@properties, the largest Chicago real estate broker and the largest independent real estate firm in Illinois, announced it is opening an office in Elmhurst, the company’s first major move into Chicago’s western suburbs. @properties co-founders Michael Golden and Thaddeus Wong said the firm initially will lease office space near the Elmhurst Metra station, and will soon find a permanent home in the city’s downtown. Continue reading

2013 was an exciting year for housing as record low interest rates, tight inventory and rising home prices helped bolster the market’s recovery. So what housing trends can prospective home buyers and sellers expect this year?

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A partnership of Chicago-based Integrated Development Group LLC (IDG) and the National Electrical Benefit Fund (NEBF), based in Washington, D.C., announced that leasing has begun at 850 Lake Shore Drive, the transformation of the historic Lake Shore Athletic Club in Chicago to luxury apartment residences.

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You can always count on a local. Whether you’re looking for the best sushi spot in town or the best place to grab a cup of coffee, locals know best. And that’s especially true in the real estate business.

@properties is a local firm with a uniquely local brand of real estate. And while other real estate companies have grown through mergers, acquisitions and franchise agreements, @properties has always remained independent. Why?

As a locally-owned, independent firm, @properties is committed to supporting the communities and clients we have established long-term relationships with over the last 13 years. Because we are independent, we have the ability to quickly respond to hyper-local market conditions. We develop our own technology and marketing, and build it in house, to cater specifically to the communities and clients we serve. Continue reading

In 2013, the Chicago Tribune recognized Chicago real estate firm @properties as one of the Top Workplaces. The firm ranked among the top 10 midsize companies in Chicago. Continue reading

Let’s talk for a minute about “not normal.” Sometimes not normal can be scary, like when your teenage daughter brings home the bass player from a Norwegian heavy metal band.

But not normal can also be a beautiful thing.

Recently, a few seemingly unwitting patrons in New York City bought paintings by the renowned graffiti artist Banksy for a couple hundred dollars each. The paintings are believed to be worth over $100,000.

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If you’ve been thinking about buying a more expensive home, now is the time to make a move. That’s because interest rates on jumbo mortgages, which in the Chicago metropolitan area are loans over $417,000, have fallen below rates on smaller conforming loans.

How often does such an inversion occur? Try never. Yes, economists believe this is the first time jumbo mortgage rates have gone upside down on conforming rates, which means luxury buyers have a historic opportunity that probably won’t be available for very long. Continue reading

When it comes to amenities in today’s new-construction condominium buildings, what was once an extravagance has become de rigueur.

So in order to offer a truly unique experience at the Legacy at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, the building’s developers created a distinctive roster of amenities to complement residences, many of which top the million-dollar mark.

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Early this year, @properties launched the @gent app – an internal mobile application aimed at creating more efficient communication and collaboration between our 1,200 brokers in the city, on the North Shore and in Harbor Country.

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Chicago real estate firm @properties continued to build on its leading market share in the city of Chicago and its rapid growth along the North Shore in the first half of 2013. Midway through the second quarter, the firm also reached another milestone: @properties became the largest independent real estate brokerage firm in Illinois, ranking ahead of Baird & Warner in closed residential sales volume, year to date, for the first time in the company’s 13-year history. Continue reading