May 2009 - Posts
NOW, FHA BUYERS COULD TAP FUNDS EARLY, AND USE TOWARD CLOSING COSTS, PRE-PAID FEES, AND ADDITIONAL EQUITY! In late January, the Obama Administration introduced a special income tax incentive to spur first-time homebuyers to purchase their first home.
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It may not be summertime yet according to the calendar, but here in Chicago we make our own rules. That being said let the summertime neighborhood festivals, or "fests", with their food "feasts", and the City's "fireworks"
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THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG! Good Evening, You Dogs! Hope your humans have rubbed your bellies well today! A dog who writes blog posts? Before Yours Woofly started writing these
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IL JUNIOR SENATOR BLAMES LACK OF FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS IN BLAGOJEVICH IMPEACHMENT TRIAL FOR APPEARANCE OF LACK OF CANDOR! When questioned, any lawyer knows and advises his or her clients to answer questions posed by opposing counsel, but not to volunteer
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U.S. MOBILITY RATE DOWN 23% SINCE 2001! This U.S. Census Bureau Statistic should not surprise you, in today's weak economy - Between 2007 and 2008, only 12% of the American Population moved from one house to another. That figure represented the lowest
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NORWOOD PARK All over Chicagoland you can find farmer's markets. The Norwood Park Chamber of Commerce supports green living as well and has their own market every month. If you are looking for fresh fruits or veggies, you can find them at the Chamber
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Use beneficial insects instead of harmful pesticides in your garden. Lady bugs and praying mantis feed on aphids, corn borers, cabbage loopers, spider mites, thrips, scales and other small pests. These are definitely a majority of the insects that bother
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So on this great holiday where we honor the men and women who protect and keep our country safe, I found myself trying to locate some old friends. I guess nationalism brings out the sentimentality in me. Anyway, I went to my trusty advisor, TechCrunch
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IS BAN COMMON SENSE? OR AN UNNECESSARY INTRUSION ON PERSONAL LIBERTY? Last week in IL , our State Senate approved and sent to the IL House a bill to ban sending text messages or surfing the Internet while operating a motor vehicle. The legislation was
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Good Morning! We at Dean's Team Chicago wish you an enjoyable - yet reverent - Memorial Day holiday! Interest among prospective homebuyers in Foreclosed and Distressed Property is surging , according to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive
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80-YEAR-OLD KIDDIELAND, MELROSE PARK IL, TO CLOSE ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2009! Old, kids-oriented Amusement Parks. For the most part, these are relics of by-gone days - days before the Internet, Nintendo or Wii, Game Boy, or 150 Channels of Cable or Satellite
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55% CONSIDERING PURCHASING A FORECLOSED PROPERTY - TRULIA.COM, REALTYTRAC.COM SURVEY! Will a surge in buyer interest in Foreclosed Homes and Pre-Foreclosure Properties help soak up high levels of for-sale inventory? No sure answer here! In any event,
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THOSE LAID OFF IN TOUGH 1982 RECESSION NEVER REALLY RECOVERED - TODAY'S RECOVERY MIGHT BE TOUGHER! - COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ECONOMIST On this glorious, temperate Memorial Day Weekend in Chicago, I feel bad to be the messenger of depressing news. But,
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Welcome to your "three-day" Memorial Day Weekend! Well, for most of us anyway. Don't have specific plans or invited to a cookout, as is the tradition? Well, it's your lucky weekend here in Chicago. So, let's not waste one minute
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THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG! Hey, you dogs! Chicago Weather - sure is funny! One day - 40 degrees at night, 80 degrees 6 hours later, back to 45 or so at night! Often, I don't
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SENIOR OFFICIALS IN OBAMA ADMINISTRATION SAID TO BE EYING CENTRALIZED MORTGAGE CONTROL! Mortgage lending - it seems to have come full circle! The very same big banks and financial institutions that gladly gave mortgage money to any prospective homebuyer
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PORTAGE PARK After consulting with Hands to Help Ministries , the local owners at Six Corners Business Association in Portage Park are working to help the homeless and panhandlers find what it is they need from social services. Now with the help of a
