Home and Garden
-
Are HECM reverse mortgages over-priced?Aug 29, 2015 12:00 am - HECM reverse mortgages are reputed to carry high upfront fees, which raises two questions addressed here. First, are seniors getting real value in exchange for the high ...
-
How to make moving easier on petsAug 27, 2015 11:00 pm - Q. A long time ago, you provided some advice for some homebuyers who were trying to make their move easier on their pets. I wish I had saved that column, because we're a...
-
FHA opens window to more borrowersAug 27, 2015 11:00 pm - WASHINGTON - If you've got a low FICO credit score but believe you can handle monthly mortgage payments instead of rent, here's some potentially good news: The governmen...
-
Becoming a home inspector without building experienceAug 27, 2015 11:00 pm - Q. I'm interested in becoming a home inspector. Unfortunately, I don't have any experience in real estate, construction, or engineering. I've worked in the high tech fie...
-
Summer tomatoes are tasty, but their cousins can be toxicAug 27, 2015 1:00 am - Some plants are tasty. Some are just pretty. Some are downright dangerous. One plant family that has them all is the tomato family. Its plants can feed you, heal you, k...
-
Learn about sedums, conifers at this year's Hosta Haven Saturday, Aug. 29Aug 25, 2015 11:00 pm - Rich's Foxwillow Pines Nursery Inc., a local nursery specializing in conifers and unusual and rare trees, will host an expanded "Hosta Haven" fundraiser and Bolivian Art...
-
Morton Arboretum's Plant Clinic fields questions about tree healthAug 25, 2015 1:00 am - A row of large sprawling trees that once formed a lush canopy over suburban streets lay stacked in manageable lengths along the curb waiting to be hauled away. It is a s...
-
Chicago Botanic Garden awaits bloom of stinky corpse flower
Aug 24, 2015 11:00 pm - GLENCOE - Visitors to the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe hope to witness a rare event this week: the foul-smelling blossoming of a rainforest plant known as the corps...
-
A designer gets a new lease on life without leaving her rentalAug 23, 2015 7:30 am - In late 2013, Kerra Michele Huerta's design business was taking off. Her budget decorating hacks, which she illustrated on her Apartment Envy blog using her own 560-squa...
-
Architectural interest is usually something to embraceAug 23, 2015 7:00 am - I love the funky and uneven features of an older home. Certainly there are many oddball qualities and conditions that might frustrate you as a renter or homeowner, but o...