Archive for the 'Market Conditions' Category

Market Conditions: Chicago Sales Soar 21.9% in October with Median Price Jumping 14.5%

The Illinois Association of Realtors is finally out with the October home sales results after having some database and technology issues. The market remained red-hot this fall. The city of Chicago saw year-over-year home sales increase 21.9 percent with 2,541 sales in October, compared to 2,084 a year ago. The median price of a home […]

Market Conditions: Luxury Downtown Apartment Rents Fall to 2013 Levels

Crain’s is reporting on the third quarter rental market and, as expected, it’s not good for landlords. The downtown occupancy rate fell to 87.1 percent in the third quarter, down from 93.8 percent a year earlier, according to the Chicago office of Integra Realty Resources, a consulting and appraisal firm. The rate has never been […]

Market Conditions: Hottest September Sales in 14 Years as Pandemic Boost Continues

The September housing data is out. Last year’s September was the slowest in 8 years so it’s not a surprise that 2020 saw a rebound. However, the hot pandemic market from the summer looks to be continuing into the fall as sales were the highest in 14 years, and that includes the 2007 “housing bubble” […]

Market Conditions: 2020 Housing Craze Finally Hits Chicagoland as Prices Spike

We’ve been chattering about the impacts of the pandemic and the protests and looting on Chicago real estate for several months. The data shows that sales of downtown condos are slow as inventory has exploded to well over 12 months in several downtown neighborhoods. But single family home inventory was just 2.8 months citywide at […]

Market Conditions: Trying to Sell a Downtown Condo in Chicago in 2020? Good Luck.

7 months into the coronavirus pandemic, the impacts on the Chicago housing market are still shaking out. In addition to the pandemic, the protests and looting of stores on the Mag Mile, and elsewhere in the city, also have had an impact on the city’s housing market. But how much? It’s become clearer that there […]

Market Conditions: Chicago August Sales at 4-Year Highs But Suburbs Hotter

The Illinois Association of Realtors is out with the August sales. During the month, there was a second looting episode while the coronavirus pandemic continued. Many thought there would be fleeing from the city to the suburbs and other states but sales continue to see year-over-year gains in the strongest August in 4 years. The […]

Chicago Market Conditions: Downtown Apartment Occupancy Plunges to 18-Year Low

We’ve been waiting to get the updated data to see what is happening in the downtown apartment and condo markets. As we’ve been chattering about for several months, residents of New York City and San Francisco have been flocking out of the city center to the suburbs, and other states, to escape the city after […]

Market Conditions: Chicago’s July Home Sales Lag the Suburbs and the Rest of the State

July’s sales data is out from the Illinois Association of Realtors. While the housing market has been red hot across the country, Chicago notched only a 0.6% sales gain in July. The city of Chicago saw year-over-year home sales increase 0.6 percent with 2,725 sales in July, compared to 2,708 a year ago. The median […]

Market Conditions: Will the 2nd Round of Looting Cause Condo Owners to Flee Downtown?

A few months ago, there was a lot of discussion about city dwellers fleeing big cities for the suburbs because of COVID-19. There’s evidence that this is the case in New York City, but so far, despite trying to find examples of it, Chicagoans seemed okay with staying in the city despite the pandemic. But […]

Market Conditions: June Sales Plunge to 9-Year Lows Due to Coronavirus Shutdown

The June housing data is out. Sales were the lowest since 2011, which was near the bottom of the housing bust. Reminder these closings would have been properties under contract in March, April and May, which was during the coronavirus shutdown. The city of Chicago saw year-over-year home sales decrease 29.1 percent with 2,020 sales […]