ARCHIVED BLOG POSTS
2008
What to watch for with condos:: 1. A gut-rehab should mean that everything is new, including the kitchen and bath. Walls and room sizes may have been adjusted to allow for a second bath, in-unit laundry, new heat/AC, etc. The price may be higher, but-theoretically-everything from the mechanicals...
10/10/2008
What to watch for in general: 4. "Updating needed" or "As Is" or "Needs Decorating" or "Lots of Potential" almost always means that a LOT of work is needed. ‘Move-in ready', on the other hand, often means little. Visit our website to read more about Chicago multi-family homes. Click here if you...
10/09/2008
What to watch for in general: 3. Some listing sheets are heavy with FACTS (like hardwood floors, cabinet kitchen, tall ceilings, etc). "Lots of light" might make a listing sheet sound great and mask the fact that NO updating has been done. A cabinet kitchen might be 30 years old or more; hardwoo...
10/08/2008
What to watch for in general: 2. ‘Mechanicals' (roof, windows, heating, electric, plumbing, etc.) are important, especially for single-family homes and multi-units. If NO mention is made, unless the sheet says a gut rehab was done, you should assume they are OLD (a listing sheet won't say "old r...
10/06/2008
What to watch for in general: 1. You'll see the terms: ‘new', ‘newer', and ‘updated'? What's the difference? ‘Newer' and ‘updated' are NOT new! A newer kitchen may be 7-10 years old. Put a new countertop in an old kitchen and it's been updated. Sometimes the terms ‘rehabbed' or ‘Gut rehab' are m...
10/04/2008
We'll set you up with all listings that fit your price, size and neighborhood goals-and ask you to pick which properties to go visit. But therein lies a dilemma... how will you know which ones to prioritize on? It's important to understand both what the listing sheets DO say and DON'T say in orde...
10/03/2008