The best $300 my fiancée and I spent in the process of buying our first home did not contribute in the slightest to the actual purchase price. Rather, it kept us from purchasing a home that would have been a disaster to live in. The modest fee was the cost of the home inspection on […]
Special Issues
Posted inSpecial Issues
When you’re face-to-face with the loan officer
Despite recent improvement in the economy, the lending environment is still tough. Winning over cautious lenders requires presenting a convincing case, exposing the details of your financial life and work history. The lender must have confidence in your ability and intention to repay this loan. Here is a step-by-step guide to finessing financing. Deciding on […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
How to spend $8,000
So, you’ve closed on a home and that federal first-time homebuyer’s tax credit should be coming your way soon. Now what? First of all, realize it might take several weeks for the tax-credit form to get processed. Even then, some homeowners will only see the credit as savings on their taxes, so don’t necessarily expect […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
The time is right to seal the deal on your new home
The warm prospect of more affordable home prices, attractive mortgage rates and a stable economy will likely draw more real estate shoppers to the market this spring. But it’s the opportunity for cash back in their pockets that will turn many shoppers into buyers — and quickly. The potential benefit is huge: as much as […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
A first-time buyer’s battle plan
Considering the available incentive programs, low interest rates and low home prices, the number of first-time homebuyers in the market has increased to approximately 47 percent, up by more than 10 percent since 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors. But even with these positive conditions, the process of buying a home for the […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Dinosaurs, aliens and magicians
Remember the writer’s strike that hobbled Hollywood 18 months ago? While it had an immediate effect on the television industry, it’s only now being felt on the big screen as evidenced by the weakest roster of films to grace a summer season in many a moon. There are only two sure-fire franchise hits on the […]
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Visit central Illinois wineries for close-to-home tourism
If you’re craving fun in the sun or a relaxing romantic rendezvous this summer, bypass the travel headache and head for a nearby central Illinois winery. The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association lists five wineries within an hour of Springfield, and one more that’s just outside of Peoria. Each of these is family-owned and […]
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Ride the rails to Alton
Passenger rail may have seen its heyday come and go, but 21,000 miles of train track still crisscross America. Ten of Amtrak’s routes wind through Illinois and can connect those looking for summer fun with several destinations throughout the Midwest. Of all the options in the region, Amtrak’s Texas Eagle provides one of the best […]
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Summer Picks
Capital City Bicentennial CelebrationJuly 3-4 What happens when Abraham Lincoln meets the 21st century? The Capital City Bicentennial Celebration. The inaugural event fuses the Springfield Jaycees Capital City Celebration, Taste of Downtown and the Secretary of State’s Ice Cream Social in a two-day festival that also continues the celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday. The 16th […]
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Things will be great when you’re downtown . . . Chicago
Remember Petula Clark? She used to sing, “The lights are much brighter there, You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares. So go downtown, things’ll be great when you’re downtown — no finer place, for sure downtown — everything’s waiting for you.” It is fun to kick the dust off your shoes, grab […]
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The American game
Not a full year after the first organized baseball game was played in New Jersey’s Elysian Fields, in 1846, poet Walt Whitman is said to have written of the fledgling sport, “I see great things in baseball. It’s our game, the American game.” In the years since Whitman penned that line, baseball would indeed become […]
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Play in Peoria this summer
For some, a trip to the Peoria area is sheer Par-A-Dice, as they seek to fatten their pockets on the riverboat. While the riverboat is a popular spot, the river city, about 70 miles north of Springfield, has a variety of fairs, festivals and museums for the entire family. For example, you may bask in […]
