Cannabis legalization and real estate: what happens to property values? How has recreational cannabis legalization impacted the real estate market? This year, Illinois joined 10 other states and Washington, D.C., in legalizing recreational cannabis use. Nearly $3.2 million of marijuana and cannabis products were sold on January 1st in Illinois, and there are still dispensaries [...]
What can I do if my landlord doesn’t return my security deposit? My landlord sold the unit after condo deconversion but never gave the deposit back to me. Q: I am a tenant in a building that was recently deconverted from condos to apartments. Prior to the deconversion, I had rented the condo from the [...]
Top 10 most expensive cities to live in 2019. Setup costs and living expenses rank the most in-demand cities around the world from most to least costly. What are the top 10 most expensive cities to live in 2019? Research by Movinga ranks each of the most in-demand cities from around the world from most [...]
Is renting or home buying right for you in retirement? The answer depends on both your financial situation and your health. We recently received a couple of questions dealing with couples who are in their sixties, seventies and eighties that are planning to move and wonder whether they should buy or rent their next home. [...]
Renting an apartment is tricky. There are at least 10 mistakes you should avoid making when you rent an apartment. If you can avoid making these mistakes, you'll save yourself time and money. When you rent an apartment for the first time, you're bound to make a mistake. In fact, research shows there are 10 [...]
Most tenants looking for a place to rent will spend much of the time looking at what kind of space they’ll have inside the four walls of an apartment. That makes sense, since it’s what you will see daily, and there’s an important connection that needs to be made. But the space outside those walls [...]
Finding the right rental property can be very stressful. Renters spend most of their time searching for an rental unit that satisfies basic living needs, such as the size, look and location of the property. But if you don’t find a great landlord, you won’t enjoy living in your new home even if it has [...]
The hidden costs of transitioning from renter to homeowner range from potential home repairs to remodeling and they add up quickly! Q: We are definitely ready to be done renting, as we need more space and a home that can accomodate dogs. We have one dog and and would love to add more. Factoring in [...]
Wondering what threats await real estate this year (and in the future)? Scott Muldavin, Chair of the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE), ran down his annual list at this year's National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) conference, in Denver. This story features the first 5 threats to real estate. Real Estate Threat #1 - [...]
Can you keep the security deposit after a tenant breaks the lease? When a tenant breaks the lease on your rental property, you could be entitled to keep the security deposit based on your state’s laws. Q: Can I keep the security deposit my tenant gave me after he broke the lease? Here's what happened: [...]
