Assessments, Inspections & Consulting
Chicago Home Inspector
This article is intended to be a primer on buying your new home. It does NOT include all the information you need to know. Do your homework. There is a lot of information readily available from a HUD certified housing counselor, on the internet and from real estate professionals. DOING …
How to Hire a contractor Hiring a contractor can be a daunting task for many homeowners. Contractors aren’t known for their bedside manor; homeowners feel intimidated; and contractor lingo can be confusing. Hiring the right contractor is about a lot of common issues that will be covered in this article. …
THE ‘DEAL KILLER’ HOME INSPECTOR ‘Deal Killer’ is a common term used by some real estate agents, developers and contractors to describe a particular home inspector. The term itself is obviously meant in a derogatory manner. The implication is that it is the home inspector that causes a particular real …
THE NEED FOR A NEW CONSTRUCTION CONDO BUILDING 10% DEVELOPER SALE ESCROW HOLDBACK UNTIL THE DEVELOPER TRANSFERS AUTHORITY TO THE NEW CONDO ASSOCIATION AND ALL CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION IS VERIFIED WHY LEGISLATION? The intent of this article is to set out the case for State and/or local Municipal legislation requiring essentially …
Winter is a good time to plan ahead for next year’s household repairs. With Spring approaching many homeowners start thinking about and planning for home improvement projects. Spring and Winter are good times to budget and plan. Summer and Fall are good times to get things done. Home improvements are …
A good home inspection can serve multiple purposes. Contrary to popular believe the intent of a good home inspection is not to provide a negotiating tool for price reductions. Granted you may want to re-negotiate based on inspection findings. However, that shouldn’t be a primary goal. Some buyers get a …
This post is about the development of a proposed City of Chicago ordinance for a new disclosure form during the transfer of real property involving new and existing buildings containing any amount of CMU construction. This is an ongoing project with contributions by numerous professionals.
Knowing and understanding your Condo building conditions can go a long way in saving assessments, improving building conditions and increasing resale equity. This article may help you understand why.
What to know how to prepare your house for a better, quicker sale? Read on
Whether a particular house is or isn’t a good investment is a complicated question that shouldn’t just be viewed from a money standpoint. Of course, its always about the money. It’s also a quality of life issue for you and your family. Read the details …
We’ve created this section to answer home related questions you may have. Whether you have questions about your current home purchase, the home inspection process or dealing with maintenance or rehab issues in your existing home, feel free to ask. We will answer your questions as best possible. To ask …
“Why does the City of Chicago need this pesky building code?” This is a question that many a homeowner has asked at one time or another. The unfortunate scenario, is that this question is often asked in frustration or anger by building owners during a remodeling job. The perception is …
HOMEOWNERS AND REMODELING PROJECTS Why Homeowner remodeling projects cost so much Inexperience Thinking that each little extra cost isn’t a big deal Not keeping track of extras as the job progresses Choosing nicer quality finish components than you planned on Hiring the wrong contractor Don’t believe all you see on …
HOMEOWNERSHIP AND CONSTRUCTION DEFECTS Construction defects are one of those issues that no one ever wants to think about. Builders like to pretend there either is no such thing; it’s just a pesky misunderstanding; or it is always something another Builder does. Municipal inspectors don’t have the manpower to catch …
CONDOMINIUM OWNERSHIP CONSIDERATIONS Ask for copies of the last few Condominium Association meeting minutes. The meeting minutes can often times be very revealing about building conditions, ownership concerns or upcoming repair costs at the property. Ask for all information as required by Section 22.1 of the Condominium Act. Your attorney can …
BUYING A NEW HOUSE IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO OWNERSHIP CONSIDERATIONS Water & Sewer bills: In the City of Chicago the bill comes twice a year. Bill payment varies in the suburbs. The bill may be due monthly, quarterly or semi-annual. Check with your local village to have service put …
Adding living space to your existing home So you’ve been looking at that open utility basement and thinking it would be a great space for an extra bedroom, bathroom and new recreation room. You aren’t the only one with those ideas. This is one of the most common major projects …
The Home Inspection process and the question of whether or not you should buy a particular house. Often times an inspector gets asked, ‘Should I buy this house?’ This seems like a reasonable question. It is however a question I cannot responsibly answer. This question is much bigger than just …
City of Chicago vintage Bungalow attic rehab So you’ve been looking at that raw storage attic and thinking it would be a great space for a master suite with a wonderful spa bathroom. You aren’t the only one with those ideas. Chicago bungalows tend to have some very nice un-used …