Articles filed under Real Estate

• These bars may grab your attention Jul 25, 2014 12:01 AM
  By Al and Kelly Carrell We’re all going to get older, and when we do, having grab bars in our homes surely will come in handy. They might even be helpful now if you have guests who have physical challenges. They are fairly inexpensive to add, and could even be a selling point if you decide to sell your home in the future.
  

   

• New roomies should sign a contract before moving in together Jul 25, 2014 12:01 AM
  By David Myers Whether buying a home with someone else or simply renting an apartment, it’s important to establish basic rules to help avoid a nasty court battle later.
  

   

• The buy-down is a creative way to reach a home sale Jul 25, 2014 12:01 AM
  By Ken Harney If I pay money to your lender to lower your mortgage rate — permanently — will you make me a better offer on my house?
  

   

• Inspection gives added protection to owners with builders’ warranty Jul 25, 2014 12:01 AM
  By Barry Stone Q. I’m buying a new home and was planning to hire a home inspector before closing escrow. Two of my friends in a similar community advised me to save my money because the builder provides a new home warranty.
  

   
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  Hanover Park adopts temporary ban on pawn shops, some lenders Jul 25, 2014 5:25 AM
  By Katlyn Smith Concerned by their growing numbers, Hanover Park officials have temporarily banned any new pawn shops, "cash for gold" and other lenders from opening up in town. There are 14 such businesses in town. “It has a little bit of a predatory feel to it,” Trustee Bill Cannon said in a phone interview. “When you have that kind of situation, it's even more important to make sure you're not oversaturating your community.”
  

   
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  Neighborhood spotlight shines on Chapel Hill Jul 25, 2014 12:01 AM
  By Sherry Giewald Chapel Hill, a Deer Park neighborhood built in late 1980s and early ’90s by Landmark Homes, features 52 luxury homes with 2,400 to 3,100 square feet and three-car garages.
  

   
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  Fashionable accessories the next frontier for outdoor living spaces Jul 25, 2014 6:00 AM
  By Dawn Klingensmith Outdoor living spaces are nothing new. But the idea of families or a solitary figure kicking back on a tufted sofa in the great outdoors, propped up against implausibly weatherproof bouclé throw pillows in the glow of a lamp with a fabric shade — that’s fairly new.
  

   
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  Designing a bathroom, or two, for marital bliss Jul 24, 2014 5:30 AM
  By Joseph Pubillones Next to sharing a bed, sharing a bathroom is the most intimate experience two people can have. Bathrooms host activities ranging from the physiological to those of personal hygiene. While many couples do not mind sharing space, others cannot abide by a “yours, mine, ours” space concept. Different organizational habits have a lot to do with disagreements about bathrooms between people who otherwise love each other.
  

   

• Another suburb returns to ComEd, drops alternative supplier Jul 24, 2014 6:48 AM
  By Katlyn Smith In a move reflecting the changing power market, ComEd will once again supply Hanover Park with electricity, a reversal expected to add an extra $12 to $17 on the average homeowner's monthly electric bill. As Addison, Antioch and Lombard have found, prices with an alternative provider would have been higher. “The tide is changing every year,” Hanover Park Trustee Bill Cannon said.
  

   
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  Popular craft beer bar coming to Rolling Meadows Jul 24, 2014 2:03 PM
  By Deborah Donovan Bigby's Pour House, a popular craft beer bar in Addison, will open a Rolling Meadows site next month where the Caribou Coffee used to be on Algonquin Road.
  

   
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  Barrington development on track, despite new criticism Jul 24, 2014 6:20 PM
  By Doug T. Graham The retail development at Hough and Main streets in downtown Barrington is moving ahead, despite a fresh outburst of criticism, village officials said this week. Raynette Boschell, who owns a building near Cook and Station streets, said it hurts enterprises like hers when the village helps another a competitor.
  

   
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  Menards gets final approval in Vernon Hills Jul 23, 2014 4:40 PM
  By Mick Zawislak After nine months of review and several changes, a proposed two-story Menards home improvement center at Milwaukee Avenue and Gregg's Parkway in Vernon Hills has received official approval from the village. The final change requires the store's facade to be biege rather than the corporate green.
  

   
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  Elgin assisted-living facilities break ground Jul 23, 2014 5:15 AM
  By Elena Ferrarin Two new nursing and rehab facilities are being built in Elgin and are expected to open sometime next year. Elgin Memory Care, a nursing and personal care facility at Shannon Parkway and Daisy Lane, should be completed by next summer; Addison Rehabilitation and Living Center, a skilled nursing facility at 1760 Capital Street, might be done by early next year. Both are on Elgin's west side.
  

   
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  Deal reached to save Town Center in Wheeling Jul 22, 2014 2:24 PM
  By Deborah Donovan An agreement announced Monday between Wheeling and four other governing bodies apparently will save the $150 million Town Center planned for the site that once held Wickes Furniture.
  

   

• Arlington Hts. will help pay for Goedke House updates Jul 21, 2014 6:21 PM
  By Melissa Silverberg Arlington Heights may be contributing up to $75,000 toward a remodeling project at the Albert Goedke Apartments, a building for low-income, elderly and disabled adults in the village. The village board voted to approve the financial support earlier this month, although the bulk of the nearly $6 million project will be paid for by the Housing Authority of Cook County.
  

   

• Aim to keep frost at bay when insulating basement walls Jul 20, 2014 12:01 AM
  By Henri de Marne Q. I have a concrete block foundation that ranges from fully exposed to totally below grade. The basement area is dry, and I intend to finish the space. What method of insulation would you recommend for the walls, and would you recommend a vapor barrier?
  

   
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  Renters living large in small apartments fuel building boom Jul 20, 2014 7:22 AM
  Bloomberg News Young professionals are paying top-market rents to live in new upscale apartment towers sprouting in downtowns across the country. They’re sacrificing living space for a prime urban location and extras such as cooking classes, dog-wash stations and poolside Wi-Fi. Developers, in the biggest U.S. apartment-construction boom in almost a decade, are shrinking the size of units so they can command luxury rates without narrowing the pool of potential tenants.
  

   
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  Small improvements to your outdoor space Jul 20, 2014 12:01 AM
  By Christine Brun Warm weather beckons that we spend more time outdoors. This is the time of year when you suddenly, and often desperately, notice you have inadequate accommodations in your yard, deck or balcony area.
  

   
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  It’s rather fashionable to hide things under the mattress Jul 20, 2014 12:01 AM
  By Megan Buerger Restoration Hardware’s catalogs might be getting bigger, but its furniture is shrinking. Among the many limitations of living in a smaller home or apartment is the lack of storage options. To accommodate, retailers are capitalizing on a piece previously relegated to children’s rooms and college dorms: the storage bed.
  

   
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  Landlord-friendly ways to unleash your imagination Jul 19, 2014 12:01 AM
  By Rose Bennet Gilbert Q. We are grad students renting a nondescript little house for a year. I’ve always loved decorating, but my artsy hands are tied. Maybe you have some suggestions that won’t compromise our security deposit?