Spring comes slowly along the Indiana Dunes shoreline. The lake stays cold long after the calendar says otherwise, and the trees hold back until they're ready. But when it arrives, it arrives with conviction. The peepers and cranes come first, followed by the spring ephemerals. Then the South Shore fills up on weekends, and somewhere in the middle of all of it, the real estate market wakes up too.

This issue of INSIGHTS reflects that energy. We cover a lot of ground — some of it practical, some of it personal, some of it the kind of thing you won't find in a market report. The property tax comparison alone may change how you think about what you can afford and where. The story of people choosing to leave the shoreline is something many of us have grappled with — if not personally, then with our parents or grandparents. And the post on my approach to relisting a property draws on my own experience as a television producer — a perspective I don't often write about directly.

If you're thinking about buying or selling, or if you're just dreaming about the dunes, there's something here for you. I hope you enjoy.