The Chicago 77

Garrett Kelleher, the Irish developer who was the visionary for Chicago?s proposed newest landmark, the 150-story Spire, is now being sued by Bank of America for $110,000 in unpaid credit card bills related to the stalled construction project. Allegations have been added to a lawsuit filed in August by Bank of America to recover an […]

To date, the Federal Government has pumped over $1.25 TRILLION into the mortgage market in an attempt to boost slumping activity and aid the overall economy. However, the end may be in sight ? the Federal Reserve is considering ending aid as of March 31. The Real Estate Market Drives the Economy The housing market […]

The word is that Depaul University has been considering the Finkl & Sons Steel Mills at Clybourn Avenue and Cortland Street as a place to build a new 10,000 seat basketball stadium so that it could be in the proximity of their Lincoln Park Campus. They are also considering an alternative site just south at […]

On Friday, President Obama signed into law an extension and expansion of the home buyer tax credit. To qualify, buyers must sign a contract before April 30, 2010 and close on the property by June 30, 2010.

Chicago-area home sales are slightly up in July compared to July ’08, the first year-over-year increase in over 3 years, as reported by the Illinois Association of Realtors. The graph below more accurately shows the details. [TABLE=10] Price Disconnect Between Buyers & Sellers The stats are indicative of how the market is responding. August has […]

I think there is light at the end of the tunnel. We can certainly see it in our showing activity and in the market. It’s still not an easy market or necessarily a fair market for all involved, but it is changing for the better. Statistics from Illinois Association of Realtors (IAR) definitely back up […]

Of the thousand’s of buildings in Chicago, I’d like to single out The Montgomery as one of my favorite buildings.  The once corporate headquarters for Montgomery Wards Catalog Company is now a 28-story, 245-unit residential tower in Chicago’s emerging and posh River North neighborhood. An Icon of Modernism Montgomery Wards Company originally built their 26 […]

In this market of long listing times and high inventory, there are a few ways to make your home stand out and sell quicker. You’ve Got to Start with Price, Price, Price A Clean Well Lit Place Sells The absolute most important item is price.  If your price is not competitive and realistic to what the market will bear, then […]

If you’re new to Chicago, you have probably been scratching your head a lot lately. You were driving down the street and you saw a lawn chair in a semi-shoveled-out parking space. Do you move the chair? What’s going on? Welcome to Chicago, the city where if you shovel out a public parking space, you […]