Cool Tips

As the temperature outside rises, so does our electric bills,  elevated
by all those fans and air conditioners. To minimize  their elevation,
prepare your air conditioner for the cooling  season.

Clean the condenser coils on your window or through-the-wall  units.
Remove the cover to gain access to the coils and clean  them with a soft
bristle brush. While you’re in there, clean  out any lint build up and
oil the motor if it is equipped with  oil ports on the sides.

Outdoor compressors for whole house units could use a good  cleaning,
too. Remove sticks, leaves and those fluffy seeds  with a hose sprayer.

Investors Bet on Chicago to Duplicate Gains
The Chicago office market’s long-awaited recovery has finally arrived as vacancies are declining and rents are increasing. Investors who snapped up buildings during the market’s downturn in 2004 and 2005 are now receiving premium prices for their properties. Of the 114 Chicago-area office properties that have traded this year, 20 were acquired when the market was at its weakest in 2005. Those were purchased for $728 million and have since re-traded for a total of $1.3 billion, representing an increase in value of 44%.