Lincoln Park Rental: One bed plus den for office $1100

My partner has a super clean Lincoln Park rental unit available now! NOW! WOW!

Avaliable now as of 1/23/10
Lincoln Park Rental:

Call or text Bob at 773 621 6689

2340 North Southport Avenue, Unit 2F

$1100/mo. plus utilities. Available now for immediate occupancy, flexible lease terms, best location!

Beautiful, bright unit in a completely updated, owner occupied, 4 unit building.

Second floor with private entry. One bedroom with den, or small second bedroom, bath, eat-in kitchen with all new appliances and in-unit washer/dryer.

Super location on Southport off a Fullerton. Close to public transportation, restaurants, bars, shopping. Ample street parking, no permit required.

Call or text Bob at 773 621 6689 for an appointment to view this great unit!!

Baby food classes and much more: Fresh Ground Health

Maybe we should cut down on the Starbucks?

A client of mine has a unique healthy eating and wellness business here in Chicago. If it's any proof, they looked great and had a happy baby when I worked with them! Eating healthy, among other health habits, is difficult to get your head around. Try some coaching for you and your kids.

Check out Fresh Ground Health at this link

FHA loans opening more doors for Chicago buyers and sellers

From guest blogger, Ken Dickerson, Home Mortgage Consultant RWF Wells Fargo

I've seen a significant increase in FHA loan activity in the Chicago market over the past 12 months and with the announced enhancements from FHA coming on February 1st, I expect that activity to increase further. There have been regulations/guidelines that have kept clients from being able to use FHA on some developments which include; right of first refusal, new construction pre-sale, minimum number of units in a building of 4, FHA loan exposure of 30%, etc.

Below are some of the enhancements coming on February 1st.
-New Construction pre-sale lowered to 30%
-Right of first refusal allowed
-Projects may have as few as 2 units
-FHA loan exposure increases to 50% for new construction projects and 100% for established projects

With the low down payment minimum of 3 1/2%, flexible debt to income ratios, and more lenient credit score requirements, the enhancements for FHA loans will open doors for buyers and sellers alike. If you are interested in finding out more in regard to FHA loans feel free to contact me at any time.

Going for LEED: Green new construction condos rising in Lincoln Park

I took a quick mobile shot from the truck of a Green new construction condo development marketed by my homeys at Prudential Rubloff. Wrightwood Crossing is located at the 1300 block of west Wrightwood and is seeking LEED Platinum Certification (and it has nothing to do with how many records you sell).

Check the Wrightwood Crossing link above for pricing and floor plans. And, bring some greenbacks... you're gonna need them.

Town homes near Wrightwood Park in Lincoln Park

A popular place to look for town homes in Lincoln Park is near the equally popular Wrightwood Park. As a city parent, believe me, nothing beats living across the street from a huge park. Located in the far northwestern end of Lincoln Park, this immediate area has resale town homes from the low $400s to new construction up to $1,500,000. I took some clients there last weekend...a sunny ice cold last weekend... to view a couple places under $500,000. In fact, at the moment, you can get a very attractive two bedrooms, two and-a-half baths town home with a true family room and loft office for an asking price of $435,000 (outdoor parking space included).

The smart money was on staying inside on this freezing day.

Town homes as far as the eye can see at the corner of West Wrightwood and North Greenview next to the park. This stretch or West Wrightwood traffic can be busy, but your steps from a nice Jewel Food Store, restaurants and bars.

My clients check out the bonus loft office space... you better believe I held the ladder.

Winnemac Park on a snowy day

Winnemac Park in Ravenswood is a two minute walk (or sled ride) from my house. We love a snowy day and they must not be wasted.

I saw another lucky dad out with his son...we did that dad nod thing, happy we were not stuck at a 9 to 5 gig. But the park was pretty empty at 3PM. The nannies typically don't like to venture out in "bad weather".

Sizing up the slope.

Chicago loves spiral staircases

Not really.

I can understand, not accept, but understand a spiral staircase up to a rooftop deck or some extra loft room.... but if it's your main access to your living levels your in trouble.

This beauty above was spotted in an Old Town town house. It covered all three levels... yikes.

Lakeview, Lincoln Park town homes under $500,000? A face only a mother could love

Town homes under $500,000 are a great option in Lakeview and even Lincoln Park. You can get your two or three bedrooms, a flexible family room and perhaps a utility/storage room. Many times a garage too...attached or detached. But, shield your eyes... these brick boxes spared no utilitarian expense. Function over form for sure. These are a couple examples my clients and I viewed last weekend.

These aren't too bad. I forgot to shoot the real "lookers".

Mid-century modern Chicago home back on market

One of my all-time favorite Chicago homes has just come back on the market. 2939 W Catalpa in the Budlong Woods neighborhood is listed at $1,290,000. Watch this video shot by NBC of a tour given by the owner. The home sits on a terrific lot and is a joy to view from the street, let alone inside. The Budlong Woods neighborhood in far northwest Lincoln Square is a terrific destination for window shopping mid-century homes in addition to many other distinct styles. This is great little pocket of terrific homes few know about.

Forget a house, I want a condo!

How about a nice Lincoln Park duplex condo in Abraham Lincoln Elementary school district adjacent to Oz Park?

I had a refreshing conversation today with a relocating client from the East Coast. They were in Manhattan, had a couple kids and bought an ancient house in a tony suburb...and hate it.
Knowing their budget and emphasis on schools I began to mention single family homes on the North Shore and he stopped me right there. No houses! Turns out, these folks know themselves well and want the unique urban lifestyle Chicago offers on the North Side. Oh, and hold the house maintenance please.

Well, from one duplex condo owner with two kids shunning a house to another... let's do this! They'll see a steady diet of town homes and duplexes in the Blaine, Lincoln Park and Bell elementary school districts. We already opined coming from the East Coast, these will feel huge and luxurious. Amen to that.