931 W. Leland #406- Top Floor Corner Unit in Lovely Recently Rehabbed Condo Conversion in Uptown!

TOP FLOOR CORNER UNIT IN LOVELY RECENTLY REHABBED CONDO CONVERSION IN UPTOWN. MANY UPGRADES FEATURING: HARDWOOD FLOORS THRU-OUT, KITCHEN WITH BEAUTIFUL GRANITE COUNTER TOPS & STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES,... [Read more about this property]

1050 W. Dakin #2E- Rehabbed Two Bedroom/Two Bath in Great Wrigleyville Location!

Rehabbed Two bedroom/Two Bath in Great Wrigleyville Location! Large living room with separate area for a dining room table. Huge kitchen, hardwood floors, gas fireplace, balcony, and brand new front-loading... [Read more about this property]

444 W. Fullerton #1909- Former 3 Bedroom Converted to Large 2 Bedroom with more Living Space!

ULTIMATE LINCOLN PARK LIFESTYLE! AMAZING, UNOBSTRUCTED NORTHWEST VIEWS! FORMER 3 BEDROOM CONVERTED TO LARGE 2 BEDROOM WITH MORE LIVING SPACE! 2 FULL BATHS, OAK HARDWOOD FLOORS, WASHER & DRYER IN-UNIT... [Read more about this property]

4259 N. Ashland #1- Real Three Bedroom Condo in a Total Gut Rehab with a Great Location!

Real Three Bedroom Condo in a Total Gut Rehab with a Great Location!! Gourmet Kitchen with SS Appliances, 1 1/4″ granite, 42″ cabinets, and a huge breakfast bar. Exposed brick in living room.... [Read more about this property]

1528 W. Monroe #PH1- Top Floor,Luxury Penthouse with 2 elevators directly into your new home!

Top Floor,Luxury Penthouse with 2 elevators directly into your new home!! 16 ft ceilings w/ crown molding, Gourmet kitchen with Wolf stove, Subzero, wine fridge, & stone deck off the kitchen &... [Read more about this property]

1122 N. Dearborn #24J- Beautiful 3 bd/2.1 ba Corner Unit in Heart of Gold Coast!

Beautiful 3 bd/2.1 ba Crnr Unit in Heart of Gold Coast! This unit features: walnut hdwd flrs, bamboo window treatments, marble bathrms, & a kitchen w/ SS appliances, maple cabinets, & granite... [Read more about this property]

4028 N. St. Louis - Live in a Recently Rehabbed Single Family Home for the Price of a Condo!

Live in a Recently Rehabbed Single Family Home for the price of a Condo! This beautiful home features: A Gourmet kitchen with SS Appliances and Granite Countertops, WBFP, a Front Porch and a Large Back... [Read more about this property]

Foreclosures Per Capita | February 2010

According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, foreclosure filings topped 300,000 for the 12th straight month last month as 1 in every 418 U.S. homes received a foreclosure filing. It’s a small improvement from January and a just 6 percent increase over February 2009. On a per-capita basis, foreclosure density varied by state: Nevada : 1 foreclosure filing per 102 homes Florida : 1 foreclosure... [Read more]

Don’t Rush To Refinance That ARM — It May Be Adjusting To 3 Percent Or Lower

If your mortgage is set to adjust this year, the smart move may be to let it. Today’s conforming mortgages are adjusting lower than ever before — as low as 3 percent.  It may not be what you expected when you signed for your ARM several years ago. The reason why ARMs are adjusting lower is because of how they’re made. When conforming adjustable-rate mortgages adjust, they adjust... [Read more]

7 Weeks Remain To Find A Home, Claim Up To $8,000 In Tax Credits

In November, Congress extended and expanded the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit program to include a subset of “move-up” buyers — homeowners that have owned and lived in their home for 5 of the last 8 years. The credit ranges up to $8,000 per buyer. There’s now just 7 weeks left to take advantage. To be eligible, home buyers must be under contract for a new home no later... [Read more]

Geek Gifts : The 16-Piece iPhone Coaster Set

You could call it the Ultimate Geek Gift for an iPhone-toting friend — or even for yourself. It’s a set of 16 coasters made to look like iPhone application icons. Made by Brazilian firm Meninos, the coasters are constructed from sturdy, medium-density fiber plywood and are coated in vinyl.  They’re are roughly 3 1/2 inches square, washable, and feature non-skid, rubber bottoms. Many... [Read more]

Pending Home Sales Drag In January, But Should Rebound For Spring

Fewer homes went under contract in January as the housing market continues to limp through the winter months. According to the National Association of Realtors®, the Pending Home Sales Index fell to its lowest level in 3 quarters this January. By contrast, in October 2009, the index had touched a 3-year high. The Pending Home Sales Index measures the number of homes that have gone under contract... [Read more]

Tying Friday’s Jobs Report To Rising Mortgage Rates

Conforming and FHA mortgage rates in Illinois have improved over the last 10 days, but that could all change this Friday with the release of February’s Non-Farm Payrolls report. Non-Farm Payrolls is the official name of the government’s monthly jobs report and, given the fragile state of the U.S. economy, Wall Street will be watching it closely. Mortgage rates could spike come Friday morning. Jobs... [Read more]

How To Properly Screen A Prospective Tenant

According to the the National Association of Realtors®, “distressed homes” represented nearly 2 of every fifth home sold in January 2010.  Clearly, real estate investors in Park Ridge and around the country are taking advantage of good deals on cheap property.  But there’s risk involved. This NBC Today Show interview first ran in March 2009, featuring real estate... [Read more]

Existing Home Sales Drop Again In January But Stay On The Trendline

The winter months have not been kind to home sales. After plunging 17 percent in December, Existing Home Sales fell by an additional 7 percent in January, according to the National Association of Realtors®. An “existing home” is a home resold by a previous owner (i.e. not new construction). In looking at the annualized, adjusted Existing Home Sales data, we find: Sales volume is at... [Read more]

Cool Tools : Color This! Shows How Paints And Colors Will Make A Room Look Good

Visualizing a home in different colors can take a good eye and strong imagination — especially when you’re house-hunting and the home’s effects are of someone else. Yet, we wonder: What would the bedroom look like in blue? How would the kitchen look in yellow? What if the foyer wall was accented in red? At the Better Homes and Gardens website, you can answer those questions and... [Read more]

The Home Price Index Shows Some Regions Up, Some Regions Down

Earlier this week, the private-sector Case-Shiller Index showed home prices slightly lower between November and December.  Thursday, the public-sector Home Price Index showed the same. Publishing on a 2-month lag, the Federal Home Finance Agency said home prices fell by 1.6 percent nationally in December.  And that’s an average, of course.  Some regions performed well in December... [Read more]