Real Estate
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Use imagination for foundation gardensOct 14, 2018 6:00 am - The garden in front of your home can be so much more than a row of evergreens covering the concrete foundation. Choose plants — evergreen and deciduous — that soften the...
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Condo board asked to deal with secondhand smokeOct 13, 2018 7:00 am - Q. I recall that you have addressed second hand tobacco smoke, but I can't recall your guidance. One of our residents works from his unit and chain smokes all day. His n...
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Escrow taxes and insurance or pay them yourself?Oct 13, 2018 6:00 am - Mortgage lenders generally require borrowers to include taxes and insurance premiums in their monthly mortgage payments. The additional payments are placed in escrow unt...
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Seller unlikely to owe taxes on profit from home saleOct 13, 2018 6:00 am - Q. Please explain the IRS requirements regarding one-time $250,000 tax exemption when the elderly sell their home. A. The regulations you're asking about have been chang...
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Blue Sky developers again pushing Des Plaines senior living projectOct 13, 2018 1:00 am - The developers behind a senior living community - twice rejected by Des Plaines aldermen amid outcry by its potential neighbors - are hoping the third time's a charm. Re...
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New options open for homeowners seeking a reverse mortgageOct 12, 2018 7:00 am - WASHINGTON - You've probably seen actor Tom Selleck suavely pitching federally insured reverse mortgages on TV and thought, hmm, that sounds interesting. He says you can...
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Need for multiple title policies confuses homeownerOct 12, 2018 6:00 am - Q. My wife and I are refinancing our mortgage. We were given a list of closing costs for the refinance. One of the costs is a "lender's title policy." I looked over our ...
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Patio settles and creates potential water issuesOct 12, 2018 6:00 am - Q. I completely enjoy your column and advice/direction. We moved into our new home seven years ago and thought we were so clever to have a patio poured before the grass ...
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Electrical safety for whirlpool bathtubsOct 12, 2018 6:00 am - Q. Please help me resolve a debate I'm having with a local home inspector. I have a small business installing bathtub whirlpool systems. For added safety, I use plastic ...
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Foundations going in, walls next for Woodman's Food Market in LakemoorOct 12, 2018 1:00 am - To drivers near the busy intersection of routes 12 and 120 in Lakemoor, workers in the distance look like ants, belying the enormity of the ongoing project. So far, much...