Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will ever make, and there are real legal risks that can catch buyers off guard if they are not prepared. According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2025 Deed and Title Fraud Survey, about 63 percent of real estate professionals reported seeing cases of title fraud or deed theft in their market in the past year alone.
Beyond title fraud, buyers face risks from hidden property defects, contract mistakes, zoning issues, and more. Knowing what to watch for before you make an offer can protect your investment and…
Continue Reading What Legal Risks Should Buyers Watch for Before Making an Offer on a Home?

Facing foreclosure is one of the most stressful things a homeowner can go through. The fear of losing your home, the pressure of dealing with a lender, and the uncertainty about what comes next can feel like too much to handle at once. A short sale is one option that may help you avoid foreclosure and move forward with more control over the outcome.
If you’re exploring your options, our Waukegan, IL foreclosure defense lawyers can help you figure out whether a short sale makes sense for your situation.
What Is a Short Sale and How Does It Work?
A…
Continue Reading Can a Short Sale Stop a Foreclosure Case in Illinois?

You can cancel a real estate contract without losing your deposit, but only under the right conditions. Whether you get your deposit back depends on when you cancel, why you cancel, and what protections your contract includes.
According to a January 2026 Redfin report, over 16 percent of home purchase agreements nationwide were canceled in December 2025, the highest rate on record. Many of those buyers had a legal path to walk away and keep their money. Others didn’t, and they paid for it.
If you’re buying or selling property in Lake County and want to know where you…
Continue Reading Can You Cancel a Real Estate Contract Without Losing Your Deposit?

Federal mortgage data shows that in the second quarter of 2025, lenders completed more than 8,400 loan modifications nationwide. A loan modification can feel like the last chance to save a home. When a request is denied, many homeowners feel stuck and unsure of what went wrong. However, denials are more common than people expect, even when borrowers believe they provided everything required.
As of 2026, lenders continue to use strict rules and financial reviews when deciding whether to approve a loan modification. Understanding why some applications fail is the first step toward figuring out what to do next.
Continue Reading Reasons Your Loan Modification Request Was Denied

One of the most stressful questions homeowners ask during foreclosure is when they actually have to leave their home. In Illinois, homeowners usually do not have to move out until the foreclosure case is finished and the court issues an order for possession. This process often takes months, and sometimes longer, depending on what happens in court.
Foreclosure remains a serious issue across the state. In a 2025 report from ATTOM Data Solutions, Illinois continued to see thousands of foreclosure filings, showing that many families are still navigating this process.
As of 2026, Illinois foreclosure cases are still handled…
Continue Reading Illinois Foreclosure Proceedings – When Must the Homeowner Move Out?

When people go through tough financial times, some may find it necessary to sell what they own for far less than those assets are worth. When a property is sold for a price that is less than the amount remaining on the mortgage, the transaction is known as a short sale. If you need assistance with a short sale, reach out to a Lake County, IL real estate lawyer today.
At Newland & Newland, LLP, we have decades of legal experience, having helped multiple clients with loan modifications, foreclosure defense, and other sensitive issues. We will advise you of…
Continue Reading Understanding a Short Sale in Illinois

Increasingly, multiple generations of Illinois families are living under one roof. Parents, adult children, and even grandparents are combining households for financial, cultural, or caregiving reasons, but in some cases, this can have devastating consequences. Parents may add adult children or grandchildren to the deed, but how that is done is crucial. In fact, how the deed is titled may well become one of the most important estate planning decisions you will ever make if multiple generations live in your home.
Whether your home is held as tenants in common (TIC) or as joint tenants with right of survivorship can…
Continue Reading TIC vs. Joint Tenancy in Illinois Multi-Generational Homes

Unfortunately, many Illinois senior citizens have been steered into high-cost mortgages, unfair refinancing deals, or home equity loans they could never realistically repay. Many of these “deals” were cloaked under terms like “no-risk refinancing,” “quick cash-outs,” or “affordable loans.” What these seniors may have ended up with is high-interest mortgages, hidden fees, and monthly payments they could never sustain on a fixed income.
When foreclosure notices begin arriving, most of these senior homeowners blame themselves, unaware they may be victims of unlawful, predatory lending practices. Illinois law offers robust protections for seniors who were misled, exploited, or are victims of…
Continue Reading Predatory Lending to Seniors as an Illinois Foreclosure Defense

For Illinois homebuyers, a bargain price on a fixer-upper can look tempting – until they learn what “as-is” really means. Illinois sellers may assume that labeling a property as-is allows them to walk away clean with no worries about disclosure. It is important for sellers and buyers alike to have a full understanding of what “as-is” really means, and to involve a real estate lawyer in any transactions.
Buyers could inherit costly problems in an as-is sale, while sellers must understand that labeling a property “as-is” does not erase the duty to be honest about known defects. Whether you are…
Continue Reading Hidden Defects in Illinois "As-Is" Home Sales Can Backfire

Many Illinois homeowners believe that once their home has been foreclosed on and sold, they no longer have any financial obligations related to the home. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Under Illinois law, mortgage lenders may pursue a deficiency judgment. This is a court order requiring the borrower to pay the remaining balance if the foreclosure sale does not cover the full amount of the mortgage debt.
Whether or not a bank can or will sue depends on the type of foreclosure, the sale price, and how the judgment was entered. A Round Lake, IL foreclosure defense attorney…
Continue Reading Illinois Foreclosure Deficiency Judgments Explained

Suppose someone died in the house you are about to buy, or that it was once the hideout for a notorious criminal. Or, what if the house is allegedly haunted, or there was a violent crime that occurred in the house? Would you want to know these things? Would you feel as though you were entitled to know? Under the Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Act (765 ILCS 77), only physical defects and material conditions must be disclosed to buyers.
Under the Illinois Real Estate License Act (225 ILCS 454/), brokers are required to be honest,…
Continue Reading Illinois Real Estate: Stigmatized Property Law

Foreclosure may sound like a problem only for the homeowner. Unfortunately, that is not always the reality. If you are renting a home, and your landlord’s property goes into foreclosure while you are living there, you may be left with nothing but questions. Can you be forced to leave your home? Are you still required to pay rent? Is your landlord the bank, the buyer, or is there still a landlord?
An Illinois foreclosure can be disruptive, to say the least. That said, there are certain protections in the state provided to tenants to keep them from being blindsided by…
Continue Reading Do Illinois Renters Have Rights During Foreclosure?

Illinois sellers may believe they have done everything right: they prepped their home for sale, ordered a home inspection, and made cosmetic upgrades. Now they are ready for showings and negotiating offers, yet many sellers in the state are unaware that they may have overlooked obligations involving radon. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas associated with significant health risks, and it is something that neither buyers nor sellers may be aware of during real estate transactions.
Home sellers in the state are legally obligated to disclose any known radon hazards to potential buyers. If the home seller is aware…
Continue Reading Radon Disclosure: A Legal Obligation That Surprises Sellers