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The Glen…before it was The Glen

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There are reminders everywhere in The Glen.  The statues in the middle of the shops in Glen Town Center.  The commemorative signs on walls along Tower Drive.  Six flags in the park.  And the street names…Independence Avenue, Valor Drive, Constitution Drive, Admiral Court, Patriot Boulevard, and Annapolis Drive.  Here once proudly stood Naval Air Station Glenview!

The Glen is the North Shore’s premier lifestyle community which resides on the land which was an operational air base for the United States Navy from the 1923 until 1995.  Naval Air Station Glenview was used for aircraft training and as a base for sea planes on Lake Michigan, approximately 5 miles away.  During World War II alone over 9,000 Naval, Marine and Coast Guard cadets received their air training on the base.  After the war it was used to support the Naval Air Reserve and active duty Coast Guard.

Among the thousands of service men who received training at Naval Air Station Glenview were some men whose names you will recognize.  President George Herbert Walker Bush received carrier qualification training in Glenview’s base.  President Gerald Ford was stationed here and at nearby Great Lakes Naval Training Station.  And movie star Robert Taylor was a flight instructor for a time at NASG.

The planes no longer fly in Glenview as the base was closed and sold to the Village of Glenview which developed what is known today as The Glen.  Today The Glen is a premier destination venue for shopping and for those who want to dine in one of our many wonderful eateries.  In fact residents of The Glen can walk to 17 restaurants and scores of shops, as well as a movie theater, book store, art gallery, park, lake, pools, Kohl Children’s Museum, and two golf courses.  The Glen is also home to some of the finest single family homes, townhomes, duplexes, villas, two-flats, and condos in the Chicago metropolitan area.

The Glen has it all…including a rich military history.  If you may be interested in living in The Glen, please contact me.   I have been a resident of this beautiful community for ten years.  I can be reached at margaret.ludemann@cbexchange.com or 847-401-1802.

Margaret Ludemann, Coldwell Banker Realtor

Tower Crossing Prices up 5.3%, Sales Too

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The Glen is the premier lifestyle community on the North Shore of the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Glenview, Illinois.  It is composed of several neighborhoods one of which is called Tower Crossing.

Tower Crossing is a townhome development with 154 stunning homes, built between 7 and 10 years ago.  It borders Glen Town Center (The Glen’s “main street” which offers restaurants, shopping, a theater, and much more) on three sides.  The 4th side of Tower Crossing borders The Glen Club’s Championship 18 hole golf course designed by Tom Fazio.

There are 6 models of Tower Crossing homes (Astoria, Biltmore, Blackstone, Drake, Omni, and Valencia), and they vary in size between 3031 sq ft and 4105 sq ft.  The current price range is between roughly $600,000 and $800,000.  I am one of the fortunate owners of a Tower Crossing home, an Astoria End Unit model.

As the #1 Realtor* in Tower Crossing, I track home sales and prices constantly.  2013 is turning out to be a banner year for the development.  Sales have increased dramatically in 2013.  So far 17 homes have sold vs. 11 in all of 2012, 13 in 2011, 6 in 2010, and 7 in 2009.  There is also one Tower Crossing home under contract waiting to close; and 2 homes are for sale.

Prices are up 5.3% in the first 8 months of 2013.  On average Tower Crossing homes sell for $196.77 p/sq ft.  In 2012, non-distressed Tower Crossing homes sold for $186.88.  (2011 = $188.86;  2010 = $189.50;  2009 = $179).  As you can see, prices were flat for the 3 years immediately prior to 2013 after dropping considerably when the real estate market collapsed.

If you are interested in Tower Crossing or any home in the other Glen neighborhoods (Cambridge, Chapel Crossing, Glen Shore, Landings, Patriot Commons, Regency (row homes, new construction), and Southgate), please contact me at 847-401-1802 or by email Margaret.ludemann@cbexchange.com

Margaret Ludemann, Glen Resident & Coldwell Banker Realtor

*  Margaret sold or rented more Tower Crossing homes in 2012 than any other Realtor.

Only 31 Homes Left at Regency at The Glen

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I have previously written about a new development under construction in The Glen, Regency.  Pulte is the developer of this new Glenview, Illinois neighborhood.   It is located just north of West Lake Avenue and west of Shermer Road.  For golfers it is an ideal location, walking distance to both The Glen Club’s 18 home championship course and Glenview Prairie Club, a 9 hole course + 4 paddle tennis courts.  All homes are short distances from Glen Town Center’s many shops and restaurants, and also to the Glen’s Metra Station.

149 homes are planned in Regency, consisting of 109 townhomes, 38 villas, and 2 single family homes.  The townhomes come in 4 models.  There are two models of villas (duplexes), both with first floor master suites.  I recently sat down with my friends at Pulte, and received these new updates.

Update:  As of today, all villas and single family homes have been sold, though some have not yet been completed.  Only 1 villa is currently for sale (it just came on the market); and it is a re-sale which I have listed.  It is the first villa re-sale in Regency.  The couple who owns this home have lived there for only 9 months, and they have been transferred.

Update:  Of the planned 109 townhomes 78 have been sold.  This is up to the minute news.  While I wasn’t a math major, I’m pretty sure that leaves 31 homes still for sale.  This is important information for anyone interested in maintenance free, new construction, townhome living in The Glen.  This has proven to be a very popular development, so the 31 remaining homes will not be available for long.

For additional information or to tour a Regency home please call me at 847-401-3325 or email me at margaret.ludemann@cbexchange.com.

Margaret Ludemann, Resident of The Glen & Coldwell Banker Realtor

Rising Home Sales & Prices in The Glen

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Recently I was asked to give a presentation about the real estate market to a group of business men and women.  While preparing my presentation I was struck by the words I saw on my laptop’s screen, words that I had written, but startling none-the-less:  sales are up, prices are up, time on market down, far fewer distressed properties.  Seeing these words on the screen put a smile on my face.  I decided to create another slide that I would have prepared not very long ago:  sales stagnant, prices flat & still falling in some areas, time on market still way too long, too many distressed properties dragging down prices.

Bob Dylan was right, The Times…they are a-changin’

Real estate in The Glen is doing quite well.  Most north shore communities saw increases in prices in 2012 of between 2% – 3%, most of those gains being won late in the year.  But prices in zip code 60026 (dominated by The Glen) rose 4.5% last year, in contrast with greater Glenview (zip code 60025) at 2.9%.  While there are many reasons for The Glen’s superior price performance, I believe the attractiveness of our community’s lifestyle is at the top of the list.  Glen Town Center’s many shops and restaurants (as well as its theater, spa, book store and art gallery), along with Lake Glenview, Gallery Park and golf courses, make this a particularly wonderful place to live.  Our variety of homes, from stately single family homes in Southgate, Chapel Crossing, and Landings to stunning townhomes and villas Tower Crossing, Cambridge, and Regency also attract buyers.

Improving prices are welcome news to Glen homeowners, but buyers have reasons to smile as well.  Prices are still well below their peaks of 5 years ago.  North shore communities are still between 20.5% and 26.1% below those highs.  So this is a great time to buy a Glen home while prices are still below their peaks and before they get any higher.

Margaret Ludemann, resident of The Glen, Coldwell Banker Realtor

Glen Home Types: Something for Everyone

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I’ve heard some residents suggest that there are far too few townhomes, condos, and villas in The Glen.  I’ve heard others say that the development is over populated with attached housing.  The truth?  Well, they’re both…wrong.

The Glen is a development within Glenview, Illinois on land that was once Naval Air Station Glenview.  But calling it a development doesn’t do it justice.  It’s really a village within a village as evidenced by Glen Town Center (the shopping and dining “main street”), multiple neighborhoods, parks, two golf courses, commercial offices, and a lake, school, and movie theater.  And just like any other town or village, it has a variety of housing types.  One of the brilliant strategies of the Glen’s master plan is the balance of single family homes and multi-family, attached home types.

My research shows that approximately 52% of Glen properties are single family homes.  Currently there are 670 such homes ranging in size from about 2500 sq ft to nearly 7,000 sq ft.  The largest SFH neighborhood is Southgate with 237 properties, followed by Chapel Crossing with 167 homes, Landings with 143 homes, and Cambridge with 123 homes.

This leaves approximately 48% of the Glen’s properties as multi-family.  Within this broad category are 5 different home types.  There are 409 townhomes, 99 condos, 64 villas, 35 duplexes, and 13 two-flats.  These 620 homes range in size from under 2,000 sq ft to over 4100 sq ft.  Multi-family housing is found in the Tower Crossing, Southgate, Cambridge, Glen Shore, Patriot Commons, and Regency neighborhoods.

So there is something for everyone in The Glen, whether you are looking for a comfortable condo or a majestic mansion…or anything in between.

Margaret Ludemann, resident of The Glen, Coldwell Banker Realtor, email Margaret.ludemann@cbexchange.com