The Home Front

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) While 87,000 Cook County taxpayers remain stranded by a system-wide software backlog, Tyler Technologies Chairman John Marr celebrates corporate success by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on February 3, 2026. The Texas firm’s unresolved county tech contract has left an estimated $46 million in local refunds bottlenecked. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) By Don DeBat While tens of thousands of Chicago property owners are reeling from soaring taxes, some

(Above) Aerial view looking north from Jackson Park toward the Chicago skyline, showcasing the Woodlawn and South Shore neighborhoods. (Photo: Adobe Stock) By Don DeBat With the Obama Presidential Center approaching, a new anti-gentrification ordinance is rattling the real estate industry, pitting landlord rights against city efforts to prevent displacement in Chicago’s lakefront neighborhoods. The threat of rising apartment rents in “Obamaville” and other South Side lakefron

(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

(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) President Donald Trump By Don DeBat A Chicago home buyer or mortgage borrower seeking to refinance in 2026 likely is wondering why the hard-working head of the Federal Reserve Board is being kicked around like a political football. It might be President Donald Trump doesn’t like that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and other knowledgeable board members are slow to react to his bullish demands for lower interest rates. In fairness, previous U.S. presidents have grumbled abo

(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

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