We keep an eye out for unusual incentives, and as summer heats up and developers try to lure what few buyers are still out there, incentives seem to be getting more aggressive and bizarre. Take Piedmont Group's Glashaus, for example. We received a press release this week with a (somewhat misleading) conditional offer: OWN AT GLASHAUS, OWN HAWAII FREE!

To be clear, Piedmont Group is not offering the entire island state to condo buyers. Instead, what they're offering is an eight-day per year timeshare in a Hawiian resort.

Your complimentary vacation home is perfectly situated on the shores of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. Where you'll experience spectacular views luxurious amenities, and plenty of places to chill out.

@properties agent Catherine Steigmann tells me the time-share is in the Kalai Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (as seen in the above photo). The offer only applies to buyers of two-bedroom condos, and Steigmann says there are only a handful of two-bedrooms remaining. (She didn't disclose exactly how many.)

Steigmann says that foundation work at Glashaus is completed, and vertical construction will start soon.

Every time I drive down Halsted Street late on a Friday or Saturday night, I'm confronted by the same sight: hordes of club-goers jockeying for nonexistent taxis. I'm not sure what club they come from, but as a general rule, I'd say that the loading dock behind L. Isaacson & Stein Fish Co. is not one of the best places to hail a taxi in Chicago.

That building across the street from the fish market is The Thrush Companies' 740 Fulton, and sales there haven't changed much recently. (Could it have something to do with the smell of fish in the area?)

Deliveries at 740 Fulton started about a year ago, and now we're starting to see some deals and price reductions at the Fulton River District high-rise.

Terri Buseman from Keller Williams Realty says that about 35 of the building's 132 condos are still available, and most of the remaining units are two-bedrooms. She didn't offer exact figures, but she mentioned that prices had been reduced on all units in the building this spring.

The only units that I have specific information for are the four two-bedroom corner units that have been reduced in price to $450,000 from as much as $495,000. Those four units are 1,391 square feet, and they're located on floors six, nine, 11 and 12. A floor plan for those units is at right.

It's a rare day when resident skeptic Joseph Askins is forced to eat his words around here, so I might as well serve it up while I can. I'd like to call to memory a certain "I'll believe it when I see it" post regarding a "limited-time" free parking incentive at Russland Capital Development Group's Michigan Avenue Tower II:

Don't get me wrong - it's entirely possible that Russland will start charging $37,500 per space starting this June, so buyers who like the 28-story high-rise at 1400 S Michigan Ave might want to take the plunge in the next couple of weeks. I'm just sayin', don't be surprised if Michigan Avenue Tower II rolls out some free parking spaces for its limited-time-only "summer incentive" sometime next month.

We're almost two weeks into June, so I gave the Michigan Avenue Tower II sales center a call this morning and learned that the free parking incentive did indeed end with the month of May. (Joe seems less than repentant, sarcastically inviting me to hold him accountable for his "cruel presumptions.")

Part of me can't help but wonder if Joe's post had something to do with the termination of that long-running free parking incentive. Either way, Russell's June incentive is a "luxury upgrade package" that will include a marble upgrades in the master bathroom, ceramic tile upgrades in second bathrooms, 1-1/4" granite counters, as well as cabinet and flooring upgrades.

The sales agent I spoke with estimated that buyers could save up to $13,000 on the bathrooms alone, and he thought the whole package could be worth more than $20,000. That's not as much as the $37,500 that parking spaces are going for, but at least Russland is doing what it said it would.

With prices for new condos at Solstice on the Park starting in the $500s, some of Hyde Park's other condo developments are starting to look more affordable.

Take the Silver Cloud Condominiums, for example, a 13-story vintage high-rise at 5346 S Cornell Ave. Prices for two-bedroom condos in the 1920s apartment tower have started in the $230s since rehabilitation started more than a year ago, but this morning I noticed a two-bedroom unit listed at $217,900.

Century 21 Sussex and Reilly's Arsiak Raffaelli says the listing prices aren't coming down, but developer Creative Designs Builders will pay six months of mortgage payments, assessments and property taxes for buyers who sign contracts in the next three weeks.

A year of free parking is also offered with the deal. (Rental parking at the Silver Cloud is $125 per month.)

Raffaelli says the 72-unit high-rise is currently 40% sold, which seems low, considering that these units have been on the market for almost two years, but she is optimistic that there's still a market for this vintage conversion.

"It's going to be the next Edgewater," Raffaelli says of Hyde Park. She points to the city's Olympics bid and the stadium proposed for neighboring Washington Park as signs that Hyde Park isn't just a university neighborhood, and that it can still attract luxury buyers.

Here's one that Val brought back to the Yo office this afternoon: Buy this new single-family home at 2715 W Adams St in East Garfield Park, and the developer will give you $1,500 a month for two years to help pay your mortgage. (My college education tells me that comes out to $36,000 over the course of the deal.)

