The Home Front

(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

By Don DeBat Forget 'negotiating' a lower rent. In high-demand North Side neighborhoods like Old Town and Lincoln Park, the 2026 market has shifted to full-blown bidding wars, with some renters paying thousands over asking to secure a lease. A bidding war is underway this spring for rental apartments in sought-after lakefront neighborhoods, Realtors report. “If you are looking for an upscale rental apartment in Old Town, Lincoln Park, or Lakeview this season, you are not just

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

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