Life in The Glen

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 margaretludemann@gmail.com or 847-401-1802.

Margaret Ludemann, @properties 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 margaretLudemannl@gmail.com

Margaret Ludemann, Glen Resident & @properties Realtor

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

Major Employers Near The Glen

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Glenview, Illinois is home to the stunning development called The Glen on the former grounds of Naval Air Station Glenview.  The development is now 13 years old, and it hosts 5,000 very fortunate residents.  The Glen, which is the premier lifestyle community on the North Shore, is like a small town in many respects with its several neighborhoods within walking distance of its quaint downtown called Glen Town Center.  But parts of The Glen also feel very urban with brick row homes within a few blocks of shopping, dining, and entertainment.

I regularly receive calls and emails from people throughout the country (and the world) inquiring about homes for sale in The Glen.  Why?  Well, because Glenview and a few contiguous communities are home to several large corporate headquarters with executives being transferred in from most anywhere.  Within about a ten minute drive of The Glen you will find the headquarters for Allstate Insurance, Kraft Food Group, Walgreens, Anixter International, ITW, Baxter International, and Scotts Foresman.  Often transferees know about The Glen from their relocation teams or home office employees or from prior visits to headquarters for meetings.  The Glen is desirable due to its proximity, upscale homes, vibrant lifestyle, two golf courses including The Glen Club, and the reputation of area schools.

Just in the last month I helped an executive transferring in from Atlanta purchase a home in our Southgate neighborhood; I sold a home to a Kraft exec; and I sold a home for an executive transferring to Boston who had come to The Glen from out of state 8 years earlier.  The latter two sales were in the Tower Crossing neighborhood.  Two of my favorite neighbors were transfers in from England and Australia.  The Glen also attracts executives working in the many Chicago corporations; downtown Chicago is only a 30 – 40 minute train ride.

The Glen is not, however, an overly transient community.  The bulk of its residents are long term homeowners, either Chicago-area natives or professionals who came here for their jobs and decided that the lifestyle is just too great to leave.

If you would like to learn about homes in The Glen, please call me at 847-401-1802 or send an email to margaret.ludemann@gmail.com

Margaret Ludemann, Glen resident and @properties Realtor

Connecting Neighbors in The Glen

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The Glen is an upscale residential and retail community in Glenview, Illinois.  It is composed of 1,106 privately owned homes of various types including single family, townhomes, duplexes, two-flats, villas and condos.  2,439 adults live in these homes, and of course a lot of children as well.  The Glen is like a small town with its own “downtown” (Glen Town Center) with scores of restaurants, shops, theater and more.

The small town feel is one of the great benefits of living in The Glen even though it is a community within Chicagoland’s popular North Shore.  Contributing to this sense of community is our group email system which uses Yahoo as its technology engine.  Membership in The Glen Yahoo Group is restricted to homeowners/residents alone.

Sharing helpful information is the purpose of our email group…in other words, being neighborly.  Most emails deal with recommendations of service providers (“I need a plumber.”), promoting community activities (“This weekend is the art show in Glen Town Center”), assisting neighbors in need, promoting non-profit organizations, and even selling personal items such as the bike you no longer need or your priceless (!) collection of 8-track tapes.  For profit commercial & marketing activity is not allowed, though selling your extra Cubs or Bears tickets is just fine.

Some of the individual neighborhoods within The Glen also have their own group email systems in addition to the larger Glen group.  I know of groups for the Regency, Southgate, Tower Crossing, Landings, and Chapel Crossing neighborhoods.  Emails posted on these group systems tend to be neighborhood-specific, while The Glen group emails are about most anything that strikes your fancy.

Being neighborly is a treasured characteristic among residents of The Glen.  We take pride in our community where I have lived for 10 years.  If you would like to explore living in The Glen please contact me at margaret.ludemann@gmail.com or 847-401-1802.

Margaret Ludemann, Resident of The Glen and @properties Realtor

The Glen hosts scores of health care professionals

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When non-residents think of The Glen (the upscale residential & retail development in Glenview, Illinois) they think of our many restaurants, shops, theater, and children’s venues (Kohl Children’s Museum, Make-a-Messterpiece, and Color Me Mine) in Glen Town Center.  These are top of mind for residents, too, along with our lovely neighborhoods and homes.  There is another important characteristic of The Glen, however, that gets less attention but is an important part of our community…health care.

The Glen is home to the offices of scores of medical professionals including general practitioners, specialists, clinics, physical therapy centers and dentists.  When my family and I moved to The Glen ten years ago we were delighted to find a major pediatric health care practice for our son within walking distance of our Tower Crossing home (Glenbrook Pediatrics) on Compass Road.  A wonderful general practitioner practice (Covenant Medical Group) is also on Compass.  In fact, Compass Road is host to four buildings filled with doctors including several specialists.

The Glen also has numerous dental practices.  Dr. Suh, a popular local dentist, is located on Patriot Blvd (the main north south street through The Glen.)  His office is in the retail development with Dominicks grocery store and the ever-popular, upscale restaurant Wildfire.  Our Park Center, which includes a swimming pool and health/fitness club, has a physical therapy center.  There are other physical therapists in The Glen as well.

I should also point out that there is a Fire Station with ambulance service located in The Glen within a couple of minutes of every home in the development; and the highly rated Glenbrook Hospital, while not in The Glen, is only 5 minutes away by car or ambulance.

There is so much to love about living in The Glen.  Available health care is one of them.

Margaret Ludemann, resident of The Glen and @properties Realtor