Another glorious, albeit chilly, fall weekend brings Chicagoans kick-off time to the Holidays and then some!

The Junior League of Chicago will be hosting their 45^th annual Gazebo Holiday Market this Saturday (10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.) at The Museum of Broadcast Communications (360 N. State St.) on the Near North Side. This signature fall fundraising event offers a holiday market featuring over 60 specialty merchants from across the country offering unique gift items, fabulous fashions, delectable foods, exciting entertainment and a multitude of special events! Immerse yourself in a unique, winter wonderland shopping experience! You also have the option to purchase a $25 ticket for a delicious brunch buffet!!

Join NEWCITY Lincoln Park (1457 N. Halsted St.) in the Lincoln Park neighborhood this Saturday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. as they officially countdown to the holiday season with their Tree Lighting Ceremony! This free event kicks-off with the lighting of their 30-foot tree and holiday décor throughout the center along with hot cocoa and cookies, outdoor family fun in the center’s plaza, live entertainment, fun craft projects for the kids and free train rides with Santa!!

Tis the season to celebrate everyone’s, both young and old, favorite Peanuts pals as the Broadway Playhouse as Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St.) in the Gold Coast neighborhood presents A Charlie Brown Christmas now through January 8, 2017! Rediscovering the true meaning of Christmas, Charlie Brown and his friends bring back to life the holiday spirit for families once again through a pageant and a pathetic, spindly tree!! And don’t forget, it truly was the merriest Christmas ever for Charlie Brown – see for yourself!!!

Columbia College (1104 S. Wabash Ave.) in The Loop is gearing up for their 5^th annual Chicago Book Expo this Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It’s Chicago’s biggest literary event of the fall and is open to the public. Not only does this Expo feature over 50 local book publishers and literary organizations selling books but it also offers programs, readings, and workshops covering everything from comics to mysteries to poetry to politics to Chicago music and much more!

Fans who are still celebrating and want to party like it’s 1908 can participate in the Wrigleyville Victory Crawl this Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Wrigleyville’s BEST Bars including Old Crow, Barleycorn, Moe’s, Deuce’s and many others. Tickets include Two $4 Gift Cards to use on the crawl, Breakfast Buffets from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at several locations, a Commemorative Shirt and more! Afterwards, a post-party is being held at Moe’s Cantina in the River North neighborhood. Receive a FREE gift card to use that night after 12:00 a.m. by going to the host stand between 10:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. and mentioning you are there for the “Wrigleyville Victory Crawl!!”

Finally, there’s no better way to kick-off the Holidays than at America’s Baking and Sweets Show being held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center (1551 Thoreau Dr.) in Schaumburg. Explore, discover, shop, register for classes, enter in competitions (home baking, wedding cake & theme cake), watch demonstrations on the Main Stage, and young bakers can enjoy the Family Zone all at North America’s first and biggest baking and sweets event that takes you on a gourmet grand tour of the most delectable and hottest trends in the world of baking and sweets!! Why not impress your family this Holiday Season!!!

Holidays or Then Some – Which Will Be Your Kick-Off!

SUE MOSS & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

Real estate investing offers plenty of options for those looking to build wealth through this particular avenue. With mortgage rates as low as they are today, now is a great time to get into the real estate investment market, and a multi-family property is something you might want to consider for many reasons, including the following.

1. You Can Live in One Unit and Rent Out the Other(s)

If you’re just starting out in the world of real estate investing, a multi-family unit can be the perfect way to get your feet wet. You can live in one unit while you rent out the other unit(s) to generate cash flow. Buying a duplex, triplex, or four-plex will give you the unique capability of giving you a place to call home for yourself while boosting your real estate portfolio and building wealth.

2. Managing Multiple Units in One Location is Easier

If you plan on buying more than one property to rent out, having them all in one convenient location makes it a lot easier for you to maintain them all. It’s a lot simpler and less time-consuming to maintain three properties all under one roof compared to three properties spread out across the city.

You can make one stop to pick up the rent checks, mow the lawn, handle any repairs, and so forth. Even if you hire a property manager to handle the maintenance for you, you’ll only need one to handle multiple units in the same complex versus units that are miles from each other.

3. You Can Get a Tax Break From a Multi-Family Property

The government actually appreciates your efforts to provide safe, clean, affordable housing to people. As such, you’ll be able to take advantage of some tax breaks. Your investment in a multi-family complex is considered to be a business, which means there are certain tax deductions that you’ll be able to make. You can depreciate many items in a rental property come tax time. 

Depreciation refers to the actual cost of the complex, which is not fully deductible the year that it was actually bought and paid for. You can get back the cost of your investment property through this depreciation, which involves deducting a portion of the property’s cost over many years.

You can also deduct interest from your mortgage, cost of repairs, traveling for rental activity, property insurance, and legal and professional services associated with the property.

