Darien, IL 60561 - Current Housing Market

The chart shows the market activity in Darien in the last 30 days based on information from the MRED Multiple Listing Service.

There are currently 108 active listings of detached single family homes as of 07/29/2010.

The median list price is $342,450.00

In the last 30 days there have been 4 closed sales.

The median sales price was $281,500.00

At the current rate of absorption there are 27.00 months of unsold single family inventory in Darien. This level of inventory is considered an over supply.

A Short Sale designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright usually don't come to mind when you are talking about Short Sales, but the condition of the economy is affecting property in all price ranges.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Mary Adams House in Highland Park, IL. is a "Prairie Style" home built in 1905.

Priced at $589,000 it's located one block from Lake Michigan. For more information contact listing agent Bryan Firth at 847-951-1233

Clarendon Hills, IL 60514 - Current Housing Market

The chart shows the market activity in Clarendon Hills in the last 30 days based on information from the MRED Multiple Listing Service.

There are currently 91 active listings of detached single family homes as of 07/29/2010.

The median list price is $549,900.00

In the last 30 days there have been 9 closed sales.

The median sales price was $450,000.00

At the current rate of absorption there are 10.11 months of unsold single family inventory in Clarendon Hills. This level of inventory is considered an over supply.

People’s Choice Best Real Estate Blog Award

Voting has begun for the Zillow-sponsored “People’s Choice Best Real Estate Blog Award” in Chicago, and the Chicago Real Estate Blog is among the nominees!

Here’s how it works: Visitors can click on the badge above and vote for their favorite real estate blogger. Anyone can vote once per 24 hours. Voting ends at noon (PDT) on Aug. 11, 2010. Once the voting is over, the blog with the most votes will be declared the winner in each city. You can vote for the Chicago Real Estate Blog by selecting citywide.blogspot.com at Zillow

Frank Lloyd Wright house listed in Oak Park

The George Furbeck House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright has been listed for sale. This Oak Park home was built in 1897 at a time when Wright was experimenting with different architectural styles. The asking price is $1.1 million. Check out the listing for photo's of the interior.

Ernest Hemingway's Last Oak Park, Home

This was Ernest Hemingway's final Oak Park Home. The family lived in this house from 1906 to 1920.

Hemingway lived here while he attended Oak Park and River Forest High School from 1913 until 1917.

After leaving high school he went to work for The Kansas City Star as a reporter. In 1918 Hemingway became a Red Cross ambulance driver in Italy.

Hemingway Interim House

One of the tests to see if a home is historic is who lived there. Ernest Hemingway lived in this house for a short time in 1905 and 1906 while the family awaited completion of their new house a few blocks away.

Known as the Hemingway Interim House, this Oak Park home is a good example of historic preservation at work.

The house was located on the site of what is now the new Oak Park Library and was going to be torn down. The current owners thought it worthy of preservation, bought the house for $1.00 and moved it to a new site.

Ernest Hemingway's Oak Park Home

The village of Oak Park is rich in history and was the boyhood home of author Ernest Hemingway.

In this Victorian, Queen Anne style house Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899.

The house was built around 1890 for Ernest Hall, Hemingway's grandfather. The Hemingway's lived in this house until 1905.

The next foreclosure crisis

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Signs of Life: Housing

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Money Magazine - “100 Best Places to Live”

Money Magazine's annual “100 Best Places to Live” list is out and four Illinois towns were selected. Chosen for their healthy job markets, excellent schools, safe neighborhoods, low crime rates, and recreational opportunities, Bolingbrook #43, Naperville #54, Mt. Prospect #56 and Arlington Heights #59.

Bolingbrook and Joliet were listed in the Top 25 “Places Where Homes are Affordable.”

In the list as destinations for the rich and single Oak Park #13 and Evanston #16 have singles making up more than 30 percent of their overall population.

Unincorporated Leyden Township, IL 60164 - Current Housing Market

Property in the unincorporated area use a Melrose Park address and the Northlake zip code 60164

The chart shows the market activity in Unincorporated Leyden Township in the last 30 days based on information from the MRED Multiple Listing Service.

There are currently 57 active listings of detached single family homes as of 07/18/2010.

The median list price is $188,900.00

In the last 30 days there have been 6 closed sales.

