Quietly nestled in the western Chicago suburbs, the village of Hillside is a developing municipality of more than 8,100 residents. A self-proclaimed “metro gateway”, this bedroom community boasts some attractive nearby amenities, including the Oakbrook Center Mall and the Brookfield Zoo.
For the Westbrook Condominiums, a 294-unit development on Wolf Road just north of 22nd Street, the property’s location alone is an enticing incentive for buyers. Westbrook residents can walk across the street to the Fresh Meadows Golf Course, and several restaurants and retail spots are just blocks from the property.
But for a limited time, says Jim Walsh, vice president of developer Interstate Properties Group, Westbrook buyers can upgrade kitchens and baths with new maple cabinets and granite countertops for free, and the developer will include a 42-inch flat-screen TV in each purchase. Additionally, Interstate Properties will shave two percent of the purchase price off closing costs and kick in $3,000 as a quick-closing incentive – on top of a standing offer from the developer to pay homeowner assessments for the first two years.
Walsh, who moved from Milwaukee and into the property in September, admits that while incentives may bring a prospective buyer through the door, the development’s convenient location will really appeal to a single resident or someone on the go.
“The location is ideal for sales and service technicians or anyone who frequently travels throughout the Chicago area,” he says. “Westbrook is within 30 minutes travel time of most of Chicago and suburbs.”
Built in the ‘70s, the three-building complex started as apartments. In July 2006, Palatine, Ill.-based Interstate Properties began converting the property into a condo development. The first phase of the project included the transformation of 190 units in two buildings. Currently 70 units are available.
Although not yet available to the public, the second phase of the development is underway. Crews are removing deteriorating galvanized pipe and replacing it with new copper water lines, and sprinkler systems are being installed. When complete, the second phase will bring another 104 units and 38 parking spaces to the market.
In February, the base price of a Westbrook condo ranged from the $100s for a studio to the $180s for a two-bedroom, two-bath unit. The homes include new washer/dryers, new thermo-pane aluminum-clad windows, thermostat-controlled hot water, baseboard heat and air-conditioning. New units also include renovated light fixtures, new wall-to-wall carpet and padding, blinds on windows, new outlets and cover plates, appliances (including dishwashers), ground-fault interrupter outlets, and hard-wired combination smoke- and carbon-monoxide detectors.
The property includes a pool and picnic area, and each building will have a party room and a fitness center with changing rooms and a sauna. Buyers can also expect wireless high-speed Internet access.
Model apartments are open at Westbrook Condominiums weekdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.