The inventory of condos for sale with 2 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms in the 60611 zip code is at a 2 year low.^* 60611 includes Streeterville, River North east of State and the Gold Coast south of Division.

Monthly Inventory of 2 Bedroom 2 Bathroom Condos For Sale in 60611 January 2009 - January 2011

There were 236 such Streeterville, River North and Gold Coast 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condos for sale in January, down 23.6% from January 2010.

There were 183 such Streeterville, River North and Gold Coast 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condos for sale on the last day in January, down 26.8% from the last day of January 2010 and setting a new 2 year low.

To see Streeterville, River North & Gold Coast condo & co-op reviews and what’s for sale in those buildings see DOWNTOWN HOMES FOR SALE above in the right column.

To view all Streeterville, River North & Gold Coast 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condos for sale click here now.

^* includes co-ops and townhouses

Lakeview apartment building where Shantel McCoy died in a fire

The Tribune also reported that, “City officials began pressing harder on bringing the buildings into compliance after Shantel McCoy, 32, died in a Jan. 8 fire inside her Lakeview high-rise when a building elevator took her to 1,500-degree heat on the 12th floor where she lived.”

Chicago’s Life Safety & High-rise Ordinance is intended to better protect the lives of residents in pre-1975 built high-rises. High-rises built in 1975 or later are required to have sprinkler systems.

For the full Tribune article read “Hundreds of residential high-rises in Chicago fail fire safety standards“.

Condos are for sale at Riverview West – 415 & 445 E North Water in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood. Here’s a review of the building and condos I’ve previewed or shown (none are my listings) along with photos and details of the other condos for sale.

Riverview West - 415 (right) & 445 (left) E North Water, Chicago, IL 60611

THE LOCATION

415 & 445 E North Water are part of the Riverview West development. It’s on the south edge of Streeterville along the north side of the Chicago River just before it connects to Lake Michigan. It currently has a Walk Score of 89 and a Transit Score of 100. It’s less than 3/4 of a mile from the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple Lines at Randolph and Wabash. See it’s interactive Walk Score Map below.

THE BUILDINGS

415 & 445 E North Water were first occupied in 2005 and have 148 & 98 units each. Parking is deeded, indoor and heated. The buildings have a 24 hr. door person, indoor pool, hot tub, bike room, storage, party room, sun deck with Riverwalk access, and exercise room. Utilities covered in the monthly assessment include: air conditioning, cable TV, gas, and water.

415 E North Water View Towards the Lake From Unit on North Side

THE CONDOS

The condos are almost exclusively 2 bedrooms or 3 bedrooms. Cooking appliances are gas. All units have a balcony or terrace. The most recent sale was 415 E North Water 1401 a 2 bedroom that sold in December for $550,000.

RIVERVIEW WEST – 415 & 445 E NORTH WATER, CHICAGO, IL 60611 WALK SCORE MAP

ALL CONDOS FOR SALE AT RIVERVIEW WEST – 415 & 445 E NORTH WATER, CHICAGO, IL 60611
CHECK BACK FOR NEW LISTINGS

Address	Price	Beds	Baths	SqFt	More Information	Notes on Condos I've Previewed/Shown
445 E North Water 2701	$3,350,000	3	3 1/2	5200	Photos & Info
415 E North Water 604	$2,299,900	3	3 1/2	3195	Photos & Info	604 has a 3,700 SF terrace on the south side of the building along the riverwalk. The terrace is located next the the building's common sun deck with a short wall between them.
415 E North Water 1901	$1,199,900	2	2 1/2	2740	Photos & Info	1901 is one of the 4 duplex units in the building. In addition to 2 bedrooms it has an office and study.
415 E North Water 1406	$1,550,000	3	3 1/2	3500	Photos & Info
415 E North Water 804	$1,095,000	3	3	2216	Photos & Info
445 E North Water 1304	$849,000	2	2	1867	Photos & Info	1304 has north and east views.
445 E North Water 1304	$439,000	1	1 1/2	1227	Photos & Info

Chicago’s Case-Shiller Index for November fell 3.4% from October. The drop in October was only 1.8%. The index is down 5.9% from November 2010. The housing index is at its May 2001 level. The Case-Shiller Index for Chicago is based on resales of houses in the Chicago Metro Area. It’s published with a 2 month lag.

