Recently I showed 3 houses in Elmhurst. I’m sure it was just a coincidence, but all 3 houses had a shared driveway! Shown left is the shared driveway for the last house I showed, the Tudor on the right.

If you decide to buy a house with a shared driveway, there are a few items to keep in mind. According to real estate attorney, Rachell Horbenko, “Before you buy, make sure that a survey of the property is provided to you for your attorney’s review. The survey may show that the property line runs down the middle (or maybe even the not-so-middle) of the driveway, and/or there may be an easement for you to use part or all of the driveway owned by your neighbor. Make sure when the property is conveyed that this easement is part of the deed/legal description and the title insurance. I’ve personally seen instances where the dividing property line is not in the middle, so there’s an easement as well. Most shared driveways have been in existence for a number of years because they are attached to older homes and there may be some adverse possession issues as well.”

“Also, it’s a good idea before buying to see if you can speak with the neighbor about what type of arrangements they have with the current owner regarding upkeep, snow removal, etc. You will want to know what you’re getting yourself into, and want to start right away with developing a good relationship with your fellow driveway user.”Similar Posts:

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So you have a job in the Loop, but you’re looking to buy a home in the suburbs. You figure out how far out from Chicago you’ll have to live to be able to afford the amount of home you want – generally the farther out, the more home you get for the money. Then you look at the Metra train schedule and find out how long it will take you to get into Chicago.

The farther out you are, the longer it will take – except for express trains. I’m defining Metra express trains as trains that run nonstop to the Loop. Those fortunate enough to live in suburbs with Metra express trains can get to Chicago in the same, if not less time than closer suburbs with trains that make multiple stops along the way.

The suburb with the most Metra express trains is Naperville with 8 express trains running into Chicago in the morning. Now we know another reason why Naperville is such a popular place! Downer’s Grove has 6 express trains, followed by 4 from the Congress Park stop in Brookfield, and 3 from Elmhurst. Check MetraRail.Com for details.
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After a photo shoot for a new listing this morning, I took a friend out to lunch for her birthday in Barrington. Being an affluent suburb, Barrington has a lot of nice restaurants.

She picked the local Egg Harbor Cafe shown left. Egg Harbor Cafe is a chain of 12 restaurants serving breakfast and lunch. They are located in northern and western suburbs of Chicago.

Looking over the list of locations which includes Wheaton, Elmhurst, and Glenview, I realized that an Egg Harbor Cafe in a town is a pretty good indicator that real estate prices are on the higher side there.

If you go there for lunch, try the Door County Melt. It’s chicken salad blended with dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and diced apples grilled on multigrain bread with Jack and Cheddar cheeses and served with potato pancakes. I had it today and it was excellent!Similar Posts:

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