Buy Home Illinois

Home prices in the Chicago area dropped for a fourth consecutive month in December, falling 2 percent, according to a widely watched housing index released Tuesday.

Source: Chicago-area home prices fall in December

Source: Signs of new-home comeback

Water-saving plumbing fixtures are becoming very popular, partly because of the green movement and partly because the new wave of water-saving plumbing fixtures perform very well compared to older, low-flow fixtures.

Source: Ask the plumber: Homeowner needs a lesson in toilet efficiency

Long known for its taverns, Lyons is to beer what Seattle is to coffee — on a smaller scale. Yet this working-class village offers affordable housing and a small-town atmosphere where kids can head from the schools to the parks within an everyone-knows-everyone safety net.

Source: Lyons: A village that’s easy on the wallet

Forget the formal living room filled with fancy furniture or the dining room rarely used except for the holidays. Flex is in. A popular trend in new homebuilding, flex space offers homebuyers just what they want: flexibility.

Source: Flex appeal: Same house can take different shapes

Financial abuse of the elderly, including pushing them into reverse mortgages without their full understanding, has been perpetrated by mortgage professionals and victims’ family members.

The recent conviction of a Delray Beach, Fla., loan officer for his participation in a scheme to persuade seniors to refinance their reverse mortgages should serve as a warning to the friends and relatives of elderly people about the surprising ease with which senior homeowners can be exploited.

Source: Recent cases shine spotlight on financial abuse of elderly

With more skyscrapers and high-rises under construction than any North American city, Toronto may be headed for a U.S.-style correction as prices rise and household borrowing hits a record.

Source: Toronto building bubble may strain mortgages

Concept home in Florida designed for a new generation of buyers

Houses are getting smaller. No, houses are getting larger.

Source: Not their parents’ home

Container gardening is growing smaller. Suppliers are downsizing this season with easier-to-use trough planters, raised beds, pots or bags. It’s an effective way to produce edibles or blooms in tight spaces. One of the leaders in this less-is-better concept is EarthBox, a Scranton, Pa., manufacturer of self-watering plant containers.

Source: Downsizing makes container gardening easier

Q: I’m about to move into a rental situation in which I’ll be the third roommate, replacing someone who’s leaving. The departing tenant wants me to buy him out of his deposit. But what if the landlord charges us later for damage that happened before I moved in? How can I protect myself from this?

Source: New roommate worries about deposit liability