The Chicago 77

Many buildings in Chicago that have 12 or fewer units are self-managed. If you live in such a condominium building, you will understand the question: “To self-manage or not to self-manage??

The economy is still leaning against the ropes. People are tightening their belts to buckle down for the next few quarters. And, now people are talking about the insurance industry giants, such as State Farm and Allstate, ?sucker-punching? their customers. Double Digit Home Owners’ Insurance Rate Increases Allstate was the first to announce last month […]

Over the past few months, I have noticed more and more home insurance activity: People picking up houses in foreclosure to fix it up to rent out; Buying foreclosures to move in to eventually; Renovating homes to flip them; People who can?t sell their homes either (1) renting out their homes or (2 ) even […]

Why should I refinance? The obvious answer is that it will save you money. But it?s more than just your monthly payment going down. You might say, ?But Brad, I have no problem making my payments right now, why should I bother??

As a note, as I explained in a previous post, I am not a proponent of slashing insurance expenses across the board without understand the long term ramifications. It definitely can be expensive to be cheap. But, with a little knowledge, you can put real money in your pocket in one short afternoon. How can […]

Over the past few months, the economic downturn has caused many of us to reevaluate our household budgets and seriously reconsider our spending. Along with this comes the direct insurance companies inundating our mailboxes with ?promises? to save you hundreds of dollars on your home insurance. If it sounds too good to be true…they generally […]

A week of record high temperatures in early spring cause rapidly melting snow to overflow a stream located in the backyard of a home in Chicago. The exterior drain of the home backs up and allows water to enter the finished basement, resulting in flood damage. The water causes a crack in the foundation and […]