The living level and family room have maple floors. The kitchen is equipped with an island, eat-in area, granite counters, stainless steel
appliances, and access to the outdoor deck for entertaining. Enjoy a cozy fireplace and abundant room for relaxation in the living and dining room.

Located right off of the garage is the family room with access to the fenced-in, paved back yard. A full bath is also located on this floor. The basement level houses the fourth bedroom, convenient and privately tucked away, for overnight guests.

The bedroom level includes a laundry room with a side-by-side washer and dryer and 2 more bathrooms. Each of the bathrooms contain granite counters and Grohe fixtures.  The master bedroom suite has 2 walk-in closets and a bath with double bowl vanity, tub, and separate shower.

The home features a new Rheem 95% efficient furnace, the owners have noticed a reduction in heating bills as a result of this addition. They have also enjoyed breathing cleaner air with the installation of the air filtration system!

The home is walking distance to the Loop, lake, museums, nightlife and restaurants.  The South Loop School is only 2 blocks away. There are several parks in the area, not to mention Grant Park, which spans the lakefront. Cottontail Park, where you will find children playing, adults strolling and pets having a great time, is steps away.

Priced at $925,000, unit 7B W. 15th is ready for the urban dwellers who are looking for this beautiful home.

Genghis Khan ( listen)
February 24–September 3

Image via Wikipedia

Whether you are a war buff, history buff, or just one who likes to learn new things the Genghis Khan exhibition at the Field Museum is a fascinating tour of the world’s largest contiguous empire in history.

After being abandoned by his tribe at a young age Khan rose to power and united many  nomadic tribes of northeast Asia, in time forming the Mongol Empire. The exhibition is structured in a time-line format from Khan’s early childhood through his death, at which time the empire was divided among his sons.

The Mongol Empire brought to the world numerous, surprising innovations, most of which are still in use today. Some of these include; pants, ground meat, glasses, the pony express, passports, paper money, and diplomatic immunity.

Opening the Vaults: Mummies
February 17–April 22

Growing up in Chicago it seemed that we always had an annual field trip to the Field Museum to visit the extraordinary permanent exhibition, Inside Ancient Egypt. As many know, this exhibit strikes the imagination of children as they explore pyramids, ancient life, and, of course, mummies.

The special exhibition, Opening the Vaults, takes the exploration of mummies to a whole new level. With over twenty specimen on display the room demonstrates a fantastic balance of new and old. Most of the mummies have not been displayed since the World’s Columbian Exhibition.

The museum refurbished vintage cases for the bodies and placed all the labels either on the walls, illustrated with CT scans, or along the top of the case. This left visitors with an unobstructed view of the objects and the choice to read all of the text, some of the text, or just appreciate the aesthetic of the ancient burial methods.

For me, the CT scans were the most intriguing part of the exhibit. Although, even the museum staff was pleased with how much attention and appreciation the vintage cases received from all of the visitors.

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Related articles

• Field Museum To Offer Rare Look At Mummies (chicago.cbslocal.com)

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• Single Family & Attached Real Estate Trends 2009 – 2011 in Downtown Chicago (terribuseman.wordpress.com)

Give A Damn? is a feature length documentary three friends, two idealistic activists and one skeptic, attempting to live in extreme poverty, on $1.25 a day, across 3 continents. The adventure takes a devastating turn when two of them survive a deadly plane crash in Africa, and all three must fight to finish what they started. The result is a humorous, adventurous and compelling film that will

connect those who need something to live for with those who just need something to live.

Dan Parris (Director/Producer/Co-Editor/Subject), owner of Speak Up Productions LLC, is the filmmaker/activist/goofball whose lingering questions after returning from Africa serve as the fuel for the film Give A Damn? Dan has a B.A. in Film Production from Biola University and is currently pursuing the dream he has had for nearly a decade, to make feature films that will have ground-breaking impact in the world.

Rob Lehr (Assistant Producer/Subject) An offensive, yet delightful filmmaker and friend whose passions include hunting, poetry, and sharing his views no matter how you may feel about them. He has a degree in Business from Missouri State University, and currently resides in Springfield, MO. Rob’s ability to be open and raw as the skeptic of the journey provides much of the drama and comedic relief of the film.

David Peterka (Assistant Producer/Subject) is an experienced activist and traveler with unbreakable optimism. He has his degree in Intercultural and Urban Missions and is developing his own non-profit, ‘When the Saints’, whose goal is defending, rescuing and maintaining the rights of the weak, poor and oppressed, focusing on victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking in Malawi.

