New Home Notebook

Take a tour of 44 East Elm Street, a historic Gold Coast row house, with Koenig & Strey‘s Jeani Jerntedt. Originally built in 1888, this home has been completely renewed with a rich, modern interior and tastefully distinct floor plan as well as built-in automation and smart-home technology.

The home is located on a beautiful tree-lined street just east of State Street’s many amenities and within walking distance of Oak Street Beach and Michigan Avenue.

Spotting this home on 26w625 Waldorth Court in Wheaton there’s no mistaking the lines of a classic Colonial. The stone walkways and lush landscapes lead you right up to the wide-open veranda.  But it’s not a well-kept beauty. This Koenig & Strey-listed home is practically new, built in 2007 in full-on American Renaissance style.

Take the video tour above with agent Stephen Haas, of the Glen Ellyn / Wheaton office along with builder Kris Reetz. You’ll get a taste of the home’s rich appointments and unique and rich finishes.

Modern touches like an ultimate kitchen and home theater mix perfectly with extensive stonework, multiple grand fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling custom woodwork. Hand-painted touches go hand-in-hand with hidden televisions and radiant heated floors.

A striking new 46-story condominium building designed by Ralph Johnson in the Loop, 235 Van Buren, is launching a rent-to-own program on selected units.

One-bedrooms are to start at just over $1,500 per month, while 2-bedroom, 2-bath units will start at around $2,000 a month. Heat, air-conditioning and gas are all included in the rent.

Renters who execute an option to buy by the end of their 12-month lease will have up to 30% of their rent – not to exceed 3% of their purchase price – credited toward closing costs.

“It’s a great opportunity for people who just need a little more time to save, or fix their credit, or just see if they like living in the Loop,” noted January Sambell of CMK Realty.

235 Van Buren is positioned as a low-amenity building to keep costs low for owners and renters who don’t desire the common-area amenities, or would just prefer to join one of the nearby full-service health clubs. That strategy allows renters to move into a 2-bedroom, 2-bath unit for less than renting a 1-bedroom in some amenity-rich Loop buildings.

235 Van Buren doesn’t skimp, however, on building services or in-unit amenities. Residents enjoy 24-hour door staff, on-site management, multiple bicycle storage rooms, I-GO car service, secured-entry parking and a new convenience store, the second location of the popular South Loop Market. The new Wacker Gateway Park adjacent to the building is nearing completion.

The units have high-style finishes, in-unit washers and dryers, office nooks, private balconies, 10-foot ceilings and expansive views.

235 Van Buren provides residents a walk-to-work location, and extremely convenient access to Chicago’s public transit and expressway grids.

Take a tour of some of the available models at this YouTube playlist, and meet some of the buyers at 235 Van Buren in this series of videos.

“One of the things that Belgravia is really good at is listening,” says Belgravia Group founder Buzz Ruttenberg.

Join Buzz and Michael Hampton for a video look at the model apartment for a 24-unit condominium under construction in the West Loop. It’s Phase II of CA23, a development which was acquired halfway through a prior developer’s sales program and quickly sold out by Belgravia.

In the video you’ll see and hear the many improvements, large and small, to a product that had already proved attractive to home buyers. Some of the things that won’t change include the popular West Loop location, the private elevators, high-ceilings, large room sizes, single-floor layout and great views.

The 1,900 square foot, 3-bedroom, 3-bath homes in Phase II are pre-construction priced from $499,900 to $624,900.

1828 N Orleans, Lincoln Park

The classic limestone and granite exterior doesn’t tell whole story to the visitor to this fabulous home, designed by architect Larry Booth in 1983, at 1828 N Orleans in Lincoln Park.  Some might not expect the light-flooded, clean and modern interior of this unique space.

The home is dominated by a skylight in the 3-story open atrium that floods the home with light, and features strong horizontal lines and light materials.  A photo tour through the property highlights the clean lines, the rich finishes and the bright and open feel.

Listed at $2.695M, The home has 3 bedrooms, a master suite and 2 en-suite, a new DeGiulio kitchen and is listed by Emily Sachs Wong of the Lincoln Park office.

This landmark Chicago prairie-style home, built for advertising executive Allan Miller in 1913, is the only example of Frank Lloyd Wright colleague John Van Bergen’s work in Chicago. Mr. Van Bergen worked in the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio in Oak Park and contributed to the drawings and supervised the building of the famous Robie House, designed by Wright. The home is considered by architecture purists to be an ‘excellent’ example of the prairie style of architecture.

The large, linear fireplace, a welcome fixture in authentic prairie-style homes is surrounded by rich hardwood floors and woodwork and beautiful leaded glass windows. Despite its historic ambiance, the home is fitted with all the modern amenities. The kitchen is fitted with stainless steel appliances, cherry cabinets and granite surfaces. And it all looks out over lush landscaped gardens.

Just blocks from the South Shore Cultural Center, Jackson Park and the lake, this restored prairie house can is available for under $400,000. The home is listed by Shirley Amico from Koenig & Strey’s Gold Coast office.

Call Koenig & Strey for all your Chicago real estate needs.

