luxury homes

Westgate at the Glen Update

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It has been a couple of months since I last blogged about Westgate, the new construction housing development in The Glen in Glenview Illinois. At that time I told you about the “reservation event” which allowed early registrants to receive more information about the proposed development and arrange appointments with developer E.R. James Partners to select home types and locations. Two months later the vast majority of homes have been sold, though many are still available. Home construction has not yet begun, though as you can see from the attached photo, the builder has initiated grading. Work on underground infrastructure should begin soon.

Westgate, which is located on nearly 30 acres of land at the northwest corner of W. Lake Avenue and Shermer Road, offers 173 luxury homes. There will be 71 row homes, 68 mews townhomes, and 34 single family homes with first floor master bedroom suites. The development will have professionally landscaped common areas; and it will provide nearly maintenance-free living.

The early interest in Westgate suggests that this will be a popular addition to The Glen which already has 8 lovely neighborhoods with a wide variety of home types including single family, townhomes, row homes, duplexes, two-flats, villas, and condo apartments. In addition to beautiful homes the Glen offers two golf courses, upscale shopping, and over 20 restaurants in Glen Town Center. A local Metra station gets residents into downtown Chicago in 44 minutes. The development is also convenient to O’Hare International Airport by car.

If you are interested in living in The Glen, please contact me at 847-401-1802 or by email, margaret.ludemann@gmail.com.

Margaret Ludemann, Glen homeowner and @properties Realtor

Only 1 Tower Crossing home for sale, and it’s a great one

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Only one Tower Crossing townhome is currently for sale, at 1840 Admiral Court. Tower Crossing is a 154 luxury townhome development in The Glen, the north shore’s finest lifestyle community in Glenview, Illinois. Tower Crossing is an ultra-popular Glen development, owing its popularity to the homes’ stunning architecture inside and out, quality construction, and location.

These 4 story brick homes are huge, ranging in size from 3031 sq ft to 4105 sq ft. They border Glen Town Center (the Glen’s retail and shopping “main street”) making them particularly handy for shopping and dining.

1840 Admiral Court is a “Blackstone”, one of the most sought after models in the development. Blackstones offer 3840 sq ft, and they open to a large, professionally landscaped courtyard. In fact, each Blackstone model has both a deck and a covered patio facing this beautiful area.

It’s hard to find townhomes with 4 bedrooms, but that’s what you’ll find at 1840 Admiral Court, along with 2.2 bathrooms. You’ll also find a walk-thru butler’s pantry connecting the gourmet kitchen to the dining room. The kitchen offers granite counters, custom maple cabinets, and a large island. The spacious owner’s suite has a large bedroom, a lovely seating area, a private bath with a whirlpool tub and double sinks, and his/her walk-in closets.

1840 Admiral Court is offered at $785,000 which is a great price for this model. So if you may be interested in Tower Crossing, you should move quickly. There is only one for sale, and it’s a great home at a great price.

Margaret Ludemann

Tower Crossing homeowner and @properties Realtor  margaretludemann@gmail.com   847-401-1802

Mid-Year analysis of Tower Crossing home prices

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Since I haven’t written about the Tower Crossing neighborhood in The Glen since February, I thought I would provide an update on pricing. Tower Crossing has 154 luxury townhomes ranging in size from 3031 sq ft to 4015 sq ft depending on model. Yes indeed, these are large homes! They reside in The Glen, the North Shore’s premier lifestyle community in Glenview Illinois. All homes are of brick construction, and they are 4 stories high. A particularly attractive benefit of living in Tower Crossing is that it borders Glen Town Center on 3 sides. GTC is The Glen’s main shopping and dining “main street”.

Like every housing development in the country, home prices rose rapidly between 2003 and 2006; then they dropped from 2007 until late 2012. Since then, they have recovered nicely.

2014 PRICES:

The price p/sq ft of the 3 non-distressed Tower Crossing homes that have sold in the first half of 2014 is $215.21. This was heavily influenced by an $850,000 sale, the highest price paid for a TC home in at least 6 years.

2013 PRICES:

The prices of the 8 homes that sold in the first half of 2013 averaged $195.78. Thus, Tower Crossing prices increased by 9.9% comparing the first halves of the two years.

