CHICAGO (AP) The Illinois Attorney Generals office sued the owner of a Chicago remodeling company almost 30 years ago, accusing him of taking money from property owners for work that was either shoddy or never done. Without admitting wrongdoing, Mark Diamond agreed to change his ways.

But authorities say Diamond merely changed up his scheme, continuing what amounted to a nearly three-decade career of scamming hundreds of people primarily poor, older and African-American with home repair and mortgage-related frauds.

They accuse him of stripping millions of dollars in equity from homeowners, even as state regulators took away his business license, the Federal Trade Commission and two consecutive attorneys general sued and dozens of homeowners filed lawsuits.

Federal investigators last week executed a search warrant on Diamonds Chicago office, an FBI spokeswoman confirmed, but no criminal charges have been filed. Hes scheduled to appear at a hearing Monday on a 2009 state lawsuit against him.

How Diamond has managed to remain in business is a frustrating indictment of consumer protection laws and a civil justice system that moves too slowly, both prosecutors and consumer advocates say. If determined enough, they say, unethical business people can change corporate entities, reappear with different names and continue the same crimes.

Thats exactly whats going on here, said Illinois Attorney Gen. Lisa Madigan, in an interview with The Associated Press. This is hands-down one of the most horrific cases that Ive had to contend with.

Michelle Weinberg, a lawyer at Chicagos Legal Assistance Foundation, said shes seen roughly a half-dozen repeat players in consumer fraud schemes over the last 20 years. She agreed its not unusual for it to take a decade or more to stop them.

Its very sad, and its very frustrating, said Weinberg, who has represented multiple clients against Diamond.

Madigan said in addition to the civil case and possible criminal charges, her office is working with the Illinois Legislature to pass a bill aimed at better protecting consumers who consider reverse mortgages.

Diamond didnt answer repeated phone calls from The Associated Press, and his office appeared closed when the AP tried to visit last week. His attorney, Dennis Both, also did not respond to multiple emails and phone messages.

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Officials: Slow Justice At Fault In Chicago Mans Long Con

Housing market trends bode well for sellers this spring, but some may encounter hurdles even after they land abuyer.

Rising home values and a lack of inventory in many markets could set them up to receive competing offers, but that dynamic could also increase the likelihood that the appraised value of the home could fall short of the agreed upon sale price, potentially scuttling thedeal.

Banks rely on appraisals to determine whether the size of a mortgage being sought by a homebuyer is justified by the market value of the home theyre looking to buy. Lenders do

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Housing market trends bode well for sellers this spring, but some may encounter hurdles even after they land abuyer.

Rising home values and a lack of inventory in many markets could set them up to receive competing offers, but that dynamic could also increase the likelihood that the appraised value of the home could fall short of the agreed upon sale price, potentially scuttling thedeal.

Banks rely on appraisals to determine whether the size of a mortgage being sought by a homebuyer is justified by the market value of the home theyre looking to buy. Lenders do this to ensure that they will be able to recover their funds in the event they have to sell the home should the borrower default on themortgage.

When an appraisal comes in below the agreed upon price, a buyer may not be able to borrow the amount needed to buy the home. At that point, the buyer usually has to make up the difference with a larger down payment or walkaway.

This scenario was widespread in 2010, as foreclosures swelled following the housing bust, resulting in a surge in homes being valued by appraisers below what some buyers were willing topay.

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Potential sellers market brings possibility of lower appraisals - Sun, 29 Mar 2015 PST

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Housing market trends bode well for sellers this spring, but some may encounter hurdles even after they land a buyer.

Rising home values and a lack of inventory in many markets could set them up to receive competing offers, but that dynamic could also increase the likelihood that the appraised value of the home could fall short of the agreed upon sale price, potentially scuttling the deal. ... Subscribe or log in to read more

Housing market trends bode well for sellers this spring, but some may encounter hurdles even after they land a buyer.

Rising home values and a lack of inventory in many markets could set them up to receive competing offers, but that dynamic could also increase the likelihood that the appraised value of the home could fall short of the agreed upon sale price, potentially scuttling the deal.

Banks rely on appraisals to determine whether the size of a mortgage being sought by a homebuyer is justified by the market value of the home theyre looking to buy. Lenders do this to ensure that they will be able to recover their funds in the event they have to sell the home should the borrower default on the mortgage.

When an appraisal comes in below the agreed upon price, a buyer may not be able to borrow the amount needed to buy the home. At that point, the buyer usually has to make up the difference with a larger down payment or walk away.

This scenario was widespread in 2010, as foreclosures swelled following the housing bust, resulting in a surge in homes being valued by appraisers below what some buyers were willing to pay.

