Crib Chatter

  We first chattered about Charlie Chaplin’s former penthouse in the historic Brewster at 2800 N. Pine Grove in Lakeview in January 2008. It is still on the market and has been reduced $57,000. The terrace is stunning. Who wouldn’t want to sip a morning coffee out there? Here’s the listing: ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS ‘LINCOLN PARK […]

Sometimes, you just don’t want to leave the suburbs behind. This top-floor vintage unit at 10 E. Schiller in the Gold Coast advertises that you can have Lake Forest living in the heart of Chicago. Is that an effective way to market these higher-end units? There is a lot of inventory in the higher end right now. The […]

We’ve seen a bunch of flippers trying to sell in the last year in 340 On the Park,  at 340 E. Randolph, in Lakeshore East. But what is the market for selling one year after the building started closing? Given that a high floor south-facing 1-bedroom sold in the $700,000s just a few weeks ago, is there […]

We last chattered about this Bronzeville unit at 74 E. Pershing in December 2007. It is still on the market and has been reduced $90,000. Here’s the current listing: STUNNING NEW CONSTRUCTION IN BRONZEVILLE! STATE OF THE ART UNIQUE 3000SQ/FT DUPLEX UP HAS AMAZING LIVING SPACE. HWD FLRS THRU-OUT. COOKS KITCHEN W/SS BOSCH APPL, GRANITE, […]

A lot of people have been wondering how Logan Square is holding up in this market. What about a property that is big, has in-unit laundry, a parking spot and is not far from the blue line? This top floor unit at 2747 N. Spaulding is one of those. It was converted in the late 1990s. Here’s […]

We’ve chattered about 433 W. Briar in Lakeview several times before. It is a conversion of the 34-unit vintage apartment building. Only 30% of the building has sold but they’ve been marketing the building for over a year. Recently, two million dollar units have appeared on the listings. Are these combined units? Unit #10AC, for example, is over […]

We’ve chattered a lot about Lincoln Park and Lakeview prices in recent weeks. If you look at the price history on many properties, you see sharp increases in just the last few years. Recent data showed Cook County properties tripled in price in the last ten years. That includes all forms of property- not just residential. […]

I can’t tell if this listing of a 3-bedroom unit at 1111 S. Wabash in the South Loop is a foreclosure or simply a short sale. But either way- this unit is priced at only a third of what it sold for 2.5 years ago. Is this the deal of the month in the South Loop? There is no […]

We’ve chattered about the empty McMansion phenomena before. This new construction 6-bedroom home at 559 W. Arlington in Lincoln Park hasn’t found a buyer in several years.  (Thanks to the tipster who sent me info on this property.) We chatter about a condo glut, what about a new construction McMansion glut? Here’s the listing: Extraordinary new 2007 […]

This unit at 2726 N. Pine Grove in Lincoln Park is just a 2 bedroom with 1 bath. And it doesn’t have parking or central air.   But it is located on highly coveted Pine Grove south of Diversey in Lincoln Park. The building was built in 1927 and the unit has built-in book shelves and some […]