November 30, 2007 – In today’s condo market it can’t hurt to have a little good fortune on your side. Chicago’s Mandarin Oriental appears to be trying to harness all the marketing luck it can, hosting The Art Of Feng Shui Exhibit by Dr. Cathy Woo at its sales center on December 3rd. In a press release from Arica Hilton Fine Arts, Feng Shui is described as literally meaning wind and water and is the art of using nature to increase harmony, prosperity and vitality. Dr. Woo’s work highlights how that philosophy affects architecture and homes, which in turn affects everything else.

Palladian Development gets points for creativity and if all that positive energy inspires art aficionados to turn into potential condo buyers then they may have really hit on a new marketing strategy. The 75 story Mandarin Oriental will house 500 units in a mix of hotel condominiums, residences and tower condos. All of the units will have access to the hotel services including limousine service, preferred reservations and seating at the two restaurants planned for the lower levels and housekeeping service, to name a few. Designer Frank Perry will also be available to help with selecting interior finishes for the tower condos.

A 32,000 square foot fitness center and spa with steam rooms, sauna and swimming pool is set to occupy floor 18 and offer residents yoga classes, pilates, cardio and weight training.

With sales at just past the halfway mark, the developer plans to break ground in the first quarter of next year. Completion isn’t expected until 2010 though, so if you need someplace to hang your art before then you can check out other Chicago New Construction Condos that are ready for move in now.

[tags]Mandarin Oriental, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Condos for Sale[/tags]

November 29, 2007 – Burnham Pointe, the twenty-nine story, 298 one and two bedroom unit development in the South Loop Printer’s Row neighborhood is closing in on the top floor. Lower floors are already being sheathed in glass and the parking levels are nearly complete. Construction on this project has been pretty much on schedule and deliveries should begin sometime in the first quarter of 2008.

More than a year ago a small group of protestors from a neighboring building picketed the site to show their displeasure at having their views interrupted by this development. With so much new construction in the city over the past few years it is hard to guarantee a view, with a few exceptions of course. Burnham Point is turning out to be a good looking tower and you could definitely do worse than having it in your line of vision. And the 16,000 square feet of street level retail space can only add to the desirability of the area.

The Terrapin Group is packing plenty of amenities into this Clark Street project. An open air terrace with gas grilling stations, 24 hour doormen, furnished sun deck, fitness center and spa plus party room with kitchen and other common areas will be on tap.

Burnham Pointe will join a growing group of towers to top out this year in the South Loop as well as in other Chicago Neighborhoods.

[tags]Burnham Pointe, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Condos for Sale[/tags]

November 28, 2007 – The Chicago Spire saga seems to have as many twists lately as the future tower’s design. Crain’s reported that the River View Condominium Association filed a lawsuit against Garrett Kelleher and his Shelbourne Development Group. This comes on the heels of a dispute made public earlier in the month over a narrow strip of land between the existing condo complex and the development site. The two parties have been at odds and the stakes were raised today with the legal action thrown into the mix.

The land in question is critical to both the River View complex and the Spire construction site. Shelbourne Development had previously obtained easement from the River View Association to use the land. The point of contention is that Kelleher’s true intent was withheld and the condo association entered into the agreement without being fully informed.

The lawsuit alleges that Thomas J. Murphy, acting as legal representation for Shelbourne, didn’t inform the condo association of the developer’s plans to construct a 7 story underground parking garage until after they had signed binding documents agreeing to the deal. The association had thought that the only excavation that would be done was to accommodate utility lines. The developer now admits that the excavation would cause the townhomes at the base of the River View towers to sink at least two inches and the tower’s lower level could experience significant structural damage.

Shelbourne counters that they were up front with their intent and now questions whether or not the River View Association even owns the rights to the land in question. In a short time Kelleher has managed to become one of the most controversial Condo Builders in Chicago.

[tags]Chicago Spire, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Condos for Sale[/tags]

November 27, 2007 – What’s in a name? Shakespeare may have posed the question first, but marketing agency Torque gave it some serious consideration before they came up with 33Six. Torque used a method called Tribal Intelligence to determine what would grab the attention of the twenty and thirty-something year-olds that developer Irongate Land Company planned on marketing this development to and selling condos. The concept of incorporating a mix of numbers and letters is based on that age group’s fascination with and dependence upon technology-based gadgets like cell phones, BlackBerry and Internet connections. It’s all about marketing, branding and gaining an edge in sales.

