Safeguard Your Home and Enjoy This Chicago Winter

In this brutal weather, it's imperative to protect your Chicago home from the elements.

Frozen pipes, drafty rooms, cracked concrete and safety issues are all naughty things you can nicely avoid by being informed and taking some simple and cost-effective steps in and around your home this winter.

Visit Chicagoland Real Estate Forum for lots of tips on making your home a happy place to be in Chicago during winter. We even cover financial assistance programs that will help Chicago area homeowners stay safe and warm.

Here are some of the highlights:

*It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Winter

*It's Winter: Is Your Chicago Home Ready?

*We Can Vouch for the Importance of Weatherizing Your Chicago Home

*Storms Coming. Got Any Calcium Chloride Around?

Have a safe and problem-free winter from all of us at Chicagoland Real Estate Forum.

More Jobs Could Create More Homeowners in Illinois

The state of the Chicago real estate market is directly related to the unemployment rate in Illinois. Since the state's unemployment rate has consistently sat above the national average, action is necessary to create more jobs.

And action is what the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is taking.

The problem: As a result of unemployment, or underemployment, less people are in the position to own a home, which hurts the real estate market.

On the other side, it's becoming more difficult for small businesses to start up or create jobs since securing funding in this poor economy has become nearly impossible.

The solution: The Illinois DCEO has created a program that will provide millions of dollars in micro-loans to new and start-up small businesses in Illinois.

The federally funded program will go until funds run out, so immediate action is necessary if you are interested.

To find out all the details, including which lenders are involved and how to apply for a loan, visit chicagolandrealestateforum.com.