The Dear Homebuyer
Your Why Shapes the Where.
The Dear Homebuyer starts with your why, because it shapes where you buy and how. I’m Joe Deardurff, a Chicago real estate broker with Keller Williams ONEChicago, and seven years of leasing and managing Chicago apartments taught me to read the building, not only the home.
Before You Make an Offer
The Building Behind Every Home.
Before I sold my first home, I spent seven years leasing and managing Chicago apartments. That is where I learned what a building asks of the people who live in it: the repairs coming, the rules, and the costs that are not in the listing.
So when you find a home you love, we look at the building too, before you make an offer. For a condo, that means the association’s numbers and its rules. For a house or a two-flat, it means the systems, the taxes and what the inspection should look at hardest. You should know what a home will cost you to own, not only to buy.
The Dear Home Approach
Five Steps to Your Front Door.
01
Start With Why
Why you are moving, what you are moving toward, and what a good outcome looks like for you.
02
Build the Strategy
The where and the how: the neighborhoods, the kind of home, the budget and the timing.
03
Prepare
Your pre-approval, the numbers on each building, and a plan for the offer before we need one.
04
Execute
The offer, the inspection, attorney review and the closing. Prepared, patient, decisive.
05
Keep Moving Forward
After the keys, still your first call.
Buyers I Have Represented
Two Buyers. Two Different Whys.
In Edgewater, a one-bedroom condo that was a first home. In Bucktown, a buyer relocating from Dallas who wanted city living with the privacy of a house, and found it in 4,000+ square feet with six bedrooms and four baths.
Different budgets, different neighborhoods, different reasons. The same first question for both: why are you moving?
“Joseph was with me every step of the way!”
Ivan V., Joliet
Questions Buyers Ask Me.
How much do I need for a down payment?
Less than most people think. An FHA loan can take 3.5% down with a credit score of 580 or higher, and some conventional loans take 3%.
In Illinois, the Illinois Housing Development Authority can help with the down payment and closing costs: from 4% of the price up to $6,000 that is forgiven over ten years, to 6% up to $15,000 for first-time buyers, with income and price limits. Those are its programs as of September 2026. Your lender confirms what fits you, and I will help you weigh it.
Do I need a lender before we start looking?
It helps to talk to one early. A pre-approval tells you what you can spend, and a seller takes your offer more seriously with one in hand. We can start with your why before that, though.
What should I check in a condo building before I make an offer?
The association’s budget and reserves, any special assessment coming, the last year of board minutes, and the rules on renting and pets. They tell you what the building will ask of you after you move in, so we read them before you write an offer, not after.
Should I buy a condo or a house in Chicago?
It depends on your why. A condo trades a yard and some privacy for less upkeep, with an association that shares the building’s costs. A house or a two-flat gives you more control, and more to take care of. I will show you what each would cost you to own, not only to buy.
Should I keep renting or buy?
That is the math I will do with you, both ways, with no push toward either answer. I spent seven years in Chicago leasing before I sold my first home, so I know what renting really costs too.
Find Where You Belong.
Understanding your why is how I help you find where you belong. Tell me what is changing, and we will start there.