33Six launched sales in July. The eleven story West Loop tower will contain 70 loft-style condos with from one to two bedrooms plus optional den, priced from around $230,000 to the mid $400,000 range. Besides the extra attention to giving the building a savvy name, the developer also tailored the amenities to fit that generation’s lifestyle. Instead of focusing on traditional luxury building features like a pool, doorman or party and movie rooms, 33Six will concentrate on personal technology features. The condos will come wired for MP3 docking, have two built-in speakers, high speed Internet and telephone connection, be cable-ready plus have a spot in place for residents to securely mount a flat screen television. The entire building will also have Wi-Fi access available.

The location of 33Six is just as hip as the name and the finishes. Greektown, Randolph Street and the UIC are all nearby, feeding into the image that the building wants to project. In the end though, only the sales figures will say whether or not the marketing campaign for these Chicago Loft style condos worked.

[tags]33Six, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Condos for Sale[/tags]

November 26, 2007 – Scott Greenberg’s development company ECD is currently working on theWit, a $100 million dollar condo hotel project on the corner of Lake and State Streets. Foundation work began on the 26 story tower in July and with the construction crane in place this month the building should start rising.

Greenberg, age 48, is no stranger to development. Following in his father’s foot steps he obtained his real estate license at age 18 and has been making deals ever since. After theWit, his next projects include two more hotels in Lincolnshire and the South Loop, which will operate under the Aloft name. TheWit will be run by the Doubletree chain of hotels.

There will be what the developer calls 238 “standard” hotel rooms on floors 6 through 20. A combination of 48 studio, one and two bedroom hotel condo units will be offered for sale on floors 21 through 26. Hotel amenities will include a private spa for residents and guests, roof top lounge, large movie screening room that can be booked and at least one if not two gourmet restaurants.

TheWit is expected to be completed in early 2009 and will join a growing number of hotels and Pre Construction Condos in Chicago in that area. But it may have an edge with it’s location just two blocks from Millennium Park and right next to the Chicago River. It is also just a short distance from the ongoing Block 37 development project and all of the retail sites there.

[tags]theWit, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Condos for Sale[/tags]

November 24, 2007 – The Home Builders Association of Chicago named Jazz on the Boulevard their 2007 Crystal Key award winner. The award goes to multi-family unit developments that show exceptional design creativity and originality. George Thrush is the developer of this project that combines a mix of townhomes and condos on Drexel Boulevard.

The development gets its name from the 1920′s jazz history associated with neighborhood. The homes range from condos, flats, duplexes, rowhomes and townhomes, all with a Victorian style of architecture that blends in well with the area. The homes come with model names that pay tribute to some of the past jazz legends. The Regal Theater condos and duplexes have a model called the Ellington, The Midway Flats have the Goodman, and The Dreamland Homes have the Armstrong. Other models include The Grand Terrace Townhomes and The Elite Club Homes.

Jazz on the Boulevard incorporates a large green space into the development, complete with mature plantings as well as a courtyard. Nine foot ceilings, balconies, hardwood flooring and carpeting as well as washer and dryer hook-ups are standard. The homes also come pre-wired for phone, cable television and carbon and smoke detectors are hard wired.

This development has homes designed to fit almost any family size or individual and prices that are affordable to a variety of income levels. It is also nearly sold out, so if you can’t find a unit there you might try looking at the Rent to own condos in Chicago until something becomes available.

[tags]Jazz on the Boulevard, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Condos for Sale[/tags]

November 23, 2007 – American Invsco may have come up with the alternative solution to the New York Broadway stage hands strike. Their 200 North Dearborn project now has a Theater Suite available. A recent press release touts it as the perfect weekend getaway for anyone who is a devote of stage productions and enjoys spending a night or two in a luxury condominium.

200 North Dearborn sits close enough for residents to walk to more than a half dozen well-known theaters. The Ford Oriental Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, Goodman Theater, and LaSalle Bank Theatre showcase some of the best productions in town, and American Invsco is entering anyone who takes a tour of their model into a drawing held every week with the prize being a weekend stay for a couple at the Theater Suite. Tickets to a production plus dinner for as many as four additional people will be provided.