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OBAMA HOUSING RELIEF PLANS DO NOT TARGET THOSE WITH HARD-TO-PAY JUMBO LOANS! Many don't realize that the slumping housing market, here in Chicago and elsewhere in the U.S., has eaten the accumulated equity of those owning more expensive homes, not
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HALF OF ALL SALES TO FIRST-TIME BUYERS ARE PROPERTIES IN DISTRESS - NAR! In the Chicago Real Estate Market today, there are still bidding wars! Dozens of properties in the city and Chicago Suburbs face multiple offers, and many sell for more than the
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All the rain in and around the Chicago area gives us a chance to check our gutters and downspouts to make sure they are flowing properly. Full gutters cause rainwater to splash back against the roof, in time this will cause damage to the shingles and
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Yes, it's come to this. This new technology is called the SNIF TM Tag and it is an electronic device you attach to your dog's collar. If you've ever been wondering what's been happening around the house while you're gone, now you can
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Good Morning! Soon, the Obama Administration's First-Time Homebuyer $8,000 Tax Credit may be available at closing, rather than next year as an income tax credit. The proposal for the change comes from Shaun Donovan, new Secretary of the U.S. Department
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MANY VACATED HOMES, WHOSE OWNERS LEFT DUE TO FORECLOSURE, MAY CONTAIN LATENT DEFECTS, EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR! Vacant bank-foreclosed properties. Short-sale properties, not yet bank owned, but whose owners may have left because they owe more on their mortgage
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NEW INITIATIVE BY HUD SECRETARY WOULD ALLOW FIRST-TIME BUYERS TO "MONETIZE" THEIR TAX CREDIT AT CLOSING! Shortly after the Obama Administration took office last January, one of their first initiatives was to hasten the turnaround of the sluggish
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EVEN THOSE CURRENT ON RENT CAN LOSE THEIR HOME OR APARTMENT IF LANDLORD IS FORECLOSED UPON! If you are renting your home, you are not immune from the impact of foreclosure! You can be evicted! See Kayce T. Ataiyero's story in last Thursday's Chicago
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4,000 CURRENTLY-UN-METERED PARKING SPACES TO BE METERED BY FALL, HUNDREDS MORE WITH METERS FACE INCREASED FEES! The Chicago Lake Michigan Lakefront. It's the city's Crown Jewel! Each year, thousands of Chicago residents and visitors flock to the
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I don't know about anyone else, but it's been a long, long week! So, let's get this weekend started!! Needless to say, Chicago is gearing up for the month's ahead; however, here's what's going on this weekend: Had a little too
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THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG! How you doin', you dogs? I hope you're enjoying the nice Chicago spring weather! Just read in the Business Pages the other day - another
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PORTAGE PARK The old adage says, "The only thing in life that are for sure are death and taxes." Normally we at Dean's Team would not talk about things this depressing but the Cubs fan in us just had to share this. Bohemian National Cemetery
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ROUGHLY 140 MILES OF CHICAGO ARTERIAL STREETS TO BE RESURFACED THROUGH 2010, FAR MORE THAN IN 2007, 2008! If you live in Chicago , and your drive many of our busiest streets - Western Avenue , in front of Dean's Team Chicago World Headquarters , Lincoln
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PART OF GAINS MADE BY SOME GROUPS PARTLY GIVEN BACK SINCE 2005! It became true here in Chicago , as it had in other areas of the country. During the recent boom in the Real Estate Market , roughly between 2005 and 2008 , with its easy-to-find loans and
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It's that time again to get the lawn and garden ready for the long summer season. Here are a few simple steps that can give your lawn and garden a good start on the growing season. THE LAWN Mix topsoil with sand , about a two parts soil to one part
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COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS VOTES OVERWHELMINGLY TO OVERTURN HIGHEST SALES TAX IN THE U.S., BUT BOARD PRESIDENT EXERCISES VETO! Fresh on the heels of the controversy involving Former IL Governor Rod Blagojevich , amid accusations of fiscal waste, blatant
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First a quick reminder, postage prices went up today from 42¢ to 44¢. Sometimes in my research of technology I run across the most amazingly wild things. This time it's a revolutionary television feed for your computer called RevoluTV .