PRICES 5 YEARS AGO:

In 2009 (during the heart of the real estate market collapse) Tower Crossing homes sold for an average of $179.43 p/sq ft. Thus prices have increased by 19.9% from 2009 to the first half of 2014.

Price appreciation in 2012 through 2014 has brought original homeowners back roughly to where they began in 2013. Most homeowners who bought in the 2005/06 timeframe still have some catching up to do on prices. Most who bought in 2009 through 2013 have realized a gain in the value of their homes.

If you would like to learn more about living in The Glen please call me at 847-401-1802 or send an email to MargaretLudemann@gmail.com. I am a long time Glen homeowner and an award winning realtor affiliated with @properties.

Margaret Ludemann

Chapel Crossing at The Glen… a great place for families

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Chapel Crossing is an upscale housing development in The Glen, in Glenview Illinois. It consists of 168 luxury homes, all single family detached.

It was constructed 13 years ago when The Glen was just getting under way. The developer was Kimball Hill Homes which also developed nearby Tower Crossing. Homes in Chapel Crossing range in size from 2300 sq ft to 4200 sq ft with most being toward the high end of this range. The architecture is traditional, and the interior designs are elegant yet comfortable. All have large beautifully landscaped yards and detached garages.

The development is named after the lovely chapel at the corner of Patriot Boulevard and Chestnut Avenue which had served as the place of worship for the Naval Air Station Glenview which is the former occupant of the land upon which The Glen now resides. The Chapel still stands, though now it is used mainly for weddings, community events and a pre-school.

The main entrance into Chapel Crossing is from Patriot on Independence Avenue. Kimball Hill Homes wished to create a grand boulevard of large, stately homes; and the firm succeeded masterfully. The boulevard has a broad, wonderfully landscaped median with many park-like amenities including benches, play areas, and large trees.

The real estate market in Chapel Crossing is stable. As the primary homeowner demographic is defined by families with children, the annual turnover of homes is relatively small. In 2013, only 9 homes were sold (5.3% of the development.) Home prices range from about $900,000 to roughly $1.25 million. Prices last year averaged $1,031,527.

Chapel Crossing resides across Chestnut Avenue to Attea Middle School, the Glenview Park Center, Little Bear Garden,  and Gallery Park. It is but a short walk to Glen Town Center, The Glen’s main shopping and restaurant area, and to two impressive golf courses.

If you would like to learn about living in Chapel Crossing please email me at margaret.ludemann@gmail.com or call at 847-401-1802. I am a Glen homeowner and an award-winning realtor affiliated with @properties.

Margaret Ludemann

Home prices UP at Southgate On The Glen

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There is evidence that Southgate On The Glen home prices are improving in 2014. This is consistent with real estate markets in greater Glenview, the North Shore, and most of the country. Southgate is a housing development in The Glen, the North Shore’s premier lifestyle community in Glenview, Illinois. Single family luxury homes in Southgate generally sell in a range from $1 million to $1.5 million unless they are “estate” homes on The Glen Club’s golf course in which case the range is typically between $1.5 – $2.2 million. Some have sold for more. Southgate also has townhomes and villas, however they are not a part of this report and blog.

In my last blog I reported on home SALES in Southgate. Here are my calculations to substantiate the improvement in Southgate PRICES:

  • Through June 15 this year, the prices of the 4 Southgate homes that have closed have averaged $332.55 per square foot (hereinafter “p/sq ft”).All are detached/single family homes, but not on the golf course.
  • In the same period last year (January 1 – June 15) the prices of the 5 homes that closed averaged $283.56 p/sq ft. (also non-golf course) This represents an increase of 17.3%.
  • The prices of Southgate (non-golf course) homes sold in all of last year averaged $294.61 p/sq ft. Obviously the prices increased last year from June 15 through the end of the year by $11.05 p/sq ft.
  • Comparing this year’s prices ($332.55 p/sq ft) vs. all of last year ($294.61 p/sq ft), we see an increase of 12.9%.

We should be cautious in reading too much in these numbers because we only have 4 sales this year. Any single sale could throw off the average. But because the percentage improvement is so substantial, I believe it is fair to assume that prices in Southgate have indeed increased to some degree. At year end we will have more 2014 sales to compare against last year; thus the percentage improvement will be more certain.

Margaret Ludemann, Homeowner in The Glen and @properties Realtor

847-401-1802,margaretludemann@gmail.com