The Home Front

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

Photo by Ralf Kleemann As property tax bills hit Chicago landlords with increases of up to 31.7 percent, renters can expect significant rent hikes next spring. By Don DeBat Rental apartment dwellers and landlords both are beginning to realize that the city of Chicago, Cook County, state of Illinois, and the federal government are not their friends. After months of uncertainty and delay, Cook County officials on November 14 finally mailed the second installment of 2024 propert

Photo by Lev Dolgachov New legislation raises the income eligibility threshold for the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze from $65,000 to $75,000, providing much-needed tax relief to senior homeowners in Cook County starting in 2026. By Don DeBat Chicago and Cook County senior homeowners likely will soon be jumping out of their wheelchairs and doing happy cartwheels thanks to an increased property tax break. On October 23, the Illinois General Assembly passed legisl

(Above) City workers remove water from Lower Wacker Drive near Randolph Street after overnight flooding on May 18, 2020. Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP. By Don DeBat The once extremely profitable Illinois property insurance industry literally is blowing in the wind and battling a rising tide of property damage from weather extremes nationwide. Billions of dollars in losses sparked by California wildfires and forest fires in western states – and an unprecedented

Economists predict that a recent quarter-point interest rate reduction by the Federal Reserve could lead to mortgage rates as low as 5.75...

Homeowners in Chicago and Cook County are left in limbo as the county struggles to finalize the 2024 property tax bills. Initially due on...

(Above) 2017 photo of a flooded Chicago Riverwalk. As recent monsoon-like rains inundate neighborhoods, Chicago homeowners are grappling...

(Above) Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, where median home prices increased 25.7 percent in July 2025, compared with July 2024, but home...

Dwindling inventory and strong buyer demand pushed the median sales price of an attached home on the North Side to a new record. By Don...

(Above) Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi (left in photo) and Lyons Township Assessor Patrick Hynes. Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi is...

(Above) Driver Shane van Gisbergen competes in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Grant Park on July 6 (AP Photo/Erin Hooley). Residents and...