Join Sergio & Banks’ Melissa Govedarica presents this sprawling 5 bedroom, 5 1/2 bath 7,000 sq ft European manor in the Village of Wayne, Illinois.

This meticulously maintained stone and brick home is richly detailed with tastefully selected finishes and a number of soaring two-story spaces.  Though expansive, the home beautifully navigates the tension between stately grandeur and casual informality.

The six-year-old home is being offered at $2,600,000.

Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood is one of several on the North Side seeing a flurry of build-and-buy new home and condo construction. The above video tours one of these hot properties in its infancy.

Marketed by Sergio & Banks, the featured 3-flat and two 5-flats in a prime location at 2115-23 W Wabansia St will range in price from the high $300s to the mid-$600s. Three of the 13 have already been reserved, even though occupancy isn’t slated until April and May. A model opening is scheduled for March. If past practice is any guide, the units won’t be listed in the MLS until that time.

“It’s going to be very urban classic in nature,” says Melissa Govedarica in the video.

Brook Furniture Rental, and Naperville-based Simply Staging, recently worked with Ryan Hill real estate agent Tonia DeWaele and builder Frank Miulli to transform a newly-built luxury home at 3 Baker Ln in Naperville by staging the home.

Although still a relatively new phenomenon, home staging is proving to be a valuable marketing tool when it comes to selling a home. By accentuating the available space, not to mention creating a decidedly homier atmosphere, realtors who use stagers maintain that it can have a dramatic impact on the market time for a home, with staged homes selling months faster in some instances. In today’s highly competitive housing market, any edge a seller can gain over the competition should be viewed as a major plus.

We took some before and after shots of the home, as well as stopping to chat with Tonia and Frank in its bright, open family room. As you’ll see in the video, an initially skeptical Frank finds himself pleasantly surprised by the results.

It is true. Chicago’s neighborhoods are seeing new construction, particularly among rental buildings. Long a popular Chicago structure, six-flats like the one in the above Sergio & Banks‘ video are part of the growing roster. As Melissa Govedarica explains, this building nearing completion at 1846 N California Ave offers 4 simplex and 2 duplex units with condo-quality features. 2-bedroom rents are starting at $1,500 a month.

The units include in-unit washers and dryers, balconies or patios. Garage parking comes with it, an asset in the building’s Logan Square neighborhood, bordering West Bucktown.

YoChicago.com recently sat down with Zev Salomon, the project manager for Belgravia Group‘s CA23 to chat about the Phase II.

After successfully selling through Phase 1, Zev and his team were able to commence  work on Phase II, based on the popularity of of CA23′s location, its high-end finishes, and open floor plans.  The 24-unit West Loop project was able to begin construction well ahead of its anticipated schedule.

According to a Yahoo Real Estate poll released last month, four out of five Americans say that owning a home is still a big part of the American Dream. While perhaps surprising to some, these results speak to how deeply engrained home ownership remains in our culture. Beyond the feeling of pride that comes with ownership, not to mention the luxury of having control over your own space, it remains a very good long-term investment. Despite a difficult few years in the housing industry, statistics still support the notion that owning a home for the long term is an excellent way to grow your personal wealth. The same cannot be said about renting.

Even as the housing market has dropped, Chicago area home builder J. Lawrence Homes continues to see steady interest among a wide range of demographics from young couples to growing families to downsizers. Even in difficult economic times, people are still getting married, having kids and seeing those kids grow up to buy homes of their own, all of which means that buyers continue to have needs for new homes to fit their current lifestyle.

One thing that has changed in recent years, however, is the type of homes people are looking for.

Homebuyers today don’t want to be pigeonholed by homes designed as a starter or downsizing home. They ultimately desire the flexibility of a home that will evolve along with their needs, meaning that flexible floor plans are a must. The first home for a young couple today should be one that can accommodate the needs of an expanding family, while the empty-nester home may need a place for the return of an adult child, or merely being able to provide space for hosting a visit with grandchildren.

Today’s buyers are also increasingly interested in eco-friendly features for the reduction of their carbon footprint – not to mention their energy bills.

Over the past several years, we have greatly improved the energy efficiency of all our homes. With an 80-percent efficient furnace, Tyvek® House Wrap, double-paned windows, R-13 insulation in the walls and R-38 insulation in the attic as well as designs that maximize the natural light, buyers are often sold on a J. Lawrence Homes by all of these green features offered as standard in each home.

Savvy homebuyers are also making their own rules when it comes to new home financing. After the hard lessons learned from the housing fall-out, they are no longer willing to let lenders call the shots. Possessing a complete understanding of their lending options, as well as feeling comfortable with their payment plan, has become a must for buyers.

If finding your new home is part of your plans for 2012, John Wozniak, the 2011 president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago and president of J. Lawrence Homes, offers these three tips:

1.) The key to having a home that will grow along with you and your family is to seek out floor plans with multi-function rooms. Great rooms, basements, lofts and other gathering areas, like an eat-in kitchen, all offer this much-desired flexibility.

2.) Ask your builder what green materials and features come standard with their homes. Three to five eco-friendly features should be included in the base price.

