How to do FOIA for a property in Evanston ?

[Usman S.]

As part of due diligence on a property i am buying in Evanston, I wanted to share what steps I went through for requesting FOIA:

FOIA request can be made online and it was very easy. I filed it a few days ago and it can take a few days to receive the info: let's see. 

Website to file the request:  https://cookcountyassessor.gov...

I spoke to the the City of Evanston also for any suggestions and they were quite helpful. Your rental has to be registered with the city and you can verify that. They provided the permit info and also suggested to file for FOIA request online. Also, I understood that the city will be verifying any outstanding items and let the buyer know before the "real estate transfer stamp" is completed <= This can take a minimum of 5 days. With this in mind, maybe requesting FOIA is redundant but i filed it anyways. 

Website to request info on permits: https://www.cityofevanston.org...

If I am missing anything or if there are any other suggestions then please add.

[Usman S.]

Quote from @Josef Hardi:

Thanks for sharing, I would not have even thought of requesting an FOIA for a potential investment property. I see that Evanston is only about an hour away from you, but having this report would ensure you are crossing your Ts and dotting your Is!

Yep, that was new to me on doing this even on a potential investment and I just learned about it a few days ago. It is for free so got nothing to lose. :--) Want to do as much due diligence as possible up front to avoid any surprises later on !

Have to give a shout out to @Mark Ainley who suggested to look up Freedom of Information even on potential properties. He also has a podcast which i did not know about and listened to a few episodes pertaining to Evanston as that is what i am focusing on right now and they were quite helpful: https://www.straightupchicagoi...Would recommend !