ChitownLiving | Chicago Real Estate + Life

Apologies for not posting more often. My attention has been diverted for two reasons…
First, I have been extremly busy assisting clients in the purchase and sale of real estate in Chicago. This is my primary duty and job.
Second, my business partner and I have been working on the launch of our new team [...]

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I was showing clients of mine properties in East Lake View this past weekend when I stumbled across the sign above. I could not resist taking the photo…and writing this post. Whenever clients are contemplating the purchase of a garden unit I always discuss the pros and cons. Now I have one [...]

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Tipped to this great PEW Center report via BlueRoof Blog. The state of IL received an overall grade of C and surprise, surprise a C- for money management. I didn’t even know states went to school.

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Thanks YoChicago for pointing us to The List, Chicago Magazine’s list of 171 great Chicago websites. We didn’t make the cut but the list includes some real gems. The list is categorized by subject area for easy reference. And they allow for commenting if you find your favorite site has been snubbed.

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A very entertaining and funny version of The 12 Days of Christmas performed by Straight no Chaser. The 12 Days of Christmas, funny you ask? Turn up the volume and watch till the end, only 3 minutes. Guaranteed to make you bounce in your seat.

Happy Holidays from chitownpropertygroup! See you [...]

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Too fitting for this time of year.  Below is a message from my alderman…
Dear Neighbor, On Wednesday, October 24, 2007 a bat was found in the vicinity of 1435 West Fletcher Avenue. It was submitted for rabies examination and determined to be rabid by the Illinois State Public Health Labratory. All residents should keep their [...]

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A colleague of mine took some great photos after the storm that ripped through Chicago on 8/23.  The photos were taken in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. A downed tree shows the force of the storm… Yes, there is an auto under the brush…   Photos courtesy of Pete Zanzarella.  A great agent and photographer as well. [where: 2500 [...]

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  We have had a lot of rain in Chicago this Spring and Summer.  Above are two typical corners in my neighborhood of Lincoln Park.  The photos were taken several hours after the rain ended.  I never remember this happening.  Corners that were once dry after a storm seem to flood.  The corner at the end of my street was just [...]

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Thanks for the Chicago visit Sellsius° (Rudy and Joe).  Great to meet you guys.  Safe travels to San Fran and Bloggers Connect.  Have a fantastic time.  Oh, and thanks to Brad, Inman that is, for picking up my parking ticket.  You guys are sending the ticket along right?

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Been meaning to post this one for a while.  Crain’s Chicago Business has introduced their interactive golf map.  They also have a nice PDF version of the guide. My local public course, Sydney Marovitz, located in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood at Addison and Lake Shore Drive is not listed.  Views of the lake and city from [...]

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A very timely map this Memorial Day weekend, the Chicago Gas Prices Map was brought to my attention courtesy of WindyBits.  While they are working on building a master list of gas stations, it looks like the data is input manually as opposed to uploaded from a central database.  The stations in my neighborhood are missing but nice idea nonetheless. [...]

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You see, ChitownLiving is my first love, but I have a second love, my Supera Playlot blog which paid off big time yesterday.  Does money buy votes I ask?  See for yourself.  Even still, ChitownLiving is my one true love.

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When I want a lunchtime treat, one of my favorite noontime stops is Branko’s Sandwich Shop in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.  Granted, in Chicago there are many places to get a burger and fries, but what sets this place apart for me is the service.  The owners tend the counter and going there is like [...]

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  Be sure to “use hand signals” and “never use earphones” when riding a bike warns the Chicago Department of Transportation on their interactive Chicago Bike Map website.  Wearing earphones is actually illegal, something I didn’t know.  Also check out their Chicago Bike Program Website. Image Source:  City of Chicago Department of Transportation

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I came out of my house this morning and saw that the apartment building next to my home had been tagged with graffiti.  Yes, I did crop the image as I do not want to give the hooligan the attention they desire.  Same thing happened to my freshly painted garage door a year ago. To get this removed [...]

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Sounding (writing) like a broken record, I again reference Seth’s site.  Many of my clients make a home purchase and then head out to stores such as Best Buy to load up on the latest electronics gear for that surround sound theatre. Bring in the item price from the store website and the store will match [...]

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Temps in the 50’s this week and forecast in the 60’s next week, it’s time for Spring cleaning in Chicago.  To think I used to send tips such as turn your clock ahead and put fresh batteries in your smoke detector out via postcard … one measly tip at a time. Check out Seth’s blog for [...]

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I am a big fan of Seth Godin.  His posts have nothing to with real estate directly, but he has a knack for making me think about marketing, blogging, and customer service in ways I have never thought about before.  In his latest post, he supports the act of business blogging in his very unique and concise way.  Blogging is not about webite [...]

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My daughter loves blueberries and strawberries.  As a result, we make frequent trips to the market to restock our supply of fresh fruit.  This past Sunday, my wife, daughter, and I stopped at, or rather tried to stop at, our local Whole Foods on the corner of North Avenue and Sheffield. The parking lot was a [...]

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These four quaint homes are located right around the corner from my neighborhood Starbucks in Lincoln Park’s, Wrightwood Neighborhood in Chicago.  You don’t see a lot of frame homes being built in the neighborhood anymore, as the trend is toward larger, solid masonry structures.  These four homes stand in unified defiance against that trend and add some character [...]

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