3.) Create a budget. Come to the table with your builder knowing how much you can afford each month and work from there. Don’t be afraid to tell your builder what you would like to afford, as builders such as J. Lawrence Homes will often work to get help you get exactly what you want.

Boldly blue at 27 stories, luxury condo tower Superior 110 catches all eyes along Chicago’s River North skyline. Recent penthouse and half-floor unit sales have put what the locals call “the blue building” within six units of selling out.

Designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture to be a “gleaming gem amidst a sea of beige concrete”, this new construction high-rise carries the designer’s intent with a visual impact unrivaled by its dull-looking neighbors. With recent price reductions, remaining units are available from the $500s to upwards of $2 million.

Greg Eldridge of @properties has the listings. He details Superior 110′s immediate neighborhood in the following video:

Engineering News Record recently granted top honors in its Best Projects 2011 regional competition to Oakwood 200 Squared, a new luxury high-rise in the heart of downtown Chicago’s Loop. With design quality, construction quality, innovation, safety, and teamwork used as criteria, Oakwood 200 Squared will move on to compete nationally in the Best of the Best Projects 2011.

Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, this 42-story luxury apartment building offers a variety of floor plans ranging from spacious studios, convertibles, 1-bedrooms, 1-bedrooms plus den and 2-bedroom/2-bath units.

Amenities include a fitness center, indoor pool and steam room, as well as a private pet walk, whirlpool on an outdoor garden deck complete with a fire pit and gas grills, party room, lobby café, storage lockers and more. Every in-unit amenity you’d expect in a luxury community, including in-unit washers and dryers, is also present in these apartments.

A smoke-free building, services such as 24-hour door staff, concierge, package reception, bike storage, and Zipcar availability are also offered at Oakwood 200 Squared.

For information regarding pricing, rental options and availability, e-mail or call 877-388-9116.

When we visited the Loop’s 235 Van Buren, we were initially struck by the architectural details and layout, from exposed concrete walls to a recessed balcony. A deeper look, however, revealed much more.

Scott Hoskins of CMK Realty described this condo as among the best values for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, new construction unit in downtown Chicago, and the numbers seem to support his case. Priced at $249,900, and containing nearly 1,050 square feet (breaking down to roughly $238 per square foot), it’s easy to see why many still consider it cheaper to own than rent. With warranties, not to mention an outstanding high rise location, Scott estimates that owning Unit 1419 works out to be $500 to $700 per month less than renting a comparable unit.

A more detailed breakdown of the numbers, in addition to a video testimonial from two of their buyers, can be found at YoChicago.

With Phase I units all but sold, the new home development CA 23 is moving forward with Phase II. Belgravia Group plans to break ground on Phase II, on Carpenter St in Chicago’s West Loop, by the end of 2011. Several Phase II units are already under contract. Hear what two satisifed Belgravia buyers have to say about the project in the above video.

CA 23’s Phase II consists of twenty-four 3-bedroom, 3-bath, appx 1,900 square foot single-floor units with high ceilings. These new condominiums have larger front and rear balconies than the Phase I units, and penthouses will have private roof decks. Pre-construction prices range from $499,900 to $609,900.

YoChicago‘s Joe Zekas went on a video tour of Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood with Sergio & Banks’ Tina Culver to check out this historic area.

The north side neighborhood is right on the lakefront between the Oak Street and North Avenue beaches.  The area is rife with a variety of restaurants, boutique shops and luxury real estate. Gold Coast real estate is comprised mostly of high-rise condos, many with amazing views of the lakefront.

During Chicagoland summers getting enough sunlight is usually not a problem. But come winter, sunshine is at a premium and a lack of it in your home can affect everything from your mood to the resale value. Forward-thinking homebuyers can consider any number of brightening options – from siting the direction of their home to skylights and transom windows. Homebuyers working with J. Lawrence Homes can tailor their new construction for maximum natural light.

At J Lawrence’s Remington Landings development in North Aurora, buyers can site bay windows in their choice of rooms, soaking up the sun for their favorite space – be it the living room, dining room, etc. The bathrooms feature long horizontal windows, high up for privacy but bright for grooming, dressing or your daily dose of Vitamin D.

Like most builders, J. Lawrence wants to make buyers fall in love with a new home, said John Wozniak, president of J. Lawrence Homes. “Light makes them fall in love.”

The loop location, the incredible views, the space – what’s not to like about the penthouse at the new condominium tower in the loop at 235 Van Buren?

Well, that’s what a couple of business guys decided when they took their home search to HGTV earlier this year.  The video takes the partners through a search for a home base for their Chicago visits.

OK, so they had a sizable budget, but see video clips of what your more average home buyer has to say about their condo purchase at 235 Van Buren.

Grand Bend at Green Bay condominiums at Green Bay and Sherman in Evanston is offering a contract for deed program, while continuing to offer units for sale.  The program assists buyers who may need to accumulate a down payment and secure financing.  Participants will have the option to buy the condo at the end of a lease term, with 25% of their rent being put toward a down payment on the purchase price.

And the purchase prices have been reduced as well.  Large one-bedroom units start in the $170s and two-bedrooms in the $250s.

Robert Matthews of Bluewater Assets Group talks about the program this video.