Joanne Cleaver – Page 2

Portrait of Dave Schmidt (cq), Emily Wallrath Schmidt (cq), and their two children, Lena (cq), 7 months, and Rosalie (cq), 3, outside their home in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Buying the right kind of insurance to protect your home is more complicated than ever

October 13, 2021 at 12:34 p.m.

It's just a matter of time, David Schmidt figures, before he and his wife, Emily Wallrath Schmidt, have to deal with water in the basement of their vintage bungalow. The...

Water damage on a post in the basement of the Schmidt family's Portage Park home.

The days of ‘set it and forget it’ homeowners insurance are fading fast. Here’s why protecting your home is more complicated than ever.

October 13, 2021 at 12:35 p.m.

It's just a matter of time, David Schmidt figures, before he and his wife, Emily Wallrath Schmidt, have to deal with water in the basement of their vintage bungalow. The...

Angela Razi stands outside her home in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood on Aug. 12, 2021. Razi wants to add a new bathroom to her home, but she is not considering a home equity line of credit.

Property values are climbing, but home equity loans are no longer in vogue. Here’s why.

September 2, 2021 at 7:03 a.m.

For 20 years, Angela Razi thought about owning her own house. In March the 55-year-old letter carrier moved into the home she and her husband were finally able to buy:...

Take a weekend getaway to an Indiana crafting paradise for never-ending quilting bees and scenic quilt gardens

August 20, 2021 at 10:18 a.m.

In the filtered light of his Indiana wood shop, LaVern Miller rattled a bin of geometric wood shapes. "Hate to see them go to waste," said Miller, 49, a Mennonite...

Real estate investor Amir Anjarwala nearly lost $150,000 from a house sale when a thief inserted himself in the transaction.

About to close on the sale of your home? Be aware that cybercriminals are lurking. ‘Check? No, you emailed me the wire instructions’

August 13, 2021 at 7:40 a.m.

An experienced real estate investor, Amir Anjarwala was on automatic pilot for another routine closing with the title company he usually works with. But when he dropped by to pick...

Dr. Amy Forman Taub, a dermatologist, sits under a large patio umbrella in her backyard May 21, 2021, in Buffalo Grove. Taub is wearing a jacket with sun protection factor 50.

The pandemic has pushed more gatherings outdoors, boosting demand for backyard shade structures

June 9, 2021 at 10:42 a.m.

Any socially distanced conversation that happens in dermatologist Amy Forman Taub's north suburban backyard occurs under her extra-wide patio umbrella. "It's a godsend," she says, explaining that she pivots the...

The bathroom in Howard Prossnitz's coach house.

Home offices have become essential during the pandemic. But are they worth the investment?

May 20, 2021 at 2:44 p.m.

Home offices have joined pantries, mudrooms and laundry rooms as essential parts of the home during the pandemic. Some homeowners have turned to clever carpentry and new furnishings to convert...

Treehouses you can stay in are popping up around the Midwest for travelers with fairy-tale fantasies or childhood nostalgia

April 1, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

Sunrise comes early through the windows of a treehouse seeming to levitate 20 feet above the ground. In the early spring, before the trees have fully leafed, the twiggy horizon...

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a Feb. 5, 2020, news conference on the Protecting the Right To Organize Act in the U.S. Capitol.

Op-ed: Gig workers, take note: This legislation would hurt the self-employed

March 10, 2021 at 12:46 p.m.

It was July 1982, in a humid garden apartment in Evanston. I was the 24-year-old mother of a 10-month old baby, starting my freelance writing career along with my family....

With work and school remote, people are moving into Midwestern vacation homes full-time — and paying top dollar for pandemic-friendly features

September 4, 2020 at 2:49 p.m.

Hiking boots, check. Sunscreen, check. Laptop, check. Noise-canceling headphones, check. Welcome to the new staycation home. Home sales and prices are skyrocketing in popular drive-to weekend destinations within a 300-mile...

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