Dee Savic Real Estate

Preparing Yourself to Buy a Home

A minimalist-style living room with a light-colored couch facing the television, two ottomans, and a coffee table.
Buying a first home is an important and gratifying milestone, opening up a world of new possibilities, choices, and considerations. Although it’s natural to be ruled by emotion when making such an exciting decision, let your more logical head prevail—and follow these tips as you explore the market.
 

Make a Practical Wish List

Everybody has an idea what they want in and from their first home. Don’t try to keep all of your dreams in your head—take the time to write down your wish list, and go one step further by separating it into “must have” and “nice to have” columns. When you look through a house for the first time, you might fall in love with its architecture, layout, or any other features, but if it lacks the things you’ve determined you need most, you should hesitate on making an offer.

Recent Blog Posts

Tree-lined residential street with brick homes in Bucktown, Chicago

Neighborhood Guides

Living in Bucktown Chicago: What Buyers Should Know in 2026

What homes sold for, the 606, the Blue Line, types of homes, and Bucktown vs. Wicker Park

Brick homes and condo buildings on a tree-lined street on Chicago's North Side

Buying

What $1 Million Really Buys on Chicago's North Side

Real 2026 sales in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, North Center, Roscoe Village, Lincoln Square, Irving Park, Edgewater, and Andersonville

Chicago skyline in winter seen from a North Side neighborhood

Buying

Buying a Chicago High-Rise Condo? What to Check Before You Fall for the View

Where the unit sits, elevators, pets, wind and sound, views, parking, and building rules

Chicago skyline seen from a North Side neighborhood

Buying

Is Chicago Right for You? 7 Things I Tell Every Buyer Before They Move Here

The real monthly cost, yards, winter, parking, competition, long-term value, and choosing the right neighborhood

Residential street in Chicago's 60613 zip code near Wrigley Field

Neighborhood Guides

60613 Explained: $270,000 Condos and $2 Million Houses in the Same Zip Code

The six parts of 60613, from the lakefront to Damen, and what homes sold for in each in 2026

Prairie-style historic homes on Hutchinson Street in Buena Park, Chicago

Neighborhood Guides

Living in Buena Park Chicago: $150,000 Studios and $2 Million Prairie Mansions in One Small Neighborhood

Where Buena Park is, what homes sold for in 2026, Hutchinson Street, the lakefront, schools, and safety

Tree-lined street of vintage greystone homes in fall on Chicago's North Side

Buying

Why October Is the Best Month to Buy a Home in Chicago

Five years of Chicago prices, where you can and cannot negotiate, and how to handle a 7.40% mortgage rate

Carved pumpkins on the front steps of a vintage two-flat on Chicago's North Side

Local Events

North Side Chicago Halloween Events 2026: Parades, Trick-or-Treating and Block Parties

Dates, times, and exact blocks for Halloween events in Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, North Center, Andersonville, and Edgewater

Wrigley Field and the surrounding Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago

Neighborhood News

Wrigley Is Getting a Bigger Parking Lot. What It Means If You Live Nearby

The Camry Lot expansion, the 2027 All-Star Game, parking rules, and what homes nearby sold for in 2026