Pamela Dittmer Mckuen – Page 9

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

Transit-oriented housing in Chicago is back on track

May 20, 2019 at 8:19 a.m.

Real estate developers and urban planners increasingly are casting their glances backward to create communities for tomorrow. Starting in the mid-1800s, when trains became the primary mode of transportation, American...

Redfin real estate agent Alex Haried, left, shows an apartment at 123 South Green Street in Chicago to client Ryan Phelan on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016.

Since Great Recession, West Loop has been one of the city’s hottest housing markets

May 20, 2019 at 8:18 a.m.

The Great Recession turned out to be a pretty good thing for Chicago's West Loop. Since 2008, when the housing market collapsed, the neighborhood emerged like a phoenix from the...

Community association boards should shop carefully for contractors, experts advise. Experienced, insured, licensed people have the right tools and skills for the job.

When budgeting projects for your home association, plan to go all in

May 20, 2019 at 8:18 a.m.

It's that time again: Prepare to start planning 2017 community association budgets. They have to be sent to owners and approved by the board before Jan. 1. Before prioritizing the...

As you build your budget, keep surprises in mind

May 20, 2019 at 8:17 a.m.

As summer comes to a close and schools reopen, the time has come for community association boards and finance committees to start working on next year's budget. Most associations have...

Catalyst goes the rental route in Chicago’s West Loop

May 20, 2019 at 8:17 a.m.

Catalyst apartment building in Chicago's West Loop originally was conceived as a condominium community. Then the real estate market soured and buyers became scarce. A few years later Marquette Cos....

Residential associations should try to resolve disputes within their communities before they escalate, experts advise.

Home associations should get out ahead of complaints

May 20, 2019 at 8:16 a.m.

Whether or not Illinois ever establishes a functioning agency to settle the complaints of community association homeowners remains to be seen. The Condominium and Common Interest Community Ombudsman Act was...

Repayment plans can help condo owners who have fallen behind on their assessments.

For condo owners in trouble, repayment plans a good idea

May 20, 2019 at 8:15 a.m.

Community association homeowners are obligated to pay assessments, usually monthly or quarterly, to maintain the common elements of the property. If they don't, they could lose their homes. The Illinois...

The ’20s come roaring back at Lawrence House

May 20, 2019 at 8:15 a.m.

Uptown was a thriving entertainment hub when the glamorous and upscale Lawrence House hotel was built in 1928. The music plays on today at venues such as the Aragon Ballroom...

To water or not to water? Deciding whether to run sprinklers depends on the appearance a homeowners association wants to maintain and how much money is available to pay for it.

Weathering costs, the elements: Four tips for an association’s landscaping

May 20, 2019 at 8:14 a.m.

Landscaping can consume a huge chunk of a community association's budget, and hot, dry seasons are rough on that investment. It's easy to see when grass turns sandy-colored from lack...

Foreclosures continue to put condo associations in tough positions

Condo associations careful about collecting can weather foreclosures

May 20, 2019 at 8:14 a.m.

The foreclosure frenzy hit homeowner associations hard and fast, but they may be better prepared for the future because of it. More than 6.3 million Americans lost their homes to...

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