Deal Estate - April 2009

04/30/09

On the Market: Monty’s Jungle Lair—in West Chicago

List Price: $699,900
The Property: Like a camouflaged animal that hides in plain sight, this wild and irreverent West Chicago residence appears from the street to be nothing more than a big ranch house on a huge lot. But hiding inside that conservative shell is one of the zaniest homes I have ever visited...

Posted at 10:57 AM in On the Market | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/29/09

Housing Bulletin: The Human Factor

Prospective buyers who tour a house listed for sale at $899,900 in Naperville’s Ashwood Park subdivision may think the sellers have just stepped out for a moment. After all, there is food in the refrigerator, dishes in the cabinets, and clothes in the closets. The place looks lived in—albeit very neatly lived in...

Posted at 07:16 AM in Housing Bulletin | Permalink | Comments (1)

04/27/09

Sale of the Week: Selling Off the Rite Stuff —Near North Side

List Price: $3.47 million
Sale Price: $3.128 million
The Property: Built of Lake Superior sandstone, this residence is one of three 19th-century mansions adjoining the Scottish Rite Cathedral on the 900 block of North Dearborn. In 2006, the Rite, a Masonic group, sold the cathedral, the three mansions, and a parking lot to developers for about $60 million...

Posted at 09:26 AM in Sale of the Week | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/23/09

On the Market: Elegance Times Two at 20 East Cedar

List Price (Unit 2E): $1,535,000
List Price (Unit 17D): $1,500,000
The Property: Two nicely preserved, well-finished condos are available at 20 East Cedar, a classic Gold Coast mid-rise with a majestic Gothic-style brick and terra cotta exterior. Designed by the architects Fugard & Knapp, the building was completed in 1924. Its lobby sets a clubby tone with a big wood-paneled fireplace wall. “It’s really a great building to...

Posted at 11:16 AM in On the Market | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/22/09

Housing Bulletin: House-Hunting at the Mall and in Harbor Country

Scattered around the main concourse of Michigan Avenue’s Shops at North Bridge are the little kiosks where you would usually pick up some fun sunglasses or an iPod cover—and now, maybe, a $2-million condo.
A few weeks ago, Tricia Fox, a high-end agent at Keller Williams on the Gold Coast...

Posted at 07:17 AM in Housing Bulletin | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/20/09

Sale of the Week: Atop Bucktown's Bloomingdale Greenway

List Price: $2,575,000
Sale Price: $2,350,000
The Property: When this new Bucktown house at 1801 North Hermitage Avenue was under construction two years ago, the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky denounced it as “a four-story behemoth that dwarfs the surrounding cottages.” But once the house was completed, in August 2008, the logic of its design became clear, at least to me. Here was a house built to take maximum advantage of its...

Posted at 07:54 AM in Sale of the Week | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/16/09

On the Market: A Contemporary Home Blooms on Magnolia

List Price: $3,995,000
The Property: Going by his name alone, you might expect the architect Greg Tomb to create deadly spaces, but this speculative home he built on Magnolia Avenue in Lake View is alive with contemporary touches. Tomb started the project by buying two...

Posted at 01:21 PM in On the Market | Permalink | Comments (2)

04/15/09

Housing Bulletin: A Double Dose of Green Building in Elmhurst

The builders of two new houses nearing completion about three blocks from each other in Elmhurst have the same goal—to build a more environmentally friendly house—but they took very different routes. “I’m glad there’s so much flexibility [in green building],” says Bill Styczynski, the architect and builder behind a new house at 135 Oak Street...

Posted at 10:54 AM in Housing Bulletin | Permalink | Comments (1)

04/13/09

Sale of the Week: French Accent on Lake Shore Drive

List Price: $3.59 million
Sale Price: $3.12 million
The Property: On the 16th floor of the 27-story 840 North Lake Shore Drive building, this 4,300-square-foot condo has its dining room in the round projection on the southeast corner, which provides spectacular views down the drive and out across Lake Michigan. The seller, Bart Liang bought the unfinished space in 2005 and had it configured with...

Posted at 08:05 AM in Sale of the Week | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/09/09

On the Market: Winnetka Visits the Hamptons

List Price: $3,349,900
The Property: When the Winnetka resident and homebuilder Michael Hughes spent some time in the Hamptons a while back, he became smitten with what he calls the area’s “wonderful, relaxed, but elegant homes.” Hughes resolved to build something like them in his hometown.

Posted at 08:33 AM in On the Market | Permalink | Comments (0)

04/08/09

Housing Bulletin: Helping Grad Students Find a Home

This summer and fall, a new crop of students will be arriving in Chicago to start their studies at the city’s various law, medical, and other postgraduate programs—and each of those students needs a place to live. Leave it to two recent grads of Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management to see a splendid business opportunity in...

Posted at 09:04 AM in Housing Bulletin | Permalink | Comments (1)

04/06/09

Sale of the Week: Hinsdale Classic Moves, but Slowly

List Price: $1.15 million
Sale Price: $1.05 million
The Property: Classically beautiful from the keystone over the arched doorway to a prim trio of slender dormers, this 13-room home in Hinsdale was built on a big corner lot in 2001. Inside, there are five bedrooms, large formal rooms, and ten- and twelve-foot ceilings. According to Carol Lee Cikanek...

Posted at 08:20 AM in Sale of the Week | Permalink | Comments (3)

04/02/09

On the Market: Outdoor Cooking in the South Loop

List Price: $869,000
The Property: This one-bedroom condo with a big terrace in a new South Loop high-rise is very stylishly finished. Make that stylishly almost finished.
The South Loop residents Roger Klees...

Posted at 08:59 AM in On the Market | Permalink | Comments (6)

04/01/09

Housing Bulletin: Betting the RANCH—and House Prices Decline Again

Many people hope that real-estate prices have hit bottom, but Richard Ross is willing to wager that home values will turn around within the year—at least in his neighborhood. Ross, who is selling his residence in a 136-year-old structure at 919 West Wisconsin Street, is betting that...

Posted at 08:56 AM in Housing Bulletin | Permalink | Comments (0)

