We're there for you... when you can't be there!

Everything must go! 1224 W Van Buren #624

We spent several hours Sunday coordinating a furniture move for one of our listings in West Loop. To get the unit leased quickly the furniture had to go. Our clients are out of state.  We were able to get several groups in to remove the furniture and lease the unit over the weekend.

1224 West Van Buren Chicago IL 60607

Prior to the move out we coordinated the painting and repairs of the condo rental.  We are there to help out clients with all sorts of situations.  We can make the market preparation, sale, rental or buying of property easy even when you can't be there. Call or email us today.

Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty
erojas@kalerealty.com
773-510-1597

Raising money for Common Pantry Chicago and Open House this Saturday in North Center

Last Friday Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty sponsored a lane for Common Pantry Chicago's 10th Annual Bowl-a-Thon.  Jill and I raised almost $500.00 for their over-all most successful event to date!  It was our first year participating in the super fun evening held at local North Center institution Timber Lanes.  We thank our friends at Common Pantry for the invite!

I sponsor and donate for several events a year including for local schools and orgs including Northeastern Illinois University, St. Matthias School and Amundsen High School.  This was our first time participating with Common Pantry. We'll be back next year!

The packed house enjoyed drinks, pizza and raffle prizes. Some teams sported sweet bowling shirts and serious rollers! I did not meet my predicted scores which meant more donations on my part. 

Please visit the family friendly Common Pantry Open House this Saturday March 23rd.  Here is the sign up link.  We'll be there with the entire family at the 10:00am segment. Common Pantry is located at 3744 N Damen Chicago IL 60618 in North Center.

Serious form there!

East Lakeview "double lot" vintage sold for $1,275,000 in 2014, now new construction condo development

The original vintage property at 625 West Cornelia prior to 2014. The property was eventually torn down for development.   Photo provided by http://cookcountypropertyinfo.com/PINResults.aspx

We were back on the 600 West block of Cornelia in the East Lakeview neighborhood where a couple of our clients have bought condos.  We remembered a unique double lot vintage property (50' wide x 90' deep) sold for $1,275,000 in 2014 (pictured above).  It was eventually torn down and the new development is now almost complete five years later. 

625 West Cornelia is almost complete.  Six new construction units are offered for sale. 

The result is six  new construction units added to East Lakeview. Presently two units are being marketed on MLS.  A two beds one bath bath "Garden Unit" (1251SF) asking  $385,000 is under contract and a three beds, two baths "Unit 3" (1966SF) asking $825,000. You can see the listing and floor plan HERE

625 West Cornelia

New condo development along the residential streets of East Lakeview is relatively rare in this dense lakefront neighborhood. The packed leafy streets offer vintage beauties and we are often sad when they meet their demise. A little more delicate detail might have served this new building well.

A vintage building adjacent to the east with true sun rooms. 

East Lakeview condo sales last 12 months (Irving Park to Diversey/ Halsted to the lake)

164 condos listed at three bedrooms (3) sold in the last 12 months. The median price of a three bedrooms condo sale is $565,000 over the last year.

336 two bedrooms condos sold over that same period with a median price of only $287,000. 

388 one bedroom condos sold with a median price of $190,000.

Sold for $1,250,000 this Lincoln Park "Don Erickson renovation" will be replaced by a three-flat

1850 North Sedgwick photo taken in January at the late end of the polar vortex. The property was sold in 2018 for $1,250,000. A demo permit was issued in February and a three unit new construction building is in the works.  The renovated house is a great example of the many fairly wild 80s renovations around Lincoln Park. All photos Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty

1850 N Sedgwick is located in an expensive area of East Lincoln Park. The single family home property on a 24'x125' lot sold in 2018 for $1,250,000.   ChicagoCityscape.com points out a new construction permit was recently issued to build a new construction three unit building with carport (you need an account to see what they are building). According to the listing the "architect Don Erickson" designed the gut renovation completed in 1987. It remained in tact by the same owner until the sale.

