home prices

Construction of Westgate at the Glen is in high gear…homes are still available

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There are still single family homes, row homes and townhomes available at Westgate at The Glen in Glenview Illinois on Chicagoland’s north shore. Westgate is a new residential development at the corner of Shermer Road and West Lake Avenue, across the street from two outstanding golf courses.  It is also a short walk to Glen Town Center‘s many shops and restaurants. The developer is E.R. James Homes, a well-regarded local builder who earned his Glen props over a decade ago when he developed the super popular, high end Southgate neighborhood.

The Westgate development is well under way. In fact the Phase 2 Grand Opening for the row homes is scheduled for this upcoming weekend (May 2 & 3). The important thing to know, however, is that there are still new construction homes available whether your interest is in single family properties, row homes or Mews townhomes.

Perhaps the hottest residential trend these days is first floor master bedrooms. Westgate’s single family homes and some of their row homes offer first floor masters, so if that’s important to you and if you want to live in the Glen, this is the place for you.

Westgate’s single family homes range in size roughly between 2600 and 3000 square feet; and they offer three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and two-car garages. The gourmet kitchens will take your breath away. Delivery of the single family homes will be in 2016. Prices range between the upper $700’s and low $800’s.

The row homes range in size between about 1885 and 2464 square feet and in price between the low $500’s and low $600’s, great pricing for new homes of this size and quality. This is especially true given that it is in the ultra-popular Glen. A few first floor models and end units are still available!

The Mews townhomes have three levels, screened in porches and decks. A very cool option is to build the porch into an internal den. These homes range in size between 2000 and 2200 square feet, and a few end units are still available. Delivery can be anticipated in late 2015 to early 2016.  Prices range between the high $400’s and low $500’s.

If you’re interested in Westgate homes and Glen living please contact me. I am a long time Glen homeowner and @properties Realtor, and I would be delighted to help you select your perfect home whether in Westgate or elsewhere.

Margaret Ludemann, Realtor

margaret.ludemann@CBexchange.com     847-401-1802

Diverse home types at Cambridge at The Glen

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Cambridge is the most architecturally diverse neighborhood in The Glen. Most Glen neighborhoods are composed of either traditional single family homes (such as Southgate, Chapel Crossing, and Landings) or attached properties (such as Tower Crossing’s townhomes and Glenshore’s condos). In Cambridge, however, you have more choices.

A little background. The Glen is a luxury residential and retail development on the grounds of the former Navy airbase in Glenview Illinois which closed in 1995. It is composed of nine neighborhoods with privately owned homes, plus assisted care and retirement communities. The neighborhoods with privately owned homes have over 2,000 residents. Glen Town Center, The Glen’s popular retail area, offers scores of restaurants and shops…convenient to all homes in the development. Two outstanding golf courses, including The Glen Club‘s 18 hole championship course designed by Tom Fazio, are adjacent to The Glen.

Back to Cambridge. This neighborhood has 279 beautiful homes; here is the breakdown by home type:

  • 108 townhomes and row homes
  • 104 traditional single family homes
  • 35 duplexes
  • 13 two-flats
  • 19 estate-style single family homes

Home prices in Cambridge range from the $400’s to over a million dollars. There is also great diversity in the sizes of these homes, from less than 2,000 square feet to more than 4,000 square feet. The large estate homes and striking townhomes grace a grand boulevard in the center of Cambridge, while charming Rockwellian “front porch Americana” homes adorn smaller side streets with names like Butterfly Lane and Sundrop Drive.  Tasteful landscaping enhances the beauty of the Cambridge neighborhood and of each home.

Cambridge at The Glen is about living the good life …comfortably, conveniently and fully. If you may be interested in The Glen, please contact me. I have been a Glen homeowner since 2003; and I am an award-winning north shore Realtor.

Margaret Ludemann

@properties Realtor      847-401-1802   Margaret.Ludemann@gmail.com

What if your realtor doesn’t know the Glen neighborhoods?

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Home purchases can go south when buyers are ill advised by uninformed realtors. I run into this all the time here in The Glen (in Glenview IL) where there are ten unique neighborhoods with different types of homes, different sizes, and different price points. This is especially true for attached homes such as townhomes, condos, and duplexes because there typically are multiple models within a development that have their own unique characteristics and price histories.

The Regency at the Glen development is a prime example. Regency offers 104 townhomes, 38 duplexes, and two single family homes. There are four models of townhomes with sizes ranging from 1523 square feet to 1835 square feet. The beautiful duplexes come in two basic models, and like the townhomes there are many upgrades that add value. I was recently involved in a deal in this development where I represented a townhome seller. Another realtor brought a potential buyer to the home, and an offer was made. The offer was extremely low, but the buyer and his agent didn’t think so. Why? Because the realtor found “comps” (the prices of recent sales of supposedly similar Regency homes) that were incorrect. The realtor was not intimately familiar with that market and didn’t realize that he was finding comps for the wrong model which was much smaller than my listed property. The buyer was ill advised, being told that the home should sell for $X. So his expectation was set at an unrealistically low price. I had to educate the buyer’s realtor about the various models, their sizes, their upgrades, and price histories.

