Lakeview - Wrigleyville

from the morning’s darkness a voice emerged

Amid the early morning dark a single voice emerged from the darkness, a spring-boding bird whistling its plaintive song for my ears to hear, helping me to chart my course of hope toward the arrival of warmth and green. Now mixing metaphors and the like from Casablanca and Disney I go to the rest of the day imitating the feathered friend, whistling as I work.


Will January Beget a Warm Spring Real Estate Market in Chicago?

What does Chicago’s spring real estate market hold? Historically January is robust though the last three years have been slow. And this year? There’s plenty of pent up deman and inventory as well. The question is whether lenders will perform their role and lend or if they will continue to stand on the sideline with their hands in their pockets. Let’s hope they make loans. Time will tell.


Lakeview Condo Sells for $134,000 Less than Original Sale in Chicago

A daily scanning of listings in the Chicago market yields interesting caveats, including a transacted property in Lakeview that lost $134,000 from what it initially sold for two years earlier.


A Muddled Tale Among Sales (and not) in Chicago Real Estate

When is a deal not a deal? When one side refuses to do what they say they will do and won’t execute the contract. That’s what happened a few weeks ago when my clients reached a deal to buy a West Bucktown home and the sellers dilly dallied long enough to result in another offer that preempted ours.


Hung Out to Dry – Clotheslines, Laundry and the Chicago Real Estate Market

Blame? An article in today’s New York Times credited laundry on a clothes line with her inability to sell a home. That’s a new one. But rather than air my “dirty laundry,” I am heartened by legislative support for folks who want to go green and air-dry their damp clothes. One quick caveat – homes tend to not sell due to two reasons – price and consumer confidence. Fortunately data for the past two-plus months has shown an uptick.