Green fountain...
Green Door...
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Who wants to be Condo Board President?
No one...unless you're George Thomas!
Photo taken in an Arizona parking lot by my business partner Bob before dinner with his parents...at 3:30PM.
Watch the Video! A Wicker Park duplex condo $439,000
Take a video tour of one of our cool new listings. This duplex condo at 1250 N Wolcott #1 in Wicker Park has just enough drama and plenty of outdoor entertaining space.
NEW Lakeview single family home for sale: $815,000, four bedrooms, great room, family room
2911 N Racine, Chicago
$815,000
Four bedrooms, three and one-half baths, great room, lower level family room, wet bar, two fireplaces, staircase to roof (ready for roof-deck), security system, whole house recessed speaker system with home run, two car garage. Laundry room with side by side washer and dryer and additional storage.
Master suite with tons of light, two walk-in closets, master bath with double bowl vanity, over-sized separate shower and huge jet tub. Three spacious bedrooms on same level.
A big house in Lakeview or Lincoln Park for the money. This is a value for those wanting move-in condition or those who want to do material updates to taste.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Watch the Video! Wicker Park home sales in early 2011
After shooting a video for one our new listings in the Wicker Park neighborhood of West Town, Joe Askins of www.YoChicago.com and I took a stroll to check out a couple homes under contract. Watch the video below for descriptions:
I looked at the Wicker Park neighborhood boundaries of 1000 North to 1500 North and 1600 West to 2400 West for 2011 (I cheated a little south on the boundary to 1000 North rather than stopping at Division as people buy homes close to Division for the Wicker Park action).
So far this year 14 homes have closed or are currently under contract in Wicker Park for a median price of about $650,000 . The lowest closed house was 2233 W Augusta for $325,000 (again, stretching the boundaries south) and the highest closed home was 1439 N Elk Grove at $1,475,000.
The house in the video at 1956 W Evergreen has closed for a price of $1,250,000 since the filming. That's considerably below the $1,699,000 asking price and after 156 days on the market (without price changes). The home last was bought for $825K in 2008 prior to the extensive renovations.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Show ready?
One of our clients shared a little story with us. She was looking at properties on a third party web site and noted to herself that one place looked like it was one of our listings from the photos. And, it was. The point is that my business partner and I really work hard with our clients to get a home as "show ready" as possible. The photos and showings usually reflect this.
However, the market is picking up now. There is a case to made for some properties and sellers to list as soon as possible even if some work still needs to be done. If we feel there will be market demand for your property and price, serious buyers can make the decision to purchase based on the space, location, price etc... The real buyers know what they want and have a goal. They don't need perfection or a staged property. They need location, price, and space that fits their goals.
The dirty little secret is Bob and I have sold properties quickly before we could even post interior photos on the MLS. That secret is we didn't sell anything. The property was priced right in the right location and the buyers showed up. We just had the sense to get it on the market ASAP. The only catch is the buyer's expectation of price, condition and location still needs to met.
A Buena Park chalet
Buena Park in Uptown is full of unique single family homes and ornate vintage multi-unit buildings. This chalet-like home on North Kenmore just north of West Irving Park Road is no exception. I took this shot on a sunny morning while visiting a client on the block.
I really don't think people realize how diverse and amusing the architecture is in Chicago. There are many small pockets around the city that feature eclectic homes and visiting them makes a great way to spend a day.
Video: "The wood work" in a classic Oak Park house
A couple weeks ago I called to schedule a showing for a vintage home in Oak Park on a nice lot on Ridgeland Avenue. Since I got an actual agent on the phone (and not a scheduling service that's typical), I asked if the sellers were serious about moving the vacant house. They had been priced well over $400,000 for the one bathroom house when first listed. They were now priced at $389,000 and on the market for almost 6 months. Basically, I was gauging the ability and flexibility to sell a home I thought was over-priced for the features, condition and location.
After asking about these factors, the agent asked if I "had ever been to Oak Park?". Pause, awkward silence. I said yes. "Oh, the woodwork" she said along with some other things. Pause. Then she said that the group of children selling the home for the parents were now more realistic etc... Bingo.
Anyway, the house was pretty cool but a pretty big project too. Alas, it sits waiting for a buyer and my clients are under contract on another house. Here's a quick video I shot of the home. It's not the best video, but you do see some of that woodwork.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Low ball offers?
Earlier this week I was asked by a potential client/home seller if "people were still making low ball offers". Low ball? If you're not priced right, there are NO offers.
Stucco in Lakeview's Southport Corridor
I was out with clients in Southport Corridor and was reminded of this unique stretch of four stucco homes.
Stucco may be a "love hate" facade material for Chicago home owners. Good, bad? Eh. Wood, brick and siding are the prominent materials in our burg. But you see a stucco once in a while mixed in. That's why I thought this little group of stucco "American Foursquares" was pretty unique for the Southport Corridor neighborhood. They take up there own little half block on West Waveland Avenue.
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