Looking to Buy a Home in 2025? Here’s How Peoples Bank Can Help

Home Blog Looking to Buy a Home in 2025? Here’s How Peoples Bank Can Help

Posted On: February 24, 2025 by Peoples Bank of Kankakee County in: Home Mortgages

Looking to Buy a Home in 2025? Here’s How Peoples Bank Can Help You Make It Happen

As 2025 sets in, many people are setting their sights on achieving the dream of homeownership! Whether you're about to buy a home or planning to upgrade your current living situation, purchasing a home is an exciting milestone—but it requires careful preparation. Peoples Bank is here to support you every step of the way, offering personalized guidance, competitive mortgage options, and tools to make your journey to homeownership smooth and successful.

Why 2025 Could Be the Year to Buy A Home

The real estate market continues to evolve, and 2025 may bring favorable conditions for homebuyers. Mortgage rates remain competitive, and many areas are seeing an increase in inventory, providing more options for buyers. However, navigating the market can be challenging, especially with fluctuating rates and rising home prices. That’s why it’s essential to work with a trusted partner like Peoples Bank to ensure you’re financially prepared to make your move.

How to Prepare to Buy a Home in 2025

Assess Your Financial Readiness
Start by reviewing your financial health. Check your credit score, evaluate your savings, and determine how much you can afford for a down payment. Our mortgage loan officers are happy to walk you through this process. Peoples Bank also offers tools like our online financial calculators to help you estimate monthly payments and set realistic goals.
Save for a Down Payment
While some loan programs allow for low or no down payments, having savings set aside can improve your loan terms and reduce monthly payments. Open a dedicated savings account with Peoples Bank to build your home-buying fund.
Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage
Pre-approval is a critical step in the home-buying process. It shows sellers that you’re a serious buyer and helps you understand how much you can borrow. Peoples Bank’s mortgage experts can guide you through the pre-approval process, ensuring you’re ready to make an offer when you find your dream home.
Understand Your Loan Options
Every buyer’s situation is unique, which is why Peoples Bank offers a variety of mortgage solutions. From fixed-rate loans to adjustable-rate mortgages, we’ll help you find the option that fits your budget and long-term goals.
Plan for Additional Costs
Buying a home involves more than just the purchase price. Be prepared for closing costs, property taxes, insurance, and potential home maintenance expenses. Peoples Bank can help you create a comprehensive financial plan to cover these costs without stress.
Work with Trusted Professionals
From finding the right realtor to securing your mortgage, having experienced professionals on your side makes all the difference. Peoples Bank is committed to being your trusted financial partner throughout the process, providing expert advice and personalized support.

Why Choose Peoples Bank for Your Home Financing?

At Peoples Bank, we believe that buying a home should be an empowering experience, not a stressful one. Here’s how we can help:

Personalized Service: Our mortgage specialists take the time to understand your unique needs and goals.
Competitive Rates: We offer competitive mortgage rates and flexible terms to fit your budget.
Streamlined Process: Our team is here to make the mortgage process simple, from application to closing.
Local Expertise: With a deep understanding of our community, we’re here to provide tailored advice and solutions. For the life of your loan, we’re always a live phone call away.

Let’s Make 2025 Your Year for Homeownership

If buying a home is part of your 2025 goals, there’s no better time to start preparing. Peoples Bank is ready to guide you through the journey, offering the tools, resources, and expertise you need to succeed.

Visit us online or stop by your local branch to learn more about our mortgage solutions and how we can help you open the door to your new home.

An overdraft occurs when you do not have enough money in your account to cover a transaction, but we pay it anyway. We can cover your overdrafts in two different ways:

We have standard overdraft practices that are available after your account has been open for 30 days and as long as you maintain your account in good standing.
We also offer an overdraft protection plan, Overdraft Protection Sweep, a link to a savings account. It may be less expensive than our standard overdraft practices. To learn more, ask us about this plan.

This notice explains our standard overdraft practices.

What are the standard overdraft practices that come with my account?

After your account has been open for 30 days and as long as you maintain your account in good standing, we do authorize and pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions:

Checks and other transactions made using your checking account number
Automatic bill payments

We do not authorize and pay overdrafts for the following types of transactions unless you ask us to (see below):

ATM transactions
Everyday debit card transactions

We pay overdrafts at our discretion, which means we do not guarantee that we will always authorize and pay any type of transaction.

If we do not authorize and pay an overdraft, your transaction will be declined.

What fees will I be charged if Peoples Bank of Kankakee County pays my overdraft?

Under our standard overdraft practices:

We will charge you a fee of up to $30 each time we pay an overdraft.
The maximum daily overdraft fee per presentment or item paid using the Overdraft Reserve Program is $150.00 per day.
No per item handling fee will be charged on de minimis overdrafts. De minimis overdraft for this policy means transactions that overdraw your account by $30 or less.
There is an overdraft fee of $5 per day that will be charged beginning the 4th consecutive business day your account is overdrawn.

Nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees - if an item drafted by you (such as a check) or a transaction you set up (such as a preauthorized transfer) is presented for payment in an amount that is more than the amount of money in your account and we decide not to pay the item or transaction, you agree that we can charge you an NSF fee for returning the payment. Be aware that such an item or payment may be presented multiple times by the merchant or other payee until it is paid, and that we do not monitor or control the number of times a transaction is presented for payment. You agree that we may charge you an NSF fee each time a payment is presented if the amount of money in your account is not sufficient to cover the payment, regardless of the number of times the payment is presented.

PAYMENT ORDER OF ITEMS - The law permits us to pay items drawn on your account in any order (for purposes of this section "items" means checks, orders and electronic transactions). To assist you in handling your account with us, we are providing you with the following information regarding how we process those items. When processing checks and orders drawn on your account our policy is to pay lower numbered checks and orders in numerical sequence, but electronic transactions are paid first in the order received. The order in which items are paid is important if there is not enough money in your account to pay all of the items that are presented. There is no policy that is favorable in every instance. If the smallest items are paid first, you may have fewer NSF or overdraft fees, but the largest, and perhaps more important items (such as rent or mortgage payments) might not be paid. However, if the largest items are paid first, your most important items might be paid but it may increase the overdraft or NSF fees if funds are not available to pay all of the items. We think our policy attains a reasonable balance between minimizing additional costs to you and paying your more important items. We encourage you to make careful records and practice good account management. This will help you to avoid creating items without sufficient funds and incurring the resulting fees.

What if I want Peoples Bank of Kankakee County to authorize and pay overdrafts on my ATM and everyday debit card transactions?

If you also want us to authorize and pay overdrafts on ATM and everyday debit card transactions after your account has been open for 30 days, you may opt in.

You have an ongoing right to change this consent at any time. If your overdraft privilege has been revoked for any reason, the opt-in or opt-out selection may not apply. Please contact your nearest office for more information.

Alternate ways to Opt In/Out or make changes:

By Phone. Our Customer Care Representatives can be reached at 815-936-7600.
By Mail. Peoples Bank of Kankakee County, 333 E. Court Street, Kankakee, IL 60901
In Person. Please visit your local office and ask a representative to help you decide which plan is best for you.