Real Estate
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Home repair: Attic access panel was a big mistakeApr 10, 2011 12:00 am - Q. We own a 13-year-old Cape Cod-style home. About five years ago, we installed an access into the small bit of attic space above the upstairs hallway. When we made ...
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Law talk: Don’t let former landlord pocket your depositApr 10, 2011 12:00 am - Q. I moved out of my apartment about two months ago. I have asked my landlord for my $1,500 security deposit back but he refuses to answer my e-mails. I don’t know w...
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On homes and real estate: Would you buy a house with no bathtub?Apr 10, 2011 12:00 am - Recently, a reader asked if he replaced his bathtub with a walk-in shower, would that make his house harder to sell someday? I passed that on with the question: “Would y...
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Mortgage Professor: Three defects of mortgage privatizationApr 10, 2011 12:00 am - Editors note: This is the second column in a series on the Obama administration’s mortgage reform plan. the series appears Sundays in Homes Plus. Last week’s article des...
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Neighborhood profile: Canterbury Fields in Buffalo GroveApr 08, 2011 12:00 am - Until the 1950s, many dairy farms and cheese producers dotted the Buffalo Grove landscape. Then rising taxes and property values encouraged farmers to sell their land fo...
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About Real Estate: Homeowners may request tax extensionsApr 08, 2011 12:00 am - Most Americans who can’t file their federal income-tax return by the April deadline set by the Internal Revenue Service can get an automatic six-month extension. But bew...
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The nation’s housing: Proposed mortgage rules are stringentApr 08, 2011 12:00 am - WASHINGTON — You may have seen reports that the federal government is proposing new mortgage finance rules under which only home purchasers who can afford a minimum 20 p...
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Super Handyman: Get water ready for the summerApr 08, 2011 12:00 am - Spring has sprung, and let’s hope that’s all! But if you find you also have sprung a few leaks in garden hoses and sprinklers, pay attention. We’re fixin’ to tell you ho...
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Home inspector: Protecting a water heater in a garageApr 08, 2011 12:00 am - Q. We’re buying a new home with a water heater in the garage. It’s installed on a raised platform, as required by code, but our home inspector says it needs further ...
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Condo talk: Can you still by a condominium?Apr 08, 2011 12:00 am - In this stagnant real estate market with short sales, foreclosures, bankruptcies and defaults, it might be deemed a fool’s paradise. There are bargains galore for the wi...