Even if you're not putting your home on the market anytime soon, there's no reason to keep living with that lime-colored linoleum and beat-up old cabinets. Your kitchen is not only the heart of your home, it's also the place where potential buyers (and your guests!) look to guage the quality of your home. So if your kitchen is stuck in the 70's, now is the time to think about bringing it into the 21st century. Because it will only add value in the long run - and you may as well get to enjoy it while you still live there!

Check out what areas in your kitchen add the most value...

Last week, I interviewed a gentleman from Prudential Preferred Properties, who talked about a tool on their website that allows people to understand what's happening in real estate in their area. At first glance, Market Watch seemed like one of those basic reports that gives you realtor jargon and graphs that mean nothing to you, but I signed up anyway. When I started to receive the weekly reports via email I learned several things:

1- My husband and I should have waited another year to buy. (I kept that little nugget to myself)
2- The Market Watch report comes in an abreviated form (called a "summary report") for people like myself who suffer from self-diagnosed ADD.
and 3- There's no guessing - they tell you what all the graphs and numbers mean to you in straight, easy-to-understand terms. Love that.

More info after the jump...

Check out January's real estate wrap-up with Chicago Magazine's Dennis Rodkin. Hot topics this month included cancelled condo projects, falling interest rates and a $$5-million home sale with a lesson!

Video after the jump...

On nice days, when we're out walking the dog in our neighborhood, my husband and I like to check out the open houses of homes that look particularly impressive from the outside. It's kind of a guilty pleasure, because while we don't take up much of the realtor's time, we really don't go in with the intention to buy - we already have a home we love. But there's something about wandering through other people's homes that spurs creativity and gets you thinking of ideas for your own home. So, when I had the chance to check out a four story, 4,500 square foot home in Hinsdale last week, well let's just say I was eager to get to work!

More after the jump...

Is your home always too cold and yet the a/c keeps kicking on despite the fact that you have the thermostat set at what should be a comfortable level? If so, you might want to take a look at where your builder placed your thermostat. A thermostat in direct sunlight all day or one near warm-running appliances may sense that the house is warmer than it actually is, thus causing your a/c (or in a reverse situation, your heat) to kick on when it doesn't need to.

Tomorrow is Valentine's day. Some of your will go Cupid-crazy - buying dozens of roses or perhaps enjoying a reservation at an impossible-to-get-into restaurant (tip: If you don't already have a reservation, I hear the name Abe Froman tends to get you in with the maitre'd. Just go along with it when he asks if you truly are the "Sausage King of Chicago..."). Others have labeled tomorrow the "Hallmark holiday" and will do nothing at all. But for all of you in-betweeners, there is a way to celebrate without going overboard and the best part is that you can enjoy it for many days after February 14th.

Bringing a little romance into your home is the Valentine's Day gift that keeps on giving...

"Evanston would still be a fine place to live." That's what one Evanston resident said about the city that sits on the lake just north of Chicago. And she's probably right. Even without the city just to the south, Evanston seems to offer the perfect mix of urban energy and suburban ease for its residents. Connected to Chicago by the Metra and purple line, it's not quite a suburb, but not quite not a suburb either.

More after the jump...

President Barack Obama announced today his plan to help millions of homeowners keep their homes.

According to the Associated Press:

"The initiative is designed to help up to 5 million borrowers refinance — if their mortgages are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. It also provides incentive payments to mortgage lenders in an effort to convince them to help up to 4 million borrowers on the verge of foreclosure."

You can read the full story here.

With the highest sales tax in the country, a high cost of living and a real parking problem many city-dwellers might wonder just what they're still doing shelling out all that cash just for the privelage of being a windy city resident. Conversely, countless suburbanites fight the traffic into the city everyday, plan special occassions at Chicago's finest restaurants and take the kids into the city to check out the lake and museums on the weekends. They might be wondering what am I doing out in the 'burbs??

If you've ever wondered how the other half lives - and at what cost - here's your chance. Gorgeous decked out house in the suburb of Huntley vs. gorgeous decked out condo in the north side neighborhood of Lincoln Park.

Check out the video after the jump...

If you feel your tax assessment is too high, you may not be totally stuck. Homeowners have until March 16 to appeal their tax assessments in Cook County. Here are some tips on what you need to do...

There's a lot going on in the world of real estate - and we're not just talking about foreclosures and mortgages.

We caught up with our friend Dennis Rodkin, with Chicago Magazine, and he has the latest information on what's happening in the real estate market here in Chicagoland.

We may be in a recession, but don't tell that to Bigelow Homes. Forget about all those reasons why you do not want to buy a home in today's market. Bigelow has removed those worries with the introduction of their "Recession Proof Home" at HomeTown Aurora.

Yes, you heard us right. Recession Proof homes!

Check out the video after the jump and then head to their website and learn why buying a home in today's market at HomeTown Aurora is a smart choice.