This happens frequently in Tower Crossing at the Glen as well where there are six basic townhome models and significant variations even within each model; and some of the upgrades make material differences in price. For instance some models have expensive elevators while others do not. Tower Crossing’s homes vary in size from 3037 square feet to 4105 square feet…a significant difference. Home prices range, based on model and upgrades, between the low $600’s to nearly $900,000. So for a buyer to be properly advised, the realtor has to understand Tower Crossing intimately.

The bottom line is this: If you are buying a home be sure to find a realtor who is very, very familiar with the specific neighborhoods in which you are looking at homes. If you choose the wrong one, you may be making a costly mistake.

Margaret Ludemann, @properties Realtor

847-401-1802  margaretludemann@gmail.com

Million dollar homes in The Glen

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Of the 62 home sales in the Glen in 2014, 18 were for over $1,000,000. The Glen, on Chicago’s north shore in Glenview Illinois, is a luxury home residential development at the site of the former Naval Air Station Glenview.

There are several distinct neighborhoods in the Glen built by a variety of developers. Of these, three experienced $1+ million dollar sales last year: 3 were in Chapel Crossing, 4 were in Landings (formerly Concord), and 11 were in Southgate.

Southgate has the highest percentage of million dollar homes. In fact, of the 237 single family homes in the neighborhood, it is rare for a home to sell for under $1,000,000. The highest price paid for a home in 2014 was $2.2 million dollars, and it was in Southgate on property bordering the The Glen Club 18 hole championship golf course. Homes bordering the golf course have dramatic views, and the lots are larger than in any other area of Southgate and The Glen. The other ten Southgate homes with million dollar sales in 2014 sold for an average of $1,265,000. There are currently three Southgate homes listed for sale at over a million dollars: $2,795,000 and $1,799,000 and $1,689,000.

The four million dollar homes in Landings sold for $1,225,000 and $1,193,000 and $1,100,000 and $1,015,000, an average of $1,113,250.

The three million dollar homes in Chapel Crossing sold for $1,065,000 and $1,055,000 and $1,040,000, an average of $1,053,333.

Of the 18 Glen homes that sold for more than a million dollars in 2014 only 2 realtors sold multiple homes. There are more than 170 realtors in Glenview. I was fortunate to be among the three.

If you may be interested in purchasing a Glen home, please contact me. I am a long time Glen homeowner and a realtor affiliated with @properties.

Margaret Ludemann  

margaret.ludemann@gmail.com   847-401-1802

The Glen’s Glen Shore condos offer luxury and affordability

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The Glen in Glenview Illinois on Chicago’s north shore consists of privately owned homes, rental apartments, retirement communities and Navy housing. Of the 1,252 privately owned homes, occupied by 3,725 residents, you’ll find single family homes, townhomes, row homes, duplexes, two-flats and condo apartments. The largest of the various neighborhoods, Southgate, has 299 homes and 1,039 residents.

On the other end of the spectrum is Glen Shore, a luxury condo development with 31 units and 46 residents; and that’s my subject for today’s blog. Glen Shore is located at 2300 Chestnut Avenue, east of Attea Middle School, near Lehigh. It’s in the same area as Glenview State Bank. It is an attractive brick building with one, two and three bedroom units. The homes in the west side of the building have lovely views of Lake Glenview and Gallery Park which are the center pieces of The Glen.

One of the great attractions to Glen Shore is its proximity to the Glenview Park Center and Gallery Park. The park center offers a health & fitness center, indoor track, swimming pools, water park, a basketball court, and a senior center. Gallery Park has walking trails, tennis courts, playing fields, a lookout tower, amphitheater, Little Bear Garden, and fishing in Lake Glenview. Glen Shore is also equally convenient to the Glenview Train Station with Metra service to Chicago and Amtrak service to Milwaukee and the North Glenview/Glen Metra Station. Glen Town Center’s many shops and restaurants are also nearby.

The condos are beautiful units. One bedroom homes can be purchased in the $300s and larger unit pricing is in the $400s and $500s depending on size and view. The problem is that few come on the market due to the number and quality of homes and affordability. No homes sold in 2014, though three were sold in 2013.

If you may be interested in Glen Shore or other homes in The Glen, please contact me. I am a Glen resident and an award winning Realtor affiliated with @properties.

Margaret Ludemann, 847-401-1802  margaretludemann@gmail.com