Watch the trailer at giveadamndoc.com.

Winner: Best Documentary – St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase
Official Selection – Heartland Film Festival (World Premiere)
Official Selection – St. Louis International Film Fest
Official Selection – Africa World Documentary Film Fest

Below is a video tutorial on how to replace a standard wall outlet.

1. Make sure the electricity to the outlet is turned off!
2. Remove the plate and unscrew the outlet.
3. Notice that the white wire connects to the silver screws and the colored wire connects to the gold screws.
4. Carefully loosen and unhook each wire.
5. Wrap the wires around the screws on the new outlet or thread them through the coordinating holes on the back of the outlet. Make sure the white wire is connected to the silver screws and the colored wire to the gold screws.
6. Tighten the screws carefully assuring there are no stray wires and that all wires are secure and covered.
7. Attach the new outlet to the wall and straighten as you tighten the screws.
8. Replace the plate.

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• How to Update the Lightswitches (terribuseman.wordpress.com)

Finally, starting January 13th, my husband and I scheduled a four day weekend with the plan to paint the living room, bedroom, and bathroom. We expected to use President’s Day weekend to finish the closets.

Day 1: Packing, Cleaning, and Prep Work

Figuring we would be spending the weekend getting dirty anyway, I started with a side project of recaulking the tub. After our showers I scraped off the old caulking to give the area plenty of time to dry, then got to work on the task of painting.

We tried to learn as many lessons as we could before starting the project. We knew it would be big, but day one immediately showed us the true meaning of a big job. We worked in the evenings for the week beforehand to pack up as much as we could. Just like moving, when packing your house up to paint you come across a whole lot more that you own than you realized. I found thank you cards that had never been used, a box of envelopes, and even a binder full of old baseball cards (not worth anything, we checked )

A bonus that we hadn’t realized before moving everything to the middle of the room was that we were finally able to clean in areas that are not otherwise accesible, such as behind the refrigerator.

Originally we thought we would be able to prep the entire place in day one. We did come to the understanding rather quickly that the bathroom would have to wait and that we would only be able to do the living room and bedroom over the four day weekend. In day one we managed to get everything out of the way of the walls. We did not do any taping nor did anything get covered in plastic. We did, however, get to end the day by meeting some new friends for a relaxing cocktail.

Day 2: Four People to Paint Two Rooms

Before anything I finished the caulking job on the tub, so it would again have plenty of time to dry. The small side project turned out quite well!

My parents showed up bright and early on day two to help us! We immediately put the boys to work taping while my mom painted the green above the fireplace and I worked on the small walls in the kitchen.

I’m not entirely sure who did what after that. The doors were all sanded, anything that needed to be primed was taken care of, and I spent most of the day on the ladder taping the ceiling and covering parts of the ductwork.

Personal Lessons Learned:
1. It helps to have someone who can get into tight places handy.
2. Pizza is REALLY good!

Needless to say it was an exhausting day! None the less it was quite productive. We managed to finish the kitchen, finish the green above the fireplace, finish the first coat of the living room, and prep the bedroom.

Day 3: Finishing Painting

My extremely generous parents came to help again! Sore and feeling beaten down we had another day of hard work. My mom painted the baseboards, my dad worked on the second coat of paint in the living room, my husband painted the bedroom, and I enjoyed another day on the ladder getting into all the hard to reach spots near the duct work.

Personal Lessons Learned:
1. Even though I am able I don’t really like standing at the top of a ladder and twisting around to get to hard to reach places.
2. Hamburgers are REALLY good!

We called it a day earlier than we had on Saturday. The living room was finished, but the bedroom needed another coat and there was a spot in the bedroom that hadn’t been touched yet because it shares a corner with the living room and that paint hadn’t yet dried. Thankfully, my parents left us with tasks that we could finish ourselves.

Day 4: Moving Back In

We woke up early and finished the bedroom. We then picked up another side project. Since they were all easily accesible, with all of the furniture out of the way, we decided to update all of the switches and outlets. While the bedroom dried we took a trip to Ace hardware store on State to purchase all of the outlets and switches we could. We cleaned out the store and they graciously ordered the rest that we needed to be delivered to the store later that afternoon.

We then changed out the outlets that would be hardest to reach and started putting the house back together. My first goal was to clear off the couch that we hadn’t been able to use for days, while my husband reorganized all of the wires behind his desk.

Personal Lessons Learned:
1. Working on your home instills a great pride of ownership.
2. Living in a place for awhile before making major changes gives you a chance to try different things and then fix them later.
3. If someone says it’s going to be a big job double your perceived meaning of that in your mind and plan accordingly.

