The Home Front

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 1 st , when the first installment of 2025 taxes are due. According to a new study released March 30 th  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,

By Don DeBat Renters hunting for an affordable apartment in a nice North Side Chicago neighborhood this spring may be in for some sticker shock. Between February of 2025 and February of 2026, Chicago’s median rental prices rose more than many other major cities, according to a national survey by Axios Media, Inc. The survey is based on new leases signed each month in 54 metro areas with at least one million residents. Chicago’s median apartment rent rose 4% to $1,670 a month

President Donald J. Trump By Don DeBat Chicago home buyers are not fleeing from guided missiles, but President Donald Trump’s aerial war against Iran has had a dramatic, negative impact on the spring housing market in the Windy City. The Mideast War has pushed mortgage-interest rates sharply higher, analysts report. “Last week the rates dipped to 5.99% for the first time in 3.5 years, and everything seemed to be moving along positively,” noted veteran lender Jeremy Rose, seni

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi (left) and Sen. Javier Cervantes. By Don DeBat Cash-strapped senior citizens in Chicago and Cook County must be rattling their walkers in unison this month, and eagerly casting absentee ballots from wheelchairs and rocking chairs. All their applause and votes are directed to Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, who is joining with community groups, the clergy, and wise members of the Illinois General Assembly, calling for easier access to propert

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

Photo by Olga Yastremska (Adobe Stock) Chicago’s new Residential Lease gives renters the right to terminate leases early due to threats, offering crucial protections for victims of domestic violence but extra costs for landlords. By Don DeBat Domestic violence in Chicago and across Illinois regretfully is on the rise. In 2024, the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline received a record-breaking 18,940 requests for shelter in Chicago and across the state, a 112 percent increase f

(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) 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 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