Author: joel

Get outta town: Lake shore offers endless 2nd-home options within 2 hours of city
It’s 9:45 on a muggy Monday morning, and the city skyline is quickly shrinking in my rearview mirror. I’m spending the day doing the dance that cons [...]

Home away from home: in slower market, mom and pop take over city's investment-home niche
The label "real estate investor" might conjure images of slick-haired, power-lunching alpha males in monogrammed shirts and pinstripe suits, but the [...]

Deal of the day: 2 months free at condo conversions
The Habitat Company wants you on a first-name basis with its North Side condo conversions -- Carmen, Troy and Leland (pictured) -- so it is rolling o [...]

Many kinds of second-home buyers in Chicago
We've been talking a lot lately about second-home buyers and investors in Chicago. Slower appreciation and daunting market times lead some investors [...]

A day at the beach: Yo goes to South Haven
We rounded out our trip up the coast, which included stops in Miller Beach, New Buffalo and St. Joseph, with a look at South Haven, Michigan.
The [...]
Comment of the day: Chicago is worth it
"Cmon Chicago is worth it! We have the BEST public schools. There are only 24 bums in the WHOLE city. Crime is WAY down, that Linc Pk sex offender isn [...]

Movie star raises money for Mies' Farnsworth House
Forget about Brangelina, let's talk about Bries van der Rohe. According to the Internet Movie Database, movie star and architecture buff Brad Pitt r [...]
Ripped from the headlines: home sales, prices down
Home sales, prices down in 2nd quarter Daily Southtown
New home construction slowest in decade MSNBC
Mortgage woes weigh on Countrywide Daily Hera [...]
Comment of the day: knock 'em down!
"The one historical tradition that should be held on to above all others says that this is the city of big shoulders. Here we put things up, knock the [...]

Lifestyle buyers take over second-home market as speculators flee
Last week we looked at a suburban couple that bought a condo in Chicago just for the fun of it, and those "lifestyle" buyers are powering the market [...]

A day at the beach: Yo goes to St. Joseph
After stopping in Miller Beach and New Buffalo, our travels through some top Chicago vacation-home destinations took us to St. Joseph, Michigan.
A [...]

12-story high-rise planned for Lake View
In our recent post on Kimball Station, Yo reader Sam mentioned that he was excited about a new Lake View development in the works, so we thought we' [...]

Construction update: Modern Momentum
The news that SoNo would soon break ground made us want to check out MoMo, the other Smithfield Properties / Booth Hansen collaboration with a baby- [...]

A day at the beach: Yo goes to New Buffalo
Last week we started on our journey to vacation destinations along the coast of Lake Michigan, and today we're continuing with a look at New Buffalo [...]
Ripped from the headlines: more mortgage woes
Mortgage woes leave applicants scrambling Trib
90 condos planned for Belmont-Cragin Trib
Green project targets Belmont-Cragin bungalows Sun-Times
[...]

Second-home buyers just wanna have fun
When most people think of real estate investors, they’re likely to conjure up images of slick-haired, power-lunching alpha males in monogrammed Fren [...]

X / O Condominiums bringing sexy back, yeah
Modesty certainly doesn't become X / O Condominiums. We've already seen how hot the sales center is and heard architect Lucien Lagrange describe the [...]

A day at the beach: Yo follows Chicago vacation home buyers across the lake
Earlier this week, the Yo packed a grip and spent the day doing the dance that increasing numbers of Chicagoans are spending their summers doing – p [...]

Second-home buyers look to Avenue East in Streeterville
We'll let you in on a little secret: the shopping on Michigan Avenue is a big draw for the out-of-town homebuyer looking for a Chicago pied-a-terre. [...]

Deal of the day: cash back at Rogers Park conversion
The developer of Greystone Court is offering 2 percent cash back at closing when buyers use the preferred lender. The development, a courtyard rehab [...]