June is National Home Ownership Month
Let's Celebrate the Cornerstone of the American Dream
Homeownership builds financial security. It helps people improve their net worth. The net worth of a homeowner is nearly 40 times the net worth of a non-homeowner. Home equity and retirement accounts represent 60% of the household’s net worth.
“Today, home equity is the largest financial asset for American households in the middle three quartiles of the income distribution, accounting for 50 to 70% of this group’s total wealth, ” writes National Association of Realtor President Kenny Parcel in the latest issue of Kiplinger.
Illinois was recently named the most affordable State to buy a home. According to a Report by Studio Brokerage, in 2022, Illinois’ medium income is $79,253 and the median sales price of a home was $133,750.
Wallet Hub looked at the largest population cities using 10 metrics and found Chicago no. 33/68 largest population cities in the study.
According to Dr. Lawrence Yun, the Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors, a majority of the homes are sold within a month from listing to a ratified contract. The usual price negotiation is about 5% of the listed price.
New Dining in Chicago
- Miru Opens in St Regis Hotel Celebrate Japanese cuisine from a Tokyo breakfast to innovative sharable plates and sushi, inside or out while enjoying amazing views of the Chicago River, Navy Pier, and skyline.
- TacoRio on the Chicago Riverwalk An Urban Cantina featuring fresh snacks, sweets, and tacos.
- Paris Baguette Bakery Café at 1100 S Michigan Ave serves seasonal specials, fresh pastries, warm bread, gourmet sandwiches, crafted coffees, and signature cakes.
Entertainment Now
- West Side Story entertains audiences at the Lyric Opera of Chicago
- Disney’s Beauty and the Beast coming in July to Courtyard Theatre at Navy Pier
- The Chicago Museum of Ice Cream allows for rediscovering the kid in you by eating treats, learning history, playing in a sprinkle pool, and making edible slime.
Fun and Free in Chicago
- Free Outside Millennium Park Programming: Saturday Summer Workouts on the Great Lawn, Summer Music Concerts, Summer Film Series, and Grant Park Symphony at the Pritzker Pavilion, and the Millennium Park Art Fair, Jazz Festival, World Music Festival, Chicago Summer Dance in Grant Park
- Free Museums all Year Long National Museum of Mexican Art, National Veteran’s Art Museum, Chicago Cultural Center, Mindworks, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Smart Museum of Art, Ed Pashke Art Center, City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower, and Jane Addams Hull-House Museum.
- Free Museum Days and Nights Museum of Contemporary Art (every Tuesday), Chicago History Museum (every Tuesday) Swedish American Museum (2nd Tuesday of the month), Adler Planetarium (Every Wednesday 4 - 10 pm), DuSable Black History Museum (every Wednesday), Art Institute of Chicago (Every Thursday 5-8 thru Aug 31), Chicago Children’s Museum, (last Thursday of every Month) Illinois Holocaust Museum (last Friday of month through 2023).