Chicago Real Estate Blog

Living a Happy, Healthy Life in Your Home

It’s important to have a home where you feel safe and protected. But sometimes a true sense of security goes past bolted gates and locked windows… Many homeowners are concerned about the interior environment of their house or condo and how it affects the welfare of their family. Things like air quality and water conditions in a home impact the inhabitants’ health and today’s home buyers are becoming more and more aware of this when searching for their next property.

Posted at 09:06AM Jul 24, 2008 by Spencer Mason in General  |  Comments[0]

New Legislation on Capitol Hill will Increase Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Loan Limits if Approved

The luxury housing market would get a boost from a new Congressional plan aimed at improving the state of residential real estate nationwide. One part of the proposed bill, which is working its way through Washington at the moment, focuses on high-end home purchases.

Posted at 09:34AM Jul 21, 2008 by Spencer Mason in General  |  Comments[0]

How Will New Real Estate Bill Help American Homeowners & Homebuyers?

It is anticipated that the new federal legislation working its way through Capitol Hill would help some 400,000 homeowners who are in danger of foreclosure. Assistance is offered to those who have a home loan debt-to-income ratio greater than 31% and are not able to pay their mortgage. The relief comes in the form of an affordable 30-year fixed-rate FHA loan. Borrowers are required to share any forthcoming appreciation gains with the government as repayment for the help, but that beats losing your home altogether. And, in order to be eligible for the FHA loan, your lender must decrease the principal balance on the mortgage to 85% of its current market worth.

Posted at 09:14AM Jul 16, 2008 by Spencer Mason in General  |  Comments[0]

Washington Working on New Bill to Help U.S. Housing Market

The U.S. real estate market continues to struggle with falling prices and home sales in every part of the country. The negative news reports make is hard to believe there are actually pockets where property values are holding steady, but we have to remember this is a localized industry. Chicago has been less affected than, say Los Angeles or Washington D.C., and even within Chicago there are neighborhoods that are doing better than others, like Lincoln Park and the Loop. Still, the big picture for residential real estate is not the prettiest, which is why the government is taking measures to improve the overall state of the national housing market.

Posted at 12:56PM Jul 14, 2008 by Spencer Mason in General  |  Comments[0]

The “Jetsons Lifestyle” Could Help Senior Homeowners

Remember The Jetsons? That wild, futuristic cartoon family who enjoyed every automated convenience you could imagine? Sure they drove flying cars and lived in a space house, but if you think about it, the Jetson lifestyle is not that far off from reality today.

Posted at 11:33AM Jul 11, 2008 by Spencer Mason in General  |  Comments[0]

New Mixed-Use Development Coming to South Shore

Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, located about 10 miles south of the Loop, is a well-established lakefront community that offers residents scenic parks and beaches, a celebrated cultural center, lots of restaurant options, affordable real estate and all the conveniences of big city life. And now, a new mixed-use development will add 27 more condo units and 2,200 square feet of commercial space to the neighborhood.

Posted at 09:30AM Jul 07, 2008 by Spencer Mason in General  |  Comments[0]

It’s Official - Chicago is #1 for Architecture and Design!

Can’t say it’s surprising Chicago beat out nine other major cities for the best architecture and design – I mean, the Windy City is the birthplace of the modern skyscraper and world-renowned architects continue to construct precedent-setting towers here (the Chicago Spire comes to mind). But a new study has done the research and collected hard data that reveals this Midwest town leads the country in architectural and city planning, practice and policy.

Posted at 10:51AM Jul 01, 2008 by Spencer Mason in General  |  Comments[0]