The housing on the 1800 block of North Sedgwick is a mix of vintage single family homes, frame multi-units, high-end newer construction houses and 60s-70s town homes. A 70s built town house recently sold on the block for $885,000 and dated single family home built in 1999 sold for $1,900,000 this year. Another home is currently listed for sale at $4,350,000.

Despite the high-end price tag the block scores low on shoveling!

Bring back coach houses in Chicago (a case for ADUs)

How much a month on the shed? All photos Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty

My client Sarah and I got a kick out of the "tiny house" garden shed in a huge Portage Park yard last week.  We're looking for multi-units for and any extra unit or parking space income helps! It's common to find non-conforming in-law units in the bungalows of Portage Park for "related living". In all seriousness there is very good information and writing on making coach houses and other forms of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) legal. 

Check out Steven Vance's latest post at ChicagoCityScape.com and learn more about coach house and ADU advocacy. You can join others advocating for and lobbying local Alderman to consider bringing these types of housing to the forefront of policy. As a real estate broker (Realtor) I support the creation of legal ADUs.

A large coach house sits behind a four unit building at the end of my block. This one is an entire single family home with an inviting front porch!

I can SEE three separate coach house residences from my own Lincoln Square backyard and know of several others on my surrounding blocks. The units are simply affordable housing for great neighbors in what otherwise would be garages full of junk.

This unit is seen from my yard. It is another full single family unit that has been incorporated into a condo association with the front multi-unit building. 

Various ADUs would allow extra income for property owners looking to maximize their personal properties and better afford their neighborhood and property taxes.  Coach houses and garden units would fill many niche's including short-term housing for students and contract workers. I'm often asked to find temporary, reasonably affordable living spaces for people transferring to Chicago for jobs... it ain't easy! There are typically heavy restrictions on short-term rentals in large buildings and corporate housing is expensive. ADUs on private property would make things easier.

Lincoln Park vintage property sold for over $2.3 million is now million dollar condos

The original vintage property at 2252 North Orchard. In the current Lincoln Park real estate environment the value was in the wide 46' foot lot. All photos Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty

We posted about the sale of 2252 N Orchard April of last year.  The attractive Lincoln Park vintage multi-unit with relatively affordable apartments was sold for $2,325,000 and in the process of demolition.  The new five unit condo building has been built and the new units are listed as high as $1.39M.  One unit is listed under contract at $1.29 million.

2252 N Orchard just off North Lincoln Avenue near the old Children's Memorial site is nearly completed and listed for sale. All the units are priced over $1 million.

The new building is a familiar brick and limestone design that blends into Lincoln Park. Fairly innocuous... if not a ubiquitous building around the neighborhood.

The building is adjacent to the existing Chipotle, the handful of shop owners that have hung on during Lincoln Common construction and steps from the many new buildings and shops coming. Oz Park is down the block.

Two buildings of the massive Lincoln Common development across the street built on the old Children's Memorial site. 

Old building blues Lincoln Park

An old oil tank sits in the dug out hole of an old Lincoln Park building.

We had some business in one of our favorite areas over the weekend. North Geneva Terrace and West Fullerton area of Lincoln Park has beautiful vintage homes and buildings. With old buildings comes strange maintenance from time to time.  This owner/ landlord is in the process of removing an old oil tank. My guess is they may have had a sink hole and discovered the hollowed out area around the tank.

Watch your step!

North Geneva Terrace has some pricey homes! It is a charming throwback block to a bygone area. Only a couple properties have sold for the last two years on the 2400 to 2600 North Geneva Terrace. 2469 N Geneva is a single family home that sold for $1,250,000 in 2017.  2424-2428 North Geneva Terrace is a conjoined property (two separate vintage units) that sold for $1,520,000 in 2017. 

New condos pop up in North Center near Trader Joe's, CTA Brown Line

 New construction-15 unit, 3 bed/2 bath condos starting at $599K for 1530SF to $799K for 1760SF.  Not on MLS but through Compass directly. If interested in buying pre-construction and pre-MLS condos please contact us.

