Crib Chatter

    Who doesn’t drive by the Pink Palace on Lake Shore Drive, ala the Edgewater Beach Apartments at 5555 N. Sheridan, and smile?  It’s a historic landmark, built in 1929.  And yes, it really is pink. It’s a co-op which means high assessments and you have to have 20% for the downpayment.  But there are some […]

  1720 S. Michigan is the new CMK building in the South Loop.  It looks like most of the other CMK buildings (white, modern, lots of glass.) Units are still available from the developer but closings have begun. That means the flippers are out to play!  Craigslist has several units and several are on the […]

According to Crain’s, Greektown in the West Loop could see another 146 condos for sale as soon as the end of next year. My question:  why? They are still selling The Emerald, the two building development right in the middle of Greektown that is already under construction.  The developers can’t even sell many of the projects […]

    Are these flippers getting burned or original owners suffering through the pain of the syndrome known as “no appreciation in two years”? Probably a bit of both. 2000 N. Lincoln Park West is a two year old conversion of a 1931 vintage apartment building right on Lincoln Park.  The developer offered an upgrade package on […]

How low will the prices fall in River City at 800 S. Wells in the South Loop? Ever lower- so it seems.  And the foreclosures continue to mount.  This building is in serious trouble. The latest foreclosure: Unit #554: likely a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath duplex (I don’t have the exact size of the unit […]

  It shouldn’t come as a surprise that foreclosures are starting to pop up in the newly developed Lakeshore East condo buildings given the number of investors in those buildings and the ease of loans in the past few years. This week a foreclosure has popped up at the Lancaster at 201 N.  Westshore Drive. Unit […]

433 W. Briar in Lakeview is a conversion of an 11 story vintage building with 34 units.  It hasn’t been selling very long- maybe six to eight months or so. It’s a nice building with two bedroom and larger units and there is parking available (rare for vintage buildings.) But apparently the developer wants to […]

    The Olympics are hot.  Craigslist has dozens of ads telling you to buy in now before the Olympics.  This is especially true of the area around Washington Park on the South Side of Chicago near Hyde Park where, if Chicago is awarded the 2016 games, the temporary Olympic arena will be built. But […]

    400 N. La Salle was originally an apartment building in River North which was then converted into condos soon after it opened.  It’s one of those buildings you may have walked or drove by a million times and not noticed it.  Not that there is anything inherently wrong with it.  But it looks […]

        This is another home in the category of “they just don’t build them like this anymore.”  Yes, new construction is nice, but you’ll never get anything that looks anything remotely like this beautiful mansion at 1501 W. Jackson. The Jackson Historic District is a strange few blocks of beautiful European row […]