Real Estate
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More homeowners updating to open floor plansFeb 18, 2011 11:00 pm - The days of bigger is better and supersizing — not only one’s french fries but also homes, turning them into McMansions — is not that far gone. Although waistlines may s...
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Adult communities make it easy for residents to keep busy lifestylesFeb 18, 2011 5:00 am - When someone is shopping for a place to spend their active retirement years, often the amenities become more important than the house, townhouse or condominium itself. O...
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Homebuyer tax credit changed between 2008 and 2009Feb 18, 2011 12:00 am - Q. Back in 2008, we received a first-time homebuyer credit of $7,500 on our income taxes. My husband says we need to repay that amount. I say it was a gift from the ...
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Technology keeping the active adult set fit and connectedFeb 17, 2011 11:00 pm - Technology is taking senior living communities like Wyndemere in Wheaton and The Garlands in Barrington by storm. Seniors, particularly those in assisted living communi...
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Repairs on a foreclosed homeFeb 17, 2011 12:00 am - Q. I purchased a foreclosed home from a bank about four months ago. Since moving in, I've found many defects that were never disclosed. For example, the foundation h...
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About real estate: Pet burial laws varyFeb 16, 2011 11:00 pm - Some cities and counties have ordinances that prohibit owners from burying a dearly departed pet in a home's back yard. Q. You have written a lot about issues regard...
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A lot of family history lives in Itasca’s Old Country Club subdivisionFeb 16, 2011 11:00 pm - Laurie Seames grew up in the house where she now lives with her husband, Mark, and two of their four children in the Old Country Club subdivision in Itasca. “I’m 58 year...
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Super Handyman: Disappearing stairway will give you access to atticFeb 16, 2011 11:00 pm - Attics are a great place to store off-season or rarely used items. Of course, you need a way to access the space. If you don't have one of the fold-up, or “disappearing,...
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Financing a fixer-upperFeb 11, 2011 11:00 pm - Larraine Corpuz is buying a home — something she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to do — thanks to a Federal Housing Administration loan program that has been around ...
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Silicone fails bathroom in multiple waysFeb 11, 2011 10:00 pm - Q. We have a shower stall, with ceramic tiles on the walls and floor, which was installed by the previous homeowner about seven years ago. Within a year of moving ...