We managed to get most of the place back in order by the end of the day. At least well enough  that we could get a good night’s sleep and be ready for work the next day.

Days 5–22: Still Cleaning Up

However, since we brazenly made plans almost every single night for the following three weeks it took nearly that amount of time to get the place completely back in order and clean. By Friday, February 3 we were finally ready to paint the bathroom. A few strokes of luck even had me find a new shower curtain that matches the new paint perfectly, a new toilet paper stand that actually fits in the tiny amount of floor space we have for it, and a hand towel ring of the same pattern that the previous owners used for the towel bar and hooks!

Day 23: Painting the Bathroom

We woke up early ready to conquer what we expected to be the easiest room. My husband had some other work to attend to first-thing in the morning, so while he did that I started prepping the bathroom. At first it was as easy as could be, until I reached the sink area. I had to stand on the toilet (hooray for sturdy wooden seats) and the counter and carefully reach over the very hot lights to tape the ceiling. I then covered most of the floor with plastic and by the time I was ready to paint my husband was ready to help. I started by cutting in and he followed me with the roller.

Personal Lessons Learned:
1. Working around toilets, sinks, and mirrors is not much easier than painting around duct work.
2. Doing most of the prep work while your husband sits at a desk leaves you exhausted by the end of the day and him energized.

We managed to get two coats of paint on the walls with enough time to relax over dinner and a movie.

Day 24: Painting the Ceiling

The ceiling in our unit was recently painted, except in the bathroom. No problem, I thought, we can just do that quickly when we paint the bathroom. We woke up early again ready to tackle another project. Since we just finished painting the walls we used tape and drape to partially cover them, in case of drips. We divided the bathroom in half, he was in charge of the areas that did not require standing on fixtures and I was in charge of those that did. We each cut in our half of the ceiling and we each used a roller to paint a coat on the rest of it. Thankfully the ceiling just needed to be freshened up, so it only used one thick coat.

Lessons Learned:
1. It takes careful balance to stand on the edge of a tub covered in plastic while wearing socks.
2. Don’t try to learn lesson 1 yourself, just learn from me.
3. When painting a ceiling wear goggles and a bandana, you will get paint in your eyes and your hair.

The best part about painting the ceiling is that we were finished in two hours. We then spent the next two hours cleaning up, putting the bathroom back together, and hanging the new towel ring I bought. We were then left with a Sunday afternoon of rest and Super Bowl!

The three things I found to be the most useful in the whole project were:

1. Wear socks, they absorb any paint that dripped on the floor keeping it from being tracked all over.
2. Tape and drape is one of the best inventions out there! Use high quality painters tape on the edges and then attach tape and drape to that to protect floors, walls, and fixtures.
3. Mini rollers are fantastic for getting into tight spots while distributing the paint evenly without leaving brush marks.

I hope our adventure in painting has been helpful for you whether you are preparing for a large job, a small job, or deciding to hire it out instead!

We are quite pleased with the results. I will leave you with before and after pictures.
NOTE: In person the bathroom is a distinctly different color than the living room. The camera did not capture that well.

For information about real estate in Chicago or resources in your area please contact us and sign up for our free market report!

Related articles

• Painting Like a Pro Part 1: Choosing Colors for Him, Her, and Everyone Else (terribuseman.wordpress.com)
• Painting Like a Pro Part 2: Collecting Tips, Supplies, and Before Pictures (terribuseman.wordpress.com)
• How to Update the Lightswitches (terribuseman.wordpress.com)

Can I afford to buy a home now?

Before seeking a mortgage or spending your life savings make sure you are ready to make a great investment that will make your life more comfortable. When preparing to purchase property there are a few things that must be considered.

Image by: graur codrin

How long will you own the home?
The first few years of mortgage payments mostly go toward paying off the interest on the mortgage. Due to this, paired with transaction fees it often doesn’t make financial sense to spend all of that money unless you will own the home for at least five to seven years.

Can you comfortably afford the payments associated with homeownership?
As well as having to pay utilities, insurance, property taxes, and in many cases assessments, home owners also have to pay for all maintenance. Some maintenance costs are routine and some are pretty inexpensive, stil others may come as a surprise. Depending on the home you buy you may not have a choice in how to make a repair. For example, the door to our condo warped with age and needed to be replaced. Since the door must match all of the others in the hallway the only choice we had was to buy a new one through the management and pay the amount they charge. On the other hand when the disposal hit its last leg we were able to go to the store, pick one of our choosing, and replace it ourselves.