Chicago's Case Shiller Indices November 2010 - November 2011

The Chicago Case-Shiller Condominium Index for November fell 3.8% from October. The drop in October was 2.5%. The condo index is down 9.7% from November 2010. It’s back to its August 2000 level.

Expect continued declines for both indices through the winter months.

The inventory of 2 bedroom condos for sale in Lakeview in December reached another 2 year low at 354.^* Bank (foreclosure and short sale) properties were 12.7% of the Lakeview 2 bedroom condos for sale.

Lakeview 2 Bedroom Condos For Sale (Bank & Non-Bank) December 2009 - December 2011

There were 309 Lakeview non-bank 2 bedroom condos for sale, down 33% compared to December 2010. There were 45 Lakeview bank 2 bedroom condos for sale, down 22.4%. Two bedroom condos were 37% of the condos for sale in Lakeview in December.

To see Lakeview condo reviews and what’s for sale in those buildings see LAKEVIEW & LINCOLN PARK HOMES FOR SALE above in the right column.

To view all Lakeview condos for sale click here now.

^* includes co-ops and townhouses

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You’ve been looking online at homes for sale in Chicago. You’ve identified a few that you’re financially qualified to purchase and you’d like to see them. Here’s how to request showings.

WHEN TO REQUEST SHOWINGS

How far ahead of time you need to request showings depends on where in Chicago the homes are located.

If the homes are located in the city closer to the suburbs than downtown, you might be able to see them with less than 24 hours notice. However, showings typically must be confirmed by the sellers, so don’t expect to be able to see homes for sale in less than a couple of hours. If there’s a tenant living in the home, they typically must be given at least 24 hours notice of showings.

If the homes for sale are downtown or near downtown you’ll need to request the showings at least 24 hours in advance. The listing agents also need to be present for the showings most of the time, so the showing times need to fit into the listing agents’ schedules as well as the tenants’ and sellers’ schedules.

If you want to see more than 2 homes downtown or near downtown, you need to request the showings at least a few days in advance. It sometimes takes a day or more to get a showing confirmation from a listing agent, so scheduling consecutive showings can take a few days.

Schedule showings well in advance through a buyer agent

WHO TO CONTACT

There are 2 ways to request showings of homes for sale in Chicago, through the listing agents for each home or through a buyer agent.

I don’t recommend scheduling showings through listing agents. First, listing agents represent the sellers. The second reason not to schedule showings through listing agents is that you’ll need to take the time to contact multiple agents, if you want to see multiple homes for sale.

By scheduling showings through a buyer agent you’ll be fully represented by an agent who works for you, not the sellers. The buyer agent will also handle contacting all of the listing agents and coordinating schedules for multiple showings. Even though a buyer agent is compensated by the listing broker, his or her fiduciary responsibility is to you.

To schedule showings of downtown Chicago homes for sale call me at 773.793.4516 or email me at fran.bailey@bairdwarner.com. To schedule showings of homes for sale in Lincoln Park and Lakeview call Mary Kaye Buettgen at 847.651.3955 or email her at marykaye.buettgen@bairdwarner.com. For all other areas of Chicago, contact either of us for a recommendation of a buyer agent who specializes in that area.

2130 N Lincoln Park West Entrance

2130 N Lincoln Park West currently has an elegant vintage condo with a private elevator entry for sale.

THE LOCATION

2130 N Lincoln Park West is located across the street from the Lincoln Park Zoo and the conservatory.

THE BUILDING

2130 N Lincoln Park West is a boutique vintage building that was built in 1927 and houses 33 condos within its 18 stories. The elegant building entrance is a marble floored rotunda with ornate carved plaster ceilings. This sophisticated building was designed with privacy in mind with 2 units per floor and each with a private elevator entrance.

The monthly assessments include; indoor heated parking garage, air conditioning, water, heat, security systems with video monitors, maintenance and TV cable. The monthly assessments range from $1,400 up.

2130 N Lincoln Park West 2S Doors to Terrace

2130 N Lincoln Park West 2S Terrace

2130 N LINCOLN PARK WEST, CHICAGO, IL 60614 WALK SCORE MAP

2130 N Lincoln Park West, Chicago, IL 60614 Walk Score Map for RSS Feeds

2130 N Lincoln Park 2S Hallway

The building has a common sun deck and terrace. It has on-site manager and engineers, storage, bike room, common sundeck and exercise rooms. Rentals are allowed with limitations such as a minimum of 12 months and the board must approve them. The board also can refuse a sale within 30 days. The building is pet friendly.

THE CONDOS

These units are spacious, ranging from 2,400 to 5,000 sq ft. Most units have barrel 30 to 40 ft. barrel vaulted ceilings. Each unit has a private elevator entrance.

This building does not have much turnover and the last unit sold was a 2-bed 2-bath 2,400 sq ft unit, which sold for $1,025,000 back in November 2009. It sold for the full asking price before it was even listed. The most recent rental was a 4-bedroom 3,100 sq ft unit that rented in November 2011 for $4,500/month.

ALL HOMES FOR SALE & FOR RENT AT 2130 N LINCOLN PARK WEST
CHECK BACK FOR NEW LISTINGS

The number of listed downtown Chicago condos sold in the 4th quarter of 2011 was up 5.2% compared to a year earlier.^* 582 condos were sold compared to 553 in the 4th quarter of 2010.

Quarterly Downtown Chicago Condos Sold 4th Qtr 2008 - 2011

While an increase in sales of 5.2% may not seem that noteworthy consider that the last time there was year over year increase in sales downtown was in the 2nd quarter of 2010 when sales were boosted by the homebuyer tax credit!

To see downtown Chicago condo & co-op reviews and what’s for sale in those buildings see DOWNTOWN HOMES FOR SALE above in the right column.

To search all downtown Chicago homes for sale click here now.

^* includes co-ops and townhouses

Single family homes and townhouses are for sale in Hartland Park, a unique community within Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Here’s a review of the houses and townhomes that I have previewed or shown along with photos and details of the other properties for sale.

Townhouses in Lincoln Park's Hartland Park Community

THE LOCATION

Hartland Park is located 2 blocks south of Diversey which is the north border of Lincoln Park. The 1st entrance is off N Paulina St with the 2nd entrance just off W Wrightwood Ave. It’s also situated 5 blocks west of Wrightwood Park. This community currently has a Walk Score of 88 and a Transit Score of 63. The Brown Line Sheffield Stop at Diversey is less than a mile away. See its interactive Walk Score Map below.

THE COMMUNITY

Hartland Park is one of Lincoln Park’s secluded luxury townhouse communities. This is a unique community developed by Belgravia in 2006 that is comprised of 90 quality built masonry townhouses as well as unattached single family homes.

Hartland Park's Single Family Homes

Hartland Park combines historic charm and elegance with its tree lined brick paver streets and period styled architectural street lamps. It’s a quiet community even though nestled in the city providing all the nearby conveniences of restaurants, shopping and public transportation. Another unique feature to Hartland Park is its own private landscaped park & playground. There is a special camaraderie within this community. They hold a few large annual events within the park including entertainment for children and adults alike.

Hartland Park Community's Private Park & Playground

Pets are welcome. There is plenty of room for guest parking. The ownership of these houses and townhouses is fee simple with a homeowners’ association. The monthly assessments for this community average $295 per month and include: exterior maintenance including the private park landscaping, scavenger, water, street lights and common insurance.

THE TOWNHOUSES & HOUSES

The Hartland Park townhouses are spacious like single family homes ranging from 2,800 to 3,400 square feet with private entrances and veranda porches or front yard patios. They are equipped with large windows. Each has a private entrance and 2 car attached garage. The luxury masonry homes are also spacious with various floor plans and exterior designs.

HARTLAND PARK, CHICAGO, IL 60614 WALK SCORE MAP

Hartland Park,Chicago, IL 60614 Walk Score Map for RSS Feeds

ALL HOMES FOR SALE AT HARTLAND PARK
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