home prices

Westage at the Glen…one step closer to reality

by

The Glenview Planning Commission just approved a new housing project to be constructed in The Glen and called Westgate at The Glen Townes.  It will go before Glenview’s board in February for final approval which is expected.

The Glen is the North Shore’s premier lifestyle community located in Glenview, Illinois approximately 20 miles north of downtown Chicago.  It offers luxury homes (single family homes, row homes, townhomes, condos, duplexes, and two-flats) as well as a park, lake, walking trails, health club, movie theater, two golf courses, and a quaint main street called Glen Town Center filled with shops and restaurants.  Westgate will be the most recent – and perhaps the last – new construction community in the Glen.

173 homes are planned for this E.R. James Partners project.  As I’ve written in previous blogs, 34 will be single family homes and 139 will be row homes and townhomes.  I’ve recently learned more about the homes to be offered, particularly the sizes.  The single family home models, all with first floor master bedrooms, will range between 1,885 sq ft and 2,464 sq ft; and the architectural designs will be offered in New England shingle, French Country, and Old English.  The attached housing models will range between 2,037 sq ft and 2,980 (a mix of first and second level master bedrooms),and their architectural styles will be offered in New England shingle, Classic Revival, Old English, Craftsman, and Federal.  All homes will have three bedrooms and two-car attached garages.

Prices have not been announced.  There is some speculation (only speculation at this point) that the builder will attempt to price the homes roughly in between those in the Regency and Tower Crossing developments in The Glen.  Timeframes for construction and sales have not been announced.  E. R. James Partners has a sterling reputation for quality, as evidenced by its very upscale Glen development called Southgate on The Glen.  I believe the Westgate development will be very popular.

Margaret Ludemann, resident of The Glen and Tower Crossing Realtor  margaret.ludemann@gmail.com, (847) 401-1802

2013 homes sales UP in Tower Crossing

by

Tower Crossing is a townhome development in The Glen, Glenview Illinois.  It is composed of 154 stunning units varying in size from 3031 sq ft to 4105 sq ft.  2013 was a very successful year for real estate sales, home rentals and home prices in this development.  In this blog I will tell you about the increase in sales.

20 Tower Crossing homes sold in 2013, compared with 11 in 2012, 13 in 2011, 6 in 2010, and 7 in 2009.  I had the good fortune to list and sell nearly half of all homes sold in 2013 (9 of 20).  7 realtors combined to sell the other 11 homes.

1 Distressed property sold in 2013.  A single distressed property sale in 2013 represents an improvement as compared with 2012 (4 sales) and 2011 (3 sales).  Distressed properties (bank owned or short sales) typically sell for well under market value, and that was the case with the Omni model bank owned property that sold in 2013.

Only 1 listed Tower Crossing home failed to sell in 2013!  20 of 21 listed homes sold last year compared with 4 failures in 2012.  Given the strength of the real estate market last year, it is surprising that even one home failed to sell. This was NOT my listing.

Time-on-market was greatly improved in 2013.  Time-on-market refers to the number of days between listing a home for sale and when it goes under contract with buyers.

The 19 non-distressed Tower Crossing homes sold in 2013 were on the market for a combined 1012 days, an average of 53 days.  This compares very favorably to 75 days in 2012.  It is vastly improved over the roughly 4 months in 2011 and 7 months in 2010.  I am proud that my non-distressed Tower Crossing sales in 2013 averaged only 17 days on market.  Tower Crossing homes sold by other realtors averaged 79 days.

Margaret Ludemann, Tower Crossing homeowner and @properties Realtor, 847-401-1802

Home sales surge, prices rise, time on market falls in The Glen

by

2013 was the year that Glen homeowners have been waiting for.  The Glen is an upscale residential and retail development in Glenview, Illinois in the Chicago area’s North Shore. The real estate market for its homes was exceptionally strong.  Sales were up considerably, prices rebounded nicely, and the time it took to sell homes fell.  Further, nearly every Glen home listed for sale in 2013 sold.

Broad economic factors positively influenced existing home sales in the U.S. which gained 9.3% for the year.  The U.S. economy gathered strength through 2013.  Job growth continued to climb.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate fell to 7% by November 2013 from 7.9% in January 2013 and from its recent high of 10% in October 2009.  Interest rates remained at historically low levels, though they inched upward during the year.  Low rates and the prospect of higher future interest rates served as incentives for many potential home buyers.  Stocks soared during the year with the S & P 500 gaining 29.6% which no doubt made potential home buyers feel more financially secure.