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Good Morning! Advertised Mortgage Interest Rates are at or near a five-decades-old low! But associated Mortgage Fees and other charges are high, and getting higher. And tighter underwriting and new appraisal standards make it much harder to get approved
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EXPERIENCED REAL ESTATE PROS PREDICT A BUMPY ROAD, EVEN FOR THOSE WITH MORTGAGE PRE-APPROVALS IN HAND! Ahhh . . . the Old Chicago Real Estate Market! What seems like an eternity ago - let's say, perhaps . . . 2005! Potential buyers would call Real
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IMPLICATIONS NOT ONLY FOR REAL ESTATE SALES/RENTALS, BUT FOR ANY CLIENT-SERVICE PROFESSION - OR FOR EMPLOYERS! If you do a lot of work via the Internet, you know this was coming! As reported by Mary Umberger in today's Chicago Tribune Real Estate
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RISK-BASED FEES FOR MOST COULD ADD THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO COST OF TYPICAL REAL ESTATE PURCHASE! Low Interest Rates around 5.00%! Tons of Available Homes-For-Sale Inventory to Choose From! Is this a bonanza for 2009 Home and Condo Buyers? Not necessarily
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DECLINING U.S. HOUSING MARKET LEAVES ROUGHLY 20% OF ALL HOMEOWNERS UNDER WATER! If you were an optimist - in Chicago parlance, not necessarily a Chicago Cubs fan - you might look at the nearly 19% decline in Median Chicago Home and Condo Prices since
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Yes, Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 10 th . If you haven't started planning your menu yet, here are a few ideas to get you started. There are, of course, the traditional Mother's Day brunches throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
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THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG! Hey, you dogs! Hope my Lil' Pup Reporter, Gracie Moss , treated you like royalty last week while I was away. Just got back from out of town
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IS THERE A PLACE FOR ARM LOANS ANYMORE? In the current bust-after-boom Real Estate Market, here in Chicago and everywhere , many point fingers at different places! Unscrupulous lenders touting misleading Adjustable Rate Mortgages - some with fast, high
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LAKEVIEW Sometimes we locals forget about the fabulous food finds we have in our own neighborhoods. One such gem is Mia Francesca at 3311 N. Clark in the Lakeview neighborhood. This is the flagship location and the food is really worth the wait. To read
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Lemon juice is a wonderful deodorizer and cleaner. Squeeze on stains on the countertop, let sit for ½ an hour. It has a natural bleaching action . The acid in the lemon will gently fade stains. It's also great for keeping cut fruits and vegetables
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Worried about what your child might see on the Internet? Relax, and enter KIDO'Z , the web world for children. The new, easy-to-use KIDO'Z V1.0 software allows children to play--and parents to breathe. No more worries about adult content as your
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Good Morning! A silver lining for the Real Estate Market in Chicago, elsewhere? The respected S&P/Case Shiller Index of Home Prices is still reporting year-over-year average home price declines, in Chicago, as well as 19 other Major Metro Areas across
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LATEST AVAILABLE S&P/CASE SHILLER INDEX SHOWS YEAR-OVER-YEAR DECLINES, WITHOUT THE RECORD-SETTING PACE! For Chicago , there is a sliver lining to the otherwise dark cloud. According to one major index of home price growth, the pace of the average
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AS OPEN HOUSE SIGNS DOT CITY SIDEWALKS AND PARKWAYS DURING SPRING HOUSING MARKET, MANY GET IRRITATED! Any given Sunday, or Saturday . . . walk down Clark Street in Lincoln Park, or Sheffield in Wrigleyville, Damen Avenue in Wicker Park - all toni Neighborhoods
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ALTHOUGH IL LAW RESTRICTS DEFICIENCY JUDGMENTS, PROMISSORY NOTES COMMON, ESPECIALLY ON SECOND HOME LOANS! Short Sales! In today's market, many home owners, and their Real Estate Professionals, attempt this often lengthy, gut-wrenching process in order
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DISREPAIR, REMNANTS OF OTHER PEOPLE'S SHATTERED LIVES CAN NEARLY BRING YOU TO TEARS! Here in Chicago , an astounding drop in median home prices over the past year, coupled with a nearly two-year-plus inventory of homes for sale in some of the outlying
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Things are finally beginning to pick up around here in Chicago! As we head into May, not only are the trees and flowers beginning to bloom, but so is the City's summer calendar of events. Here's a snapshot of what's happening around town this
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