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    <title>Brian Schwind | Schwind Realty | Blog</title>
    <link>http://activerain.com/blogs/bschwind</link>
    <description>Insights, advise, tips, and comments from Chicago&#8217;s favorite REALTOR&#174;.  Current Chicago affairs, money saving tips, cutting edge technology, and superior client service techniques.</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <item>
      <guid>61686</guid>
      <title>500 S Clinton #416, Chicago, IL 60607</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;$239000 GREAT 1 bedroom LOFT! Fantastic Central Location! Parking INCLUDED&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.schwindrealty.com/site/epage/45302_201.htm" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/6/9/9/4/ar117452724749962.jpg" height="800" alt="500 South Clinton, Chicago, IL presented by Brian Schwind" width="618" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Great spaced 1 bedroom LOFT condo with concrete barreled ceilings, kitchen with maple cabinets, granite counters &amp;amp; island, stainless steel appliances. Other features included: diagonal hardwood floors gas fireplace, in-unit Washer/Dryer, Bose stereo Surround w/speakers &amp;amp; large bath with linen closet. Full amenity bldg: 24hr doorman, on-site management, fitness center &amp;amp; dry cleaners. Fantastic location, steps from the Loop, Greektown, BLUE line &amp;amp; more! Garage parking included in price! MUST SEE!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;bull; 1 Bedroom&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;bull; 1 Bath&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;bull; Living Room: 24x15&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;bull; Kitchen 12X6&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;bull; Master Bedroom: 12X12&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;bull; 2005 Taxes: $2,466&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;bull; Assessments: $308&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;bull; MLS # 06445184&lt;/p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;$239,000&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Presented Exclusively by&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Brian Schwind 312-656-4329&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;</description>
      <author>Brian Schwind | Chicago REALTOR&#174; (Schwind Realty &amp; Development Inc.)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:37:38 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/61686/5-S-Clinton-416</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>59094</guid>
      <title>Active Rain or Crack-tive Reign</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Is it dedication to our clients and our career or is it an addiction?&amp;nbsp; That is the question.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I live and breathe with my Blackberry.&amp;nbsp; My girlfriend jokingly refers to my Blackberry device as my Crack-berry insinuating that &lt;strong&gt;I am addicted to work.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She definitely has a point.&amp;nbsp; I do spend a great deal of time on my Blackberry because I like to stay in constant touch with my colleagues and clients.&amp;nbsp; I don&amp;#39;t look at it as an addiction, but rather commitment to my chosen career.&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;Is that what they refer to as denial?&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was in the hospital recently for an emergency surgery.&amp;nbsp; She decided to snap a picture of me with her camera phone to &lt;strong&gt;prove a point.&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.uploadhouse.com/fileuploads/16/163252bf8b09c30753f3ab68c46f84dabbb08.bmp" border="0" height="480" align="baseline" alt=" " width="640" /&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What&amp;#39;s wrong with this picture?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maybe she is right.&amp;nbsp; &lt;em&gt;Heart monitor, hospital bed, &amp;quot;no cell phone&amp;quot; signs&lt;/em&gt;, and yet here I am responding to client emails.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;#39;s interesting to &lt;u&gt;look at yourself through another&amp;#39;s eyes.&lt;/u&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I can&amp;#39;t stop working.&amp;nbsp; I love my work.&amp;nbsp; Is that so wrong? &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So is Active Rain the new Blackberry?&amp;nbsp; If so, will it become Crack-tive Reign?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have to admit ... &lt;strong&gt;I am addicted to this site&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; There is so much information here.&amp;nbsp; Advice, warnings, success stories, tips and tricks ... this site has it all!&amp;nbsp; My girlfriend is a wonderful woman for putting up with me and my career.&amp;nbsp; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;I love her dearly.&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp; How are you dealing with your addiction?&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Brian Schwind | Chicago REALTOR&#174; (Schwind Realty &amp; Development Inc.)</author>
      <pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 2007 02:50:19 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/59094/Active-Rain-or-Crack</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>48274</guid>
      <title>Fantastic Lincoln Square Condo Conversion 2100-2110 W. Montrose, Chicago, IL</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/3/8/9/ar117210929798317.jpg" height="248" align="left" alt=" " width="317" /&gt;$3000 Buyer INCENTIVE&lt;/strong&gt; towards closing costs, upgrades or price reduction! &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Incredible opportunity to own a piece of &lt;strong&gt;Lincoln Square&lt;/strong&gt;!! &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A 25 unit condo conversion of a &lt;strong&gt;beautiful courtyard building&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; All 1 &amp;amp; 2 Bed units are Great space ranging from 750-1300sq. ft. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;All units have &lt;u&gt;large separate dining rooms&lt;/u&gt;. All &lt;u&gt;new copper plumbing&lt;/u&gt;, &lt;u&gt;new electric&lt;/u&gt;, &lt;u&gt;new bathrooms&lt;/u&gt;, &lt;u&gt;washer/dryer hookups&lt;/u&gt;, &lt;u&gt;decks&lt;/u&gt;, and &lt;u&gt;basement storage&lt;/u&gt;. Custom kitchens with &lt;u&gt;stainless steel appliances&lt;/u&gt;, choice of &lt;u&gt;granite&lt;/u&gt; &amp;amp; cabinets. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Steps from Welles park, Sultzer Library, the brown line, restaurants, shopping, Starbucks, etc. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.epagecity.com/site/files/201/37533/146548/204231/2100_Montrose_Floor_Plans.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;Floor Plan Packet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.circlepix.com/tour.htm?id=447024" target="_blank"&gt;Virtual Tour&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Example: 2100 W. Montrose #1&lt;br /&gt;Living Room:18x16 Dining Room:15x12 Kitchen:10X09 Master Bedroom:12x11 Second Bedroom:11x09 Covered Balcony:10x09 &lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Open House:&lt;br /&gt;Every Sunday from 1:00PM-4:00PM&lt;br /&gt;Be sure to let me know &lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="http://activerain.com/bschwind" target="_blank"&gt;you found me on Active Rain and Localism&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Brian Schwind | Chicago REALTOR&#174; (Schwind Realty &amp; Development Inc.)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Feb 2007 20:06:29 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/48274/Fantastic-Lincoln-Square-Condo</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>44294</guid>
      <title>I Love the SOUTH LOOP of Chicago!  You will too!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;The South Loop of Chicago has seen an increase in popularity, driven by its proximity to the loop, transportation, shopping, the lakefront, and Grant Park. Many loft conversions, luxury new construction buildings and the new Soldier Field have drawn much attention to this rapidly growing neighborhood. Most of the area south of the Congress Parkway and east of the Chicago River are considered to be part of the South Loop.&amp;nbsp; The definition of the exact borders is rapidly changing as new developments include South Loop as part of their description.&amp;nbsp; The most recent accepted definition would state Lake Michigan as the eastern border, Cermak the southern border and either the Chicago River or Canal Street to the west. The South Loop includes the historic Printer&amp;#39;s Row, Dearborn Park I and II, Museum Park, Burnham Park, Central Station, Near South, and sure to be additional neighborhoods as developers try to brand their offerings. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The South Loop is a major player in the city&amp;#39;s residential and business plans for the next decade. This neighborhood is growing steadily balancing both new development and vintage charm.&amp;nbsp; Not only are residential building going up all over, retail businesses are making their home there as well.&amp;nbsp; In recent years the South Loop has seen the addition of many small shops as well as major retails such as Target.&amp;nbsp; Whole Foods, DSW, Home Depot, Linens and Things are just a few of the other retailers currently under construction and opening in 2007.&amp;nbsp; By 2009 a new shopping center with parks and a 16 theater Kerasotes are expected just north of Roosevelt and east of the river.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Columbia College and the Art Institute bring many young artists and students to the South Loop.&amp;nbsp; Most of these students live in the new student centers that have been built in the area.&amp;nbsp; Chicago&amp;#39;s Museum Campus which includes the Field Museum &amp;amp; Shedd Aquarium is in walking distance from South Loop neighborhoods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Transportation in the South Loop couldn&amp;#39;t be easier, with access to Metra, the El Blue, Red, Green and Orange Lines, and CTA busses all in walking distance. The South Loop also has I-90/I-94/I-290 on its western edge and Lake Shore Drive to the east.&amp;nbsp; Those that work downtown in the Loop enjoy a 5-10 minute commute to work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With all the new development, vintage redevelopment, cultural opportunities, dining, entertaining, and transportation, the South Loop is arguably the hottest real estate area in Chicago right now.&amp;nbsp; Take a walk down any street in the South Loop and you will see neighbors walking their dogs and talking to each other.&amp;nbsp; In the summers enjoy the Printer&amp;#39;s Row Book Fair and other outdoor festivals.&amp;nbsp; People are amazed that a community as nice as the South Loop is just steps from everything and anything you could want in Chicago.&amp;nbsp; The South Loop is not overly developed like some areas of Chicago.&amp;nbsp; The exciting thing to see is how the neighborhood keeps growing and yet retains its historic charm and friendly neighbors.&amp;nbsp; I specialize in South Loop properties and have also made my home here.&amp;nbsp; I plan to be here for a long time, so if you are interested in moving to the South Loop give me a call and I will show you around so you can see for yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brian Schwind&lt;br /&gt;Schwind Realty &amp;amp; Development Inc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Brian Schwind | Chicago REALTOR&#174; (Schwind Realty &amp; Development Inc.)</author>
      <pubDate>Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:58:42 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/44294/I-Love-the-SOUTH</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>43181</guid>
      <title>Real estate quotes for inspiration</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Buying real estate is not only the best way, the quickest way, the safest way, but the only way to become wealthy.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;-Marshall Field (1835-1906) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Every person who invests in well-selected real estate in a growing section of a prosperous community adopts the surest and safest method of becoming independent, for real estate is the basis of wealth.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;-Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, and managed with reasonable care, it is about the safest investment in the world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;-Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) &lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Brian Schwind | Chicago REALTOR&#174; (Schwind Realty &amp; Development Inc.)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 08 Feb 2007 12:45:32 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/43181/Real-estate-quotes-for</link>
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