Archive for the 'Market Conditions' Category

Market Conditions: Chicago November Sales Fall Just 1.4% YOY While Inventory Plunges

The Illinois Association of Realtors is out with the November sales data. While the country, the state of Illinois, and the 9-county metro area all saw sales take a steep dive in November, the City of Chicago held up well. The city of Chicago saw sales of 1,615 homes in November 2015, down 1.4 percent […]

Market Conditions: What Will Happen to the Housing Market Now that the Fed is Raising Rates?

I’ve been running this blog for 8 years and in that time there has only been one Federal Reserve policy: cutting rates and keeping them near zero. For the first time in 9 years, the Federal Reserve has raised the Fed Fund rate. Yes, it was just a quarter point to 0.50%. But most analysts believe […]

Market Conditions: Are Parts of the GreenZone in Bubble 2.0?

Chicago Magazine recently decided to look into the hot West Loop market. The West Loop is hot with trendy restaurants and new tech offices, and now a shortage of family-size condos is leading to bidding wars and higher prices. “I’m being contacted repeatedly by brokers on behalf of their buyers wanting to know about any […]

Market Conditions: Chicago October Sales Fall For the Second Year in a Row

For the second year in a row, October sales fell year over year. From the Illinois Association of Realtors: The city of Chicago saw sales of 2,109 homes in October 2015, down 0.9 percent from last year when 2,128 homes were sold. The median price of a home in Chicago was $240,000, up 1.7 percent […]

It’s Lincoln Park Week on Crib Chatter

This week, all the posts will be about Lincoln Park because . . . why not? The real estate is hopping in the most prestigious neighborhood in the city, including a LOT of new construction, mostly of multi-million dollar single family homes. Is Lincoln Park simply becoming the playground of the mega-rich? Can middle class buyers even […]

Market Conditions: “No Significant Weakening in Demand” in September As Sales Jump

The Illinois Association of Realtors is out with the September home sales and the hot market continues to get even hotter. From the Illinois Association of Realtors: The city of Chicago saw sales of 2,358 homes in September 2015, up 5.2 percent from last year when 2,242 homes were sold. The median price of a […]

Is the South Loop About to Get Transformed Forever? 2 Starchitects Unveil New High Rises

This is a very busy week for new construction announcements with seemingly at least a half a dozen GreenZone building announcements made this week. But none were more momentous than the two high rise projects announced for the South Loop. The first building is a Rafael Vinoly designed 76-story tower at 113 E. Roosevelt that […]

Market Conditions: August Sales Rose 6.3% But Harder YOY Comps Are Coming

As expected, Chicago August home sales rose 6.3% compared to August of last year. From the Illinois Association of Realtors: The city of Chicago saw sales of 2,629 homes in August 2015, up 6.3 percent from last year when 2,474 homes were sold. The median price of a home in Chicago was $270,000, up 0.2 […]

The Fall Selling Season is Here: Will the Housing Market Stay Red Hot?

It was one of the best spring and summers in the Chicago housing market since the housing bubble. Low inventory kept prime properties on the market for only a few days as bidding wars erupted, appraisals were waived, and prices moved to new records in many neighborhoods. Sales were at 10 year highs. Market conditions […]

Market Conditions: July Sales Rise 9.7% YOY as the Median Price Jumped Again

We already know that July was another hot month but it wasn’t quite as strong as June. From the Illinois Association of Realtors: The city of Chicago saw sales of 2,989 homes in July 2015, up 9.7 percent from last year when 2,725 homes were sold. The median price of a home in Chicago was […]