Home and Garden
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Rent or buy? A question that never seems to go awayJul 09, 2016 7:00 am - Rent or buy? This question doesn't go away because it is confronted anew by every new cohort of households. The letters I receive on the topic, such as this one, haven't...
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Wallpapers can take you on a tripJul 09, 2016 7:00 am - Wallpaper goes in and out of fashion. Right now, it's enjoying an "in" moment. There are wildly creative designs coming out of studios all over the world. Some of the be...
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Despite low rates, market is tough on first-time buyersJul 09, 2016 6:01 am - Many prospective homebuyers are feeling frustrated. They love the super low interest rates of today's mortgages, but the rising prices and related qualification requirem...
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A vertical garden takes just inches of spaceJul 09, 2016 6:00 am - Are you a gardener who is short on space or time? Take your plants vertical. Ben Friton founded Can YA Love, a Washington, D.C.-based company that gives vertical-gardeni...
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Seller wants to pull listing after cousin expresses interestJul 09, 2016 5:00 am - Q. My wife and I are both in our 70s. We have arranged to move into senior housing, but now we have a problem. We put our home - where we have lived for almost 50 years ...
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Open meeting lawsJul 09, 2016 5:00 am - Q. As I understand it, the board of our condominium can ratify unanimous decisions at board meetings, after the decision is made and action has already been taken outsid...
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Don't be fooled by "greenwashing" of homesJul 08, 2016 5:00 am - WASHINGTON - The practice is called "greenwashing" and home shoppers need to be on guard: It means a house is being marketed as environmentally friendly and energy-savin...
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Finalists named in Des Plaines Curb Appeal contestJul 08, 2016 1:00 am - Voting is now open in Des Plaines Mayor Matt Bogusz's 3rd annual Curb Appeal Challenge, a home improvement competition. In the best curb appeal category, the finalists a...
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Waystations awaiting guest of honorJul 05, 2016 11:00 pm - Local monarch friendly gardens have been planted, pruned and prepared for the butterfly's annual arrival but they're being slow to show up this year. Waystation owners e...
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Garfield Farm Museum offers Prairie Walk SundayJul 05, 2016 11:00 pm - A prairie walk will be held at 9 a.m. Sunday, July 10, at Garfield Farm Museum in Campton Hills. Reservations are required for this two- to three-hour hour hike by calli...