the wasserblawg

By Michael Wasserman Nothing is more personal than cancer. It affects the person diagnosed as well as everyone around them. Gilda’s Club Chicago provides support and resources to those living with cancer, those who have lost someone to cancer, as well as their families and friends. We’re proud to include this dynamic not-for-profit in our Thanks to You charity program.

By Michael H. Wasserman It’s exciting to find a home to buy and have a signed contract in hand. This is when most home buyers start thinking about the fun stuff, like remodeling and decorating. Yet many forget one important step: securing homeowners insurance—which could derail the closing.

At M.H. Wasserman, P.C., music is a big part of our team's lives. We enjoy concerts and festivals, and always play tunes in the office. Further, we believe there's a strong connection between school achievement and musical aptitude. Our team is quite pleased to support a charity that introduces music to Chicago's underserved kids while potentially building Chicago's music scene. TPMS inspires young minds to  experience the joy and benefits of music For four years now, we’ve been running our Thanks to You program, where our residential clients can direct a portion of our fees to a charity on our  curated list . This post is one of a series to tell our readers a little more about these organizations and why we chose them. The People’s Music School (TPMS) is the  first and only completely FREE  music school in the country. Their founder, Rita Simo, a Julliard-trained pianist, started TPMS in 1976 with just $625, a donated piano, and the belief that a...

Working thru divorce, foreclosure, domestic violence, discrimination claims (and really, most legal matters) often involves complex procedures, strict timelines, and—of course—tons of paperwork. Jumping thru all the right hoops can be exasperating...more-so for folks on limited incomes and even worse for those in rural areas. Have no fear, Illinois Legal Aid Online is here. And it’s a 2018 addition to our Thanks to You charity program.

One thing we don’t love about Chicago is its literacy problem. Our city has one of the lowest adult literacy rates in the country. Thankfully, Reading in Motion works hard to reverse this trend by helping our youngest students learn to read in some very cool ways. That’s why we’ve included it in our   Thanks to You   program.

By Michael H. Wasserman  City of Chicago homeowners should be on the lookout for newly proposed assessed valuations from the Cook County Assessor’s office. A property’s assessed valuation has a direct relationship to the amount of upcoming property tax bills. Savvy property owners (including readers of this blog) know that they can—and should—fight back by appealing those assessment notices. Here's how. What’s more American than appealing your property taxes? 

By Michael Wasserman In 2017, the FBI reported that wire transfer fraud was up 480% in real estate transactions. It’s a frightening number. Yet more and more, I’ve heard that real estate lawyers won’t discuss transfer instructions with clients—that they leave it to the title company to avoid the responsibility and liability. What?!