GONE TO SEED
Spring, and a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of . . . fertilizer. Dry wall. Electric drills. Lawn mowers. April marks the traditional start to home-improvement season across the...
All Stories
TAKE THIS ADVICE TO HEART
February might be the month when lovers treat one another to roses, truffles and fine wine, but that doesn't necessarily translate into a sweet experience for publicly traded companies who...
IMPROVING GRADES
Requiring that all public school students keep a C average (Voice of the people, Dec. 4) appears to be a good idea on the surface, but what happens to the...
A LOOK AT THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
Mortgages and marriages, a fungus among us, and the return of Bob Vila. All this, and much more, in this week's column. - Reality bytes. We try not to obsess...
CONCRETE ADVICE
The road to riches may be, quite literally, paved with concrete. Roadway construction is on the rise. While the start of construction season may leave some commuters feeling jack-hammered, investment...
High and dry
Helpless. It's the one word that most victims of floods end up coming back to when they describe their experience. Through all the other emotions and fundamental trauma of loss,...
Working all the angles
If you're looking for an apartment in the Chicago area these days, there's bad news and good news. First, the bad: The rental market is the tightest it has been...
Look before you lease
When it comes to signing an apartment lease, some renters treat the lengthy, fine-print legal document like just another subcription card that fell out of a magazine. You know: Fill...
Full speed ahead
It takes a certain psychological leap of faith to go ahead and pay extra on your mortgage. After all, when was the last time you sent ComEd an extra fiver...
LENDERS` GUIDELINES ON 2-FLATS
One of the most common misconceptions on the part of first-time buyers of two- to four-unit buildings is that the amount of rent generated can cover the entire mortgage payment....