	04/30/09 On the Market: Monty’s Jungle Lair—in West Chicago List Price: $699,900 The Property: Like a camouflaged animal that hides in plain sight, this wild and irreverent West Chicago residence appears from the street to be nothing more than a big ranch house on a huge lot. But hiding inside that conservative shell is one of the zaniest homes I have ever visited... Posted at 10:57 AM in On the Market \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	04/29/09 Housing Bulletin: The Human Factor Prospective buyers who tour a house listed for sale at $899,900 in Naperville’s Ashwood Park subdivision may think the sellers have just stepped out for a moment. After all, there is food in the refrigerator, dishes in the cabinets, and clothes in the closets. The place looks lived in—albeit very neatly lived in... Posted at 07:16 AM in Housing Bulletin \| Permalink \| Comments (1)
	04/27/09 Sale of the Week: Selling Off the Rite Stuff —Near North Side List Price: $3.47 million Sale Price: $3.128 million The Property: Built of Lake Superior sandstone, this residence is one of three 19th-century mansions adjoining the Scottish Rite Cathedral on the 900 block of North Dearborn. In 2006, the Rite, a Masonic group, sold the cathedral, the three mansions, and a parking lot to developers for about $60 million... Posted at 09:26 AM in Sale of the Week \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	04/23/09 On the Market: Elegance Times Two at 20 East Cedar List Price (Unit 2E): $1,535,000 List Price (Unit 17D): $1,500,000 The Property: Two nicely preserved, well-finished condos are available at 20 East Cedar, a classic Gold Coast mid-rise with a majestic Gothic-style brick and terra cotta exterior. Designed by the architects Fugard & Knapp, the building was completed in 1924. Its lobby sets a clubby tone with a big wood-paneled fireplace wall. “It’s really a great building to... Posted at 11:16 AM in On the Market \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	04/22/09 Housing Bulletin: House-Hunting at the Mall and in Harbor Country Scattered around the main concourse of Michigan Avenue’s Shops at North Bridge are the little kiosks where you would usually pick up some fun sunglasses or an iPod cover—and now, maybe, a $2-million condo. A few weeks ago, Tricia Fox, a high-end agent at Keller Williams on the Gold Coast... Posted at 07:17 AM in Housing Bulletin \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	04/20/09 Sale of the Week: Atop Bucktown's Bloomingdale Greenway List Price: $2,575,000 Sale Price: $2,350,000 The Property: When this new Bucktown house at 1801 North Hermitage Avenue was under construction two years ago, the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky denounced it as “a four-story behemoth that dwarfs the surrounding cottages.” But once the house was completed, in August 2008, the logic of its design became clear, at least to me. Here was a house built to take maximum advantage of its... Posted at 07:54 AM in Sale of the Week \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	04/16/09 On the Market: A Contemporary Home Blooms on Magnolia List Price: $3,995,000 The Property: Going by his name alone, you might expect the architect Greg Tomb to create deadly spaces, but this speculative home he built on Magnolia Avenue in Lake View is alive with contemporary touches. Tomb started the project by buying two... Posted at 01:21 PM in On the Market \| Permalink \| Comments (2)
	04/15/09 Housing Bulletin: A Double Dose of Green Building in Elmhurst The builders of two new houses nearing completion about three blocks from each other in Elmhurst have the same goal—to build a more environmentally friendly house—but they took very different routes. “I’m glad there’s so much flexibility [in green building],” says Bill Styczynski, the architect and builder behind a new house at 135 Oak Street... Posted at 10:54 AM in Housing Bulletin \| Permalink \| Comments (1)
	04/13/09 Sale of the Week: French Accent on Lake Shore Drive List Price: $3.59 million Sale Price: $3.12 million The Property: On the 16th floor of the 27-story 840 North Lake Shore Drive building, this 4,300-square-foot condo has its dining room in the round projection on the southeast corner, which provides spectacular views down the drive and out across Lake Michigan. The seller, Bart Liang bought the unfinished space in 2005 and had it configured with... Posted at 08:05 AM in Sale of the Week \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	04/09/09 On the Market: Winnetka Visits the Hamptons List Price: $3,349,900 The Property: When the Winnetka resident and homebuilder Michael Hughes spent some time in the Hamptons a while back, he became smitten with what he calls the area’s “wonderful, relaxed, but elegant homes.” Hughes resolved to build something like them in his hometown. Posted at 08:33 AM in On the Market \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	04/08/09 Housing Bulletin: Helping Grad Students Find a Home This summer and fall, a new crop of students will be arriving in Chicago to start their studies at the city’s various law, medical, and other postgraduate programs—and each of those students needs a place to live. Leave it to two recent grads of Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management to see a splendid business opportunity in... Posted at 09:04 AM in Housing Bulletin \| Permalink \| Comments (1)
	04/06/09 Sale of the Week: Hinsdale Classic Moves, but Slowly List Price: $1.15 million Sale Price: $1.05 million The Property: Classically beautiful from the keystone over the arched doorway to a prim trio of slender dormers, this 13-room home in Hinsdale was built on a big corner lot in 2001. Inside, there are five bedrooms, large formal rooms, and ten- and twelve-foot ceilings. According to Carol Lee Cikanek... Posted at 08:20 AM in Sale of the Week \| Permalink \| Comments (3)
	04/02/09 On the Market: Outdoor Cooking in the South Loop List Price: $869,000 The Property: This one-bedroom condo with a big terrace in a new South Loop high-rise is very stylishly finished. Make that stylishly almost finished. The South Loop residents Roger Klees... Posted at 08:59 AM in On the Market \| Permalink \| Comments (6)
	04/01/09 Housing Bulletin: Betting the RANCH—and House Prices Decline Again Many people hope that real-estate prices have hit bottom, but Richard Ross is willing to wager that home values will turn around within the year—at least in his neighborhood. Ross, who is selling his residence in a 136-year-old structure at 919 West Wisconsin Street, is betting that... Posted at 08:56 AM in Housing Bulletin \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

April 2009