If you're shopping for a new home and have about $350,000 in your budget, you might want to consider that your dollar amount will sometimes buy a little more condo in the suburbs than it will in downtown Chicago Of course you have to weigh the pros and cons of suburban living as opposed to in town, and that always varies depending on lifestyle, work and personal preferences

Almost everything in life can be translated into a number You keep track of your favorite sports team's stats, the price per gallon for gas and maybe even your cholesterol if you're really vigilant

You might think you have to live in Florida, California or a state where natural weather disasters or wildfires create a cycle of home rebuilding to be targeted by contractor scams But in fact, anyone who owns a home is at risk for falling victim to unscrupulous contractors

With the recent real estate market downturn and condo bust affecting most states across the US

So you've decided to sell your house or condo It's one of the biggest decisions you'll make, and everyone who has ever sold real estate knows that it can be time consuming, confusing and sometimes more difficult than you ever thought possible

In a year when a record 5,900 new condos are scheduled to be completed, a home owner who is trying to sell faces a huge amount of competition With so many pre-construction condos, renovated lofts and scores of single family homes available, buyers have the luxury of taking their time to pick from a seemingly endless supply from which to chose

With an apparent over supply of new condos on the market, both from last year's inventory and new units coming online this summer, it sometimes seems as though developers are offering more incentives than ever Everything from kitchen upgrades to the often used free parking lure has been heavily advertised with most developments

The green building trend in construction grew out of a concern for the environment and as an effort to reduce the negative impact of everything from carbon emissions to conserving natural resources Southern California was where the first green buildings sprouted up, and it spread east from there

The recent real estate market turmoil has caused both developers and potential buyers to rethink plans and be more cautious For developers, some projects have been either put on hold or scrapped completely while focusing on selling units in buildings already under construction