The median sales price was $108,500.00

At the current rate of absorption there are 9.50 months of unsold single family inventory in Unincorporated Leyden Township. This level of inventory is considered an over supply.

River Forest, IL 60305 - Current Housing Market

The chart shows the market activity in River Forest in the last 30 days based on information from the MRED Multiple Listing Service.

There are currently 96 active listings of detached single family homes as of 07/17/2010.

The median list price is $750,000.00

In the last 30 days there have been 15 closed sales.

The median sales price was $565,000.00

At the current rate of absorption there are 6.40 months of unsold single family inventory in River Forest. This level of inventory is considered an over supply.

The Lustron house

Lustron houses are prefabricated enameled steel houses developed after World War II. They were usually built on a concrete slab, with enameled steel panels inside and out, steel framing and a steel roof.

The pre-fab pieces were brought to the site in a Lustron Corporation delivery truck and constructed by a team of workers who were supposed to complete a house in 360 man-hours.

The Lustron Corporation was based in Chicago. In 1949 they were selling these little homes for an average of $10,500. The homes were popular and can be found in many Chicago suburbs. This one with the "Maize Yellow" exterior is located in Downers Grove, IL.

The Lustron Corporation declared bankruptcy in 1950. About 2,000 Lustron homes are still in existence in 36 states.

Downers Grove, IL 60515, 60516 - Current Housing Market

The chart shows the market activity in Downers Grove in the last 30 days based on information from the MRED Multiple Listing Service.

There are currently 414 active listings of detached single family homes as of 07/16/2010.

The median list price is $399,000.00

In the last 30 days there have been 49 closed sales.

The median sales price was $337,500.00

At the current rate of absorption there are 8.45 months of unsold single family inventory in Downers Grove. This level of inventory is considered an over supply.

Lombard, IL 60148 - Current Housing Market

The chart shows the market activity in Lombard, 60148 in the last 30 days based on information from the MRED Multiple Listing Service.

There are currently 286 active listings of detached single family homes as of 07/09/2010.

The median list price is $274,900.00

In the last 30 days there have been 24 closed sales.

The median sales price was $243,000.00

At the current rate of absorption there are 11.92 months of unsold single family inventory in Lombard. This level of inventory is considered an over supply.

Maywood Historic Home House Walk

This Queen Anne is the Jacob Bohlander House built in 1884 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Bohlander House will be part of the Maywood Historical House Tour this Sunday July 11. The walking tour will have (5) houses open for viewing, and the trolley tour will include (18) exteriors. The starting... point for the tour will be 1st Congregational Church at 400 N 5th, Maywood, Il. (corner of 5th and Erie),time will be 1-5PM and cost $15.

http://www.nomco.org/

This month in Real Estate July 2010

Addison, IL 60101 - Current Housing Market

The chart shows the market activity in Addison, IL 60101 in the last 30 days based on information from the MRED Multiple Listing Service.

There are currently 196 active listings of detached single family homes as of 07/06/2010.

The median list price is $282,725.00

In the last 30 days there have been 24 closed sales.

The median sales price was $217,500.00

At the current rate of absorption there are 8.17 months of unsold single family inventory in Addison. This level of inventory is considered an over supply.

Maywood Historic Home House Walk

The North Maywood Community Organization will be hosting it's 5th annual Historic Home House Walk next Sunday July 11 2010. New on the walk this year is the George Stahmer House, built in 1913 and shown in the photo. The Stahmer House is a Prairie School design by architect William Drummond. Maywood has 17 houses on the National Register of Historic Places with more eligible, some of which will be open for interior viewing. The starting point for the tour will be 1st Congregational Church at 400 N. 5th (corner of 5th and Erie), time will be 1-5PM and cost $15. This should again be an exciting year for those interested in historic homes and architecture and a great opportunity to view an often overlooked community.

Hinsdale, IL 60521 - Current Housing Market

The chart shows the market activity in Hinsdale in the last 30 days based on information from the MRED Multiple Listing Service.

There are currently 274 active listings of detached single family homes as of 07/06/2010.

The median list price is $939,000.00

In the last 30 days there have been 37 closed sales.

The median sales price was $670,000.00

At the current rate of absorption there are 7.41 months of unsold single family inventory in Hinsdale. This level of inventory is considered an over supply.

Happy 4th of July!!! God Bless America!

This is Austin Town Hall, located in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, its a replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Happy 4th of July.