House hunting on the 1800 block of West Wellington in North Center

Our clients take into consideration the over-all block and adjacent houses when deciding on a single family home purchase.  The 1800 block of West Wellington is sort of tucked behind southwestern Lakeview and sits on the southeastern edge of North Center.  But the block features a lot of attractive houses.


The 1800 block of West Wellington has many stately and modern newer construction homes on each side of the street making for a well developed enclave. (Photo, Eric Rojas)

We recently showed  a single family home at 1833 W Wellington to our clients.  The really well done renovation is now under contract (not with us) with an asking price of $980,000.

In the last 24 months, 4 single family homes closed on the block priced from $650,000 to $1,110,000.  One gut renovation single family house is under contract asking $980,000.  There was also a vacant land deal  for a 37.5x 125 lot at $536,000. 

In the last couple years this little spot of North Center has been a good value.  You can typically get a comparable house for 10% less than in adjacent heated school districts of Burley or Audubon but still be pretty far southeast near enough to your favorite  Lincoln Park, Lakeview and Roscoe Village action.

Free Wi-Fi at Chicago beaches!

Oh, just on the way to my new office! (Photo Eric Rojas, Real Estate Broker)

I just caught this post on Edgeville Buzz reporting free Wi-Fi at five Chicago beaches including North Avenue Beach and Montrose Beach.  My kind of town!

Fullerton Beach real estate

Photo Eric Rojas, Real Estate Broker

Chicago lakefront food, drinks and cafes better than ever

One Stick Puppy, a "healthy" corn dog joint, is a newer option on the Chicago lakefronts paths on the North Side.  The shack is located on the path two blocks south of the Fullerton field house. (Photo Eric Rojas, Real Estate Broker)

Has anyone else noticed the lakefront area food options are much improved?  My friends and I have been exchanging positive stories about the Waterfront Cafe, The Clock Tower Cafe and The Dock at Montrose Beach.

Lakefront living is good in Chicago!

Home Buying Tips: Jump through hoop, make offer

Some properties for sale require extra steps to simply make an offer.  Most sellers will require a reputable mortgage pre-approval with a written offer on their home.  However, this week we ran into a bank owned (REO) property that requires a pre-approval from a specific lender, Wells Fargo. This information was presented clearly in the listing information for the property.

These gymnasts practicing at NEIU know a little something about hoops (Photo Eric Rojas, Broker)

Jumping through a couple hoops to make an offer on a property is not uncommon and should not intimidate the buyer.  As brokers, Bob and I know as much information as possible about the homes we'll show prior to showing our clients.  Information like special pre-approvals, short-sale status, renters in the building or if the unit has a renter itself should not be surprises to our clients.  All too often we have a buyer's agent show up at our listings and ask questions like "Does this unit have parking?" 

The research needs to be done to make sure the property makes sense for the buyer.

South Loop town house sales UP 63% in 2013, median price at half a million

Bob took this shot looking north on South Indiana Avenue over the weekend.  We showed a two bedroom town house to our clients on South Indiana just a block from the lakefront parks.

 We've gotten to know the various town house developments in the South Loop over the years.  We think several locations in the South Loop would surprise many with quiet and attractive settings near the lakefront parks, museums and major downtown amenities.  The access to downtown offices, lack of single family homes near downtown and the desirable South Loop school have increased demand for town houses.

Sunday morning coffee in the Prairie Avenue Landmark District then out to the lake for a bike ride. (Photo Bob DePalma)

South Loop town house sales Jan 1st to July 12th 2013 (town houses are attached homes with no units above or below.  Most have an association with assessments while a handful are fee-simple ownership)


49 town houses have sold in South Loop this year with a median price of about $500,000.  Unit sales are up 63% over same period in 2012 when 30 units sold by this date. The median price is also way up from the $366,000 last year over the same period of time.

We viewed this two bedrooms, two baths town house on South Federal priced at $465,000 last month (photo Bob DePalma)

The highest town house sale this year is 1431 South Prairie for $1,050,000.  The 4000 sq/ft three bedrooms, two and two half-baths home featured a large family room and two car garage. The lowest sale is a short-sale at 53 East 23rd Street for $240,000.  The nicely finished 2005 build has two bedrooms, a family room and two car garage.  The home went under contract July of 2012 and closed in March this year.

Under Contract
As is the case in many popular Chicago community areas inventory for certain housing is very low.  At the time of this post 23 town houses are under contract.  Only 15 town houses are actively for sale on in South Loop on the MLS.

