Category Archives: Real Estate Trends

Own Your Neighborhood Guide #3: A View to a Lake (That’s How James Bond Says Lakeview)

Posted on February 16, 2012 by markdollardrealty

Terribly out-of-date movie references aside, Lakeview is a little bit of a misnomer.  You can live in Lakeview and have a view of Lake Michigan, but the odds are that if you live in this neighborhood, you don’t have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts, Bars, Beer, Chicago, Chicago Cubs, Dining, Economics, Lakeview, Neighborhoods, Real Estate, Real Estate Trends, Restaurants, Sports, Wrigley Field, Wrigleyville | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Home Buying Advice by DNS: Getting the Most Valuable Value

Posted on January 18, 2012 by markdollardrealty

Today’s post is about getting through the process of buying a home smoothly and in a way that keeps your lifestyle comfortable.  The title is also an homage to arguably the best line in Road Trip: “It was his most … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance, Real Estate, Real Estate Trends | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s Easier to Win a Race When You are the Only One Running It (Great Deals are Found by Going Against the Grain)

Posted on November 10, 2011 by markdollardrealty

Economic theory and academic practice spends a lot of time on the subject of the business cycle and how to smooth it out.  The idea is that there is going to be a natural up and down to the economy, … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Economics, Investing, Landlord, Mortgages, Real Estate, Real Estate Trends, Rental | Leave a comment

Equity, Inventory Control and Human Behavior (The New Mortgage Programs)

Posted on October 31, 2011 by markdollardrealty

Earlier this week, the federal government announced a new program designed to help struggling homeowners with their mortgages. Here is a link to an article that details the situation pretty well: http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/24/real_estate/housing_refinance/index.htm. It’s not my goal to provide the nuts … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Mortgages, Real Estate, Real Estate Trends | Leave a comment

Own Your Neighborhood Guide #2: A Surprisingly Stable Overview of Lincoln Park

Posted on October 4, 2011 by markdollardrealty

Long-time residents of Chicago can attest: the transformation of much of Lincoln Park over the last 20 years has been remarkable.  Take for example the area around North and Clybourn.  In the early 90’s, one would be likely to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Bars, Beer, Chicago, Dining, Goose Island, Lincoln Park, Neighborhoods, Real Estate, Real Estate Trends | Leave a comment

Own Your Neighborhood Guide #1: A Princely Look at Noble Square / West Town

Posted on September 26, 2011 by markdollardrealty

I personally get the feeling that Noble Square/West Town is the least-known neighborhood combo (I put them together because they are each pretty small) in the near north/west part of Chicago.  This is totally unscientific, but it’s just that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Bars, Beer, Bib Gourmand, Chicago, Coffee, Dining, Neighborhoods, Noble Square, Real Estate, Real Estate Trends, Three Little Pigs, West Town, Whiskey, Wicker Park | Leave a comment