4. They’re Easier to Finance Than a Single-Family Home

For the most part, multi-family properties are more expensive than single-family homes for investment purposes. Obviously, a typical one-bedroom condo unit would be a lot cheaper than a 12-unit apartment complex.

While it might be easy to assume that getting a mortgage for a single-family home would easier than raising money for a much more expensive multi-unit complex, in reality, the latter is more likely to be approved by for a loan than the typical residence.

Why? Multi-family housing can generate a healthier cash flow consistently each month, even if there are some vacancies in the complex. The more units in a complex, the better. For instance, if a tenant moves out of a single-family home, that investment property would be completely vacant. Instead, a four-unit complex with one vacancy would only be 25% vacant in comparison. For this reason, the chances of the multi-family complex going into foreclosure because of vacancies is a lot lower than with a single-family home.

5. You Can Make the Property Appreciate Faster Compared to a Single-Family Property

Appreciation is something that owners of real property can take advantage of over the long run. However, not all locations and properties appreciate at the same rate. In many instances, property values are stagnant or even depreciate over certain time periods. However, appreciation often occurs after improvements have been made, either to the property itself, or the surrounding neighborhood.

While you can force some amount of appreciation of a single-family home through various improvements, you can only do so much because you are forcing the appreciation of only one property. A multi-family complex, on the other hand, can increase in value much faster than a single-family home simply because you’ve got more units to deal with.

Boosting curb appeal, adding in-suite laundry amenities, making repairs to the units and common areas, and replacing all the windows and doors, for instance, can drive up the value of the property more aggressively. By making such improvements, you’ll be making your property more attractive to tenants compared to another nearby building, which will make it easier to fill vacancies and keep good tenants sticking around for longer.

The Bottom Line

Looking directly to single-family housing is quite common for newbie real estate investors. While this might be the right option under many circumstances, multi-family properties shouldn’t be ruled out. There are certainly plenty of benefits of purchasing a multi-family complex that should be considered before you make your purchasing decision. An investment like this can prove to be a very lucrative one if made with due diligence and the right team of real estate professionals behind you.

Moe’s Cantina is in the heart of Wrigleyville at 3518 N. Clark Street. We were there on the night the Cubs won the World Series and I have to admit there are a lot of great things about this restaurant.

Since we did a deal on food, we were able to taste through a good portion of the menu.  As a starter, we had the guacamole which is prepared upon order and tastes fresh because of it.  It’s not a large portion but it hit the spot with the light chips we were given on the table. I’m definitely a fan of warmed tortilla chips. Since we were there for a long time, we decided to take our time with ordering food. We shared the skewers for the table – steak and shrimp. The steak was cooked and seasoned very well. The shrimp were grilled in a hot sauce and also came with pineapple which was an interesting and tasty combination.

For our dinner portion we all tried something different to share. I had the tilapia tacos. I really enjoyed the light flavoring and how it hit the spot without being too heavy. Another at our table had cheese quesadillas for dinner. The shrimp tacos did not have the same flavor as the skewers and were satisfying nonetheless. And then there came the elotes. This is a traditional corn dish and was amazing. I literally could have eaten the entire bowl myself but we had to share.

The service for such a busy night was pretty good. Our server really made the effort to stop by and check in on us. As the evening was progressing, she knew that wait times were going to be longer and advised us on the best way to place orders and/or drink orders. The cost for a meal at Moe’s runs about $15-30 per person without drinks. To some this may be expensive but it was well within our budget. The atmosphere is definitely loud though so if you want a more lounge-type location, this is not the place for you. I would tell anyone who is coming to Wrigleyville for a game or concert that this is definitely a place to try at least once.

CATHY MALLERS & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

After the week we just experienced here in Chicago with a Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series Championship, turning it down a notch this weekend may not be such a bad idea! Besides, we gain an hour as Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday as well!!

It’s time again to celebrate one of the best comfort foods out there at this year’s Mac & Cheese Fest held at the UIC Forum (725 W. Roosevelt Rd.) in the University Village/Little Italy neighborhood this Saturday offering two sessions (lunch from 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. & dinner from 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.). This event challenges top Chicagoland chefs to create their own spin on mac & cheese while attendees indulge in all you can eat from each participating restaurant as well as voting, along with a panel of foodie judges, for whomever takes home the coveted THE GOLDEN NOODLE for best mac & cheese! Also, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Ronald McDonald House!!

Celebrating their 6^th season of American craft beer, Beerhoptacular is being held at Cinaspace Chicago Film Studios (2558 W. 16^th St.) west side of downtown this Saturday with two sessions (1:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.). Not only does this Fest feature 75 brewers and 150+ craft beers, but it also will have some of Chicago’s best food trucks, a DJ spinning an all-vinyl playlist, their annual Homebrew Competition, a live insult booth and much more! Also, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Chicago Fire Department Charity that helps to ease the hardship of families in need!!