This innovative marketing campaign comes on the heels of another recent incentive that American Invsco offered. Parking spaces valued at an estimated $45,000 were being offered for $5,000 along with paid taxes and free assessments for a year when you purchase one of the remaining condos in the 309 unit conversion. Or a buyer could nix the parking space reduction and instead take two years of free assessments and taxes.

As the year winds down, more developers of Downtown Chicago Condos may get creative in an attempt to move units.

[tags]200 North Dearborn, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Condos for Sale[/tags]

November 21, 2007 – X/O Condominiums seems to have scored a knockout in its fight with Alderman Fioretti over a proposed zoning change that would have put a cap of 225 feet on the tower heights. The City Council Zoning Committee was set to review the proposal on Tuesday, but Fioretti decided to withdraw it.

Keith Giles, head of Kargil Development, had filed a lawsuit claiming that it was illegal to reverse the zoning after the project had already been approved. The Alderman was quoted in the Tribune and Sun Times as saying he dropped the proposal in order to avoid tax payer expense for a lengthy court battle.

Since the proposal never came to a vote, we’ll never know for certain if the zoning change would have passed. There are a number of local residents who are opposed to the 1712 South Prairie Avenue development that is expected to break ground in mid 2008. The towers, one 45 stories and the other 33 stories, would have lost around 100 condo units if zoning had changed. As it is, some 200 of the 490 units have sold and the developer hopes that those numbers rise quickly now that the matter is settled. If they don’t, there is always the possibility that lower sales figures could scale down the size of the towers anyway, making the entire months long zoning debate moot.

For news about developments that are a little less controversial, you might want to check the current list of Chicago Condos in Streeterville and see what’s available.

[tags]X/O Condominiums, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Condos for Sale[/tags]

November 20, 2007 – The Chicago Department of Buildings could play the role of Grinch and delay the December 3rd opening of the Trump International Hotel and Tower. The Chicago Tribune reported this morning that Trump has been seeking to obtain a partial certificate of occupancy for the hotel floors, located on levels 14 through 27 of the 92 story high-rise. Work on the building has progressed past the halfway mark, but the city hasn’t signed off on the opening yet.

The plan was to have a soft opening and get the hotel units up and running on three floors by early next month. This would give the project a source of income as construction wraps up and also a chance to work out any bugs in the service and hotel amenities portion. The rest of the hotel suites would open in early 2008 and the entire building would be complete by the end of the first quarter 2009.

The main hold up with the issuance of the certificate is safety. The city could be held responsible if they green-lighted occupancy while construction on the rest of the building is still in progress and something did go wrong. Any personal injury could be a liability of both Trump and the city of Chicago, so every precaution is being taken to insure that the proper emergency exits are in place and none of the hotel guests will be exposed to any foreseeable danger.

The Trump Tower isn’t a sell-out yet, and this delay could possibly hamper a few sales. The market for Chicago Luxury Condos is competitive, and any advantage a developer can optimize could make a substantial difference in early sales.

[tags]Trump Tower, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Condos for Sale[/tags]

November 19, 2007 – The Celtic meaning of the word Dana is bold or daring. The new Dana Hotel and Spa going up on the corner of State and Erie Streets in River North exhibits both of those qualities. From what the developer calls a floating sushi bar to luxurious spa treatments, the Dana should be able to hold its own with the other high profile hotels in town.

Expected to open in mid 2008, the Dana will have 216 units and six spa treatment rooms, including one for couples treatments. There will also be a full exercise facility and a 4,100 square foot rooftop lounge called the Vertigo. The lobby’s conversation centerpiece is a sushi bar that looks as though its floating. Other features include a sake lounge and Japanese steak house. There are also plans for a sidewalk cafe outside the hotel.

The Neighborhood Development Corporation and Gold Coast Hotels Incorporated are the developers of this $60 million dollar, 26 story tower. The original Dana Hotel had occupied the site and developers had considered renovating, but structural issues became too much of an obstacle. The old hotel was demolished in 2006 to make way for the new project. The design by Walter Eckenhoff is slim with each floor only being 5,700 square feet, limiting the number of rooms per level. Everyone walking past the building will be privy to a glimpse of the interior because of the 28 foot high glass curtain wall at the base of the tower.

When you realize all of the luxury services and amenities being offered at the Dana and several new boutique hotels it might make you want to Sell your Chicago Condo and order room service for a while.

[tags]Dana Hotel and Spa, Chicago Illinois, Chicago Condos for Sale[/tags]