Take careful consideration of the age of the home and appliances in it. Understand the age of each and what their average life expectancy is so you can gauge when maintenance might be needed and how much that will entail.

Image by: vichie81

Will you still have six to twelve months of savings in case of an emergency?
Life happens. Homes need maintenance, people need maintenance, bank accounts need maintenance. It is always a good idea to keep at least six months of savings for an emergency. No one can predict when someone will fall ill, something will require more maintenance than expected, babies will be conceived, or jobs change. Sometimes life happens very fast. Stay prepared.

Your lender will look at three things to determine if you qualify for a loan and how much money you can borrow.

1. Is your credit history clean and strong?
   
   There are plenty of tools to help you check your credit score and make sure there aren’t any surprises on it. Just remember that every time your credit is checked it is noted and checking it too often can have a negative effect. Making large purchases before buying a home can also have a negative effect to your lender. If possible wait until the home closes before buying furniture, a new car, or any other large purchase. If you can’t wait speak with your lender about it first. Open communication is always welcome.
2. How much income do you bring in each month?
   
   Lenders use a percentage to determine how much home a client can afford. They don’t care about your individual expenses. The standard percent of income that housing expenses should not exceed is 28%. Housing expenses, by this definition, include mortgage payments, taxes, and insurance. You, as the homeowner, should be able to cover all of the rest of your living expenses from the remaining 72% of your pre-tax income.
   

   Image by: Stuart Miles

   Your lender may offer you the opportunity to have a higher housing expense than 28%. Just be sure that you know how much you are comfortable with. If he offers you a 36% ratio, but you like to wine and dine accepting that mortgage amount might not leave you enough spending money to entertain to the extravagance you prefer.

   When my husband and I first bought our home we were shocked at how much of a mortgage the lender determined we could afford. We knew that, being very social creatures, if we took all that they determined we could afford we would feel very house poor. It’s vital to understand how much you need to spend and how much you choose to spend per month before deciding how much home you can comfortably afford.

3. How much money will you put down on the home?
   
   Your downpayment helps determine what kind of loan you will qualify for. It also gives the lender a sense of how well you manage money. It’s very hard for most people to save 20% of the property value they would like to buy. The more financial savvy you can show your lender you are with a strong down payment the less your lender will see you as a risk and the happier he will be to write you a loan. There are FHA government insured loans that accept lesser down payments (minimum 3.5%) and are more flexible with debt ratios.
   

   Image by: renjith krishnan

To gain sense of how large of a loan you might qualify for use or pre-qualification calculator.

For a sense of how much your mortgage payments might be use our payment calculator.

Please contact Vito Roppo for more information about available mortgage products and to prepare yourself for your next home purchase:

Vito Roppo
Sales Manager
Office (312) 834-7283
Cell (630) 327-8553
Fax (888) 868-5670
Email: vroppo@inlandbank.com
www.chicagolandmortgage.net
NMLS 543270

For information about real estate in Chicago or resources in your area please contact us and sign up for our free market report!

Special thanks to Vito Roppo, guest editor of this post.

Below is a video tutorial on how to replace simple light switches.

1. Make sure the electricity to the switch is turned off!
2. Remove the switch plate and unscrew the switch.
3. Carefully loosen and unhook each wire (for a simple switch don’t worry about which wire was on top. A three-way switch is different. These instructions are for a simple switch only.)
4. Notice which side is the top of the new switch.
5. Wrap the wires around the screws on the new switch.
6. Tighten the screws carefully assuring there are no stray wires and that all wires are secure and covered.
7. Attach the new switch to the wall and straighten as you tighten the screws.
8. Replace the switch plate.

For information about real estate in Chicago or resources in your area please contact us and sign up for our free market report!

