THe Spire in Chicago is a stunning new project happening in the heart the city and promises to break world records of height and amenities -- it certainly defies traditional thinking and design when you first lay your eyes on it. It is said that it's creator and chief architect Santiago Calatrava was inspired by natures design and the fundamental elements when he sat at his drafting table and sketched out his first rendering of the Spire. The project is creating a buzz heard around the world and The Spire aims to capture prospective homebuyers from far off lands, and here in the U.S -- some of the targeted demographics residing in: Greater Asia, Japan, India, Canada, South America and European hubs. Calatrava states that it will be the tenants who will bring the concrete and glass its life and flare. Quite a poetic approach to marketing such an beautiful monolith, but its a great way to get people interested worldwide.

The simple fact that this project is being developed illustrates that the market in the U.S has hope of recovering in a somewhat quick order, even in the face of obvious recession. The Chicago condo market is seeing a great consistency and has grown in the midst of this nationwide fervor. Developments like 400 North LaSalle condos and Avenue East condos are seeing consistant traffic and are yeilding great results over all. This market will remain soft, but won't break and everyone is banking on it, its a great thing to see that people are risking billions of dollars in every city across the nation to stimulate the economy with new developments in beautiful areas. Times are rough, but not without the ray of hope and proof that its not over yet.

As our real estate market enters 2008, we can only wonder how low it can go. Let me rephrase. Reports indicate that on the whole, prices in certain cities are heading south and will continue to do so, this year.

Not all cities in our fine country are feeling the heat in the winter in regards to the condo market. Although reports indicate that there is no end in site for the condo market, some cities like Chicago, on the whole, are going strong. According to a recent study, roughly 5900 new condo and new townhome units will be entering the market in Chicago in 2008. That's a lot of new construction in a city...of any size. New condo developments like Spire, Trump Chicago, and the Mandarin won't be helping the median price of the new influx of product.

I find this number intriguing. Almost 6000 new places to live - that's a lot! Even though sales were much slower in 2006 and 2007 developers still are marching forward with new developments.

With a fear of recession, credit crunch, and the media frenzy regarding the worst housing market since the Depression, Chicago condos for sale are actually still slowly heading north. I can understand why. Chicago is one of the greatest cities in the entire country. Despite the blistering cold winters - Chicago is probably the only other place I would like to live.

It is Ol Blue Eye's favorite city, a place where Ferris sang "Twist and Shout", home to the World Fair back in the late 1800's, and quite chilly in the winter.  Yes, Chicago is one of the best cities in the country.  Why is it so grand?  Well, it has some of the best jazz, steaks and architecture in the entire country.  Don't believe me?  Fly or drive there and you'll come to the same conclusion.  I have been to Chi-town recently and the new Chicago condo developments are quite breathtaking. 

I am always curious to know about new developments going up in a city and today, I read some startling news.  The Spire, which is slated for completion in 2011, is poised to be the largest residential development in the world...standing tall at roughly 2,000 feet.  Sales for the Chicago condos went on sale a couple days ago and I'm sure many buyers are going to dig deep and fork up a pretty penny to own in this amazing development.  The marketing gurus are taking this on a 15 city tour across the globe - hitting up all continents.  

The amazing thing about these condos is that no two condos will be alike!  The building is supposed to have 1,194 units ranging from 534 sf to 10,309 sf (2 floor penthouse).  Prices will remain moderate - especially for the 2 floor penthouse which is only $40,000,000.00.  That's a lot of zeroes.  Also, this development will be LEED Certified.  I am going to keep a close eye on this project and am hoping for the best!

The official sales program has begun for what will be the tallest residential and environmentally sound building in the world.  There has been a lot of buzz around these new luxury Chicago condos and the global marketing campaign will include a road show hitting major cities across the world.  The project is of course called The Chicago Spire and has one of the most unique designs created by architect Santiago Calatrava. 

