May 2015

Although Downtown Chicago’s luxury condo market seems to be making a strong comeback—see 4 E. Elm, 9 W. Walton, and 100 W. Huron—news about Circa922 being sold $75 million, or around $500,000 per unit, suggests the luxury rental market doesn’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon.

According to a recent report from Crain’s, Clarion Partners looks to be acquiring the 149-unit apartment building over in the West Loop—a location that, along with being extraordinarily hot over the past several years, should continue to attract renters will the opening of 1K Fulton, an ambitious new office project that will soon be the Chicago home of Google.

The entire Circa922 development includes an older, 45-unit building along with the new 10-story, 104 unit tower

Six months after Shake Shack’s Chicago debut in River North, a second downtown location is now officially open for business. Located inside the new Chicago Athletic Association Hotel at 12 S. Michigan Avenue, the new Shake Shack will be situated on the hotel’s ground level, and will actually be one of the first things you see upon entering the hotel lobby. And if you’re worried about a fast food chain ruining the character and appeal of the historic 1893 Venetian-Gothic building in which both the hotel and Shake Shack call home, the design and decor inside the restaurant blends in seamlessly.

The restaurant’s booths have an old-fashioned art deco look and feel, while the ceilings, moldings, and marble floors are all a testament to the building’s

Since the record breaking sale of the penthouse at Trump Tower Chicago, it’s been a little while since we’ve checked in on some of downtown Chicago’s most expensive properties on the market.

As of today, just 10 listings are currently active on the Chicago real estate market for $10 million and over—appropriately enough—and as you can see below, some like the single-family mansion at 1547 N. Dearborn and the penthouse at 189 E. Lake Shore Drive are relatively familiar to those of us working in the industry every day, while others like the 7,100 square foot, full-floor condo at 9 W. Walton only just recently hit the MLS®.

Despite the luxury market being extremely hot right now in Chicago, when dealing with this sort of price level, it’s of course common

In case you missed it, units for the luxurious new No. 9 Walton development have officially hit the MLS®, opening the door for anyone who might want to get in early at one of Downtown Chicago’s newest luxury condo towers in the Gold Coast.

As of today, just 6 units are listed on local MLS®—one 2-bedroom, two 3-bedrooms, one 4-bedroom, and one 5-bedroom. Prices for listed condos at No. 9. Walton range from $1,950,000 for the 1,950 square foot two-bedroom to $12 million for the 7,089 square foot five bedroom.

News for the No. 9 Walton condo project only broke back in March, so developers are wasting little time getting each of the 67 total planned residences on the market and ready for buyers to act. In all, No. 9 Walton, which will be located on the

Changes are coming to the state’s most popular tourist attraction, and a new ordinance that was just introduced by Mayor Emanuel is raising some eye brows. According to reports, visitors to Navy Pier this summer will now be able to consume and carry open containers of alcohol both inside and outside the pier, as long as patrons purchase the alcohol there.

As part of the new ordinance, anyone consuming alcohol in or around Navy Pier must be doing so out of a disposable cup that clearly identifies the name of the establishment in which the beverage was purchased. In addition, alcoholic beverages MUST NOT be brought into or consumed inside the Navy Pier parking area or any other prohibited area designated by authorities, with violators faces steep fines

As most of us already know, one of the coolest things about living in Chicago is all the different outdoor events, concerts, and festivals that happen all summer long. From the various neighborhood street fests to all the fabulous concerts in Grant Park, there’s nothing quite like summer in Chicago, and we can’t wait for this year’s season to begin.

Although any list of great summertime activities in Chicago is hard to narrow down, one of our favorite things to check out every year are all the free concerts at Millennium Park and the Jay Pritzker Pavillion. Referred to as Downtown Sound, this series of incredible musical performances will actually be held on Mondays and Thursdays this year—an expansion of what was previously just Monday evenings in

Memorial Day is one of the best holiday weekends of the year. It’s the unofficial kickoff of summer, the weather is still somewhat mild, and it’s of course the perfect time to honor all those brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our country’s freedom.

Nobody knows how to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend quite like us Chicagoans, and there’s no better way to kickoff the annual festivities than attending the nation’s largest Memorial Day parades in the Loop. But along with that, there’s usually a long list of events, activities, and things to do during the long 3-day weekend, and 2015 is certainly no different.

For our reader’s convenience, here’s a short list of things going on in Chicago over Memorial Day Weekend 2015, and

Despite the luxury market being red hot around downtown Chicago, plenty of home buyers out there are still looking for affordability in a new place to call home, especially all the Millennials who are finally starting to test the waters of home ownership for the very first time. But as one of the largest markets in the country, there’s certainly a lot to sift through if you’re actively browsing what’s available, and for many in Chicago, there’s nothing quite like a chic and stylish loft unit in one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the city: the West Loop.

For years, lofts in the West Loop have been a favorite among younger professionals or those working in creative industries, but given the demand for loft spaces and the desirability most tend to

Generally speaking, everybody loves new construction condos, as there’s nothing quite like all the newest and best interior finishes to compliment the modern living spaces each new development around town has to offer. Over the last 12-18 months, or maybe even longer than that, luxury rentals have dominated the new construction market around downtown Chicago, with literally thousands of new, high-end units hitting the market over that same timeframe.

But now that the luxury market is starting to cool off—if only a little bit—luxury condominium residences around downtown Chicago and the surrounding neighborhoods are finally starting to make a comeback. In the Gold Coast, developments like 4 E. Elm and 9 W. Walton are catching the attention of plenty of

Given one of our main areas of focus is the Gold Coast real estate market, it goes without saying that we hold many Gold Coast condo buildings to a higher standard than other buildings across the city, which is especially true for those that sit on the lakefront.

In fact, the real beauty about Gold Coast condos for sale is that not only do units here occupy a place in one of downtown Chicago’s most affluent and historic neighborhoods, but they also offer some of the best unobstructed views of the water that you’ll find anywhere in the city. And if great views are a characteristic that’s especially high up on your wish list, there’s no better place to start your downtown condo search than right here in the Gold Coast.

So while it’s hard to narrow down any