	@therapybyAmaris Thank you for agreeing to this twitterview today! What stirred your interest in participating? #twitterview
	@terribuseman Choosing a home is like choosing the rt outfit. Ur purchase reflects ur personal style & should be the right fit. #twitterview
	@therapybyAmaris You moved here from NYC, what brought you to the second city? #twitterview
	@terribuseman I saw that there is a growing market for image consulting and personal shopping … #twitterview @terribuseman … I also wanted to start Therapy by Amaris here because Chicago is the fashion hub of the midwest. #twitterview
	@therapybyAmaris What kind of shopping do you specialize in, special occasion, career, casual, etc? #twitterview
	@terribuseman All of the above, but my specialty is tailoring fashion and latest trends to fit your lifestyle… #twitterview @terribuseman …From high powered career-woman to stay-at-home-dad; Therapy by Amaris does it all… #twitterview @terribuseman … I rehabilitate your closet so that it better suits your personality and way of life… #twitterview
	@therapybyAmaris By rehabilitate do you mean that you work with clothes your clients already have? #twitterview
	@terribuseman Absolutely! Closet Therapy is a Therapy by Amaris offering. I work w what u already have & prescribe things that u need
	@therapybyAmaris What a great idea! I bet that helps inspire your clients when they feel that they have a full closet and nothing to wear! @therapybyAmaris How do you choose what stores to go to with your clients? #twitterview
	@terribuseman Based on client budget, lifestyle and preference. I connect with the hottest boutiques and shops… #twitterview   @terribuseman … so that I can offer my clients the best that Chicago has to offer. I’m here 2 make shopping easier and a lot more fun… @terribuseman … in general, I try to go to smaller local shops for the best finds. #twitterview
	@therapybyAmaris What’s your favorite shopping neighborhood in Chicago? #twitterview
	@terribuseman Wicker Park. I absolutely LOVE vintage shopping (and there’s a ton of that there)… #twitterview @terribuseman … But I recently stumbled upon some great boutiques in Old Town that I want to revisit #twitterview
	@therapybyAmaris Coming from NYC have you found any challenges or surprises in Chicago fashion? #twitterview
	@terribuseman Surprises definitely! The fashion scene is alive and well out here! Chicagoans know good style. #twitterview
	@therapybyAmaris What stores would you consider the city’s best kept secret? #twitterview
	@terribuseman Well I can’t tell you that! I want everyone to say, “That looks really good. Where did you get that from…?!”… #twitterview @terribuseman … Those secrets stay between me and my clients… #twitterview   @terribuseman … but, I can tell you this. I choose small boutiques over large department stores any day. #twitterview
	@therapybyAmaris Do you have any exciting projects on the horizon? #twitterview
	@terribuseman I’m hosting Champagne Happy Hour and Styling events in February. Check out meetup.com/therapybyamarisfor more details… @terribuseman Also, I’m launching a new website, so everyone should look out for that in the coming months. #twitterview
	@therapybyAmaris Oh great! Please let us know when it is up! #twitterview @therapybyAmaris What do you do for fun/relaxation? #twitterview
	@terribuseman I love traveling. I’ve gotten so much style inspiration from my trips abroad… #twitterview @terribuseman… I also love to blog about fashion on my Therapy Sessions blog www.therapybyamaris.blogspot.com
	@therapybyAmaris Travel is so wonderful! We just found a blog about shopping in Paris that you might enjoy bit.ly/wfJCA6 #twitterview @therapybyAmaris Can you please name some of your favorite downtown hangouts? #twitterview
	@terribuseman Underground, The Bedford, Violet Hour, Gilt Bar… The list goes on & on. Chicago has really good night life…. #twitterview
	@therapybyAmaris It does! And so many great craft cocktails! #twitterview @therapybyAmaris Almost out of time, but coming from NYC ive 2 ask wht 2 U is the most unexpected benefit of living in Chicago? #twitterview
	@terribuseman The food. This is such a great restaurant city. (I had no idea before moving here!)… #twitterview @terribuseman … When I’m not styling, I’m usually stuffing my face!
	@therapybyAmaris ths is a gr8 place 2 do that. Did U C the #Crain‘s article last week abt expensive restaurants? bit.ly/ySCtDM
	@terribuseman no, but i’m looking at it NOW!
	@therapybyAmaris We have to get going now, but thank you for joining us today for the #twitterview @therapybyAmaris I hope you’ve had fun! #twitterview
	@terribuseman TONS! Thanks so much for interviewing me! #twitterview

Are you a small business owner in downtown Chicago? Would you like to participate in a twitterview? Please email Molly (mollyheyen@terribuseman.com) to let us know!

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• #Twitterview: An Interview of Charlotte Weeks, CEO at Weeks Career Services, Inc. via Twitter (terribuseman.wordpress.com)
• #Twitterview: An Interview of Stephen Reginald, South Loop Champion and Social Media Aficionado via Twitter (terribuseman.wordpress.com)
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For information about real estate in Chicago or resources in your area please contact us and sign up for our free market report!

Image via Wikipedia

The Dragon is the mightiest of the signs, symbolizing such character traits as dominance and ambition.

This year’s parade also kicks off the celebration of Chicago Chinatown’s 100th anniversary!

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