New on the Market – Playful Bronzeville Restoration

List Price: $899,000 The Property: This 19th-century red brick house has been extensively-and, in some places, zanily-restored. The boldly painted cornice and entry only hint at the quirky details that William Lavicka, a longtime rehabber on Chicago’s West and South Sides, has included in his latest project.Inside, there is a mix of restored objects-four of … Read more

Housing Bulletin – Downtown Condo Sales: Slowed, Not Stalled

At first glance, the news was disturbing-reports earlier this week that downtown condo sales had nose-dived by 46 percent in the first quarter of 2007. But contrary to those early reports, the downtown condo market has not stalled, only slowed. According to Gail Lissner of the Appraisal Research Counselors-the local real-estate consultants that provided the … Read more

New on the Market – McKinley Park loft

List price: $549,000 The Property: A converted coffee and tea showroom beneath an antique copper ceiling, this McKinley Park residence is that rarest of finds: a true industrial loft. “They’ve all disappeared,” says Mario Greco, the Rubloff agent representing the seller. With its great aged factory doors, original hardwood floors, and big storefront windows, the … Read more

Housing Bulletin – Affordable Housing

If all goes as expected at today’s Chicago City Council meeting, the city will enact legislation to better ensure that people with middle and modest incomes can afford to buy homes in the city. It’s the latest step-and a significant one-in a five-year campaign to stem the loss of affordable housing as the city welcomes … Read more

Sale of the Week – Indian Hill Club

List price: $5 millionSale price: $4.45 million The Property: This 13-room mansion in a French Normandy style overlooks the fifth fairway of the Indian Hill Club golf course just outside Winnetka. Sequestered behind brick gates and surrounded by formal landscaping, the house has seven bedrooms, five fireplaces, a library, and a chauffeur’s apartment and other … Read more

New on the Market – Factory Conversion in Roscoe Village

List Price: $3.999 millionThe Property: Formerly a machine-parts factory, this 10,000-square-foot structure on a residential block in Roscoe Village is being converted into a lavish, contemporary home, complete with a rooftop deck the size of some suburban back yards. When finished this summer, it will have six bedrooms, four fireplaces, an elevator and some serious … Read more

Housing Bulletin – New v. Old in Des Plaines

In the past decade, formerly frumpy downtown Des Plaines has undergone a transformation into a lively place dotted with new restaurants and stores, a fantastic central library, and, most noticeable of all, thick clusters of new, mid-rise condo buildings. Standing at the center of town-at Metropolitan Square near the Metra station-you can look southeast along … Read more

Sale of the Week – Kenilworth

List price: $975,000Sale price: $940,000 The Property: This classic red-brick colonial with three bedrooms, two-plus bathrooms, and two fireplaces provided a rare opportunity to get an appealing, nicely updated home in exclusive Kenilworth for under $1 million-and it has played that role twice in the past year. Built in 1929, the house sold for $5,000 … Read more

New on the Market – Glencoe Gatehouse

List price: $1.399 million The Property: Designed by the great North Shore architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, this home was built in 1913 as one half of a pair of twin gatehouses for a lavish lakefront estate on Sheridan Road. When the present sellers, Tierney Danehy and Tom McNulty, bought the place in 1995, it … Read more