The start of the new year is the time when many people make resolutions to themselves to improve their lives in some form or fashion. Losing weight, finding a better job, or traveling tend to be among the more popular New Year resolutions, but if buying or selling your home is on the agenda for 2023, there are other specific resolutions that should be on your list, and that you should stick to.

Here are some new year resolutions that you should be making to help you achieve your home buying or selling goals this year.

BUYERS

Start Saving

It sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. There’s no time like the present to start saving for a new home, and the more money you can muster up, the smaller the loan you’ll need to take out. If you can gather at least a 20% down payment, you won’t have to worry about paying Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) that lenders charge to protect themselves in case you ever default on your mortgage.

If you can’t gather up that much money towards a down payment, don’t fret. You can still put down as little as 5% for a conventional mortgage, and even as little as 3.5% for an FHA-backed home loan.

Either way, you still need to save. If you have difficulty being self-disciplined with your spending and saving habits, consider automating your bank accounts so that you put aside a certain amount of your income into a separate savings account every month. If you don’t see the money while it’s being automatically deposited, you won’t be as tempted to spend it.

Budget

You should have an idea of how much house you can afford to buy, as well as all the extra expenses that come along with purchasing a home. Set up a budget that outlines in detail what your income is, and compare that amount with your current debts.

Make an effort to shrink your budget a little bit to help you make more room for saving up for your future home and reduce your debt amounts. Try to come up with a budget that takes into account the fact that your mortgage will take up a larger amount of your paycheck in order for you to start getting accustomed to spending less money on unnecessary things.

Improve Your Credit

A key factor that your lender will consider before approving you for a mortgage is the state of your credit. If your credit score is low, you stand a good chance of getting denied. Even if you are approved, you will likely be faced with a higher interest rate on your mortgage, which will cause your home loan to be more expensive over the long run.

Get a copy of your credit report to make sure there aren’t any errors on it that could be bringing your score down. If you find any, report them to the credit bureau so that the issue can be investigated.

If your credit score is very good (at least 700 or above), you’re in a good position. If it’s lower than that, you need to take steps to improve it. Start paying your bills on time and in full each month, and keep up on your credit card, student, and auto loans. Don’t use any more than 30% of your available credit, and make sure not to make any large purchases on credit, which can have a negative impact on your credit score.

All your lender wants to see is that you are responsible with your credit.

Get PreApproved For a Mortgage

Having a mortgage pre-approval will not only allow you to identify how much you can realistically afford before you start house hunting, it will also tell sellers that you are less of a risk compared to another buyer without a pre-approval.

Having said that, make sure you start gathering up all of your financial documents to provide to your lender so that the pre-approval process can get underway. This includes your tax returns, bank statements, and letter of employment, among others. You will also need to fill out and submit a mortgage application. It should be noted that a pre-approval is not necessarily a guarantee that you will be approved for an eventual mortgage, but it certainly gets you one step closer.

SELLERS

Get Your Home Ready For the Market

Have a good look around your home. Does it look cluttered? Could your walls use a paint job? Are your shelves covered in family photos? Now is the time to clean up, make any repairs, or even redecorate to properly stage your home for the market.

Generally speaking, your real estate agent and professional home stager will likely recommend decluttering, depersonalizing, and neutralizing the decor of your home in order for it to be more appealing to a larger pool of buyers. The earlier you start this potentially big project, the more time you’ll have to make sure your home is ready to be viewed by prospective buyers.

Work Out the Time Between Selling Your Home and Buying a New One

This can be tricky, but it’s important to be able to calculate the rough timeline between selling your current home and buying your new one. You don’t want to be stuck with two mortgages because the closing dates between the two transactions overlap. Likewise, you don’t want to be rushed out of your home with no place to go because the closing dates are spread too far apart.

Determine whether or not you can afford to close on a new home before your current one sells. It can be somewhat stressful to sell your home and buy another one at the same time. Look at what your potential housing options are, and go over your finances in detail in order to plan out the most ideal timeline for both selling and buying.

Hire an Experienced Real Estate Professional

Having an experienced and knowledgeable real estate professional in your corner really should be top priority. These experts can help guide you in the right direction and assist you in making the right moves and decisions in proper succession in order to ensure the buying and selling process is a streamlined one. Choosing the right real estate agent can also help make sure that you stick to your real estate New Year’s resolutions!

The 150-year old green edifice resembles the gateway to the Emerald City of Oz, but the Green Door Tavern, 678 N. Orleans Street, proudly proclaims on its website that “100 YEARS OF TROUBLE (THE GOOD KIND) have taken place here.

We believe it! 

The Green Door Tavern started life in 1872, according to its website, following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.  James McCole, an engineer, built this two-story, balloon frame wooden structure with a detached cottage in the rear. 

McCole rented the front of the building to Mr. Lawrence P. Ek, who ran it as a grocery store with living quarters in the rear cottage.

Following the fire, Chicago passed a fire code ordinance prohibiting construction of wooden commercial buildings in the Central Business District. The structure, according to the  Chicago Bar Project.com, was the last wood frame building allowed this close to the Loop after the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance banning this type of construction. No information seems available on why it was allowed to stand, as structures of stone and steel were built around the location. 

The building remained a grocery, apparently, until 1921, when new owner Vito Giacomo (also known as Giacomoni). He converted it to a dining establishment, called the Huron-Orleans Restaurant.  His sons Jack and Nello ran it as a speakeasy during Prohibition.

Why is it named The Green Door? 

Legend has it that if the door of a restaurant was painted green during Prohibition (1920-33), it indicated the presence of a speakeasy in that establishment.

Mob connections and Prohibition 

You can’t talk about speakeasies without discussing Chicago’s notorious mob past. For the Green Door, according to a Thrillist article, that meant Al Capone rival Dean (Dion) O’Banion provided the alcohol to the Green Door,  with the upstairs run as an Italian restaurant by Giacomoni as a front for the speakeasy downstairs. There’s still a massive bookshelf that can be moved to reveal a hole in the wall that was once used to sneak in bootlegged kegs. 

Once Prohibition ended, the restaurant settled into its life as a restaurant/bar. But as families moved to the suburbs, the area became known as a “deserted and rough area of the city,“ according to Hudson Properties’ History of River North. 

However, things began to change in the seventies. As The Hudson notes, “Attracted by low real estate prices and large spaces, artists and creatives began reclaiming the area. Old buildings were repurposed into galleries, studios, offices, apartments, shops, and restaurants. The name ‘River North’ was coined by Chicago real estate developer Albert Friedman to help revive the area and shed its reputation as a once abandoned district.” 

The brothers remained owners till 1984, when George Parenti bought it in the burgeoning renewal of the area. Broadcasting legend Harry Caray was a frequent visitor, and one of his Budweiser commercials was even filmed here. 

Today

The Green Door Tavern is one of the few places that maintains its original speakeasy and keeps it fairly authentic, with burlesque shows and a secret entrance. Many of the bar fixtures installed in the 20’s still exist in the present bar and restaurant. The tavern, according to Domu.com has changed very little through the years, is peppered with antique signs, posters, photographs, and other nostalgia. The soap box car hanging from the ceiling was once used in a race in which Illinois native and former United States President Ronald Reagan once participated.

They’re having a great New Year’s Eve party on Saturday, December 31, urging everyone to “leave your prohibitions at the door.” For more information, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

Maybe one of your goals is to live with less stress in your life next year. Of course, we would like to be completely stress free, but that isn’t realistic. The best thing we can do is practice stress resilience. Stress resilience is the ability to face stress and recover from it. You’ll get better with practice, so here are a few tips to try.

Do stress checks three times a day. Sometimes stressors come at us, and we don’t even realize it. Stop and think about what may be bothering you whether mental or physical. Just acknowledging the feeling can work towards defeating it!

Create a stress shield. While you think about what is stressing you, ask yourself: how have I dealt with something like this in the past? Whether it was a work project or a relationship, remembering how you coped before could remind you of the resources you have to deal with the stressor. 

Try to remember times you have been successful. When you are especially worried about something, fight the thought “Why me?” and cultivate an attitude that says “Bring it on!”. Remember: you can only change what you have control over. Let the rest work itself out!

Treat your stress fitness just the same as your physical fitness. The two are actually related. Sometimes we need to relax into the uncomfortable feeling, similar to how we expect a reasonable amount of pain when physically exerting ourselves. Instead of tensing up under stress, do something that relaxes your mind and body. Working out is a happy medium for both!

Practice gratitude for all the good things in your life. Often in the hubbub and stress of life we have a hard time focusing on the good things. In the morning and evening, try to think of a few things in your life that make you feel thankful. Doing this prepares you for the day and can help you to get a good night’s sleep. 

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago

Not only is Christmas Day arriving this weekend in Chicago but so is a major winter storm along with a good old fashion arctic blast on its heel!  Which means for everyone’s safety, our Saturday outdoor holiday events have been cancelled but will open again on Monday.  So, here’s a list of indoor holiday events for those who will venture out no matter what the weather is!!  Please note that events are subject to change so be sure to check the links provided.

Outdoor Fun (Cancelled)

Christkindlmarket (Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St.) in The Loop.  Closed early on Friday due to the weather.  See you next year!

