the wasserblawg

R emember to make a walk-through checklist  By Michael H. Wasserman In real estate, one would think a final pre-closing walk through is pretty straightforward: Is the house still standing? Check  Are the sellers belongings removed? Check  Are the shower heads and appliances still in place? Check Check  Are there new holes in the walls or broken windows? Check Check Yet our law firm sees SO MUCH 11th hour drama Locked storage rooms that could not examined  Crawlspaces that were not cleaned out  Broken washing machines  Backed up plumbing  Missing mailbox keys We saw all of these—and more—last year. These pain points inflame the furies of already stressed out clients. Let me suggest that we haven't been taking walk throughs seriously enough. Buyers call me with post-closing and at-closing problems that could have been avoided. They are never happy calls. Some end better than others. I’m increasingly in favor of having ...

By Michael H. Wasserman Discrimination is an ugly, pervasive problem. Even in real estate. We have come a long way over the course of American history, but we still have some work to do, especially in Chicago. As with any problem, this topic need needs to be examined, talked about and understood until we find effective solutions…and can provide equal access to home ownership for all.

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.