Marge Paul can sit on the front porch of her Berwyn home, look at the crisscrossing, bungalow-lined streets to the north and south, and smile about something many don't realize.
Board volunteers try to keep out new members Q. I live in a 50-unit building in Chicago. There are only two volunteers on the board who have never been formally elected. A third owner has now volunteered to serve as a director.
FHA shifting gears on reverse mortgages The Federal Housing Administration isn't talking publicly about it, but the agency may be getting ready to lessen the upfront costs of reverse mortgages for some borrowers.
The good, the bad and the ugly in rental season There's less than a month to go before Chicago's traditional moving madness day, Oct. 1. Aside from thinking about where they're going to get that rental truck on the same day that half the metropolitan area also is trying to move, here are a few other considerations for renters:
Association survey shows upbeat mood Most folks are pretty happy with their community associations, according to a recent national survey from the Community Associations Institute.
TV anchor's condo under contract Marion Brooks, WMAQ-Ch. 5 weekday afternoon anchor and 10 p.m. news reporter, lives in the West Loop but would like to reside closer to her NBC Tower office in Streeterville.
Merit Homes cuts prices on Libertyville homes Merit Homes has lowered pricing on two- to three-bedroom ranch and two-story homes at The Enclave at The Reserve at the Merit Club in Libertyville.
Manny and Luz Aguirre, who have been married for about a year, were casually beginning their new-home search late last summer when a co-worker pointed Luz in the direction of Lexington Square in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. The couple called the community that same day, visited at 2 p.m. and by the end of the day had put a deposit down on a new home.
Extra room for rent raises questions on fair housing laws Q: I own my home and have been recently widowed. I would like to rent an extra bedroom to a roomer, who will share the kitchen, living room and other common areas of the house. I want to make sure that when I advertise and interview applicants, I don't set myself up for a fair housing claim. Do those rules apply to me?
