Beth Franken

National Scavenger League creators Brian and Brittany Brindza on the Michigan Avenue DuSable Bridge Feb. 23, 2022, in Chicago. Their tournament is slated to be March 26, a scavenger hunt where contestants solve clues to win a prize.

Do you know Chicago? A new scavenger race debuts soon, created by a Chicago couple. First prize is $25,000.

March 16, 2022 at 8:43 p.m.

Scavenger hunts offer many possible rewards: sometimes the payoff of a scavenger hunt is renewed camaraderie and bonding among participants. Some city-based scavenger hunts are designed for the education and...

Franken put the rehabbed home on the market in mid-May 2017.

After a surprise loss, Oak Park home flipper nearly flopped. Here’s what she learned the hard way.

May 20, 2019 at 1:41 p.m.

This is the alternate ending. Over the last year and a half, I wrote a column for the Tribune recounting my experience living the dream — an untutored layperson flipping...

So you want to flip a house? One woman shares advice.

May 30, 2019 at 6:14 p.m.

I'm going to break the rules of narrative craft and begin with my climax and denouement: I sold the house. My first house flip went under contract five days before...

Interior of the common area at 444 Social in Lincolnshire, Ill.

First-time Oak Park flipper tackles loose ends before home hits market

May 20, 2019 at 1:32 p.m.

You know that gratifying feeling you get — that mixed sensation of accomplishment and relief — when you find last week's to-do list scribbled on the back of an envelope...

Looks matter: Virtual redecorating and other unique real estate home staging tricks

May 20, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.

If we eat with our eyes, then we also buy houses with them. How important is the visual factor for homebuyers? A 2015 National Association of Realtors survey found that...

Flipping for one: First-timer reflects on flipping house as a single woman

May 20, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.

It's getting close. Really close. My first house flip is almost ready to go on the market. I can't yet talk about the money matters. Instead, I offer this disquisition...

First home-flipping project approaches finale, with a few hiccups

May 20, 2019 at 1:28 p.m.

Some people can walk into a house and imagine the possibilities. Others can't see past the rotting sills; the cracked windows; the chipped, curling linoleum; the porch stairs that are...

Flippers can’t be choosers: First-timer handles house-flip punches

May 20, 2019 at 1:27 p.m.

An old boyfriend of mine used to say I cooked everything over a high flame. He wasn't really talking about my culinary skills, which are excellent. He meant that I...

The kitchen renovation is ongoing at the Oak Park two-flat Beth Franken intends to resell for a profit.

New year, same flip: The difference between amateurs and pros

May 20, 2019 at 1:26 p.m.

There's a guy flipping a house a few doors away from where I live. The house was a humble frame bungalow on a narrow lot in Oak Park, and last...

Beth Franken walks out of a three-car garage and cottage in the back of her Oak Park house on July 26, 2016. She's in the process of renovating the home and intends to resell it for a profit. She's faced many judgment calls and unforeseen developments.

Flipping a house: Progress, problems and a whole lot of uncertainty

May 20, 2019 at 1:23 p.m.

I have a home, and I'm flipping a home, and now, in response to some recent disappointments both global and personal, I'm volunteering in a homeless shelter. It's just once...

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