Dick Bales’ Complete Guide to Deeds

You can’t paddle your kayak down the Mazon River anymore: The fate of boating on non-navigable waters after Holm v. Kodat.

This program will discuss the intricacies of the Chicago Zoning Ordinance and its implications on the real estate transactions in the City of Chicago. The webinar will provide (1) an overview of why and when a zoning inquiry and analysis is necessary and beneficial for your real estate clients; (2) how to efficiently and effectively perform zoning due diligence and obtain necessary zoning information about a property; (3) what types of zoning relief are available and authorized by the Ordinance, and how to apply for such relief from the requirements of the Zoning Code; (4) the program will also touch on the following select recent changes to the Chicago Zoning Ordinance that may affect clients who own or develop real estate in the City of Chicago: the Additional Dwelling Unit Ordinance, Pilsen Preservation District Ordinance, Predominance of the Block (606) District Ordinance and the Air Quality Ordinance. The program will provide helpful practice tips and strategies to incorporate the zoning due diligence into your real estate practice. Participants will learn to use the zoning map tool and navigate the zoning ordinance, which will enhance the level of legal services provided to their clients.

Pursuant to the Illinois Real Property Disclosure Act, a sale of residential real estate is supposed to start with the seller providing a disclosure report to the buyer, prior to the parties entering into a contract. The Act delineates who is a seller, which sellers are required to disclose, and what and when a seller must disclose to a prospective buyer. Overall, the Act has served well since it became law in 1994. However, since its enactment over a quarter of a century ago, much has changed in the practice of real estate and related areas of law. Until now, there had not been any comprehensive review or update of the Disclosure Act, though it was seriously needed.
Seeing the need, IRELA undertook reviewing the entire Disclosure Act, debating its provisions and drafting amendments to modernize it, to alleviate confusing provisions and misinterpretations thereof, and to clarify its requirements. The IRELA committee, was chaired by Dan Greenberg and consisted of members Marc Blumenthal, Karen Patterson, Michael Rooney, and Colleen Sahlas, with occasional input, inspiration, and direction from John O’Brien, and in the legislative process itself from Jay Curtis. The committee spent many hours over a good number of months reviewing, discussing, and debating the entire act and its provisions, resulting in HB 4322. That bill passed the House 111-0, the Senate 53-0, and was signed into law by the Governor on May 13, 2022, as P.A. 102-765.
IRELA endeavored to reasonably protect buyers, to facilitate real estate practice, and to alleviate the proliferation of attorney review changes related to the Act. While working within the framework and intent of the original act, these new amendments bring much more clarity to the Act, as well as some new additions. This course will delve into how those amendments affect every day real estate practice and the clients we represent.