The tower reaches 2,000 feet into the Chicago skyline and has the appearance of a futuristic drill bit.  The amazing Chicago condos are scheduled to be completed in 2011,  The Spire will have 1,194 new condos all with unique floor plans ranging from 500 square feet to well over 10,000 square feet.  The building will also have 52,000 square feet of amenity space including retail space, business facilities, and a children’s playroom!  The condos will start at $750,000 and go to $40,000,000 for the largest two-story penthouse.  Chicago condos have been continuing to sell quite well considering the national housing market statistics.  The absorption rates are still healthy and new developments are moving forward.  The market is expected to have corrected by 2011 but pre-sales are always the most challenging part of the sales cycle in a down market.  Like New York, Chicago is a city that attracts buyers and investors from around the world and is really the original birth place to the sky-scraper.  The global marketing campaign will be crucial in attracting buyers  for pre-sales. 

Chicago’s urban vitality is undeniable and a sound “business model” for other cities to follow.  Chicago is the third largest city in the country and has been undergoing massive redevelopment, infill development and revitalization over the past 10 to 15 years.  Chicago condos and urban retail development combined have set up a perfect frame work for the true urban center for the downtown area.  Much like many other cities where downtown has primarily been composed of office developments, Chicago in the past would shut down after dark.  Once more retail, residential components such as high-rise condos, and infrastructure is set in place...a world of opportunity opens up.

Chicago’s downtown neighborhoods are now among the liveliest in the country because of the sound mixture of office, retails, infrastructure, new condos and residential developments, and transportation.  Other cities in the country are trying to follow the lead and set up a similar model.  What happens especially during a high-rise condo boom is that there is a massive influx of residential inventory flooding the market but not enough infrastructure to support it.  It doesn’t necessarily matter what comes first but one usually is meant to support the other especially when trying to create a real urban environment.  Miami is one of those cities that is trying to incorporate the “Chicago model”.

Equity Residential has done it again with their new conversion - Park Bloomingdale.  This condo conversion is set in the lovely city of Bloomingdale, IL - just outside the city of Chicago.  Residents get the picturesqe and serene lifestyle with only being minutes from Chi-town - one of my favorite cities in the country!  Despite the blistering cold weather in the winter, being named the most "obese" city in the country, living in or near the city of Chicago can be one of the smartest moves you make in life!  I digress - back to Park Bloomingdale.  Units at this this beautiful condo conversion start below $170K and spacious 1bedrooms start at 786 sq ft! This is a steal for Chicago condos!  Only 250 units are for sale so make the move at this affordable development and you won't be disappointed!

Take a look at some recent press featuring www.NewCondosOnline.com regarding the Chicago Condo Market:

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) November 3, 2007 -- Chicago, a city where builders have continued to develop new projects, has been very responsive to the powerful concept of online advertising with Chicago Condos Page of the site, homebuyers have the ability to view 20 listings per page of Chicago's hottest new and pre-construction developments. Some of the most recent projects added to the site, including Vision on State, The Flats on LaSalle, 565 Quincy, and Rainbo Village, have already been receiving hundreds of page views every day from interested new homebuyers. Each listing client on the site can display up to 8 photos of their project and have up to 8 embedded links directing homebuyers to the website for the project and its development team. One advanced feature on www.newcondosonline.com, referred to as the "E-Lead Program" actually allows an interested consumer to request more information regarding a new development by sending their contact details and inquiries directly to the sales office of the project.

According to Brandon Fishman, CEO at NewCondosOnline.com, "The Chicago Condo Market still looks relatively healthy. We currently advertise 23 new Chicago condo projects and our Chicago city page has been receiving excellent homebuyer traffic in 2007. We expect to double this number within the next six months."

Being a Chicago native, I am continually monitoring the status of new condo projects going vertical in the windy city.  I can tell you that right now is an ideal time to start your shopping list for a new home in Chicago, based on a ton of new units that have recently hit the market.  A few to take a special look at include Rainbo Village, 474 North Lake Shore Drive, and 565 Quincy.  Each of these new Chicago condo projects is a great example of ideal location, fantastic amenities, and great price points.  This may be why Chicago is one of the most heavily trafficked city pages on the entire www.NewCondosOnline.com site.  So take a look at the newest Chicago Condo listings today, for an opportunity to get in on a great new or pre-construction project in one of the premier cities in the country.

