Straight answers for Chicagoland property owners
Code violations
What a Chicago building code violation is, how a case reaches a hearing or the Circuit Court, how to look one up, and what an owner can do next.
- Full guide
Chicago Building Code Violations: An Owner's Guide
What a Chicago building code violation is, how a case reaches a hearing or the Circuit Court, how to look one up, and what an owner can do next.
September 23, 2026 - Code violations
How to Look Up Building Permits for a Chicago Address
How to run a Chicago building permit search, what each field on a permit record means, and the four things the permit history does not tell you.
November 3, 2026 - Code violations
How a Building Complaint Becomes an Inspection
What happens after a 311 building complaint in Chicago, written from the owner's side: who inspects, what they look at, and what arrives afterwards.
October 23, 2026 - Code violations
Demolition Cases in Chicago: What to Know
How a Chicago building reaches a demolition order, what the city's published demolition data actually covers, and what an owner can do at each stage.
October 13, 2026 - Code violations
Vacant Building Violations in Chicago, Explained
What the City of Chicago cites on an empty building, where those violations are published, and what the owner of one can do next.
September 29, 2026 - Code violations
How to Check a Chicago Property for Building Code Violations
Look up Chicago building code violations by address using the city's own free tools, read what OPEN and COMPLIED mean, and know what the records leave out.
September 23, 2026 - Code violations
Chicago Building Code Hearings: After a Violation Is Cited
Where a Chicago building code case is heard, what the notice in your mail says, what the city has to prove, and how showing the repairs changes it.
September 23, 2026
Property taxes
How unpaid Illinois property taxes move from a missed bill to a tax sale, how redemption works through the county clerk, and where to get free help.
- Full guide
Behind on Property Taxes in Illinois: What Happens Next
How unpaid Illinois property taxes move from a missed bill to a tax sale, how redemption works through the county clerk, and where to get free help.
September 23, 2026 - Property taxes
How to Read a Cook County Property Tax Bill
Every line on a Cook County property tax bill, which office set it, and where to go when a line looks wrong. Structure explained, no figures quoted.
October 27, 2026 - Property taxes
Got a Tax Deed Notice in Illinois? What It Means
What a tax deed notice is, which court hears the petition behind it, and the one office that can confirm an Illinois owner's own redemption figure and date.
October 20, 2026 - Property taxes
The Cook County Scavenger Sale, Explained
What forfeited taxes are, how the Cook County scavenger sale differs from the annual tax sale, and which office can tell an owner where their parcel stands.
October 9, 2026 - Property taxes
Redeeming Sold Property Taxes in Cook County
Which Cook County office issues the redemption figure, what an owner has to ask for by name, and where the free legal help desk sits.
October 2, 2026 - Property taxes
How to Check Your Cook County Property Tax Status
Find out whether Cook County property taxes are paid, past due or sold, which office has each answer, and what these searches do not tell you.
September 23, 2026 - Property taxes
How the Cook County Tax Sale Works, in Plain English
What the Cook County annual tax sale actually sells, what a tax buyer receives, how redemption works, and when a tax deed can transfer a property.
September 23, 2026
Foreclosure
How foreclosure works in Illinois: it is a court case, the owner holds title until a judge confirms the sale, and here is who can tell you your own dates.
- Full guide
Foreclosure in Illinois: A Plain-English Guide for Owners
How foreclosure works in Illinois: it is a court case, the owner holds title until a judge confirms the sale, and here is who can tell you your own dates.
September 23, 2026 - Foreclosure
Payoff vs Reinstatement in an Illinois Foreclosure
Two documents, two very different numbers. What a payoff quote and a reinstatement quote each cover in an Illinois foreclosure, and who issues them.
November 6, 2026 - Foreclosure
Foreclosure Scams in Illinois: The Warning Signs
The patterns Illinois owners get targeted with after a case is filed, why each one is a problem, and the offices that take a complaint about it.
October 16, 2026 - Foreclosure
Foreclosure Papers in Cook County: What the Summons Means
A foreclosure summons in Cook County, explained: what the two documents are, where the response date is printed, how to file an appearance, and who helps.
September 23, 2026 - Foreclosure
What Happens in an Illinois Foreclosure, Step by Step
The Illinois foreclosure process stage by stage, from the first missed payment to the judge's order confirming the sale, and who can tell you your dates.
September 23, 2026
Selling as-is
What as-is really means in an Illinois sale, the three ways to sell a house that needs work, and how to compare a cash offer with listing on the net.
- Full guide
Selling a House As-Is in Chicago: Cash Buyer or Listing?
What as-is really means in an Illinois sale, the three ways to sell a house that needs work, and how to compare a cash offer with listing on the net.
September 23, 2026 - Selling as-is
Selling a Fire-Damaged House in Chicago
The permit side, the insurance side and the three realistic ways out of a fire-damaged Chicago house, in the order they need to be handled.
November 10, 2026 - Selling as-is
Instant Offers vs Local Cash Buyers: The Difference
How an algorithmic online offer and a local buyer's offer are put together differently, and the questions worth asking each before you sign anything.
October 30, 2026 - Selling as-is
What Happens at a Cash Closing in Illinois
Who is in the room at a cash sale closing in Illinois, what the title company does with the money, and what gets recorded afterwards.
October 6, 2026 - Selling as-is
How Cash Home Buyers Calculate an Offer
The arithmetic behind a cash offer, line by line, and the free Cook County records you can use to check a buyer's comparable sales and repair numbers yourself.
September 23, 2026 - Selling as-is
How to Check Out a Cash Home Buyer Before You Sign
How to confirm who a cash home buyer really is, look up what they have recorded, protect your earnest money, spot the red flags, and where to report one.
September 23, 2026