The buyer will also have a choice of a custom paint package and a washer and dryer, or a plasma TV.

This three-bedroom / 3.5-bath, all-brick home has stainless-steel appliances, granite countertops, a kitchen island, a fireplace, a deck, and a two-car garage. It's priced in the $450s and is listed by Phil McCall and AnneMarie Garza of AMS Realty.

File this one under "I'll believe it when I see it" (we really could use a post category along those lines): Russland Capital Development Group supposedly will stop packaging free parking spaces with the remaining units at Michigan Avenue Tower II after May 31.

If I sound skeptical, it's only because this "spring incentive" was already in place last fall. As Barry said in a post about the offer way back in October, "limited-time offers have a way of extending these days."

Don't get me wrong - it's entirely possible that Russland will start charging $37,500 per space starting this June, so buyers who like the 28-story high-rise at 1400 S Michigan Ave might want to take the plunge in the next couple of weeks. I'm just sayin', don't be surprised if Michigan Avenue Tower II rolls out some free parking spaces for its limited-time-only "summer incentive" sometime next month.

Michigan Avenue Tower II has been about 90 percent sold for the past six months, judging from old Yo posts. Among the 30 or so condos left in the building are one-bedrooms starting in the $300s, one-bedroom-plus-dens starting in the $310s, two-bedrooms starting in the $410s and two-bedroom-plus-dens starting in the $490s.

A single two-bedroom penthouse, similar to the one seen below, is still available in the $550s. Upgrade packages are included in all the prices.

Deliveries at Michigan Avenue Tower II should begin sometime this fall.

The homes in this condo conversion at 4815 N Kimball Ave in Albany Park have been on the market for about two years, and only half of the 24 condos have been sold. It's now or never for Kimball Park's final 12 units, according to Coldwell Banker sales associate Tom Leko.

Prices have plummeted as low as $189,000 for two-bedroom / 1.5-baths from original listing prices of $219,000, but they’re only going to stay that low until May 5. Leko says these are rock-bottom prices that won't go any lower, and if developer Opine Properties isn't able to sell them now, the remaining units will likely be rented as apartments.

Kimball Park also features several two-bedroom / two-baths with reduced price points from the $190s to the $230s, depending on size.

Judging from the brochure, it looks like four of the available units are the two-bedroom / 1.5-baths, while the remaining eight are two-bedroom / two-baths. And for transit enthusiasts, the development is located just a half block north of the Kimball Brown Line station.

This rehab at 1310 W Ohio St caught Joe Askins’ eye when he toured West Town a few weeks ago. It’s located near the intersection of Ohio and Elizabeth streets, just across the street from the now-famous Whitehead-Elniski home.

Jameson Realty Group is offering incentives to both buyers and sellers for these last two units: Buyers will receive one year in paid assessments, which Boboc estimated would come out to about $110 per month, while sales agents will receive $2,000 for sales.

According to Jameson sales associate Linda Boboc, the building was first listed about a year ago, and two of the building’s six units are still available. Both of the available condos, which are on the first and third floors, face north (in the rear), which means that they both have balconies. The third-floor unit also has rooftop access.

The third-floor unit is listed in the $240s, while the one on the first floor is priced in the $230s.

A house just isn’t a home without a place to sit or sleep. That’s why the developers of The Rotunda are offering a $15,000 furniture allowance to buyers who sign contracts by March 31.

The Rotunda, under construction at 2741 N Sheffield Ave, has six two-bedroom condos with 1,570 square feet, a three-bedroom townhome with 2,230 square feet and a four-bedroom townhome with almost 2,900 square feet.

Price points range from the $490s to the $750s. Deliveries will begin this fall.

Thomas Hall of Rubloff Residential Properties has the listing.

Buyers now have three incentives to buy one of Dubin Residential's Shoemaker Lofts in Avondale, but only if they seal the deal by March 31.

Anyone who purchases one of the 810- to 1,745-square-foot homes at 3963 W Belmont Ave in the next two weeks will get a 4.9-percent, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, one deeded parking space, and no mortgage, real-estate tax or assessment payments until January 2009.

Lofts in the old Florsheim shoe factory feature 11-foot ceiling heights, 9 x 14' replica vintage windows, and exposed brick and ductwork. Prices on the one- to two-bedroom / one- to two-bath lofts range from the $190s to the mid-$400s.

Dubin doesn't seem to have a problem moving units at the moment. Patrick reported in late January that 39 of the initial 175 Shoemaker Lofts were still for sale. Today the number of available lofts stands at 19. Now, its possible that some of those 20 have turned into rentals over the past two months, but its just as plausible that recent visitors liked what they saw and took the plunge. Either way, we'll be able to determine the effect of these new incentives by getting another update around the beginning of April.