Planning your finances with a retirement budget can significantly decrease money-related stress and allow you to fully enjoy your retirement. Budgeting is extremely important throughout all aspects of your life, but retirement planning is crucial to developing peace of mind. …

Are you getting ready to start house hunting? You may have been going over your financial documents and evaluating your personal savings. If you’ve made any financial missteps over the years, you might be worried about whether or not you’ll …

A lot of people prefer their pets to humans. They dote on their cats and dogs and don’t mind spending their hard-earned money on designer food, clothing, and bedding. These devoted owners give their pets human names and endow them …

Whether you are strolling through Pilsen, Rogers Park, Logan Square, or any of Chicago’s urban neighborhoods, you are likely to be enamored by the beauty of the street art. From vibrant and inspiring murals spread across slabs of concrete wall …

Are you a new home buyer looking for help finding the right home for your budget? Debra Dobbs has more than 37 years of experience helping people find the perfect home for them in Chicago. She is particularly knowledgeable about …

Is your senior loved one thinking about a move to or from Chicago?  As we age, our needs change.  While physical and healthcare needs come to mind, emotional well-being is just as important. This makes it necessary for loved ones …

Aldermen narrowly approved a $94 million increase to Chicago’s property tax levy as part of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pandemic budget, bringing the total to $1.63 billion. Using 2019 tax bills, the city estimated the hike would cost the average Chicago …

91 Old Buildings Repurposed Since the 1950s Adaptive reuse focuses on rehabilitating older buildings and giving them a new purpose. Not only is this a great way of preserving historic value within communities, but it can also minimize new construction …

In November 2020, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) came out with its 2021 mortgage loan limits. The FHFA is the independent regulatory agency that supervises and oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Bank System. What …

Find A Trusted Guide You’ve worked hard, sacrificed, and saved. Now it’s your turn to be the person you want to be. Find a fee-only financial planner and experienced fiduciary, with one focus: your retirement. A quality guide works with …

So many Chicagoans are in need of warmth this winter – share the love and pass on your new or gently worn coats, hats, scarves, gloves, mittens (children or adult sizes!). Your donations can be delivered to the locations noted …

Ok, you’re ready to invest back into your home. Just one question: where should you start with these updates? For many homeowners, this is the biggest roadblock when it comes to making value-adding improvements. The key to prioritizing updates and …

Your home is your castle and you should live comfortably and in your style. Then it all goes out the window when you decide to sell. If your goal is to optimize price and reduce market time, in any market …

Watch the latest episode of the Keeping It Real podcast with Debra Dobbs. DJ Paris talks with Debra about how she started her career and the move from gelato to houses; unique and targeted marketing strategies; advice to new agents; …

Lead generation, great marketing and customer service — these are the basics for any REALTOR®’s business. Having a successful business involves being proactive, just as much as it is being reactive. It’s not just implementing the basics, either; you can …

Though he drives me absolutely bonkers, my brother Michael is a wizard in the kitchen, thus makes up for the bonkers. There is nothing better to snack on in the middle of dreary, frigid winter than his Spressata! One day …

Our dear friends Alex Harris and Sandy Killion have researched some brilliant–and easy to implement– solutions to help us all be a bit more green and environmentally responsible in our everyday lives. Every little green step that we take now …

Originated in late 19th century England, this homemade lemon curd is traditionally served with bread or scones at afternoon tea as an alternative to jam, and as a filling for cakes, small pastries and tarts. Crazy Michael’s Lemon Curd RECIPE …

We hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy and sheltering in place at home.  During these trying times, it is important to remember there are so many people in our various communities not as fortunate. If you …

Selling your home means putting a lot of thought into how it looks. You’ll want to clear the clutter, give it a fresh coat of paint, or maybe even hire someone to stage it with curated furniture and artwork. Yet …

The year 2019 was a buyer’s dream for the Chicago real estate market due to falling interest rates, especially for the first seven months or so. In August, for example, the number of homes sold was down seven percent year-on-year. …