New Home Notebook

Flex House, an 8-unit block of 3-bedroom, 2-bath rowhomes priced in the low $400s, is nearly sold out. Still under construction, 5 units have already been purchased. Take a video tour of Flex House and its surroundings with Karen Ranquist, a broker with Koenig & Strey’s  Lincoln Park office.

With unusually open, flexible floor plans, the homes offer even more unusual 17 x 34 foot private yards.  This new row home project is the hot development in Chicago’s vibrant Logan Square neighborhood.

With a great location and even better views, Park Michigan is one hot property. Take a look inside with a video tour. Park Michigan’s Jill Dolnicek walks you through a spacious one-bedroom; showcasing hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a functional layout and abundant closet space.

A jewel in Chicago’s South Loop, Park Michigan is a sleek, international-style apartment tower at Michigan Ave and Roosevelt Rd. The park, lake and skyline views are tops and the building is convenient to shopping, dining, CTA and downtown universities. Grant Park is right across the street.

Homebuyers looking in the Graceland West area of Chicago’s Lake View have creative new construction waiting at 1440 West Pensacola. This 3-level, 4,000+ square foot single family home features 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. Custom millwork, attention to detail and high-end finishes abound.

Take the above video tour with Koenig & Strey agent Deborah Owen of the Gold Coast office to get the full scope of the home and its great back yard.

Prospective homebuyers with a taste for varied and unique dining shouldn’t ignore Chicago’s South Loop.  Hop on the Red Line, get off on Roosevelt Road, and take a walk around — or just check out the above video for a brief look at the scene.

Within about two blocks of  the Park Michigan Apartments, at 1212 South Michigan, there are about 3 dozen restaurants, pubs and food establishments. That’s including the soon-to-open Artists Café, but not counting places like Trader Joe’s, Jewel, Target, Sky Market, and tailgating at Soldier Field — or the restaurants at the nearby Museum Campus.

From those in the know, Chicago’s River North neighborhood is where it’s at. While living in the Loop provides the best known assets  - the lakefront parks, theaters and museums, those living downtown are also apt to cross the river for their entertainment and more.

In the above video tour, residents of Oakwood 200 Squared, 210 N Wells St, discuss the vibrant bar, nightlife, gallery and restaurant venues in River North and the endless nearby shopping options.  Life in the building itself is full of incentive; great views and extensive amenities, including an indoor pool, fitness room, dog run and a sprawling sun deck with a fire pit and grills.

Take a tour of some Gold Coast history in the above video with Marla Nyberg of Koenig & Strey’s Gold Coast office. Once part of the Patterson McCormick Mansion, this full-floor 3,700 square foot residence at 1500 N Astor Place offers 12-foot ceilings, 4 fireplaces, a gorgeous library, designer kitchen and more. Marla represents the listing, which is the only unit with access to the massive south-facing front porch.

Designed by Stanford White and built in 1893, the historic Patterson McCormick Mansion was a wedding gift for the daughter of the Chicago Tribune’s Joseph Medill. In 1927 David Adler expanded this mansion and in 1978 it was converted to condominiums.

Recent months have seen solid sales activity at Superior 110. The high-rise at 110 W Superior has only 3 units still available - a high-floor full floor and two half-floor units.

“These are desirable units,” said Greg Eldridge, who is in charge of sales at Superior 110. “They’re available only because of contract fall-throughs, a situation that’s been the story in many new developments in recent years.”

The striking Hartshorne Plunkard-designed River North high-rise is also known informally as “the blue building”.

For renters looking to a transit-friendly location close to the action, Belmont Lofts is an attractive option. This building at 4131 W Belmont Ave is at the nexus of three Chicago neighborhoods: Avondale, Irving Park and Belmont Gardens. For getting around, the 77 Belmont Avenue bus at the building’s front door. The CTA Blue Line and Kennedy Expressway are close by.

Take a video tour of a bright, stylish 1-bedroom loft in the building with Jeff Kerr of @properties. The unit showcases hardwood floors, 12-foot ceilings, a sleek bath and kitchen with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops and an in-unit washer/dryer. 

The $1,175 monthly rent includes parking. An additional space is available for $50 a month if desired.

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.

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.

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: