The Home Front

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

(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

(Above) A coach house (left in photo) in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood. Click on image to view larger version. ADU photos by Don DeBat. A new Chicago ordinance now allows Additional Dwelling Units, or ‘Granny Flats,’ to be built citywide, signaling a significant step toward addressing Chicago’s affordable housing shortage. By Don DeBat “Granny Flats” finally are rising out of their rocking chairs in Chicago, a world-class city that is desperate for construction of new affor

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

The Chicago Park District’s new master plan for Grant Park threatens to overlook the city’s rich 16-inch softball history, pushing the...

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

The evolution of 16-inch slow-pitch Chicago-style softball is filled with unique strategies, like the creative ‘shuffle’ technique and...

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

Home loan interest rates have dipped for five straight weeks, with the average 30-year fixed mortgage now at 6.67 percent. This decline...

The Chicago North Side home resale market has transformed into a tense battleground, with buyers scrambling to secure properties as...

(Above) Dining/Great Room of an Airbnb in Old Town. Interior photos by Andrew Charles Miller. (Click on images to view larger versions.)...