Category: Uncategorized
"Nesters are the new flippers"
"Many people consider buying to get more space but when they look at all the costs they figure it makes sense to stay put. They say, 'I like my house, [...]
Designing Trio's tower and mid-rises
The last stop on my "tower tour" with Hartshorne Plunkard architects Paul Alessandro and Tom Pope was Trio, RDM Development's project at 650 - 670 W [...]
Inside Lake Point Tower: A veteran door staff and a brand new lobby
Early on in their tour of Lake Point Tower, Joe Zekas and Realtors Francesca Rose and Jean Ward looked around the building's newly renovated lobby. [...]
The nearly news: Resales and rentals at Chicago's "favorite eco-friendly project"
With Aqua saddled with Fannie Mae issues and uncertainty surrounding its hotel component, and with the Parkhomes taking their sweet time in closing (d [...]
Comment of the day: throwing in the towel at the Renaissance Lofts
I'm still going to post the diary of a first time buyer...have all my emails and notes together, but recently I finally have had enough of this buildi [...]
Touring Beverly and Morgan Park, Part I
Two years ago, Joe Zekas shared footage of a leisurely Saturday drive through North Beverly on our YouTube channel. YoChicago hasn't paid many visit [...]
Query quintet: Five questions with @properties agent Courtney Larisey
I met @properties agent Courtney Larisey last month during a tour of brokers open houses in Wicker Park. Courtney, who was marketing a short-sale in a [...]
Quote of the day: the crash is still crashing
"The housing crash is not over... This lull in foreclosures sales has resulted in the price gains in the past few months. Foreclosure sales will incre [...]
Parsing two brokerages' "top spot" claims
Our friend Bob Darrow has noticed ads from both Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and @properties declaring their superiority in the Chicago mar [...]
FHA fast facts: South Loop approvals
One of the questions Realtors hear most frequently is, "Is this property FHA approved?" Yesterday I punched three ZIP codes into HUD's FHA search and [...]
Designing Silver Tower in River North
The second stop on my project tour with Hartshorne Plunkard architects Tom Pope and Paul Alessandro was Silver Tower, Stonegate Development's 40-sto [...]
New liquidity options flowing at Aqua
Buyers who have been following Aqua's Fannie Mae troubles will be interested to hear that Magellan Development has lined up two portfolio lenders: Har [...]
New models open at Astoria Tower
Buyers can now get up close and personal with select units at Astoria Tower, the new high-rise at 8 E 9th St in the South Loop. The tower's Weichert [...]
Web presence: 215 West gets interactive
Two new interactive features popped up on the 215 West Web site this morning: a new "furniture arranger" tool that allows users to position beds, ta [...]
Quote of the day: Block 37 disappoints
It is a major architectural disappointment, a light-filled upgrade for the underground pedway system and an urban hub whose potential won't be realize [...]
CondoShark: Short sales at Ontario Place
According to CondoShark.com, some of the most significant price changes on short sales and foreclosed homes in River North are located in one building [...]
Neighborhoods for the rest of us: Arizona
With an eastern boundary of South Avenue K, few Chicago neighborhoods boast a closer proximity to the Indiana border than Arizona, also known as The [...]
Designing Superior 110
Earlier this month, I met up with Tom Pope and Paul Alessandro of Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture to chat about three new condo high-rises from a d [...]
Quote of the day: the Spire is top priority
"When I was sitting in Copenhagen and things went south, this moved to the No. 1 slot. We're way past the look-see stage. We're in the commitment stag [...]
Downtown Chicago weekly rental watch
Current market conditions have resulted in condos becoming an increasingly important factor in the rental market in downtown Chicago.
According to a [...]