The Home Front

By Don DeBat Chicago’s North Side home buyers will continue to pay more, and should “act quickly” this summer to grab their share of the American Dream. That’s the advice of 26-year veteran Baird & Warner real estate broker May Jo Nathan, author of the “Chicago North Side Market Report.” The exclusive survey analyzed 2nd quarter April through June of 2026 single-family home and attached townhome and condominium sales in nine neighborhoods—Edgewater, Lake View, Lincoln Park, L

By Don DeBat Critics sometimes refer to former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot as “Mayor Lighthead.” Now, one example of that joke has washed ashore like a dead alewife at Bally’s casino on the banks of the Chicago River at Halsted St. and Chicago Ave. Some five years ago, Chicago entered into a so-called “Host Community Agreement” (HCA) with the gaming company Bally’s, the city’s choice as the operator of the first Chicago casino. Soo Kim, Chairman, Bally's Corp. (left) In

By Don DeBat For thousands of Illinoisans, an HOA turns the American dream into ‘condo jail.’ To combat board abuse and financial mismanagement, state lawmakers are weighing new bills to protect frustrated owners in ‘Condoland.’ Buying a condominium or homeowners association (HOA) property in Illinois can sometimes feel like entering “condo jail.” Board abuse, breach of fiduciary duty, and a lack of transparency are widespread complaints. Because there is currently very littl

(Above) 2026 North Kenmore Avenue, a renovated 10-bedroom, 10-bathroom home listed at $9.995 million – currently the highest MLS listing price in Lincoln Park. It features a five-car garage and a coach house that, according to the listing agent, could be converted into a basketball court. (Photo: MRED/Chicago MLS Pro) By Don DeBat North Side single-family median home price hits $1.55M as supply evaporates While sales fell 15 percent in Q1 2026, the North Side’s dwindling supp

By Don DeBat Chicago and Cook County property owners are beaten, battered and bewildered by soaring real estate taxes. With wallets already flattened, homeowners are bracing for another big cash bite on April 1st, when the first installment of 2025 taxes are due. According to a new study released March 30th by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, real estate taxes in Chicago and the county have grown at double the rate of inflation over the past three decades. As a result, hom

With a glowing endorsement by the Chicago Tribune, Fritz Kaegi is leaning on his record of data-driven reform as he fights a primary challenge from Patrick Hynes, a candidate Kaegi claims is ‘bankrolled’ by tax appeal attorneys. By Don DeBat Ethics and honesty – rare moral principles in politics – appear to be winning for Fritz Kaegi in his effort to get reelected as Cook County Assessor. Despite generally underhanded campaigning tactics, aggressive TV-ad rhetoric, and overal

(Above) The former Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church. Photo: @properties Christie’s International Real Estate / Compass. BY DON DEBAT In the heart of what was once the nation’s most infamous public housing project, a 137-year-old church is being gutted for $1.4 million condos – anchoring a luxury transition that developers are rebranding as ‘Gold Coast West.’ The Near North Side neighborhood once infamously known as the Cabrini-Green public housing “ghetto” is at a cr

(above) Chicago Police Commissioner Larry Snelling By Don DeBat With the dawn of 2026, many Chicago apartment renters, home buyers and bungalow owners probably are wondering how they survived the crazy roller-coaster- ride of 2025. Read these 2025 stories recently reported by The Home Front column: • With property tax bills soaring by an average of 16.7%, there are threats of double-digit apartment rent increases on the horizon for spring of 2026. • Resale home prices in Linc

(above) U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers remarks at a news conference following a Federal Open Market Committee meeting at the Federal Reserve on December 10, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Sha Hanting/China News Service/VCG via AP. With the Fed’s recent rate cut to 3.5-3.75 percent, prospective home buyers in Chicago face a challenging housing market, as inflation and political turmoil inflate costs. Expect mortgage rates to remain above 6 percent into 2

Chicago homeowners are getting soaked by rising property taxes. By Don DeBat Chicago and Cook County’s brainy real estate tax experts are pointing fingers of blame while trying to explain the perfect storm. When tens of thousands of Chicago homeowners realized that their median property tax bills catapulted 16.7 percent in a single year, reality hit them between the eyes. Experts say the tax wave tsunami was caused by the financial death dance between fat-cat downtown commerc

Homeowners in Chicago are reeling from unprecedented property tax increases, leading many to contemplate selling their homes and moving to rental apartments. By Don DeBat Financially squeezed and apparently abandoned by local government, the North Side’s senior fixed-income property owners are wondering if they will have to sell their homes and move to rental apartments or out of state in 2026 to avoid foreclosure and bankruptcy. On November 14, after months of uncertainty an

Photo obtained from Lincoln Park Builders of Chicago. Over 1,000 builders and real estate professionals gathered at the Lincoln Park Builders of Chicago’s Real Estate Forum to discuss civic priorities, market conditions, and future profits. By Don DeBat Looking to 2026 and beyond, Chicago builders likely will have to juggle civic priorities, analyze market conditions, and gaze into the crystal ball on the direction of mortgage interest rates in order to bank future profits. T