All sales stats gathered from www.MREDLLC.com and analyzed by Eric Rojas, Real Estate Broker with Kale Realty.  If you are buying or selling a home in South Loop Bob and I may consult and offer options to you.

Read more South Loop HERE

Summer tips! Chicago fun "staycation" in Norwood Park, Edgebrook!

Get your true summer vacation feel on the Northwest Side!

We had a great summer Saturday out on the northwest side of Chicago this weekend.  We avoided the crowds and parking hassles near the lake by staying northwest. 

A quiet moment for the kid's splash playground at Whealan Pool.  Most of the pool area is zero depth to 3 feet deep.

Start at Caudwell Woods for a nice walk or bike ride after breakfast.  Then head next door at 11am to the Whealan Pool/ Aquatic Center at 6200 W Devon in Norwood Park.  Plenty of parking in the lot for your mini-van. Admission is about $6.00 for adults and $4 kids 4-12

Fun water slides for medium and "big" kids...like me and Ryne here.

Looks like fun to me!

Toddler pool too!

Ample grassy areas for a picnic blanket.

Nice concession area for summer snacks.

After a few hours head back east on Devon to The Chocolate Shoppe in downtown Edgebrook, Forest Glen.  A little pricey but it has funky decor, great seating and the best ice cream shop soundtrack I've ever heard.  Our kids were dancing around, taking in the sites and well... eating ice cream.

The Chocolate Shoppe is located next to the very nice Edgewater Library branch too. Pick up a few books and get some air conditioning and down time after the pool.

Lots to choose from.

It's time for ice cream!

We took the quick 15 minute drive back to Lincoln Square for a little backyard Wiffleball, pizza and movie night at the house.

This way to Hamburg! Chicago Sister City signs at Francis Parker

Lincoln Park is dotted with public art.  These signs in front of the Francis W. Parker School along North Clark Street at West Webster represent Chicago's Sister City relationships around the world.  Better yet, they gave me a great opportunity to talk about other countries with my kids as we stopped and looked at our favorite signs.

North Park offers value! Single family home sales for 2013

It's easy and enjoyable for me to track home sale action in the North Park Community Area. My kids and I frequently visit the Northeastern Illinois University campus recreation complex in the neighborhood.  As an NEIU Alumni Advisory Board Member I also enjoy participating in academic programs and conferences.

A recently sold bungalow at 5307 North Bernard gets a gut renovation and second story addition!  The house sold for $200,000 in a conventional sale (not a foreclosure or short-sale).  Below we see the addition from the alley. Photos Eric Rojas, Real Estate Broker

North Park single family home sales Jan 1st - July 12th 2013

28 North Park single family homes closed so far this year.  The median price is about $267,500. 
In the same period of 2012, 28 homes also closed with a median price of $240,000.

 The highest sale this year is 5800 N Spaulding for $620,000.  The 2004 gut renovated home is character filled with "4000 sq/ft" and sits on a double-lot.   

Two really nice houses sold adjacent to Northeastern Illinois University (directly across the street).  5255 N St. Louis closed for $506,000.  The large renovated house house featured for bedrooms above grade and two more in the lower basement level.  5423 N St Louis featuring 4 good sized bedrooms and two full baths closed for a reasonable $425,000. It was a nice value for the large house well maintained finish level.

One of my favorite area home owner gardens at North Bernard and West Berwyn in North park near NEIU (photo Eric Rojas, Real Estate Broker)

Single family home sales 2008- 2013 Jan 1st - July 12th 

North park has been fairly steady and reflective of the over-all North Side Chicago single family home market through the turbulent past 5 years .We see the median price trend down since the 2008 mortgage debacle and pop back up a bit this year. 

The prices of several most desirable neighborhoods really rebounded last year and North Park is following that trend. The lower median prices in 2011 and 2012 also reflect the market's big appetite for buying up the short-sales, foreclosures and homes in need of renovation.  That "cheaper" product is much harder to come by now.

2013 closed 28 homes with median $267,500
2012 closed 28 homes with median $240,000
2011 closed 31 homes with median $260,000
2010 closed 36 homes with median $300,000
2009 closed 24 closed with median $305,000
2008 closed 15 closed with median $320,000

Under Contract

19 homes are under contract as of this writing while only 13 are actively listed.  This also mirrors much of the North side where more homes are under contract than for sale.

Gimme shelter

Photo Eric Rojas, Real Estate Broker

The shelter at Lincoln Park Zoo's Nature Boardwalk at South Pond.