February 2015

Whether you’ve been paying attention or not, smaller, more efficient living spaces are becoming increasingly significant around the United States, especially in larger, more expensive markets like New York, San Francisco, and even in parts of downtown Chicago.

You might have first become aware of this new U.S. housing trend from cable network FYI’s popular reality series Tiny House Nation, but since the show’s first episode aired back in the summer of last year, it seems more and more homebuyers are considering the option of having more financial freedom by limiting how much they spend of what’s usually the most costly expense to living—housing.

In areas that are more urban, like Chicago for example, building a “tiny house” really isn’t feasible due to a

…

In a market as large as downtown Chicago, luxury home and condos fill out a large portion of the real estate landscape, regardless of which part of town you happen to be searching. But when it comes to buying a new place to call home, the term “luxury”  can have a pretty broad definition, especially when it comes to price.

Luxury condos with only 500 or 600 ft.² might be in the range of $400,000-$500,000, while significantly larger units with three-, four-, or even five-bedrooms are of course priced accordingly. Furthermore, certain condo buildings with a certain status, or certain amenities might also be at a premium, ultimately driving up the cost of what you might pay to own at such locations.

When it comes to the ultra-elite properties in Chicago

…

Winter in Chicago is a hassle. The snow, the parking struggles, and the bitter cold weather all help combine to make our lives relatively miserable during a 4-month span each year, and this year is certainly no different.

But if there’s one thing winter can’t do, it’s hide the unparalleled beauty that our great city displays, no matter what month or season it is, winter included. Last month, a video from photographer Colin Hinkle was uploaded to YouTube that offers a unique, bird’s eye view of some familiar landscapes around town, and it’s some footage that truly will make you think twice about how torturous winter can be.

According to Hinkle, the temperature never exceeded 10 degrees throughout the entire filming process, and although many of us can

…

Back in 2011, Chicago Billionaire Sam Zell purchased 11 E. Walton, what was then known as the Elysian, for $95 million—a record setting per-room price at the time of $505k. Now fast forward roughly 5 years and Zell is looking to sell the 188 room hotel, now known as Waldorf-Astoria Chicago, and is expected to see a very strong return.

In New York, Hilton Holdings is in the midst of selling the Waldorf-Astoria at 301 Park Ave. to Chinese insurance conglomerate Anbang for a reported $1.95 billion, or about $1.4 million per room, and although Chicago real estate prices are nowhere near New York City’s, it’s a clear sign of just how much hotel values have risen in major markets like Manhattan and downtown Chicago.

Because the sale of Chicago’s Waldorf

…

Now that 2015 is well under way and the Super Bowl has come and gone, Chicago is now starting to enter the very beginning of what’s traditionally a very busy time of the year for the real estate industry. Although it may not seem like it right now with all the snow on the ground, the spring season is rapidly approaching, which usually means lots of home buying and renting activity all over town.

There’s no doubt Chicago’s rental market is still as hot as ever, but as we start to enter the busy spring market for home buyers, we wondered what downtown Chicago neighborhoods are plush with inventory, and after a quick glance at what each area has to offer, here is what we found:

Downtown Inventory By Neighborhood | Crear infográficos

 

Given

…