Does a Title Company Do in Illinois?
If you are buying a home in Illinois for the first time, “title company” is one of those terms that shows up on every document without anyone stopping to explain it. You will pay a title c...
The Illinois Home Closing Process, Step by Step
The offer was accepted. Now what? Between a signed purchase contract and the day you get the keys, a real estate closing moves through a series of steps that most buyers and sellers never see up close...