"I'd say the biggest problem is that the [first-time] buyers are typically more often than not swayed by some of the things we would term to be aesthetics… It could have a beautiful kitchen, but it could be a piece of crap."

- David Phaff, president of the Albany, N.Y.-based brokerage David Phaff and Associates, in a story from today's Tribune about first-time buyers. Phaff's comments mirror some discussion we've had around the Yo office lately about how much (or how little) buyers care about specific finishing styles and brands. When even the cheapest rehabs have granite countertops and 42-inch cabinets, which kitchen and bathroom details actually play into your decision? Do you spend much time worrying whether it has Grohe or Kohler fixtures, or Viking or KitchenAid appliances, or do you even care?

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Construction finished up on this West Loop loft conversion about six months ago, and a variety of one- and two-bedroom floor plans are still available.

Peter Boland from @properties says that one-bedroom units with dens that come with one and 1.5 baths and range in size from 900 to 1,100 square feet are currently being offered from the $250s to the $330s. There are just a handful of two-bedrooms left, including two-bedroom / one-baths start in the $340s and 1,360 to 1,430 square-foot two-bedroom / two-baths that are priced from the $370s to the $410s.

Boland says that as a summer incentive, the developer is throwing in a free parking space, but looking back in the Yo archives, Patrick reported the same deal back in January, so I'll be interested to see if this really is a limited-time offer.

The building is a rehabbed True Value warehouse from the 1940s, Boland says. The units have 12- to 14-foot ceiling heights and concrete floors that are 12 to 18 inches thick. It's location at 1224 W Van Buren St is adjacent to the Eisenhower Expressway, which also means that it's just a block away from the nearest Blue Line Station. Boland also reminds me that the proposed The West Loop Promenade is set to bring retail and an independent movie theater a block away in the other direction.

- Rate and review VB1224 at NewHomeNotebook.com.

Mark and I made a quick detour past 5430 Sheridan in Edgewater before returning to the Yo office yesterday afternoon. We'll post a video from our walk through two of the project's unsold units later, but I figured I'd share these pictures of the building and the view from one of those units now.

As Mark wrote last month, Bluewater Companies' 48-unit mid-rise has only a handful of homes left priced from the $340s to the $420s. Bluewater has also started a soft marketing campaign for its new mid-rise to the north, Bluewater 5440. You'll learn a little more about that project in another video, which we'll also have up in the next day or so.

- Rate and review 5430 Sheridan at NewHomeNotebook.com.

Between the balconies and the windows, both units appear to be bathed in natural light, and they have similar living / dining rooms and kitchens. The Roosevelt Collection unit has a fireplace, but I think it's just ornamental, and it has Jack and Jill bathroom doors, which the Vetro unit doesn't have. It's hard to say which unit has more closet space, as the Vetro unit has one large closet and the Roosevelt Collection unit has two smaller closets in the bedroom.

The Roosevelt Collection unit is 759 square feet with a 5-8" x 13' balcony, while the Vetro unit is a bit smaller, weighing in at 719 square feet with a 3-10" x 17' balcony.

As far as price per square foot is concerned, the Vetro condo is less expensive, as one-bedrooms in the 09 tier are currently priced from the $240s to the $270s. The "A" tier unit in the Lofts at Roosevelt Collection is a bit larger, but it's also priced from the $300s to the $310s. Monthly assessments for one-bedrooms at the Lofts at Roosevelt Collection will run from $319 to $401, while Vetro assessments should cost between $240 to $270, according to a sales center agent.

One other development that should be included in the conversation is Winthrop Properties' Printers Corner, which is located within the same boundaries at 170 W Polk St. I wasn't able to included Printers Corner in the direct comparison because I don't have some of the necessary pricing data, but a comparable 769 square-foot one-bedroom floor plan in Printers Corner is at right. As Joe mentioned earlier in the week, one-bedrooms start in the low $300s there at Printers Corner.

- Rate and review The Lofts at Roosevelt Collection on NewHomeNotebook.com.
- Rate and review Vetro on NewHomeNotebook.com.
- Rate and review Printers Corner on NewHomeNotebook.com.

Libra Construction has plans for both sides of Kedzie Avenue in Albany Park, it seems. Along with that 18-unit building going up at 4618 N Kedzie Ave, the company is also planning to build several two-bedroom condominiums on the eastern side of the street, just north of Our Lady of Mercy Church. Mickey Miljevic of Century 21 CP Realty didn't have much information to pass along about the project, but the sign at the site says that homes will start in the $300s.

I spent an eight-month "lost weekend" in Albany Park right after college, and I'm pretty amazed by the amount of development that has occurred along streets like Lawrence and Kedzie avenues in the five years since. On the other hand, I noticed yesterday that the townhouses that were under construction at the intersection of Lawrence and Sacramento during my stay have since become rental properties, and the project seemed to stall after the first five units or so, so it's very possible that some of these projects simply aren't panning out as planned.

Do any Yo readers keep up with construction around that neighborhood? What are you seeing these days?

Mark and I spent yesterday afternoon driving around two neighborhoods that we rarely visit: Andersonville and Albany Park. I'll be editing a short drive-around video of the former later today. The latter, however, seemed to yield more new-construction discoveries, one of which you can see in the pictures above and below.

Libra Construction's four-story building at 4518 N Kedzie Ave will have 18 two-bedroom / two-bath residences and three commercial spaces when complete, says Mickey Miljevic of Century 21 CP Realty. Most of the units will have around 1,100 square feet and at least one balcony. The four corner units on each of the three residential floors will have two balconies - one off their living rooms and another off their master bedrooms.

Miljevic expects the condos to be ready for delivery in four to five months. All 18 are available starting in the $300s, he says.

The good news for some buyers is that the building is just a couple blocks south of the refurbished Kedzie Brown Line station. The bad news is that the drive-thru speaker at the McDonald's next door may just ruin your life, according to this hard-hitting public-service piece in yesterday's Trib.

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Back in January, a reader expressed concern that timber ceilings in The Lofts at River East Art Center at 445 E Illinois St in Streeterville would be left "'as is'–in other words, noisy."

Sales agent Susan Devine says the units are actually quite quiet. Devine says there is an eight-inch floor assembly that includes three inches of lightweight concrete and a five-inch foam underlayment that help to muffle sounds from above, adding that there's a double-thick drywall between units that also helps to keep it quiet.

Prices at The Lofts at River East start in the $430s for a 953 square-foot one-bedroom, and they range up to more than a $1 million.

- Rate and review this development on NewHomeNotebook.com.