Crib Chatter

If you ride the El south of Old Town, you’ve seen 1454 N. Orleans in Old Town as the house faces the elevated train tracks.  (Look for the house stuck between two larger buildings, that will be it.) Built in 1874, the listing says it’s the only single family home in Old Town in the […]

If anyone else can figure out 10 E. Ontario in River North, please let me know. I last chattered about it in March. The short sales have gotten more aggressive and the foreclosures are picking up. Current stats on the building (out of 467 units): 62 for sale 7 for rent The most expensive one […]

As many of you already know, Fannie Mae’s “declining market” designation is going bye-bye as of June 1. From Mary Umberger’s column in the Tribune: The policy typically added 5 percent to the down payment needed in 8,000 to 12,000 ZIP codes where home values were dropping. Many of Fannie’s critics saw it as a […]

Mary Umberger, the Tribune’s real estate columnist, wrote about some interesting first quarter sales numbers yesterday (provided by Re/Max Northern Illinois). Remember, the Chicagoland area saw a 30% drop in sales in the first quarter compared to a year ago. Among the positives: a narrowly defined Loop area, where 305 sales were up 89 percent […]

The Illinois Association of Realtors is out with the April sales numbers. From Crain’s: In the city of Chicago, total home sales fell 28.3% to 1,886 in April, according to the release. Condominium sales in the city fell 30.9% to 1,356 in April. The median sale price in the city was $300,000 in April, up […]

2401 W. Ohio, a brick loft building in Ukranian Village/Smith Park, also called West Town, was built in 1909. Unit #34 is a top floor unit with 16 foot timber ceilings and a lofted bedroom. We’re fond of the lofted bedroom, which more loft owners should consider. Unit #34: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1400 square feet Sold in April […]

I first chatttered about this brick loft in The Mergenthaler Lofts, at 531 S. Plymouth, in Printers Row in February 2008. It’s a 1300 square foot one bedroom, one bath authentic brick and timber loft with a parking space. I don’t think there’s a washer/dryer in the unit. I chattered about it again in March 2008 after […]

In April, I chattered about a foreclosure in Museum Park Tower IV, at 1235 S. Prairie, in the South Loop. The building has 286 units on 36 floors and was completed in 2006. The current stats in the building: 19 for sale 11 for rent Some units might be listed as both for sale AND for […]

  Agent Becky Thomson is back with the Trolley Tour, but this time it’s going to the West Loop. Date: June 1, 2008 Time: 1 pm You must go to the website and register: West Loop Tour Here’s what properties you’ll see: 565 Quincy 235 West Van Buren Emerald Trio Will be adding one more […]

There are lofts and then there is this loft at 2436 W. Bloomingdale in Humboldt Park. You would never know from the non-descript building what lurks behind these walls. How about a year round pool underneath a sheet of glass in a center courtyard? Here’s the listing: SPECTACULAR ART LOVERS LOFT-STYLE HOME ON A DOUBLE […]