The same may be happening again, but for very different reasons.

The median price of previously occupied homes has climbed 7.5 percent over the past year to $202,600, according to the National Association of Realtors. One key factor: The inventory of homes for sale was at just 4.6 months in February. Thats down from a historic average of around 6 months.

Were definitely in a market thats shifted since 2012 to one where youre more likely to see a sales price thats above the appraisal, said Daren Blomquist, a vice president at real estate data firm RealtyTrac.

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Home appraisal comes in below your price: Now what?

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There was a lot of rubbernecking at the corner of 39th and Vincent Avenue S. last summer. There, perched high on stilt-like supports, sat the second floor of a quaint cottage-style house. Below it, instead of a main floor, was nothing but air.

We got a lot of gawkers driving by, said Jeff Nicholson, owner of Quartersawn, the contractor who oversaw the unusual remodeling project.

Wed see pictures of our house on Facebook and we didnt put them up, said homeowner Peter Ihrig.

The makeover didnt start out so extreme.

Ihrig bought the southwest Minneapolis house in 2013 intending to make modest changes, he said.

We liked the location that was most important, said Starla, his wife since July. The house was just two blocks from Lake Calhoun and conveniently located on a bus line. I work downtown, and I have door-to-door bus service, Peter said.

The house itself was not their dream home. Built as a small cottage in 1913, it had undergone many modifications over the years, including the addition of a second floor in 1994.

It was very segmented, said Peter. We wanted to open it up. To do that, the Ihrigs intended to relocate the basement stairway, which was too narrow to allow carrying a laundry basket, and so low that Peter often hit his head on the ceiling.

But when Quartersawn started excavating, they found a surprise. There were no frost footings under a one-room addition dating back to 1991.

This presented a problem and an opportunity.

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Reinventing home: A lofty makeover

Remodeling of the former U.S. post office in downtown Reno is nearly complete and locals will be given the opportunity to see the progress that's been made.

Since ownership of the old post office changed in 2012, the building has been re-purposed as a retail and business work place in the center of downtown Reno.

Bernie Carter, project manager, says they are 95% done with remodeling and they are now entering into the phase where they prepare for tenants.

Right now we've done all of the tear down, we've done the cleaning, we've put the atrium back in, we've put operable windows back in, the skylight's back, we've prepared the building for tenants, says Carter.

Bernie Carter is the developer who initially bought the old post office because he didn't want the city to tear it down and build something new.

He wanted to preserve the local history; including the building's interior and exterior design. He also wants the re-imagined structure to make a bigger impact to the downtown economy.

The building has also been rehabilitated differently for each floor. The second and third floors will be used for tenants to rent out office spaces. For the first year the main floor will be held for special events, including weddings. After that, the goal is to make it one of downtown's premier retail locations. Finally, the basement is being renewed as a marketplace.

With so many additions in store, developer Debbie Day says she is excited to see a place that was once used for collecting mail or buying stamps to become something much greater.

Now there's an opportunity to come in and step back and go wow, look at what we've got here and I think the concept to rehabilitate it back to what it was is phenomenal and we really have a treasure here, says Day.

On Sunday the building will be open to the public from 10 a.m. until p.m.

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Re-Purposed Post Office Aims to Help Downtown Economy

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CLARE (AP) Having grown up in Clare, Amy Shindorf knows about the luck of the Irish. She also believes that every small Irish community should have a brewpub.

Shindorf believes in living life with luck, and she has a vision of what should be included in downtown Clare.

Shindorf and brewmaster Brad Bellinger are in the process of bringing a brewpub to the Gateway to the North, the Morning Sun reports.

Located in a century-old building at 412 N. McEwan St., Four Leaf Brewing named for the lucky four-leaf clover in the Irish tradition will offer 12 craft brews on tap, including six regulars and six seasonal and experimental beers.

Shindorf and Bellinger, who have been friends for years, were at the building recently looking over how the renovation is going and discussing what they see in the business, which they hope will be open this spring.

Or, as Bellinger said, in time for people to start their northern adventures.

Although Four Leaf Brewing wont be a classic Irish brewpub, it will feature stout and Irish ale.

Shindorf said renovations are about three-fourths finished on the custom brew house.

Shindorf, a former manager at Isabella County Recycling who is still passionate about being green, said that being friends with Bellinger over the years has been a learning experience because of his expertise in beer brewing.

Wanting to be her own boss and stand behind a product she believes in prompted Shindorf to go into the beer business with Bellinger.

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Friends work to open brewpub in downtown Clare