The former Central Federal Savings and Loan along Lincoln Avenue in North Center is now a fifteen unit condo building. Grace Pointe at 3800 North Lincoln Avenue has taken full shape. The fifteen unit building fills the convenient corner of West Grace and North Lincoln Ave nicely. Residents will be steps from Trader Joe's, CTA Brown Line and plenty of restaurants, bars and services.

The units are not yet listed on the MLS for the general public to see.  However Compass is marketing the units on their web site.  Contact us if you're interested in pre-MLS units and off market opportunities. 

Call me! Buy and sell homes, multi-unit buildings and mixed use properties around Chicagoland

Call or email us to buy, sell or lease property around Chicago and the near burbs.  We are using both conventional and creative marketing and research tools to serve you right. My partner and I work as a team direct with our clients.  Small boutique service with large brokerage tools and support.

Selling your property

• MREDLLC.com, our MLS for the city and suburbs (feeds to all 3rd party sites Zillow.com, Realtor.com, Redfin)
• Professional photography
• Drone video
• Facebook campaigns
• Blog posts (Fourteen years of blogging!)
• Brokerage to brokerage email marketing
• Open houses or designated showing times
• Contractors and vendors ready to prep the home for sale
• Field research (we go see the comparable sales)
• Competitive commission rates
• Subscription based research tools like ChicagoCityscape.com 
• TopAgentNetwork.com subscription marketing
• Professional administrative support
• LoopNet and other viable 3rd party commercial and mixed use marketing

Buying your home

• Off-market, Pre-MLS and private listing access
• Subscription based research tools ChicagoCityscape.com and TopAgentNetwork.com
• Excellent inspection referrals
• Mortgage lending team
• Accessible real estate attorneys
• Contractors for renovation work and immediate repairs
• Aggressive research and offer making
• Over 30 years experience owning, buying and selling real estate in Chicago and suburbs
• Help and advice while you own your home

Over $90 million in real estate sales since since 2005! Feel free to contact us with your questions. We will help you plan for your goals.

Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty - 2447 N Ashland, Chicago IL 60614 - 773-510-1597 - erojas@kalerealty.com

Lincoln Park 7-Eleven property sold for $3 million, now 10 unit luxury condo development

This used to be the 7-Eleven. 1110 West Schubert, Schubert Pointe, is under construction with MLS listings from $1,000,000 to $1,650,000. All photos / stats Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty

We walked down the 2700 block of North Lincoln last week. Schubert Pointe construction (1110 West Schubert Ave, Chicago IL 60614) is taking shape at the corner of North Lincoln Avenue and West Schubert in Lincoln Park. The "pointy" 10 unit building with distinct terraces takes the place of the former 7-Eleven store. A Cook County Recorder of Deeds document shows the property was likely sold for $3,010,000  This strip of North Lincoln Avenue is relatively sleepy compared to other parts of Lincoln Park.  Here's a story on the development back in October.

Three units of the development are listed for sale on the MLS with prices ranging from $1,000,000 to $1,650,000 for a penthouse unit with 1400 sq/ft terrace. I'm not sure if this includes the Range Rover in the driveway. There are many condos and attached town homes in the immediate area within a block or so.  The development location is a short walk to Jonquil Park, the CTA Diversey Brown Line stop and resides in Agassiz Elementary School district.

The condo market around this development in Lincoln Park is very active. Schubert Pointe will be pushing the high end for condo prices here.

We've listed and sold several homes very nearby including
1030 W Wrightwood  
1307 West Wrightwood Unit 206
1307 Wrightwood Unit 106 
904 West Schubert #2W

33 attached units have sold in the roughly two block shaded area around Schubert Pointe in the last 12 months.  The median price of a sold condo is about $540,000.  The highest sold unit over 12 months is 2649 N Racine Avenue Unit 3S for $1,040,000.  The 2100 sq/ft, three beds new construction penthouse unit boasts a 28ft wide floor-plan. The lowest priced sold unit is 1152 West Wrightwood Unit 2 for $420,000. The two beds, two baths middle floor re-sale condo looked in great condition and included a garage parking spot.

Contact us to find pre-market or new listings for sale in Lincoln Park and surrounding neighborhoods!