Oct 20th 2010 5:54PM
There's a new sheriff in town -- or at least, a new role for the sheriff in Cook County, Ill. Sheriff Thomas Dart announced Friday that he would not evict residents from their homes in cases filed by a four major banks about to resume foreclosure proceedings, as of Oct. 25. Illinois is one of the 23 states where a judge... Continue Reading »
May 28th 2010 11:00AM
What's the difference between the Jonas Brothers getting stuck in an elevator for 45 minutes and an elderly couple being trapped under heaps of garbage in their own home for two weeks? One of those scenarios has potential ramifications for homeowner's insurance, while the other causes the hearts of some teen-age girls to... Continue Reading »
May 5th 2010 5:00PM
Empty houses are hard to survey, but that's the challenge facing census workers in the Chicago area, where foreclosures and vacancies are weighing down response rates. This isn't just a predicament for the U.S. Census Bureau, it's a problem for these communities and their residents. Each uncounted resident could cost... Continue Reading »
Apr 29th 2010 4:03PM
Security deposits haven't been that secure for many Chicago tenants lately, especially after foreclosures forced occupants from more than 8,500 rental units in 2009. That ended up costing renters as much as $7.3 million in lost deposits. Current city law requires landlords to return security deposits to displaced... Continue Reading »
Mar 31st 2010 2:30PM
What do an elementary school teacher, police officer and paralegal all have in common? None of them can afford an ordinary home in Chicago. This sorry excuse for a joke comes courtesy of the recent findings from a study released by the Center for Housing Policy, which concludes that owning a dream home might be a pipe... Continue Reading »
