Skokie Mayor and Streetscape Development will break ground on new neo-traditional community on Friday, June 27

Streetscape Development and Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen will host a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, June 27 for Floral Avenue, a new breed of American housing that is part of the continuing revitalization of the village’s downtown.

Floral Avenue will include 20 new single family homes, starting at $465,000. All homes will feature StreetScape’s nationally acclaimed vision for new urbanism and will be engineered for energy efficiency and comfort. Continue reading

In the real estate business, time is money. That’s why @properties keeps a close eye on two important performance measures: Days on Market (DOM) and Selling-Price-to-Original-Listing-Price ratio (SP/OLP).

DOM is the market time between a home’s listing date and the day it goes under contract, while SP/OLP is the percentage of the original asking price (i.e. prior to any price reductions) at which the home sold.

@properties ranks #1 among the top brokerage firms in Chicagoland in both of these categories.

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Entrepreneurs are, of necessity, visionaries. You see opportunities where others see difficulty (or nothing at all), and your eyes are always open for the next innovation or investment.

So what if there was an investment you could make that would pay dividends while you owned it, and then provide a capital gain if you decided to sell it? What if that same investment provided huge tax deductions? What if you could increase your estate while someone else pays off the mortgage?

There are a lot of benefits to investing in real estate. Like all investments, there are risks involved, but if you know what you’re getting into ahead of time, you can make a profitable decision. Continue reading

@properties, the largest independent real estate brokerage firm in Illinois, has been named to Crain’s Chicago Business annual Fast Fifty list of the fastest-growing companies in Chicago. This is the third time @properties has made the list. The firm first appeared on the list in 2007, ranking fifth. The following year, they were No. 24.

@properties made the 2014 list at No. 49, based on five-year revenue growth of 172 percent. The firm had the 12th highest revenue among the Fast Fifty and was the only residential or commercial real estate brokerage firm on the list. Continue reading

Logan Square has a ton of great spots to grab a drink and/or a bite to eat. Whether you’re looking for a cocktail bar, brunch spot, pie shop, or microbrewery, look no farther than this list for Logan Square’s neighborhood favorites!

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Technology company Uber is changing the way @properties brokers and clients do business with the help of its innovative mobile app.

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@properties and The Lyric Opera recently hosted a cocktail gathering to celebrate The Sound of Music, starring actor Billy Zane. More than 100 guests attended the event, which was held in the White Room at 850 Lake Shore Drive. Check out Michigan Avenue for photos and details.

Sharon Stangenes toured 850 Lake Shore Drive for her latest “Apartment Hunt” column in the Chicago Tribune.

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DNAinfo Chicago recently took a tour of the new luxury apartments at Webster Square in Lincoln Park. Watch the video here.

850 Lake Shore Drive, the transformation of the historic Lake Shore Athletic Club building to luxury apartments, has won a Chicago Association of REALTORS® 2014 Good Neighbor Award. The development by Chicago-based Integrated Development Group LLC, in partnership with the National Electrical Benefit Fund, based in Washington, received honors in the Residential/Multi-Unit Renovation category.

Good Neighbor Awards showcase groundbreaking new and newly rehabbed or redeveloped properties in the Chicago metropolitan region that have increased economic vibrancy in their neighborhoods and bolstered local pride. Volunteer judges representing the real estate industry visit each property to help select the winners. Winners are selected based on quality construction, service to a special population, care to complement the surrounding neighborhood, market value and architectural significance. Continue reading