suburbs: City - Or - Suburbs? Chicagoland In Transition - 08/16/13 07:20 AM
Live in the city or live in the suburbs?  A question that has been a source of many conversations for nearly 60 years. 
Chicago was a city that attracted all types of residents for the last century, from its architecture, to museums, to its large companies that began here.   Chicago has always been a thriving metropolis.
Due to the increase in population in the 1950’s, development in the suburbs sky rocketed and with it, many residents left the city.  Real estate was booming and the suburbs were the place to be, especially for families.  
For 40 years, the population … (0 comments)

suburbs: Bank Failures Slowing Down - 07/23/12 10:01 AM
Based on recent data from the FDIC, as well as anecdotal evidence from bankers in Chicago and northern Illinois who have been subjected to the OCC and FDIC bank audits, it does seem that although the United States banking system is not out of the woods yet, the banking system continues to heal.

Based on the above chart from the FDIC, the general trend is downward, albeit slowly.
So, in about 3 years, provided the commercial delinquencies don't cause brand-new spiking lines on the graph, these red lines of failure should be all but about gone.
That is provided of … (0 comments)

suburbs: Low Barriers To Entry Equals Low Expectations? - 07/10/12 10:22 AM
One of the benefits of our Activerain community is the opportunity to receive feedback from a number of individuals across this fine country of ours.  In response to the post, My New Outside Blog: Don't Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out!, Mike Dagner #29, essentially noted that since NAR (National Association of Realtors) has kept low barriers to entry into the field of real estate representation, aka Realtors, that it could follow that client would have low expectations.
Let's face, you don't have to go to law school for 3 years to become a Realtor, and you don't … (1 comments)