NewCondosOnline.com is pleased to add yet another new condo project to our Chicago Condos section. Located in the rapidly developing South Loop area, Motor Row Condos is a brand new construction with luxury features at a superb value. New condo buyers will pay no taxes or assessments for a year if they purchase before October 31st! Units are as large as 1,200 square feet and start in the low 200s! In addition to Motor Row Condos, NewCondosOnline.com is showcasing a numbe of other fantastic South Loop Condo projects right now, including Union Row.

Keep checking back on www.newcondosonline.com for new condo and loft projects in the South Loop of Chicago! 

I am headed to Chicago for the weekend to attend an old friend’s wedding over Labor Day. Chicago, much like New York, has been relatively unaffected by the recent and constant negative news on the housing market. This is by far one of the strongest markets on our site, and I attribute this to affordable and readily available inventory in a very sought after city. All one needs to do is take the “EL” train through the inner “loop” of the city to see crane after crane. There are new Chicago condo and loft developments going up everywhere and they are going to be very cool buildings architecturally as well. Many new projects are going up in the South Loop, including Lexington Park, The Lofts at Roosevelt Collection, and Union Row. Another great new Chicago condo project is CA23, being developed by The Brixton Group. www.newcondosonline.com is going to continue to establish great relationships with developers in the Windy City, so I would recommend checking back often if you are on the market as an end-user or an investor for a new home. With the possibility of the Olympics coming to Chicago in a few years, I am personally very excited to see what happens to the real estate market moving forward. projects going up all over the place.

Chicago is one of the competing cities to host the Olympic Games in 2016.  Months of planning goes into one presentation as a city prepares to compete for this honor.  One of the main components in a winning bid is the detailed construction timeline and plans for the Olympic center that will host the festivities.  It is a general rule of thumb that about 20 years of construction occurs over a period of a few years.  Cities that have hosted the Olympics in the past have seen a dramatic effect on their real estate markets in the commercial and retail sectors.  Much planning is involved as one of the crucial pieces of location analysis is finding a place that is centrally located and easily accessible through all transit systems.  The athletes must be able to travel to and from the games stress free and still have access to enjoy the city during the two week period.

"The Olympics has its core in sport, but it touches many professions, including real estate, architecture, media and others," said David Roberts of Jones Lang LaSalle, who outlined the ways in which a successful Olympic bid on the part of Chicago would affect local real estate before and after 2016. Facility construction would be a direct and highly visible impact, he said, but he also pointed to "the multiplier effect" of an accelerated pace of infrastructure renovation and development.

The Chicago skyline has always been very recognizable from the mid-size brick buildings to the steel and glass high-rises.  Like many other major cities, residents are taking another look and modern luxury living in the core of the city.  More young professionals and young families now are considering the true live, work, and play environment because of all the conveniences and amenities afforded by new Chicago condos.  The big city lifestyle is no longer limited to the young singles and empty-nesters due to the development of new Chicago high-rise condos.   Most condo buyers these days are searching online for their new residence and spending months doing research, gathering information, and contacting various sales representatives from the different developments with available units…new construction and pre-construction!  One of the leading resources for finding Chicago condos is www.newcondosonline.com.  New Condos Online connects buyers and sellers on a global scale.  Being a United States based company, the primary focus is on the major cities such as Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, etc.   The company features many new Chicago condo developments for respected home builders such as Belgravia Group, Centrum Properties, The Gammonley Group, The Brixton Group and ma

