$10+ Million Real Estate Listings in Chicago

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…

2886 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

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…

3305 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

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…

2827 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Chicago Real Estate Market

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…

2681 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

With the Super Bowl now just a couple days away, many are still scrambling to put together last minute plans for either hosting a watch party at home, or at one of the many sports bars, taverns, or local watering holes around Chicago.

If you’re not one who likes to entertain or perhaps just prefer to spend Super Bowl Sunday out and about, there’s of course plenty of great spots to choose from in neighborhoods all over the city. In fact, every year around this time we try to feature some of the best places in Chicago to watch the Super Bowl, but this year, we’re going to try something new.

Instead of featuring some of the same old places year in and year out, we thought it might be fun to list some great spots to catch the big game that are a little…

4458 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

With more than 3,800 new construction rentals expected to be delivered over the course of 2015, it’s safe to say Chicago’s luxury apartment market is as healthy as ever. Last year, super luxury rental buildings like 111 W. Wacker and 73 E. Lake were welcomed to the Loop market alone, while just one year prior, Streeterville added one of the most impressive lakefront buildings we’ve seen in years at 500 N. Lake Shore Drive.


Regardless of all the new construction however, downtown Chicago is still loaded with an array of lavish apartment units in buildings that, while may not be the newest to hit the market, are still as luxurious as anything you’ll find in the city.

Trump Tower will almost always have a condo for rent that’s in the five-figure range,…

5416 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

111 W. Wacker Sold

Despite 111 W. Wacker just opening last year, one of Chicago’s newest and most luxurious rental buildings already has a new owner. According to recent reports from the Wall Street Journal, Heitman, a Chicago-based global real estate investment firm, has purchased the 59-story, 504-unit building at 111 West Wacker from its original developer, Related Midwest, for a mind-blowing $328.2 million—or more than $650,000 per unit.

To date, the reported transaction is the highest price ever paid per unit for an apartment building in Chicago that houses over 50 individual units, and it’s a clear-cut sign to many that the luxury market is alive and well here in the heart of downtown Chicago.

Apartments for rent inside 111 W. Wacker typically range from $1,700 to…

4726 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Winter Moving Tips

In case you haven’t noticed, it seems the second we welcomed in 2015, winter, at least as Chicagoans know it, also settled in around the area—which for most of us, certainly isn't an ideal way to kick off what’s sure to be an exciting year ahead (we're already dreaming of living in a Florida condo)!

Moving during any time of the year isn’t exactly fun, but moving during the cold season is about as unpleasant as it gets here in the Windy City. If you were lucky enough to get your move out of the way last month, you definitely lucked out, as it seemed to be one of the most mild Decembers any of us can remember.

On the other hand, if you're still facing a move sometime in the coming weeks, you’re likely in for  a much tougher experience. But like…

2312 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

New Year's Day Brunch in Chicago

Whether you’re just visiting Chicago for all the New Year’s Eve festivities or happen to live here full time, what better way to kick off your 2015 than with a delicious brunch after a long, fun, and eventful night of partying?

There are few things Chicagoans like more than a solid brunch on a Saturday or Sunday morning, or in this case Thursday, and if you’re going to be in or around the downtown area looking for a great spot to satisfy that mid-morning appetite, here are a few places that top our list for the best brunch in town:

Howells & Hood | Streeterville

Happening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is the Howells & Hood New Year’s Day Hangover Brunch. $29 per person will get you unlimited access to a limited edition menu, an omelet bar, charcuterie, and…

2981 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Wanda Vista Hotel & Residences

Believe it or not, it's been nearly 6 months since we first heard about a possible new development coming to Chicago's New Eastside neighborhood, but this past week, chatter about what could very well change Chicago's skyline has started to pick back up, and what's being said is rather excitng on a number of different levels.

Back in July, details were still a little hazy about what could become the Windy City's 3rd tallest building, but as the Chicago Triune reported yesterday, plans for this massive new downtown high-rise, now being called Wanda Vista, are starting to become a bit more focused.

The developers behind the project, The Wanda Group and Chicago-based Magellan Development Group, certainly have an ambitious plan for the New Eastside site,…

4323 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post