Helping clients renovate for sale

Tile Outlet is a regular stop when improving kitchens and baths before listing a home. All photos Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty

We love to help our clients prepare their homes for sale. Sometimes they need to do more than declutter to sell for top dollar. We make our many resources and years of experience available to our clients. We arrange the contractors, service partners and quickly select finish material. Many of our clients never lift a finger. No muss, no fuss. Our clients appreciate saving time and money!

Check out just a handful of recourses we scour when helping our clients renovate for sale. We also help our clients make improvements while they enjoy their homes! We ask they they give us a call for advise and contractors before they delve into any expensive renovations. 

We often find quality and fashionable products from Studio 41 outlets located near West Fullerton and North Pulaski. I personally make selections and pick them up from the warehouses. This is a huge relief and time saver for our clients!

We recently picked up an awesome all wood vanity cabinet at the Studio 41 outlet for a Southport Corridor renovation.  The listing will hit the market next week. 

We love B&B for counter tops. It's very satisfying to walk the remnant warehouse and hand pick granite, quartz and marble to have expertly cut and installed. 

Allied Plumbing and Heating Supply always has great bath and kitchen fixtures in stock when you need quality in a pinch.  

Don't let fear of renovations keep you from getting top dollar when it comes time to sell.  We'll take over the process and make it happen!

Possible record year for Logan Square house sales (median price $875,000)

 

Waiting in line early this month to view a Logan Square open house (all photos Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty).

Our clients recently secured a single family home purchase is Logan Square. They previously lost three competitive bids to buy a house.  The last Logan Square house they bid on had 15 offers over the weekend!  This is a familiar story this season. We stuck with it and worked hard every day! Our clients are closing on a house just steps from popular Logan Square restaurants, shops, bars and the CTA Blue Line.

Let's take a look at Logan Square single family home sales this year and compare that to the last few years.

A community garden on North Whipple near Palmer Square Park

The Logan Square Community Area is diverse in neighborhoods and housing options. The area includes the historic boulevard , parts of tony Bucktown and the Palmer Square neighborhood. Home values can vary throughout community area but the whole of Logan Square has been hot! Unit sales and median price may be all time highs.

The year to year median price of a closed single family house from January 1st to may 28th is the highest in Logan Square's history ($875,000) that I can tell. The median price over the same period in the last "peak market" of 2007/2008 was $680,000.

Logan Square Single Family Home Sales Jan 1st to May 28th, 2021

116 single family homes have closed so far this year.  The median price of a closed house is about $875,000. Only 83 "pandemic" affected homes had sold Jan 1st to May 28th in 2020 with a median price of $780,000. 2021 median price is up over $100K over same period in 2017!

2021: 116 homes sold with a median price of $875,000

2020: 83 homes sold with a median price of $780,000

2019: 89 single family homes sold with a median price of  $738,000

2018: 101 single family homes sold with a median price of  $820,000

2017: 98 single family homes sold with a median price of  $725,000

Please reach out to us to purchase or sell a property in this exciting market. The prevailing mortgage interest rates have made owning your home or investment property more affordable than most realize. 

Are Streeterville condos a bargain?

 

Buildings surrounding Bennett Park in Streetrville. 

A year of pandemic conditions, bouts of protest and civil unrest cast a negative light on the downtown and Near North condo markets. With shuttered shops, restaurants, bars and cultural institutions Streeterville high-rise life (and taking elevators with strangers) became suddenly less desirable. Does one year of instability make for condo bargains? How do unit sales look today?

Streeterville condo unit sales, median price 2021

80 condos have sold from January 1st to March 12th this year. Unit sales are up almost 10%. The median price of a sold condo is $400,000.  Median price however dipped about -7%. 73 condos sold over the same period of 2020 with a median price of about $430,000.

It's not clear if the median price decrease is due to 2020 conditions.  Just looking at the past five years we see a median price dip in 2019 despite good over-all Chicago market conditions. In a "normal" year of 2019, 73 condos also sold over the same period with a median price lower at $347,000.  

