The Home Front

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

Photo by Roman Novitsky Cook County property owners faced a delay in their second installment of the 2024 real estate tax bill, which was mailed out on November 14 instead of the usual August 1. The delays stemmed from the upgrade of the property tax system. By Don DeBat Are you one of the 1.8 million Chicago and Cook County property owners who is wondering why the second installment of the 2024 real estate tax bill wasn’t mailed until November 14 instead of the usual August

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

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) Row of older brick homes in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, where property taxes increased an average of $2,508 from last...

(Above) American howitzers shell German forces retreating near Carentan, France, on July 11, 1944. Photo obtained from National Archives....

Appeals increased by 11 percent over 2023 as property owners in Chicago and surrounding suburbs turned to the Cook County Board of Review...