Month after month we are seeing many of our Chicago new condo developments rank among the highest trafficked on our entire site.  Although there is no clear explanation as to why this is the case, a few possible reasons might be Chicago’s thriving economy, its affordable lifestyle, multiple universities, or simply the fact that developers in this region are making their new projects very attractive to new homebuyers throughout the country.  Take Aveune East for example. Starting in the mid 500s and Located at 160 East Illinois, Avenue East promises sublime and tastefully designed homes and boasts amenities and services to rival the city’s most renowned residences. On it’s eco-friendly “green” roof, you’ll find over 6,000 square feet of exciting, entertaining amenities 26 stories above the city. For residents who choose to stay in shape, a professionally equipped fitness center is available. For entertaining, our Owner’s Clubroom features a full catering kitchen and surround sound theater. This is luxury living, raised high above Michigan Avenue. There is Also CA23, an architecturally innovative 48-unit building in the West Loop.   This project’s noteworthy urban residences feature an unrivaled sophisticated amenity package including: Pedini custom cabinetry imported from Italy, state-of-the-art kitchen finishes such as Fisher & Paykel and DCS by Fisher and Paykel, and luxurious bathroom finishes such as Grohe, Hansgrohe and Toto.

www.newcondosonline.com has just added six of Centrum Properties' new condo and loft projects on our Chicago City Page. One of the most anticipated Centrum projects is The St. Clair at CityFront Plaza. Located in the downtown loop, The St. Clair is the newest of CityFront Plaza's elegant trio of residences, with architectural details and a selection of amenities that are unsurpassed in the neighborhood. With a completion date of 2009 and 261 total units, the price-points are a perfect fit for the cities thriving economy, ranging from $380,000 - $3,000,000. Take a look at the other 5 Centrum projects on NCO’s Chicago City Page. Other must-see Centrum developments include: The Lofts at Roosevelt Collection, No.

NCO will soon be showcasing Centrum Properties' new and pre-construction condo developments. Since 1980, Centrum Properties has built a reputation as one of the most respected and innovative real estate developers in the Chicago metropolitan area and beyond.

What's wrong with this picture. It's raining on a late April day in San Diego and in Chicago its sunny and warm. I guess the condo sales offices in the windy city will be doing better than those in the finest city. I mean if you can't go outside in San Diego you pretty much can't do anything. Chicago is used to covering up and staying inside so they must feel pretty good right now. The real down side to rain in Southern California is watching the natives drive. It's like going to an old school car derby, where drivers try to destroy other cars. Here all of the accidents become the news story of the day. The sky becomes overcast and suddenly all of the drivers go into a trance and start ramming everything in sight, or sliding through intersections. Here is some advice to SoCal drivers: If you find yourself in Chicago in late January, and white stuff is falling from the sky, take a cab.

If you are in search of a good deal on a new condo or loft in Chicago, look no further than www.newcondosonline.com. We have recently aggregated many of the top new and pre-construction projects going up in the Windy City.

As you may have read before on this blog, there has been a lot of hype about Chicago residential real estate development, and its strong growth in a nationally crawling market.  Well, www.newcondosonline.com has added yet another pre-construction project to its Chicago Listings.  Chieftain Group, an Ireland based developer, is in the new construction phase of a 297 condo and 36 loft project, called Lexington Park in Chicago’s south loop. The development will feature two buildings, a 35-story condominium high-rise and a seven-floor low-rise featuring loft residences.  Something that really sets Lexington Park apart from its neighboring communities lies in the fact that it will be the first LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Certified condominium in the south loop neighborhood of Chicago.  The completion date for the project is estimated to be in the summer of 2008.

We have seen a re-surgence of condos in Chicago. Here at www.newcondosonline.com we have just added 3 brand new developments in Chicago this week. These amazing projects are all represented by FireStar Communications.

The first project is 474 North lake Shore Dr:

Affordable luxury on Lake Shore Drive close to the lake, river, Michigan Avenue and all thing Chicago. 474 North Lake Shore Drive, one of the area’s most prominent lakefront towers, is now one of the city’s premier condominium addresses. Now is the perfect time to live the downtown lifestyle or purchase a second home right on the lake. Experience exclusive building amenities such as:

• Magnificent city views

• State-of-the-art health club with indoor pool, sauna, and fitness center

• 1,200 square foot party room

• 16th floor sundeck with gas grills

• Enclosed parking

• On-site dry cleaners

• 24-hour doorman and maintenance staff

The second project is 400 North LaSalle: