https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/ Plain-English advice on buying and selling homes in Chicago and the Illinois suburbs, from Jason Rosenberg, Chicago-land REALTOR®. en-us Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:26:53 +0000 https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/chicago-condo-buyers-check-before-offer/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/chicago-condo-buyers-check-before-offer/ Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Monthly assessments, special assessments, reserves and the Illinois 22.1 disclosure: a plain-English checklist for Chicago-area condo buyers, before and right after you write an offer. Buying Condos Chicago https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/mom-s-house-has-a-3-mortgage-and-an-insurance-clock-here-s-what-illinois-heirs-should-do-first/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/mom-s-house-has-a-3-mortgage-and-an-insurance-clock-here-s-what-illinois-heirs-should-do-first/ Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg A plain-English guide to inheriting a house in Chicago and the suburbs: what to do in the first few weeks, what to leave alone, and how to decide whether to keep, rent or sell. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/chicago-s-median-home-price-just-fell-20-000-in-one-month-your-house-didn-t/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/chicago-s-median-home-price-just-fell-20-000-in-one-month-your-house-didn-t/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg And the number that actually got more expensive this fall isn't the house at all. It's the loan. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/only-5-of-home-sellers-skipped-the-agent-last-year-here-s-the-real-math-on-saving-the-commission/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/only-5-of-home-sellers-skipped-the-agent-last-year-here-s-the-real-math-on-saving-the-commission/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Every fall, the same thought crosses a lot of Chicagoland homeowners' minds: Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/oak-park-and-evanston-both-have-high-taxes-they-re-high-for-completely-different-reasons/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/oak-park-and-evanston-both-have-high-taxes-they-re-high-for-completely-different-reasons/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Ask anyone in Chicagoland which suburbs have high property taxes and two names come up fast: Oak Park and Evanston. They get lumped together all the time. Both border Chicago. Both have beautiful… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/how-long-does-an-eviction-really-take-in-cook-county-ask-five-landlords-and-you-ll-hear-anything-fr/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/how-long-does-an-eviction-really-take-in-cook-county-ask-five-landlords-and-you-ll-hear-anything-fr/ Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg If you own a rental in Chicago or suburban Cook County, you've probably asked this question at least once: "If my tenant stops paying, how long until I get my unit back?" Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/a-developer-paid-1-15-million-for-an-1894-lake-view-house-now-they-re-tearing-it-down/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/a-developer-paid-1-15-million-for-an-1894-lake-view-house-now-they-re-tearing-it-down/ Mon, 28 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg It's 20 years older than Wrigley Field, a block from the Belmont L, and worth more as dirt than as a building. Here's how to tell if your house is secretly a land deal, too. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/zillow-admits-half-its-home-estimates-miss-by-7-or-more-on-a-typical-chicago-home-that-s-about-3/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/zillow-admits-half-its-home-estimates-miss-by-7-or-more-on-a-typical-chicago-home-that-s-about-3/ Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg The number on your screen is a starting point, not a price. Here's how far off it can be, why Chicago is extra tricky for the algorithms, and a 10-minute way to find out what your home is really… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/illinois-is-top-5-in-america-for-foreclosures-in-the-same-year-chicago-prices-jumped-13-if-you-re/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/illinois-is-top-5-in-america-for-foreclosures-in-the-same-year-chicago-prices-jumped-13-if-you-re/ Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Two numbers came out this summer that don't seem like they belong in the same state. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/realtor-com-says-the-best-week-of-2026-to-buy-a-home-starts-sunday-in-chicago-it-could-be-a-great/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/realtor-com-says-the-best-week-of-2026-to-buy-a-home-starts-sunday-in-chicago-it-could-be-a-great/ Mon, 21 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Mark your calendar: Sunday, Sept. 27 through Saturday, Oct. 3. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/35-000-people-walk-back-into-an-evanston-neighborhood-on-october-2-the-research-on-what-that-does-t/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/35-000-people-walk-back-into-an-evanston-neighborhood-on-october-2-the-research-on-what-that-does-t/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg On Friday, October 2, Northwestern hosts Penn State at 7 p.m. on FOX, and the new Ryan Field opens for business. It is exactly 100 years to the day since the first game at the stadium it replaced… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/the-fed-raised-rates-wednesday-for-the-first-time-in-three-years-your-30-year-mortgage-didn-t-move/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/the-fed-raised-rates-wednesday-for-the-first-time-in-three-years-your-30-year-mortgage-didn-t-move/ Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg What actually changed for Chicago and suburban homeowners on September 16, and what didn't. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/a-year-ago-58-of-mokena-homes-sold-above-asking-today-it-s-37-and-new-lenox-went-the-other-way/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/a-year-ago-58-of-mokena-homes-sold-above-asking-today-it-s-37-and-new-lenox-went-the-other-way/ Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Frankfort, New Lenox and Mokena share borders, share a high school district, and get talked about as one market. They are not one market right now. Over the past twelve months the three towns have… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/in-cook-county-you-can-t-ask-a-renter-about-their-record-until-after-you-ve-offered-them-the-unit-f/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/in-cook-county-you-can-t-ask-a-renter-about-their-record-until-after-you-ve-offered-them-the-unit-f/ Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Same metro. Same drive time as Evanston to Joliet. Two rulebooks that point in opposite directions. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/on-paper-a-500k-chicago-two-flat-makes-740-a-month-in-real-life-it-loses-641/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/on-paper-a-500k-chicago-two-flat-makes-740-a-month-in-real-life-it-loses-641/ Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg On Sept. 10, the daily mortgage rate average tracked by Mortgage News Daily crossed 7% for the first time in more than a year. Freddie Mac's weekly average landed at 6.76%. Meanwhile, Chicago… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/the-mayor-rewrote-chicago-s-rental-ordinance-last-week-whether-it-touches-your-building-may-now-com/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/the-mayor-rewrote-chicago-s-rental-ordinance-last-week-whether-it-touches-your-building-may-now-com/ Thu, 10 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg The Protecting Renters Ordinance got a rewrite on September 4. Relocation payments came down, a six-unit exemption went in, and the whole thing needs to clear committee on September 16 to make a… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/the-same-chicago-house-is-worth-43-more-than-it-was-in-2021-the-payment-on-it-is-up-120/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/the-same-chicago-house-is-worth-43-more-than-it-was-in-2021-the-payment-on-it-is-up-120/ Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Pick a house. Any house in the Chicago area. Don't move it, don't renovate it, don't change a thing about it. Just let five years go by. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/chicago-magazine-ranked-all-205-chicagoland-suburbs-the-fastest-selling-town-in-cook-county-finishe/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/chicago-magazine-ranked-all-205-chicagoland-suburbs-the-fastest-selling-town-in-cook-county-finishe/ Sun, 06 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg The ranking measures eight things. Not one of them is what a house costs, how fast it sells, or what you'll pay in property taxes. So I added those columns. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/you-can-t-put-a-for-sale-sign-in-your-elmwood-park-yard-until-the-village-has-inspected-the-house-m/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/you-can-t-put-a-for-sale-sign-in-your-elmwood-park-yard-until-the-village-has-inspected-the-house-m/ Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Here is a rule most people find out about three weeks before closing, usually from a paralegal: in a big share of Chicagoland suburbs, the village gets a look at your house, and a check from you… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/a-2-25-billion-train-will-do-80-mph-through-river-forest-every-15-minutes-it-doesn-t-stop-there-h/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/a-2-25-billion-train-will-do-80-mph-through-river-forest-every-15-minutes-it-doesn-t-stop-there-h/ Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Chicago has been trying to build an express train to O'Hare since Richard M. Daley was mayor. There is a mothballed superstation under Block 37 to prove it. Rahm Emanuel took a swing with Elon… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/what-250-000-actually-buys-you-across-chicagoland-and-the-635-a-month-swing-nobody-shows-you/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/what-250-000-actually-buys-you-across-chicagoland-and-the-635-a-month-swing-nobody-shows-you/ Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Two hundred fifty thousand dollars is the number I hear more than any other from first-time buyers in this region. It's the pre-approval amount that comes back from the lender. It's the ceiling in… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/homes-sell-in-33-days-in-one-chicagoland-suburb-and-105-in-another-here-s-the-whole-list/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/homes-sell-in-33-days-in-one-chicagoland-suburb-and-105-in-another-here-s-the-whole-list/ Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Same metro. Same month. Same mortgage rates. A 72-day spread. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/same-town-different-school-district-what-one-boundary-line-is-actually-worth-in-chicagoland/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/same-town-different-school-district-what-one-boundary-line-is-actually-worth-in-chicagoland/ Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Two houses can sit on the same street, in the same town, pay taxes to the same county — and send their kids to completely different schools. Here is what that line does to price, why it moves more… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/1-8-million-cook-county-tax-bills-land-tuesday-here-s-the-10-minute-check-worth-about-950/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/1-8-million-cook-county-tax-bills-land-tuesday-here-s-the-10-minute-check-worth-about-950/ Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg On Tuesday, September 1, the Cook County Treasurer mails out 1.8 million second-installment property tax bills for Tax Year 2025. They're due October 1. If you're impatient, you don't have to wait… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/naperville-banned-it-arlington-heights-just-did-too-chicago-is-suing-airbnb-here-s-what-that-mean/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/naperville-banned-it-arlington-heights-just-did-too-chicago-is-suing-airbnb-here-s-what-that-mean/ Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Somewhere in Chicagoland right now, somebody is sitting at a closing table buying a three-flat with a spreadsheet that says "Airbnb the garden unit." That spreadsheet is about to meet a very long… Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/there-s-15-000-to-70-000-in-down-payment-money-sitting-around-chicagoland-most-buyers-never-ask-f/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/there-s-15-000-to-70-000-in-down-payment-money-sitting-around-chicagoland-most-buyers-never-ask-f/ Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Ask ten people why they're still renting and eight will say the same thing: the down payment. Not the monthly payment, not the credit score. The pile of cash you need on day one. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/chicago-home-prices-just-made-their-biggest-jump-since-the-pandemic-nobody-built-anything-that-s-t/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/chicago-home-prices-just-made-their-biggest-jump-since-the-pandemic-nobody-built-anything-that-s-t/ Sun, 23 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Every so often a number comes out that makes even the people who stare at this stuff all day stop and re-read it. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/there-are-chicago-homes-for-sale-with-a-3-mortgage-already-attached-here-s-how-you-take-it-over/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/there-are-chicago-homes-for-sale-with-a-3-mortgage-already-attached-here-s-how-you-take-it-over/ Sat, 22 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Mortgage rates are sitting around 6.67%. Roughly three out of four VA homeowners are paying under 5%. A huge chunk of people who bought in 2020 and 2021 are sitting on 2.5% to 3.5% loans. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/the-fed-cut-1-75-mortgage-rates-went-up-here-s-the-part-nobody-explains/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/the-fed-cut-1-75-mortgage-rates-went-up-here-s-the-part-nobody-explains/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg A hundred and twenty central bankers head to Wyoming next week. Here's what that meeting actually does to your mortgage rate — and an honest look at the math on waiting, in both directions. Chicago real estate Archive https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/joliet-is-adding-rich-people-faster-than-naperville-it-isn-t-close/ https://www.jasonrosenbergrealestate.com/blog/joliet-is-adding-rich-people-faster-than-naperville-it-isn-t-close/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0600 Jason Rosenberg Joliet's most famous resident is a fictional convict in a black suit and sunglasses. Chicago real estate Archive