Real estate news & trends

News from around the Web - 5/20

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ChicagoDowntown / Loop

Gold Coast terraces and roof decks

Gold Coast rooftop

I love visiting rooftops and looking out on how Chicagoans have decked out their rooftops and outdoor terraces. The spaces run the gamut from the starkly utilitarian to the brashly baroque. Last Saturday I was on the roof at 100 E Bellevue Pl in the Gold Coast and shot pictures ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 20, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

Site prep underway for River North apartment tower?

Engine Company 42

JDL Development’s website anticipated breaking ground on a new 26-story, 189-unit apartment tower at 212 W Illinois in the spring of 2012. A year later, it appears that the River North project may be underway. A demolition permit was issued a month ago for the one-story building on the site, ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 20, 2013
ChicagoSouth Side

Tour the Sutherland model apartments in Hyde Park with the designer

The Sutherland

The Sutherland, 4659 S Drexel Blvd in Hyde Park / Kenwood, was built as a hotel and briefly converted to a military hospital. Its most famous incarnation, however, was as a music venue frequented by some of the greats of jazz music. When the Sutherland was recently converted to luxury ...

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Posted by sponsored post on May 20, 2013

Don’t be blindsided by a rental service blind ad

Craigslist ad

On any given day you can find 1,000s of apartment and help wanted ads placed by rental services that don’t disclose their name in the ad. These “blind ads” are all in violation of the Illinois Real Estate License Act, whether placed by a licensed rental service or one of ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 20, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

Chicago and LaSalle apartment tower gains Plan Commission approval

Thumbnail image for Chicago and LaSalle apartment tower gains Plan Commission approval

The Chicago Plan Commission yesterday approved construction of a new 33-story, 290-unit apartment tower with ground-floor retail space at the northeast corner of Chicago and LaSalle. Smithfield Properties is the developer. The next step for the project is approval by the full City Council. ADDED: Adam Berkelhamer of Berkelhamer Architects ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 17, 2013
West suburbsIndian Head Park

A light-filled modern home in tranquil Indian Head Park

6435 Indian Head Trl, Indian Head Park

The modern home at 6435 Indianhead Trail in Indian Head Park is filled with surprises. It’s no surprise that the corner lot and large windows on all sides of the home flood it with light. What is surprising for a modern home is the size of the rooms, the sheer ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 17, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

An up-to-date River North apartment list

View of River North Chicago

If you’re looking to rent an apartment in River North, you can see all of your managed apartment building options on YoChicago’s availability list, below. Apart from the new buildings, there are currently only twelve large apartment complexes in River North, and we’ve listed all of them in this Google ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 17, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

A view of three new apartment towers

New downtown apartment projects

Three of the dozens of new apartment projects in downtown Chicago are visible in the above view. The building with the recessed balconies and construction elevator to the left of center is AMLI River North. The 50-story, 409-unit tower is currently leasing apartments for “summer 2013″ occupancy. Hubbard Place is ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 17, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

The spectacular skyline views from Kingsbury Plaza

George Azzo, Kingsbury Plaza

Late yesterday afternoon I visited the roof of Kingsbury Plaza, 520 N Kingsbury St in River North. The views in all directions from a height of 455 feet are attention-grabbing, and likely to be compelling from lower floors also, given the unbroken vistas afforded by the building’s riverfront site adjacent ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 16, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

An at-a-glance list of what’s for rent in the South Loop

Aerial view of South Loop

Three-bedroom apartments, if you’ve been scanning this feature from week to week, have been unavailable before now. Several 3-bedrooms just hit the market for July occupancy. If you’re looking to rent a 3-bedroom, it’s probably a good idea to act quickly. If you’re looking to rent in the South Loop, ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 16, 2013
News & trendsMarket conditions

Chicago home sales spiked higher in April

Wilmette sidewalk sale

The following market update arrived via a news release from RE/MAX Northern Illinois: After months of making steady progress, the housing recovery in the seven-county metropolitan Chicago real estate market kicked into a higher gear in April, according to an analysis by RE/MAX. Compared to the previous April, total sales ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 16, 2013
News & trendsMarket conditions

Building permits up, foreclosures down nationally

Palmer Square

From a RealtyTrac news release: An exclusive RealtyTrac housing market analysis of building permit data recently released by the U.S. Department of HUD for the first quarter, comparing it to foreclosure starts for the same time period at the national, state and city level, found the following: Nationwide single family ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 16, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

A new construction show in Streeterville

435 N Park Dr Chicago

Most Chicago high-rises are built on tight sites that impose stringent demands on construction staging. Materials are typically delivered on a just-in-time basis that affords spectators few opportunities to gape at the wide variety of substructures and assemblies that come together in a sleek, simple-appearing finished building. When it’s complete ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 15, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

Does Chicago have a new Fridge?

Optima Center

William “The Refrigerator” Perry, a/k/a The Fridge, has an irreplaceable spot in the hearts of Bear fans of a certain age. Some of the wags at the SkyscraperPage forum have noted a resemblance between the new Optima Center and a giant refrigerator and dubbed the building “Da Fridge.” Another commenter ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 15, 2013
North ShoreEvanston

Spacious Evanston apartments near the Purple Line

618 Hinman Evanston

The one- and two-bedroom vintage apartments at 618 Hinman in Evanston have been renovated but retain many of their original vintage touches, including hardwood floors, large sun rooms, decorative fireplaces and complex crown and baseboard moldings. The floor plans are unusually spacious, and individual rooms are large enough to accommodate ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 15, 2013

YoChicago videos viewed more than 3 million times

Home Alone house

Late last week YoChicago’s primary YouTube channel passed the 3 million view mark for its more than 2,300 videos. The next milestone we’re closing in on is 2,000 subscribers. Check out other real estate video sites and you’ll see that ours generates far more views. Our most popular video, viewed ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 15, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

850 Lake Shore Drive slates occupancy for late this year

850 LSD

Late last week Crain’s Chicago Real Estate Daily reported that the developer of the former Lakeshore Athletic Club at 850 N Lake Shore Dr had secured an $80 million construction loan to complete the conversion of the building to 200 rental apartments. The Crain’s report contained a major surprise: “The ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 14, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

The Smith + Gill models at K2 luxury apartments

Smith + Gill, K2

Three furnished models from Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill were part of the recent 7-model Designer Showcase at K2 Apartments. Several of the models were pop-ups that were dismantled immediately after the event, but the Smith + Gill models are, to the good fortune of design lovers, permanent. Each of ...

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Posted by sponsored post on May 14, 2013
ChicagoDowntown / Loop

CA3 sells out pre-construction in West Loop

Adams & Aberdeen, CA3

You can time-travel back to the frothy days of the mid-00s if you want to find condo projects selling out prior to their beginning to rise out of the ground. Or you can head for Adams and Aberdeen in the West Loop, where demolition of an existing structure has just ...

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Posted by Joe Zekas on May 14, 2013
ChicagoNorth Side

The Pointe townhomes, a bit of London in Lincoln Park

The Pointe

Townhome developments are a major presence in Lincoln Park, more so than in any other Chicago neighborhood. The popularity of the neighborhood, together with its relatively low-density zoning, spurred strong demand for more alternatives to pricey single-family homes. The townhome boom that began in the 60s came to a virtual ...

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Posted by sponsored post on May 14, 2013