Crib Chatter

  The Farallon at 600 N. Dearborn in River North is famous in Chicago housing market history if only because it was the building that seemed to set off the condo boom in River North and Streeterville.  When the sales center opened in the late 1990s after years of little new construction, condo units sold […]

  340 on the Park, the massive 58 story tower along Millennium Park at 340 E. Randolph continues with its closings as flippers continue to try and re-sell units (or, in some cases, rent them out.) I’m counting 17 units on the market as re-sales with the one bedrooms starting at over $600,000 (which includes the parking space.)  Some of […]

    You rarely see large terraces downtown anymore- even on Penthouse units- as the new construction buildings are so tall and the price per square foot so high that developers would rather put more liveable space into a unit, then add on a large outdoor terrace. But they have it all wrong.  The very epitomy […]

  The Caravel at 635 N. Dearborn is a nondescript River North high rise that was built during the hey-day of the new condo mania (when buyers were waiting in lines to get new condos and they were selling out in only days.) One of the unique features is that all of the units in […]

I used to live in California and loved the Spanish style house architecture there.  When I moved to Chicago I thought my dream of owning my own spanish hacienda was dashed and I would have to buy a brick bungalow or a tudor. Much to my surprise, the 1930s spanish architecture (which was the peak […]

      Lots of people were excited about Case Study, an 11 unit boutique building at 156 W. Superior in River North that was finished in 2006. It was a completely modern building, with concrete floors and gray Italian kitchens.  It won accolades from various architecture firms and magazines.  The units sold out pretty […]

If you’re a developer and you’re about launch a new luxury building during what some would argue is the worst housing market in 20 years and into a Chicago market that is already saturated with that product, you’d think you’d have all of your ducks in a row. Right? You’d launch with an ad in the […]

      There comes a time in every condo building’s life when it is no longer the “new” kid on the block.  What once seemed like a “prestige” building in a “great” location, no longer is, once a newer,  even more prestigious building with even better views is built up the street from you. […]

A few weeks ago I posted about this River City 1500 square foot duplex that originally sold for $543,000 and was now bank owned and being sold for $268,800.  That’s a 49% reduction. The “once in a lifetime opportunity” is still available.  According to this post on Craigslist, they are holding an open house this weekend. Maybe […]

  Remember the news last year that Vince Vaughn had bought the penthouse in the Palmolive, at 159 E Walton in Streeterville/the Gold Coast for $9.5 million (original list price of $10.5 million)? It was, at the time, touted as the most expensive condo unit ever sold in Chicago.  The Palmolive penthouse had been for […]