Winterland at Gallagher Way (3635 N. Clark St.) in the Wrigleyville neighborhood.  This event will reopen on Monday and run through January 8, 2023, which includes a Christkindlmarket if you’ve missed the one at Daley Plaza!

City of Chicago Christmas Tree (Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.) in The Loop will be open both Saturday and Sunday!

Indoor Cozy Fun

Light Up the Lake (Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.) in the Streeterville neighborhood.

Christmas Around the World and Holiday of Lights (Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.) in the Hyde Park neighborhood.

A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.) in The Loop.

The Nutcracker (Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Dr.) in The Loop.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze (Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy.) in The Loop.

“The Immersive Nutcracker: A Winter Miracle” (Lighthouse ArtSpace, 108 W. Germania Pl.) in the Old Town neighborhood.

Grinchmas 2022! (1010 W. 35^th St., 6^th Floor) the former Spiegel Building in the Bridgeport neighborhood this Saturday from 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, the Hubbard Inn (110 W. Hubbard St.) in the River North neighborhood has you covered with the Matzo Bash – Chicago’s Christmas Eve Party – Bubby Approved! this Saturday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.  This fun-filled evening kicks off with a hosted Vodka cocktail reception and passed appetizers (9 p.m.-10:30 p.m.) continuing with two levels of schmoozing and dancing with one of Chicago’s top DJs!  Afterall, just because it’s Christmas Eve it doesn’t mean we can’t party!!

Whatever your Holiday Plans are This Weekend, Have Fun and Be Safe!!

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago

As Chicagoans gather to celebrate Hannukah (through December 26), Christmas (December 25), and Kwanzaa (December 26), 2023 brings the promise of a new year! Many Chicago restaurants are saying “good bye 2022’ and “ Happy 2023” in style on Saturday, December 31!

In Lincoln Square, the quintessential Argentinian experience at Artango Bar & Steakhouse,4767 N. Lincoln Avenue.New Year’s Eve is a perfect time to celebrate the exciting tastes, lively music, and dancing of Argentina. Starting at 4pm, their three-course, prix-fixe menu includes such appetizers as Chef’s Choice empanadas and Ceviche Nikkei, with tuna, leche de tigre, avocado, with huacatay sauce. Follow this with a festive entrée, such as Pato, a seared duck breast with carrot puree and a blood-orange demi-glace. Beef afficionados will enjoy the OJO DE BIFE, a round ribeye steak served with homemade chimichurri sauce, roasted potatoes, and asparagus. But ..save room for dessert! Try their delicious spice cake, or a delicate flan. Live Latin Jazz rings in the new year. For reservations, click here. 

In Andersonville, a cozy Mediterranean experience awaits you at Andies Restaurant,5253 N. Clark Street, complete, as Choose Chicago describes, with golden walls and a fireplace. Choose such healthy, organic sharables as a homemade Gluten-Free Pita with a Dip Sampler of hummus, harressa, baba ganoush, and patata. Or,  Saganaki Oppa! (flaming cheese) Move to entrees such as Filet Mignon Steak Kabob, which includes charbroiled tender cubes of filet mignon skewered with onions and peppers. Or, their Eight Jumbo Shrimp Kabob, with succulent, marinated grilled shrimp skewered with onions and peppers. Lamb Couscous is a boneless, tender leg of lamb, sautéed with carrots, peppers, onions, and garbanzos in tomato sauce. Tandoori Chicken w/ Dates & Yogurt is spicy, bone-in dark meat chicken baked in tandoori spices with spinach, feta, almonds, and rice. To make reservations, click here. 

In Lincoln Park, for romantics, there is nothing like Geja’s Café, 340 W. Armitage Avenue. Their dimly lit interiors, curtained booths, and resident classical/flamenco guitarist is the perfect setting for a romantic beginning to 2023! Guests will enjoy a three-course fondue dinner, sharing a Swiss Gruyere Cheese Fondue with assorted breads, vegetables and fruits for dipping, followed by their house salad with Geja’s Dijon vinaigrette, followed by fondued of Beef Tenderloin, Australian Lobster Tail and Gulf Shrimp, served with assorted vegetables and gourmet dipping sauces. Save room for Geja’s Belgian Chocolate Fondue, flamed tableside and served with marshmallows and other delectable treats for dipping. For reservations and more information, click here. 

In the West Loop, there’shearty fare awaiting your New Year’s Eve celebration at the St. Clair Supper Club, 951 W. Fulton Market.  Alinea’s Grant Achatz named the Midwestern Supper Club after his hometown, and will be serving a four-course dinner featuring their signature prime rib and a champagne toast at midnight. For reservations and more information, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago