The Home Front

(Above) While 87,000 Cook County taxpayers remain stranded by a system-wide software backlog, Tyler Technologies Chairman John Marr celebrates corporate success by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on February 3, 2026. The Texas firm’s unresolved county tech contract has left an estimated $46 million in local refunds bottlenecked. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) By Don DeBat While tens of thousands of Chicago property owners are reeling from soaring taxes, some

By Don DeBat It’s no secret that owning a residence in the vastly confusing world of “Condoland” may not always be a joyful experience. Often purchasing a residence locks the buyer in condominium jail. Apparently, management and condo board abuse is widespread. That’s why the Illinois General Assembly is considering passage of a wide collection of powerful consumer-oriented laws to help beaten and bewildered condo, co-op and homeowner association owners (HOA) in Chicago and a

(Above) Aerial view looking north from Jackson Park toward the Chicago skyline, showcasing the Woodlawn and South Shore neighborhoods. (Photo: Adobe Stock) By Don DeBat With the Obama Presidential Center approaching, a new anti-gentrification ordinance is rattling the real estate industry, pitting landlord rights against city efforts to prevent displacement in Chicago’s lakefront neighborhoods. The threat of rising apartment rents in “Obamaville” and other South Side lakefron

(Above) 2026 North Kenmore Avenue, a renovated 10-bedroom, 10-bathroom home listed at $9.995 million – currently the highest MLS listing price in Lincoln Park. It features a five-car garage and a coach house that, according to the listing agent, could be converted into a basketball court. (Photo: MRED/Chicago MLS Pro) By Don DeBat North Side single-family median home price hits $1.55M as supply evaporates While sales fell 15 percent in Q1 2026, the North Side’s dwindling supp

By Don DeBat Forget 'negotiating' a lower rent. In high-demand North Side neighborhoods like Old Town and Lincoln Park, the 2026 market has shifted to full-blown bidding wars, with some renters paying thousands over asking to secure a lease. A bidding war is underway this spring for rental apartments in sought-after lakefront neighborhoods, Realtors report. “If you are looking for an upscale rental apartment in Old Town, Lincoln Park, or Lakeview this season, you are not just

By Don DeBat Yet another beauty makeover for Soldier Field is on an architect’s drawing board as a follow-up to the Chicago Bears planned exodus to Arlington Heights or Indiana. Soldier Field would get a translucent, domed roof, 20,000 new skybox seats, and a surrounding entertainment district under an architect’s new pipe-dream proposal. Now that the Chicago Bears posted a rare winning season in 2025, fans have visions of a Super Bowl dancing in their heads. So, why not run