Another fundraising event with proceeds going to the Hyde Park Hunger Programs and sponsored by Hodgson Mill Flour is the South Side Pie Challenge 2016 being held at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club (5480 S. Kenwood Ave.) in the Hyde Park neighborhood this Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It’s a celebration of autumn and holiday pies that include fruit, nut, sweet potato/pumpkin and crème pies by chefs and amateur bakers of the south side along with live music and coffee by Robust! Ribbons and prizes will be awarded as well to the top 3 winners in each pie category!!

The world-renowned art fair dedicated to Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art and Design, SOFA CHICAGO, returns to Navy Pier, Festival Hall (600 E. Grand Ave.) in the Streeterville neighborhood this Saturday (11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.) and Sunday (12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.) for its 23^rd year. New this year is a revamped floorplan creating a more open and cohesive show layout that includes a new, centrally located main entrance, moving the popular Lecture Series to the show floor for easy accessibility and visibility, a second café, additional lounges and more! It’s the “must attend” art fair of the year!!

Finally, with the holidays quickly approaching, it’s never too early to begin your holiday shopping and this weekend is no exception. The Grove Arts and Craft Faire takes place this weekend and the next (10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) at The Grove (1421 N. Milwaukee Ave.) in Glenview.  Browse through The Grove’s charming historic homes and buildings where there is a magnificent selection of holiday crafts, unique seasonal decorations for Fall, Christmas and Hanukkah, distinctive gifts and home accessories and so much more!

Who’s Turning It Down A Notch?!

SUE MOSS &DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO

LOOP

Amidst the excitement of the Cubs winning the World Series last night and Election Day this coming Tuesday, the Chicago Humanities Festival still has many events available from today 11/3 to next Saturday, 11/12. Many events have already sold out, such as the appearance of The Daily Show‘s host, Trevor Noah, discussing his memoir Born a Crime at the Music Box in Lakeview but there are still plenty of speakers and authors’ lectures still available in the Loop and other locations, covering topics including politics, culture, policy making, technology, art, and everything under the sun to promote the mission of engaging in thoughtful dialogue to find positive solutions while embracing a diversity of ideas through accessibility and quality. The Chicago Humanities Festival began on 11/11/90 with only one day of events and has grown to a 9-day festival in 2016. Don’t miss your chance for an experience you may have never thought to attend without this annual opportunity. See the full schedule of events and get your tickets here.

LAKEVIEW

We’re entering into the month of Thanksgiving and giving in general, so while you’re decluttering your home in preparation for the holidays, please consider donating gently-used or new clothing to the Elks National Veterans Service Commission this year. Donations of warm winter clothes, preferably large men’s sizes, can be dropped off next Friday, 11/1, at the Elks National Memorial Building at 2750 N. Lakeview Ave. between 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. during the Veterans Day Supply Drive. Your donations will be distributed during the Chicago Winter Standdown on 11/18 which gathers veterans to the Northwest Armory (1551 N. Kedzie) for a day of providing meals, haircuts, winter gear, flu shots, and information regarding housing, employment, legal assistant and VA benefits for Chicago’s veterans who are homeless or in need.

NORWOOD PARK

There are also homeless animals to consider with the coming of the winter weather. Bangkok Belly, Asian Cuisine and Sushi Bar, at 6132 N. Northwest Hwy. is holding a fundraiser for Chicago Pet Rescue from 11/6 – 11/10. Mention Chicago Pet Rescue with any dine-in or carry-out order from Sunday 11/6 to Thursday 11/10 and 15% of your total will be donated to Chicago Pet Rescue which is a volunteer-based non-profit agency that places homeless animals with foster homes en route to adoption. It costs you nothing extra for this fundraiser, just remember to mention Chicago Pet Rescue when you order.

NAPERVILLE

Donate your pocket change to help raise funds to purchase holiday pies for the needy. From now through 11/18, Loaves & Fishes Community Services have stationed collection locations at Naperville Park District Administration building (320 W. Jackson Ave.), Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center (305 W. Jackson Ave.), Fort Hill Activity Center (20 Fort Hill Drive), 95th Street Center (2244 W. 95th St.), Knoch Knolls Nature Center (320 Knoch Knolls Road), and Riverwalk Cafe (441 Aurora Ave.). Past years have approximated these small donations to $600 per season yielding over 100 pies for distribution to families in need through the Loaves & Fishes Community Food & Nutrition Program.

GOLD COAST

Ever wonder how the Gold Coast neighborhood stays so vital and beautiful and the processes that make it possible? Gold Coast Neighbors Association (GCNA) is inviting members and non-members to a presentation of the Gold Coast Zoning Process on Saturday 11/19 at the WinTrust Bank at 100 W. North Ave. starting at 11:00 a.m. Main speaker Sam Lichtenfield will expound on his experience as a Chicago attorney who serves on the GCNA Board of Directors and is co-chair of the Zoning Committee. We’re letting you know early so you can take advantage of advance ticket prices. Advance tickets are $10 for GCNA members and $15 for non-members. Door tickets will be $15 for members and $20 for non-members.

CATHY MALLERS & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO