Crib Chatter

Closings are finally starting at MoMo at 8 E. Randolph (or 151 N. State, depending on where you look) in the Loop. The lobby for the building is actually at 8 E. Randolph, so I’m assuming that is the “official” address. There seem to be more rentals available than flips for sale (for now). This […]

Recently, I chattered about a loft building that is south of the Stevenson Expressway at 50 E. 26th Street and some people wondered who would live that far south. Just about a block away is the new loft conversion, The Opera Lofts, at 2545 S. Dearborn. The building is the old storage facility for the […]

3023 N. Kenmore in Lakeview is a three unit building that has changed hands several times, went condo, and now it looks like some buyers are under stress. The building originally sold in October 2004 for $739,000.  It sold again in June 2005 for $998,000. The three units were then sold as condos in 2006. […]

The boundaries of the “South Loop” keep expanding as construction and conversions continue. It used to be that Cermak Road was the cut-off.  And then it the Stevenson Expressway. But now- new developments are going up even south of the expressway. 50 E. 26th actually isn’t new.  It was an old warehouse converted into duplex […]

We’ve seen one or two early “flip” attempts in Burnham Pointe at 730 S. Clark in the South Loop in the last few months.  Closings are expected to start in the building in late summer/early fall of this year. The building will have 298 units. When I last chattered about the building in October 2007, […]

The listing on this short sale at 1934 N. Washtenaw at the Metropolis Lofts in West Bucktown says the bank will consider “all offers.” Is this loft cheap enough to be considered a deal? Unit #207: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1200 square feet Sold in December 2001 for $216,900 Sold in July 2004 for $266,750 […]

Uptown has always had such promise.  Tucked between Lakeview and Edgewater with access to the Lake, it has just never really taken off.  But during the boom,  even Uptown saw price appreciation.  It’s no longer unusual for someone to pay $300,000 for a two bedroom condo in Uptown. But how long will that last in the bust? […]

The Columbian at 1160 S. Michigan in the South Loop started closings in late summer of 2007. At the time of closings, it was only 70% sold.  The developer still has dozens of units for sale. I haven’t been able to find any units that have flipped even though there are 38 units on the market (including developers […]

There is a listing from Baird & Warner for 60 E. Monroe that keeps popping up in the Sunday Tribune.  I was confused about it until I realized that it was for a unit in The Legacy– which is currently under construction and not scheduled to be completed until 2009 or 2010, at the earliest. These are pictures of the […]

Only five years ago, you used to have buyers moving to the West Loop because it was considered a “value” compared to the more expensive north side of the city.  You got more bang for your buck. Currently, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Is that a good thing or a bad thing […]