Counter tops? Go to B&B for custom stone, cabinets and more

 

Bob and I have been working with B&B for stone counter tops in our personal homes and client renovation projects. We've always had great service and craftsmanship.  

Nothing beats going to the warehouse and shop and hand picking the slabs for our projects!

Budget buys to high-end finish level B&B can work with you. We chose an affordable granite on our last visit. 

Visit the shop or online BBFORMICA.COM
5617 W Grand Avenue 
Chicago, IL 60639
Ph. 773-804-1015 

New listing coming up in Logan Square

2409 N Sawyer is a rare, intimate four unit condo building. Unit 2 is a large one bedroom unit with great windows and west light in the late afternoons.

Sneak peak at BEFORE photos! The home will be freshly painted and in tip top shape for listing after the Labor Day holiday.

The home has a spacious living room and dining room. The flexible space allows for many uses including dining room/home office or easily create a second bedroom if needed!

I met our contractors last week at a new listing. We're helping our out-of-state client get their Logan Square condo ready for sale. We've advised on improvements prior to listing and have managed the contractors doing the work here in the city. 

The large kitchen has room for a high-top table.

The large one bedroom, one bath condo will be on the market for the first time in nearly 15 years! This is a great location near the historic Logan Boulevard and all the bars, shops and entertainment of Chicago's hottest neighborhood.

Popular bars and restaurants steps away.

Keep posted for the fresh look and sale details this week! 

Video! Meeting contractors on behalf of our clients

We try and make the home sale, buying and owning process easier!  This week we met with contractor's at two of our home listings on behalf of our clients for repair estimates.  We leverage our resources gathered over many years to help make smart, efficient decisions concerning all sorts of home owning fun!

Please contact us for real estate related resources, market advice and to even meet contractors at your home. You can also contact me concerning kids' sports programs LOL 💀.

Sold! Lincoln Square classic house closes after multiple offers

Before going back on the market we worked with our sellers and contractors to make significant improvements to the home.

Every real estate transaction is different.  This classic Lincoln Square house at 5043 North Oakley, Chicago IL 60625 with inviting front porch closed last week after multiple purchase offers. Despite enthusiastic offers over list price we had trouble closing the deal.  After the first two deals did not close we advised our clients to make strategic repairs and improve the curb appeal.  The result was a selling price $5,000 over the $599,900 listing price!

In this case the home seller lived out of state.  The house was tenant occupied during the first attempt to sell.  After they moved out we compiled a list of projects based on the home inspections and evaluation by a trusted independent contractor (including some structural work). We quickly completed the improvements and deep cleaning by managing the project daily. We sold the home the first weekend back on the market and avoided a long vacancy for the sellers.

More 5043 N Oakley listing details HERE

If you are buying or selling single family homes, condos or multi-units on the North Side of Chicago and surrounding suburbs please contact us. 

Realtor at work: Meeting contractors in Lakeview to save the view

Our clients installed a new flat roof and City permitted cedar roof deck prior to listing their home. However, the buyer's lender required another railing installed as a condition of the buyer's loan. The sellers thought it very reasonable relative to the over-all sale.

We met with contractors in the Lakeview neighborhood this morning at one of our recent listings. A hand-railing must be installed on the roof deck as a condition of the sale. We often advise our clients on renovations and repairs prior to and during a transaction.  We also meet with contractors and manage the process in replace of the home owner (saving them time and money).

In this case the rail issue was brought up by the buyer's lender (during the property appraisal). We quickly brought in a long time contractor relationship who matched up the rail and installed within a week of the lender request. 

The new railing was installed in a few hours this morning!

We help our clients make sound decisions when considering selling or buying a home. Our combined experience and on-site management can help save time and money before, during and after a home sale or purchase.

Home buying tips: Gauging repairs, renovations key to foreclosure deal

Jon Hill, General Contractor and owner, of Artistic Construction consults one of our buyer clients on flooring repairs. He's purchasing a bank owned single family home (foreclosure) in Roscoe Village.

Many buyers are attracted to foreclosure and short-sale house listings as studies have shown they can sell for an average of 20-30% less than non distressed properties.


With the discount comes great uncertainty. So first, Bob and I help gauge if a home will meet our clients expectation and capacity for risk and rehab. We are experienced home owners in Chicago and have been through many of our own personal purchase and renovation properties, not to mention our client deals.


Secondly we work with several long time trusted contractors that help our clients understand the task at hand. We bring people in during attorney approval to help clients ball-park repair and renovation costs. Many times one must take a leap of faith to get a great deal on a foreclosure or short-sale knowing work must be done..our instincts and contractors will help take out the mystery!  Our goal is to be "all-in" for an acceptable price and repair cost to the buyer.

A Chicago Contractor You Can Trust: Artistic Construction

One of the more important parts of my career is retaining excellent service referrals for my clients. I get to work with these folks on a regular basis and refer them to my clients with confidence. This year I plan on featuring them more on my blog.

I've been working with Jonathan Hill, owner Artistic Construction, for over 4 years. He offers remodeling, renovation and maintenance services... from two flat conversions to a single family home to a kitchen or bath remodel. He has a great eye for design and materials and will consult in your planning... a HUGE plus!

Jonathan and his company also do sale preparation for my listings in need of some help. I've personally hired his company for my condo buildings, my own homes and he has worked for many of my clients. If you have a remodeling job in the city and surrounding suburbs and need a contractor with integrity and reasonable prices, please email artisticconstruction@gmail.com or call Jonathan at 773.642.7836

Artistic Construction helps me prep my single family homes and condos for sale. Here's a bath that needed some life. They replaced the mirror and medicine cabinet, added a new light fixture, removed the old glass and metal siding door, reglazed the tub, fixed up the tile and painted. The owner didn't want to sell after this!

After:

Soundproofing

With so many people living in multi-unit buildings or high-rises in Chicago, they either find themselves adapting to the noise from their neighbors or getting more and more frustrated by it. This has led to an increase in these people calling me looking for a solution to their noise problem. As a result I've done quite a bit of research to find an effective soundproofing method at a cost that is affordable.

The magic solution is a small isolation clip that prevents the transfer of vibrations (sound waves) and literally allows me to build a thin wall (3-4") onto your existing wall that is completely isolated from the original structure. Obviously there's a lot more that goes into it, but for sake of space here, I will leave it at that. If you have any questions or want to discuss this more, please give me a call @ 773.642.7836 or shoot me an email to artisticconstruction@gmail.com