Q: My tenants have asked for permission to place a large, conventional religious symbol on their front door. They'd need to screw it into the wood. My leases prohibit alterations without my consent, and I don't want the door disfigured like this. But they say I have to agree because saying "no" will interfere with their right to practice their religion. What do you think?

Recently, I went scouting for news from two vacation retreats favored by Chicagoans, and got mixed reports: On one waterfront, big-bucks homes are finding buyers at a surprisingly strong rate, an agent told me. On another – well, let's say that certain home shoppers apparently still haven't awakened from their long winter's nap.

Q: For the past year, I have been leasing my condominium unit. I have been lucky because I have had good tenants. Late last year, the condominium board was turned over from the developer and the new owner board is discussing a change to the bylaws that would prohibit rentals.

C.A. Development has launched its Summer Savings Event, which offers additional savings of up to 42 percent on already reduced prices on all nine of the single-family homes available at Edgebrook Glen and Mayfair Crossing on the Northwest Side.

Homeowners urged to seek free help

The Justice Department announced Thursday the largest nationwide crackdown in U.S. history on unscrupulous mortgage companies and so-called mortgage rescue firms, including several in Illinois.

Wealth of natural resources lures buyers to western Lake County

Getting home before dark is important to Dennis Melchiorre.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday approved a plan to give homebuyers an extra three months to finish qualifying for federal tax incentives that boosted home sales this spring.

AUSTIN, Texas — It would be a stretch to see 13 as a lucky number for the real estate market, but for those who need something to hang on to, 2013 might be the year housing finally claws its way out of the doldrums.

Q: We are replacing a builder-grade Rheem furnace that is 20 years old. We could have paid for an air conditioner and furnace twice over with the cost of repairs, recalls, retrofitting and emergency holiday calls. We could be sure we would be calling the repair people on holidays, and the coldest days and hottest days of the year.

Most driveways are made of asphalt, and — just like many highways — need periodic maintenance to fill cracks, patch potholes and eventually to reseal the surface. When you're the one-person road crew, try these DIY versions of highway repairs on your stretch of blacktop.

How to stock the pantry and fridge to feed the people in your life

A jar of martini olives, a tin of cocktail peanuts and a bottle of vodka stashed in the freezer are all essential tools for the socially ambitious man about town. Face it, though, these days you are going to have to deliver a lot more to earn your entertaining cred.

How you use and care for your washer and dryer affects their efficiency and life span.

Benign neglect may have you heading to the laundromat, scrounging for quarters and fighting for folding space. And you don't even want to know what might be left behind in those huge drum dryers: Is that chewing gum?

Poor housing market, new projects' high-end amenities encourage would-be buyers to rent

One morning last week, Fabio Mazzilli warmed up by shooting hoops on a full-size basketball court and later relaxed in an outdoor spa tub before getting ready for work.

According to the National Auctioneers Association, $58.6 billion in commercial and residential real estate was sold at auction last year, an all-time high. One leading auction company, REDC, has already sold 1,200 properties in Chicago this year, netting $33 million. By 2013, nearly a third of all real estate will be sold at auction, the NAA predicts.

In this installment of Sell It To Me, our house hunter looks at three homes in Beverly and writes about the one that won her heart.

Back in the heyday of housing, prospective buyers could walk through hundreds of models, an activity that took a big hit because of the housing collapse. But new models have started to pop up again.

Chicago-area builders are banking on smaller, cost-efficient designs.

Turn pheromones against pantry moths

Q Over the last six months we have had a continuing problem with meal moths. After seeing and killing them one at a time, we discovered an infestation in a box of dog treats. We discarded that, cleaned the pantry thoroughly, and sprayed the area with an insecticide. That helped, but we continued to see them flying around the house and have killed them with our hands or a fly swatter as we see them. Our local feed store suggested moth traps, which we have used and had success with as we placed them around the house. After being away for four days recently (I sprayed all through the house before leaving), we returned with many moths caught in the traps, but we continue to see at least two to four each day. It is bugging us. Do you have suggestions?

Most contractors order pre-hung doors on remodeling projects and new construction. They arrive hinged to the jamb with at least one cross brace to keep the unit square. But once the braces come off, seasonal swelling and shrinking, settling and other forces can throw the assembly out of kilter.

Make transition smoother by mapping out a strategy

In less than two weeks, I'll be moving my mother, who has Alzheimer's disease, into an apartment we have in our house.

Forty years ago, when the young Charles Page was first designing and building custom homes, he faced a pesky problem. The houses he built were going up amid the forests and marshes of suburban Riverwoods. Mosquitoes there were so thick, "I got to the point I just ignored the bites," Page recalled.