I just came from the "reveal" of the Bedding Experts' Ultimate Bedroom Makeover for Dorothy Collins, the winner of the ugliest bedroom contest and the $10,000 bedroom makeover - and today was a great day! Her formerly Elvis-style bedroom now boasts a modern sophistication. I won't tell you how Dorothy feels about Michelle Williams' designs - that, you'll have to tune into CLTV next weekend to see - but let's just say that the room is a far cry from that photo entry that Dorothy submitted for the ugliest bedroom contest! Having seen it firsthand, I can tell you that it will be very worth your while to set the dvr for this one!

Thanks so much to the Bedding Experts for their generous donation which allowed this makover to happen, to Dorothy and her family for letting our team of experts and cameras invade her home, to Greg Wadowski from Pro Greg Construction for doing all the heavy lifting and most especially to Michelle Williams for pulling off an unbelievable transformation for a very deserving woman.

Meet Dorothy this weekend on HomesPlus (Saturday @ 9am and 1pm, Sunday @ 9am) and see the finished room revealed to her on the show next weekend.

To see a gallery of Dorothy's winning bedroom before the transformation, as well as some of the other entries, click here.

When you get an unseasonably gorgeous weekend like the one we just had, the last thing you want to be doing is housework. Understood. Since this week looks like it will also be pretty mild, you have another opportunity to spend some of those waning daylight hours preparing your home before the white stuff arrives. Here are some to-dos:

1- Turn off the water for your exterior spigots and drain what's left in the pipes. Standing water in your pipes can freeze and cause a pipe to burst this winter. Not pretty.
2- Clear your gutters. If your gutters are clogged with leaves and debris, water will back up and sit there just waiting to freeze when it's cold enough. Frozen water in gutters can cause cracks and damage to your house.
3- Clear the leaves away from your house. Same principle as the gutters - leaves collect water which will freeze when it's cold enough, causing cracks in your foundation if they're close to your house.
4- Check your seals. Make sure your windows and doors are sealed tight - keeping critters looking for warmth out and keeping your warm air inside where it's supposed to be.
5- Clean your windows. A clear window lets in more sunshine, which will warm up your house on chilly days, at no charge.

Good News! The Senate has passed a bill that will extend the first-time homebuyer tax credit that was set to expire at the end of November. And, current homeowners have an incentive to buy as well.

The House still needs to pass the bill.

Continue reading "Senate Extends/Expands Homebuyer Tax Credit" »

One of the surest ways to upgrade your bedroom's look from "college-leftover" to "mature adult" is to finally add a headboard to your bed. But, this is Chicago afterall, and even the most mature adult isn't guaranteed to have enough space for a great headboard (or enough money for that matter - we're in a recession, people!). So imagine my excitement when I checked in on one of my favorite design-on-the-cheap blogs and found these headboard decals! (Thanks, Kelly+Olive!)

Bilk Headboard Decals come in a variety of styles and colors and at $40 - $70 a pop, you can afford to switch out your style as your tastes change. Perfect for a post-college 20-something or a commitment-phobe of any age.

The Kenwood home whose claim to fame is its proximity to the Obama's Chicago house (right next door) finally has a price. According to Mary Ellen Podmolik of the Chicago Tribune, the house will be listed on the MLS tomorrow for $1.85 million.

When HomesPlus toured the home last month, it was on the market with no listing price because the listing agent, Matt Garrison, said it was impossible to determine what the "Obama factor" would be...apparently they've now figured it out.

The home would require plenty of TLC and a significant amount of renovation to bring it up to date, but the original character of the ornate plaster and carved wood moldings and the large stained glass window visible from the foyer remain. Check out the tour, below.

Dorothy Collins, of South Holland!

Dorothy's 70's-style bedroom is going to get some undivided attention from local designer Michelle Williams, who is excited to get started. Dorothy will receive a brand new Sealy mattress and boxspring from the Bedding Experts, as well as that $10,000 makeover! The makeover will take place in the coming weeks and will be aired on HomesPlus so that you can see Dorothy's story and her gorgeous new bedroom!

There was some really tough competition out there! Not to mention some very deserving Chicagoans...check back in a few days to see some of our favorite entries!

Congratulations, Dorothy!

This weekend on HomesPlus, we're touring an Oswego home that started out as a dairy barn - it's spacious, rustic and very green! From the natural materials used to build the home, to the fact that much of the original dairy barn was incorporated into the renovated home, it's an incredibly natural and quite impressive space.

The tour will air this weekend, but check out these behind-the-scenes pics from this shoot and see some from our past shoots!

The last day to submit entries for the Bedding Experts' Ultimate Bedroom Makeover is Sunday, October 18th! If you have a bedroom that's seriously in need of some design TLC then snap a picture and send it in before the contest closes Sunday to win! The winner and the fabulous new room will be featured on HomesPlus in November and will receive a stylish new room designed by Michelle Williams Interiors.

Just head to WGN's contest website to get the details!

And people, just because you haven't cleaned it in a while doesn't mean it needs a makeover - send in your rooms that need a whole new look, not just a maid :)

Good luck!

This market has some great deals and we found two side-by-side properties in Highland Park for the family with serious space (and luxury) needs - check out the tour of these properties this weekend on the show!

Plus, learn a little bit about staging your kitchen, find out what to expect when you're selling and much more!

Saturday @ 9am & 1pm, Sunday @ 9am!

Hey, we can't all be perfect! Here are some of the funnier moments caught on camera over the summer...and if anyone knows a speech therapist, I'll gladly take recommendations!

Enjoy!
RVA