January 1st though March 12th closings:

2021: 80 condos sold with a median price of $400,000
2020: 73 condos sold with a median price of $430,000
2019: 73 condos sold with a median price of $347,000
2018: 70 condos sold with a median price of $395,000
2017: 96 condos sold with a median price of $364,000

So far demand for Streeterville condo units looks normal... even good. Unit sales are up. The dip in median price may signal there are some bargains out there. The lower median price can also be attributed to a reduced demand for higher-end bracket sales. Less new construction condos were delivered in the pandemic year as well. Some reports show the very high-end luxury sales have shifted more towards the non-downtown neighborhoods and suburbs offering more land and space.

Over-all Near North Community Area (including Streeterville, Gold Coast and Old Town) condo sales and inventory are up. Through February, new listings were up almost 20% over 2020.  Closed sales are up almost 8%. 

The Streeterville neighborhood is doing just a bit better at +10% in unit sales year to year. However, median price is down a bit. The inventory issue will be the key factor to watch when tracking prices. If investors continue to have trouble renting their high-rise units to the typical in-town workers and empty nesters they may choose to sell. It remains to be seen if we're already on a bounce back or if we'll decline in prices while pandemic conditions gets sorted out.

Stats gathered from MREDLLC.com and Chicago Association of Realtors by Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty. Analysis is based on sales stats and anecdotal information.

Just sold! Avondale / Logan Square condo with rooftop deck $460,000

 

The private rooftop deck at 3104 N Kimball Unit 3N Chicago IL 60618. Unit photos courtesy of listing agent Nancy Gaspadarek, At Properties and VHT.com.com unless otherwise noted. We represented our overseas buyer in the purchase sight unseen!

3104 N Kimball, Unit 3N Chicago IL 60618 sold for $460,000. We represented the buyer. 

Get everything you want in Avondale! Our overseas client bought this top floor newer construction condo sight unseen. We sent personal video perspectives of the traffic, street life and rooftop views to give them the best feel of the home possible.  Amazing outdoor space was crucial to our buyer and this home delivers. Check out more photos and information here.

Beautiful finish level and bright east and south exposure.

The two beds, two baths condo with garage parking features a private rooftop deck with interior access. The home is just a half-block from the CTA Blue Line at Belmont. You are a short walk to the heart of Logan Square businesses, bars, restaurants and the Logan Theatre. 

Main bedroom with contemporary en suite bathroom.

Contact us to purchase or sell condos in Avondale, Logan Square and other desirable Chicago neighborhoods. 

North Center condo sales up 59% year over year

Roscoe Village is probably the best known and well defined neighborhood in North Center Community Area of Chicago. The popular Pencil Factory Loft condos are in the background.

North Center is now known for million dollar single family homes and good schools. However the condo market remains fairly diverse and a draw for many budgets. I think the trend is moving toward larger, more expensive condo developments as aging commercial stock is redeveloped into mixed-use with residential units.  Let's take a look at recent North Center condo sales.

51 condos sold in North Center from January 1st to March 5th, 2021. The median price of a sold condo is about $420,000. Over the same period in 2020, 32 condo sold with a median price of $450,000.  In 2019, 39 condo units sold with a median price of about $435,000.

The highest priced sold condo this year is 3034 North Clybourn Unit 1. The new construction duplex-down sold for $775,000. The Clybourn corridor of North Center is seeing increased growth and value due to the large Lathrop Homes re-development. 

 

Luxury condos in development in North Center at 1800 West Berenice

The lowest sale price this year is 1851 West Belle Plaine Avenue, Unit 1 (two bedrooms, one bath unit) for $245,000.  That's not that low for a "lowest price" sale. No one bedroom condos have sold thus far in the year.  Only four of the 51 condos sold have closed for less than $300,000.

Contact us to buy and sell North Center and Chicagoland condos.

Cook County property tax bills have been mailed: Here's how to appeal property taxes

Check out info graph and the link below for property tax appeal resources.

ChicagoRealtor.com/propertytaxappeals

Walking the lakefront from Navy Pier to downtown

DuSable Harbor in transition from our deep freeze.