Years of declining values once again brought many bargain hunting investors into the U.S. housing market.  Pent up demand by trade-up buyers also fueled the increase in home sales. 

As prices rose during the year fewer homeowners found themselves “under water” (homes worth less than the mortgage balance), thereby reducing their incentive to sell.  This resulted in a decline of available housing inventory.  Over the last several years sellers far outnumbered buyers, but that was reversed in 2013 giving sellers the negotiating advantage.  The result…further improvement in home prices.

It was the best year for home sales and prices in years, and you will see that reflected in my future blogs dealing specifically with sales of Glen homes.

Margaret Ludemann

Glen homeowner and @properties Realtor

No homes for sale in Tower Crossing in The Glen

by

That’s right.  There are no homes available in Tower Crossing, the luxury townhome development in the heart of The Glen.

The Glen is an upscale residential and retail development in Glenview, Illinois in the Chicago area’s North Shore.  It is composed of eight residential neighborhoods (not counting retirement and assisted living communities) with a total of 1,349 homes and 3912 residents.  Glen Town Center is The Glen’s “Main Street” with scores of shops and restaurants, along with a movie theatre, coffee shop, book store and Kohl Children’s Museum.

Tower Crossing borders Glen Town Center on three sides which puts its residents within a few steps of dining and shopping venues.  This is one of the key attractions of Tower Crossing.  The homes are stunning, but the lifestyle is perhaps even more important to homeowners.

Tower Crossing has 154 four-story brick townhomes, all of which were sold by the developer years ago.  There are 6 models and 8 floor plans ranging in size from 3,031 to 4,105 square feet.  Home prices currently range from the low $600’s to around $800,000.  Many have views of Battery Park, Lake Glenview and The Glen Club’s 18 hole championship golf course.

Back to my point about inventory.  2013 has been an active one for Tower Crossing homes sales.  19 homes have sold and another is under contract waiting to close, but in a development of this size to have nothing currently on the market is rare.  Winter, of course, is typically slow in real estate, but Tower Crossing since its inception in 2003 has always had homes for sale either from the developer (through 2006) or since then from homeowners.  Another reason for no listings?  Because the people who live here LOVE IT.

Undoubtedly we will see some listings after the first of the year, so if you may be interested in Tower Crossing (where I proudly live!) or anywhere in The Glen, please contact me at margaretludemann@gmail.com.

Margaret Ludemann, Tower Crossing resident and @properties Realtor

Tower Crossing sales and prices higher than in 2012

by

On the site of the former Naval air base in Glenview, Illinois sits a residential and retail development called The Glen which has become the premier lifestyle community on the Chicago area’s North Shore.  There are several neighborhoods in The Glen including Chapel Crossing, Landings, Southgate, Tower Crossing, Cambridge, Regency, Glen Shore and Patriot Commons.  In this blog I will discuss home sales and prices in Tower Crossing.

Tower Crossing is a townhome development with 154 beautiful brick homes ranging in size from 3031 sq ft to 4005 sq ft.  Tower Crossing has 6 models, (Astoria, Biltmore, Blackstone, Drake, Omni, and Valencia).

18 Tower Crossing homes have sold so far in 2013.  This exceeds the total number of sales (11) in all of 2012!!!  The following shows the number of sales and prices in 2013 by model:

Astoria:  5 Astorias have sold this year, however 1 was not listed.  The average price of the remaining 4 Astorias sold in 2013 is $669,975.

Biltmore:  0 homes have sold this year.

Blackstone:  6 sales at an average price of $712,000.

Drake:  3 sales at an average price of $687,500.  2 of these homes have elevators which positively impacted the prices paid.

Omni:  3 sales, however 1 was bank owned (it sold for $575,000).  The remaining 2 properties sold for an average of $706,000.  ($705,000 and $707,000.)

Valencia:  1 sale at $615,000.

If you are interested in Tower Crossing or any home in the other Glen neighborhoods, please contact me at 847-401-1802 or by email margaretLudemannl@gmail.com

Margaret Ludemann, Glen Resident & @properties Realtor