August 2009 - Posts
Nowadays, many people seemed to have forgotten the importance (and the inherent dangers) of their computer's browser. They forgot that the browser, per se, works like a two-way street. It is where cyber security should police the two-way cyber traffic.
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Good Morning! A new Disclosure Law for Home Mortgage Loans , the Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act of 2008 , was just enacted the end of last month. It was designed to provide borrowers with advance notice on any changes in loan terms prior to closing
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NEW LAW REQUIRES WAITING PERIODS AFTER LOAN TERMS, COSTS, OR ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE CHANGES! Here at Dean's Team Chicago, our Buyer's Agency business has been vibrant with first-time homebuyers seeking to take advantage of the Fed $8,000 Income
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GLUT OF UNSOLD CONDOS CREATES "SHADOW" MARKET OF CONDOS FOR RENT, AND NEW COMPETITION FOR LANDLORDS! Within the past year to 18 months, many trying to sell their condos have faced a glut of competitive units when they sell. The Condo Market
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I don't know if you noticed or not, but we're starting to run out of longer daylight hours! And you know what that means - dare I say it. Nah, Chicago still has its plate full this weekend. Let's take a look - There's the 25 th Annual
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THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG! Hello, you dogs! Gracie Ella Moss here - you know, the Lil' Brown Dog in the Moss Household . Buddy is out tonight with the boys - an all-night
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DISTRESSED HOMEOWNERS WAIT MONTHS FOR AN ANSWER! OFTEN TIMES, THEY FALL BACK INTO TROUBLE A SHORT TIME LATER! Modifying the terms on a mortgage loan! Not necessarily the principal balance, but the interest rate, and repayment schedule. As reported by
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IN U.S., TOTAL MARKET VALUE OF ALL RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE HAS TUMBLED 18% IN THREE YEARS! Remember the Good Old Days? Way Back . . . let's say . . . 2006! Home Equity Growth - practically guaranteed! 3%, 5%, 7% each year! Marching on! But now? The
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PORTAGE PARK When trying to find a unique magazine or newspaper, it's really hard to know where to go. Sometimes, even the library does not have what you need. Worse yet, you may have to wait order what you want. Enter into the picture, local treasure
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BILLS PENDING IN CONGRESS WOULD EXTEND FOR ANOTHER YEAR. WILL IT HELP? Early this year, when Congress passed, and President Obama signed, an $8,000 non-repayable income tax credit for First Time Homebuyers who purchased and closed on their new homes before
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MLS® $127,400 - Great Value! Albany Park, Chicago - Large, Top-Floor 2 Bedroom on Quiet Street. Recent Rehab -- Gourmet Eat-In Kitchen with 42" Euro Cabinets, Premium Appliances and Fixtures, Breakfast Bar! Hardwood Floors Throughout! Bath with
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Our good friend and Home Inspector Extraordinaire, Ryan Foley, had a very interesting article in his August newsletter. Check out the full article at http://www.spyglassinspections.net/ . Most of us don't realize that many of the items we use every
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I'm in the market to find a laptop. I've got specific needs for my personal and business use that quite frankly not everyone else would need. Oh but where to start?! In my search I'm finding it's difficult to find the perfect laptop that
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Good Morning! Here in the Chicago Area, Units Sold of Single Family Homes and Condominiums seem to have rebounded - but Median Sales Price is way down versus one year ago. In the City of Chicago , sales continue sluggish, as Unit Sales continue to slide,
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CHICAGO METRO AREA SHOWS FIRST YEAR-OVER-YEAR UNIT SALES INCREASE SINCE 2006! CITY OF CHICAGO STILL FALTERS! It's Sunday night in Chicago - hope you had a Great Weekend, and you had a chance to enjoy some of what the summer offers here! There was
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ONE IN 10 HOMEOWNERS AT LEAST ONE MONTH BEHIND, 4% IN FORECLOSURE - NATIONAL DELINQUENCY SURVEY! U.S. Foreclosure Figures continue to rise, on the heels of a continued weak employment outlook in many areas of the country. Indeed, according to the quarterly
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Buena Park, Chicago - PRICE REDUCED! Incredible 2BR/2BA High-Floor Condo offers Panoramic Lake and City View from Floor-to-Ceiling Windows. Full Amenity Building. CTA Express to Loop and Michigan Avenue at door! Come See! Now Only $169,000 - heated indoor
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THE YOUTUBE TIME MACHINE TAKES YOU BACK. BUT, HEY . . . I RECOGNIZE THAT! 1948! Over 60 years ago! I wasn't around back then. Likely, neither were YOU! But my beloved home town, Chicago , where I was born, raised, and have lived all my life - definitely
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For some reason, this weekend seems to be a low-keyed one around here in Chicago. Certainly nothing like the past several weeks! Perhaps it's because school will be starting soon for many of the kids. But whatever the reason, I say "Let's
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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! This photo is a couple of years old, when I was a bit more flushed. These days, in today's tough economy, money's a bit harder
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NORWOOD PARK I'm an avid reader. I like the book better than the movie most of the time. So imagine my joy at learning that the Norwood Park Historical Society (NPHS) is hosting their Book and Collectible Fair this Sunday, August 23. The National
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There are many ways to conserve water around the house. Here are some great examples that you can implement today and it won't break the bank. If you cover your sidewalk with a porous material, such as pavers or gravel instead of solid cement or asphalt,
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Good Morning! Declining Home Ownership Across the U.S. Is this a temporary adjustment, or a new, lasting trend. The American Population is getting older - and older age segments tend to rent more. Further, is a growing view that owning a home might be
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PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS WHO OWN HOMES FELL 2.3% IN SECOND QUARTER, 2009 - A FALL OFF OF NEARLY 2 MILLION HOMEOWNERS! The High Water Mark of Home Ownership across the U.S. occurred in mid-2005. Since that time, staggering levels of home foreclosures, tight
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I'll tell you what it means in a minute. First, I wanted to tell you about this great website that will help you if you are little behind the curve. I'm talking about NetLingo . It's a website that provides definitions of Internet terms and
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LONG-STANDING FHA PROGRAM OFFERS PURCHASE, REHAB MONEY FOR AS LITTLE AS 3.5% DOWN! According to Realty Trac , at this moment, there are over 2 Million Foreclosed Homes across the U.S. All are vacant, and many are in need of extensive renovation and repair.
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NO EXPECTED FALL OFF IN IL MORTGAGE LOAN DEFAULTS! There is one inherent problem with government-mandated moratorium, or "cooling off" periods. They eventually expire, and those who benefited from the delay are now subject to what the stall
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FACING BUDGET SHORTFALL, CHICAGO TO SHUT MANY NON-ESSENTIAL SERVICES FOR ONE DAY - AUGUST 17TH! What's going on here? Here, in Chicago? While walking by the Sulzer Regional Branch of the Chicago Public Library , near the Dean's Team Chicago World
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Here's "how to" have a GREAT Chicago weekend, especially when the weather will be cooperating! Start your Friday with one of the following neighborhood festivals - Edison Park Fest 2009 - Edison Park Metra Station (6730 N. Olmsted Avenue)
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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! Looks like I'll have to do a bit of re-programming on my new red cell phone, shown here. You see, the City of Chicago is getting
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FAST-APPROACHING DEADLINE HAS MANY 1ST-TIME BUYERS SEARCHING FOR THEIR NEW HOME! Last January, the deadline seemed like a million years away. But now, those first-time homebuyers wanting to take advantage of the Federal Stimulus Package First-Time Buyer
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PROPOSAL, IN EARLY STAGES, WOULD EXTEND CTA RED, YELLOW, AND ORANGE L LINES! In Chicago , our historic CTA Elevated , which we fondly refer to as "The El," has carted thousands of commuters and tourists around our town daily for nearly 120 years.
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• 2 Full Baths, 3 Bedrooms - MLS® $297,400 Portage Park, Chicago - Immaculate Home on Quiet Street is Deceptively Large! Brick 3 Bedroom/2 Bath Cape Cod on 40' Oversized Lot features Romantic Front Porch, Professionally Landscaped Front and
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NORWOOD PARK It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor, would you be mine, could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor? Ahh, childhood suburban memories... This is the type of hometown feel you get while still being
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PLAN WOULD PURCHASE BANK-OWNED, OTHER DISTRESSED UNITS, RENT THEM OUT! BUT PLAN HAS A DOWNSIDE! The board of the condominium association of one Chicago Condo Building , Shoreline Towers, located along Sheridan Road and the Lake in the Edgewater Neighborhood
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By now I'm sure you have been harvesting many delicious fruits and veggies from your garden . But soon an over abundance, especially tomatoes, will try your patience. Friends, neighbors and co-workers can only eat so many. My simplest way to preserve
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I'm not a huge laptop in the coffee shop user, but for those who use their local cafe as a second office this recent trend has started in New York and a couple locations in San Francisco. Let's hope it doesn't make its way to Chicago. And
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Good Morning! Are home buyers becoming more frugal? Indeed, many today are buying smaller homes, with far fewer upgrades, and greater concern about the neighborhood and community in which the home is located, rather than the exhaustive list of luxury
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$200 PER PLATE REQUESTED FOR ALDERMAN BANKS RETIREMENT DINNER - WITH CHECK MADE OUT PERSONALLY TO HIM! Add this tidbit to your "Only In Chicago" File! By the end of the month, South Side Chicago Alderman William J.P. Banks, of the 36th Ward
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TODAY'S BUYERS INVEST CAREFULLY, AND DON'T ASSUME A BIG, FAST RETURN ON THEIR INVESTMENT! The tables have, indeed, turned! It wasn't more than a couple of years ago that a young couple buying a home would stretch their finances to the limit.
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Here in Chicago our good times just keep on rollin' this summer and this weekend is no exception. Headliners for this weekend are: Lollapalooza 2009 - Grant Park (500 S. Columbus Drive) In its second year here in Chicago, Lolla 2009 will feature more
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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 Morning, you dogs! Hey . . . you like Hot Dogs? I mean Chicago-Style Hot Dogs - yellow mustard, pickle spear, chopped onions, bright green
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MANY DOCUMENTED AGENT ASSAULTS, AND UNSUSPECTED DANGERS FOR HOME SELLERS! Believe me, I am not trying to be glib here. But, in what other profession do you get a special license, then spend a good part of your days taking near-complete-strangers through
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LAKEVIEW It's a simple thing really, going on a food tour of Chicago. You can choose a neighborhood that highlights a specific ethnicity of food. You can tour the city to try all variations of cuisine. Not uncommon at all, right? Well not exactly,
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MAJOR INTERNATIONAL BANK SHUNS CITY OF CHICAGO AND CHICAGO SUBURBS IN EXPANSION PROGRAM! HSBC is a very large bank with a big international presence! They hold $313 Billion in total assets, and have 380 branches across New York State. They are also expanding,
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"COMMON SENSE" CHICAGO STREET NUMBERING SYSTEM FORMALIZED IN 1908! When you grow up in a city, when you live in a city - over the years, so much becomes so matter-of-fact, that you take it all for granted! When we entertained out-of-town visitors
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You have the ability to help control electricity use, cut costs, and conserve energy ! See how you can save energy and money with a few simple inexpensive fixes around the house. Here are some easy things to begin with so you can start saving energy and
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Recently I had to update to a new computer because of the need for bandwidth and larger hard drive capacity. As you may or may not know, re-creating your old environment by transferring files, re-installing software and the like can be a long, if not
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Good Morning! In the Second Quarter, 2009, the U.S. Commerce Department says GDP, though fallen, only dropped at a 1.0% annualized rate - down from 6.4% during the Fourth Quarter, 2008. Is the recession - likely the deepest since the 1930's and The
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CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOSS FEARS EARLY CHILDHOOD, BILINGUAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS, OTHERS, MAY FACE CUTS! Ron Huberman, Superintendent of the Chicago Public Schools system fears the district could lose roughly $84 Million in State of IL assistance under
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SECOND QUARTER, 2009 GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT DOWN ONLY 1% - U.S. COMMERCE DEPARTMENT! Is this deep recession - an economic downturn many have called the worst since The Great Depression of the 1930's - easing? Will it soon come to an end? If the rate
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