After one day of officially being on the market, talk-show host Rosie O'Donnell's 12-room, 6,000-square-foot house in Lakeview has a buyer. |
'Short sale hell' all too common
Q: I am having a horrible time dealing with my mortgage lender (one of the big five that was just named in the $25 billion foreclosure...
Get the full story >>The great divide: Divorce and home sale
Divorcing spouses who are selling their house are much better off if they can keep their emotions under control.
Get the full story >>Deadbeat buyers take back deposit
Q: I am selling my house and received two offers on the same day: The first offer came in first thing in the morning, and I made a...
Get the full story >>Lousy housing market? Blame sellers
If it's such a good time to be a homebuyer, as the real estate industry relentlessly tells us, why hasn't there been a buffalo stampede to...
Get the full story >>Code violations can sink a real estate sale
What comes to mind when you hear the term "code violation"? If you're like most people, you think of a breach of the local building code...
Get the full story >>How reliable are home-listing websites?
In the old days, if you were looking for a new place to live, you picked up the newspaper, looked at the real estate classifieds, put on...
Get the full story >>Finding the perfect ally to help you sell your home
Like many homeowners, John Kennedy bought his Chicago condo when home prices were high. But when he got married and wanted a bigger place,...
Get the full story >>What home seller can do when buyer is in default
Q: We have a purchase agreement with buyers that states they will close, as a cash sale, on or before a specific date. This agreement was...
Get the full story >>Contingency sale offers becoming more acceptable
For homeowners looking to upgrade — or downsize — their residences, it's a difficult chicken-or-egg question: Which comes first,...
Get the full story >>Delaying repairs can haunt owners when it's time to sell
Buyers don't expect roofs in need of replacement and major plumbing and electrical issues. They want those fixed, or there's no sale.
Get the full story >>Selling homes in the lap of luxury
Real estate agents listing an $8 million home in Santa Monica, Calif., wanted to ensure a good crowd for a recent open house, so they...
Get the full story >>Revamped mortgage program: Will homeowners be able to refinance?
President Obama flew to Las Vegas, ground zero of the housing crisis, to unveil a revamp of the Home Affordable Refinance Program.
Get the full story >>Appraisers see green in energy
If you install a high-efficiency furnace or a truckload of insulation, you'd probably like to get credit for adding value to the place.
Get the full story >>Pricing a home to sell
During the housing boom, many real estate agents found it extraordinarily tough, if not impossible, to come up with even ballpark asking...
Get the full story >>How to sell your home fast
Our neighbors recently put their home on the market. They received an excellent offer within 24 hours of listing the property and got more...
Get the full story >>Summer tips to heat up your condo sale
Too many condominiums for sale. Prospective buyers are on vacation. Mortgage money is hard to get. Don't let those pesky realities prevent...
Get the full story >>Surviving a short sale: An insider's view
Chris Willette became a short-sale expert the hard way: He did his own.
Get the full story >>Selling a home: The new realities
I've been hearing lately from homeowners who are preparing to list their homes for sale. They know the market isn't great, but they've...
Get the full story >>Sinking values prompting homeowners to consider strategic default as best option
As more people do the math, they may decide to walk away from their mortgage, even if it ruins their credit.
Get the full story >>Open-house strategies that work
Sellers often think of open houses as opportunity time. They expose a listing to buyers who might not otherwise see it.
Get the full story >>Home values continue downward churn
March home prices in the Chicago area and nationally sank to lows not seen since the housing bubble burst, and the widely watched S&P;/...
Get the full story >>New reverse mortgage opens options for seniors
Q. I have been a student of retirement living since 1962, when I was an executive with one of the major developers of active retirement...
Get the full story >>Chicago condo prices see price gains but more needed
Sales prices of condominiums within the city of Chicago recorded a third month of year-over-year improvement in May, a small positive sign...
Get the full story >>Taking the fear out of foreclosure
People fear foreclosure almost as much as they fear death. But unlike death, foreclosure can be prevented.
Get the full story >>Right of first refusal has limited reach
Q. What is the status of the right of first refusal in Illinois as it relates to condominium boards and sales? I know that a condominium...
Get the full story >>By ZIP code: Little growth in home prices
At best, Chicago-area home prices are bouncing along the bottom or getting less bad as the depreciation rate slows. At worst, they...
Get the full story >>Numbers add up to bad quarter for housing
The absence of federal homebuyer tax credits meant an almost double-digit decline in Chicago-area existing-home sales during the first...
Get the full story >>Median price for Chicago condos tops year-ago cost for first time since 2008
The median price of a condominium sold in Chicago last month beat its year-ago comparison for the first time in 2 1/2 years, new data show.
Get the full story >>Chicago-area home price values get boost with new math
Home prices in the Chicago area either continue to falter badly or are starting to stabilize.
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