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The Hidden Perks Of Chicago’s Public Library System
Hey Chicago! When was the last time you checked out a public library? If you haven’t been by in a while, you might not know that a Chicago Public Library (CPL) card gets you a lot more than books. Museum admission, streaming movies and music, business research databases, a makerspace with 3D printers and laser cutters, tutoring, and a portable WiFi hotspot are all things a CPL card can unlock, and best of all, it’s all free. In this week’s article, we’re covering everything that comes with the card. If…
Guide To Permits For A Chicago Home Renovation
Hey Chicago homeowner! If you’re planning a renovation, or you’re buying a home where someone else already did one, we need to talk about permits. Unpermitted work can hold up a closing, tank an appraisal, void an insurance claim, or force a buyer to negotiate a price cut for something the seller thought was long finished. This week, we’re covering what requires a permit in Chicago, what the process looks like, and what buyers and sellers should check before a renovation or a sale. Welcome back to our weekly article…
Find Ben & Guess The Price
Hey Chicago! If you’ve been following along on our weekly blog, you know we cover a lot of topics related to Chicago: the beaches, pickleball courts, Michelin restaurants, school districts, and the bungalow belt are just a few of the more recent ones. We try to put out something useful or interesting every week, but there’s something going on over on our social channels that we’ve never written about here, and it’s probably the most fun thing we do. If you’ve come across Ben’s Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts, you…
Chicago’s Bungalow Belt
Hey Chicago! This week we’re back with something more real estate-related since we often get questions about the different bungalow neighborhoods around the city. In total, Chicago has more than 80,000 bungalows, roughly one-third of all single-family homes in the city. Most were built between 1910 and the early 1940’s, and follow roughly the same design: brick, one-and-a-half stories, a low-pitched roof, and a small front porch. If you look at a map of Chicago, they form a wide arc from the Northwest Side down through the Southwest and across…