We took a nice walk over the weekend along the Chicago lakefront paths and Navy Pier Flyover from Streeterville to Maggie Daley Park. The DuSable Harbor sits just east Maggie Daley of Millennial Park and offers great views before crossing LSD. Despite the city's announcements that playgrounds were open the massive playground at Maggie Daley was still closed. I guess it will open Memorial Day Weekend.

The new pedestrian bridges have made walking between Streeterville and downtown easier along the lakefront.

Lake Point Tower

Navy Pier just to the north of DuSable Harbor

WHATS POPPIN? 2021 Lincoln Park condo sales up 51%

 

East Lincoln Park high rise condo buildings overlooking the lakefront (all photos Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty)

We're working with first time buyers in Lincoln Park. Each spring we're inevitably on the hunt in this prime Chicago neighborhood. The buyer competition has been fierce over the past nine months! 2021 has started off with monster sales.

197 condos (attached units and town houses) have closed from January 1st to March 5th in Lincoln Park. That's up 51% over the same period 2020.  The median price of an attached condo is about $520,000. 

130 units sold over the same period in 2020 and 124 units sold over the same period of 2019. This is a huge spike in 2021!

The closer you are to Pequod's the more expensive the condo!

361 attached condo units are currently available for sale with a median asking price of $505,000. A whopping 298 condos are currently under contract. The highest priced condo under contract is 2350 N Orchard Unit 604 asking $3,500,000 (parking sold separately starting at $60,000). 

North Center, Lincoln Square high-end developer turns to condo projects

 

1800 West Berenice gets zoning approval in the 4th Ward. Luxury house builder Landrosh Development has a few higher-end multi-unit developments in the the works in Lincoln Square and North Center. Image from Alderman Matt Martin 47th Ward site www.aldermanmartin.com/development 

A North Center 44 unit development received zoning approval in the 47th Ward. Landrosh Development paid $1,925,000 for the 12,825 sq/ft property according to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.

This one caught my eye for a couple reasons: First, it's another example of building large mixed use multi-unit on original one and two story commercial buildings. Chicago developers (with the blessing of city planners and council members) have been aggressively building up on underused commercial lots near transit over the past five years. The boost is partly due to the 2013 Transit Orientated Development ordinance and expansions. This sits less than three blocks from the Irving Park Brown Line stop. 

More interestingly the local developer - better known for getting some of the highest sale prices for speculation homes in Lincoln Square - has a few condo developments in the works.  I mentioned this 14 unit development in Lincoln Square and the company is trying to get THIS North Center development approved... with some million dollar asking prices.

There seems to be no shortage of demand in Lincoln Square and North Center for higher-end condos and single family homes.

Sauganash single family home sales were up 26% in 2020

The Sauganash neighborhood features beautiful estate homes with large city lots. You can also find relatively affordable values in this suburban-like corner of Chicago. All photos Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty

Larger homes and homes and homes with outdoor space certainly faired well during the pandemic. Fueled by low interest rates and limited commutes the trend to push out a little from the city center continues. Sauganash sits about eleven miles from City Hall downtown and offers a variety of home and lot sizes in a sleepy environment. We've seen a lot of pre-MLS offerings in this neighborhood this early season as well.

Greater Sauganash neighborhood in the Forest Glen Community Area of Chicago. Map generated from MREDLLC.com

Sauganash single family homes sales

A large Sauganash split-level

Thus far in 2021 six homes have closed in Sauganash.  There are thirteen homes presently under contract. The median price of closed and under contract homes is about $460,000. This looks like a very good value for homes in Chicago with a highly rated schools district.

Currently there are fourteen homes under contract and only two available for sale! The two available are the two highest priced homes of the sixteen. Nine of the sixteen homes are priced under $500k. It appears that everything continues to sell.

In 2020, a whopping 97 homes closed in the Sauganash neighborhood. Unit sales were up 26% over 2019. The median price of a sold home was about $490,000. The highest priced sold home was 5792 North Rogers for $1,825,000. 77 homes closed over 2019 with a median price of about $517,000.

Going back to 2015, 93 single family homes closed with a median price of about $430,000.

A newer construction home shown above.

There are some unique custom builds throughout the neighborhood.