Crib Chatter

We last chattered about the first re-sale of a brick and timber loft in the new conversion at 154 W. Hubbard in River North last November. See our chatter and pictures here. Since then, there haven’t been any reductions in the price of the property. Is it better to just hold firm and wait for […]

There was recently a discussion about what makes The Palmolive, at 159 E. Walton, in the Gold Coast a “luxury” building as opposed to just another expensive high rise. We’ve chattered about Unit #5B, a 2-bedroom unit that has seen over $1 million in custom upgrades, including a Clive Christian kitchen and a wood-paneled library. These aren’t your […]

As we’ve been chattering about lately, there is simply too much supply of units (both rental and condo) in the downtown area. Not surprisingly, rents have fallen the most in 7 years. From Crain’s: Effective rents at Class A downtown buildings fell to $2.11 a square foot in the fourth quarter, down 6.2% from $2.25 […]

A studio just came on the market in the brick and timber loft building at 540 N. Lake Shore Drive in Streeterville. The listing states that it sold in 1 day back in 2005. It also states that it is “super rare” and “priced to sell.” The unit is on the top floor, has 12 foot […]

We’ve chattered about authentic lofts in Printers Row and Motor Row, but there are a smattering of other authentic loft buildings in the South Loop including the Imperial Lofts at 1528 S. Wabash. This 2-bedroom unit has 11-foot high concrete ceilings, brick and windows in both bedrooms. It has also been reduced by $15,000. Elizabeth Sheeran […]

The Chicago Tribune explored the growing foreclosure crisis in Chicago with a Sunday Tribune cover story showcasing the problem in both the south and north sides of the city. As foreclosures soar to historic levels, the infection has spread beyond places of perennial concern, such as West Garfield Park and Englewood. Condo ghost towns replete […]

This week Barron’s discusses the state of the luxury housing market in Manhattan given the carnage in the financial sector which makes up nearly a quarter of all jobs in the New York metropolitan area. Chicago isn’t nearly as dependent on the financial sector but Chicago still sports quite a few hedge funds, mutual funds, investment […]

The auction of 40 units at The Vetro, at 611 S. Wells, in the South Loop in early March is “big” news in the real estate world. The auction is being advertised all over the Chicago Tribune as well as such upscale newspapers like the Wall Street Journal. Even The Vetro itself is getting into the act. […]

We’ve chattered about many of the authentic loft buildings in Printers Row, including this 57-unit building at 720 S. Dearborn. This 1-bedroom concrete loft with 11-foot ceilings recently came on the market. It doesn’t have parking or a w/d in the unit, but it is 825 square feet and right in the heart of historic […]

We’ve chattered about this art deco building at 143 W. Burton in Old Town (or is that River North???) several times in the past year. See our March 2008 chatter and pictures here. See also our July 2008 chatter and pictures talking about the same units here. Unit #3S, an 800-square foot 1/1 finally sold […]