GayRealEstate USA: Illinois

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March 06, 2008

Around the Nation -- Residential Real Estate Update - Illinois

By Jeff Adolph

State-by-state

Illinois has an estimated population of 12,831,970 people and its economy relies heavily on machinery production, food processing, petroleum and coal, as well as electrical equipment and publishing. Illinois also is home to some of America's largest companies such as Boeing, McDonald's and Motorola.

Income tax in this state is calculated by using a flat rate of 3% and sales tax is charged at 6.25%. Whereas, property tax is assessed on 33.33% of market value and is re-assessed every second year. There are homestead and other exemptions available depending on the local government in which a home is situated.

Oak Lawn

A peaceful suburban village situated just minutes away from Chicago, which is the nation's third largest metropolitan area. Oak Lawn emphasis redevelopment rather than development and has entered into a beautician program. This area offers a wide range of housing possibilities from the colonial through to the traditional ranch styled home. Condo's and townhouses are readily available and sales prices range from $110,000 to $400,000 depending on the location, structure and size of the home. Whereas, two and four bedroom houses are selling between $250,000 and $800,000 + and are usually found in up-and-coming neighborhoods that are friendly.

LGBT Real Estate Facts: There are some 22,887 same-sex couples residing in this region , making it the 5th gayest state in the U.S.A. The gayest zip codes in Chicago are 60649 Anderson ville; 60657 Oak Lawn; 60613 Bean Park; 60660 Edgewater; and 60618 St. Ben's -- gaydemographics.com

Main Story Source: House Hunt (2008) Real Estate Market Trends; available online at http://www.househunt.com

Picture Source: wikipedia.org and careers.advanceadvocate.com

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March 06, 2008 in Illinois | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 11, 2008

Building in Chicago is Booming Despite the Chilly Weather

By Jeff Adolph

Development

The building scene is Chicago is hot, hot, hot despite the chill in the winter air, with many business and residential project either in the approval and planning stages or being built.

Buildings in the works and vying for planning expertise are:

-- The Chicago Children's Museum's plan to move to Grant Park from Navy Pier.

-- The Chicago Athletics Association plans to add a glass top to their building across from Millennium Park.

-- The twisting 2,000 foot Chicago spire.

Buildings that are nearing completion are:

-- The Columbian: a 48-story condo tower that stands proud on the corner of Roosevelt Rd and Michigan Ave that is designed by Destefano and Partners.

-- 600 Fairbanks Court: a high-rise condominium complex situated at Ohio Street and Fairbank Court and is designed by Helmut Jahn.

-- 22 West Washington: a 17-story office building situated across from the Macy's store on State Street and designed by Ralph Johnson of Perkins and Will.

-- The Joffrey Tower: a 31-story building and home to the Joffrey Ballet, shopping facilities and luxury condos designed by Booth Hasen.

-- The Jewish Constructionist Congregation's green synagogue: an energy efficient building designed by Carol Ross Barney.

Furthermore, the Chicago Architecture Foundation has also announced that it will be holding a lunchtime program on January the 23rd that will discuss Gensler Chicago's Center on Halstad, a LGBT community center and its design concept.

Source: Kumin, B (2007) Winter Doesn't Hinder Bustling Building Scene; available online at www.chicagotribune.com

Image Source: www.careercouch.org and www.centeronhalsted

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January 11, 2008 in Illinois | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

September 26, 2007

Chicago Draws Gay Buyers

By Jeff Adolph

LGBT Real Estate

Believe it or not, Chicago is becoming a region that attracts LGBT buyers from across the nation and this trend is increasing. The 10 most significant reasons being -

Chicago represents value for money in terms of a second holiday home.
Most homes in Chicago are affordable and within reach of the average home buyer.
Chicago is a major city and yet a condo can still be found for under $200,000.
The real estate market in Chicago is not in recession.
Chicago has mild temperatures during spring and fall and is warm to hot during spring and summer.
Holiday homes in this region are extremely easy to lease - short-term - during the times that the owner is not there holidaying.
Inexpensive air fares and two central airports make commuting to and from Chicago easy.
Chicago offers excellent shopping facilities, superb restaurants and entertainment facilities.
The Chicago gay community is large and spreads over the city.
Due to a large gay population Chicago is a very gay-friendly and orientated city welcoming others to join them.

Source: Janis, G (2007) Chicago's Gay Vacation Real Estate; available online at http://www.chicagopride.com/entertainment/column/index.cfm/col/401

Images: stuckincustoms.com/.../travel/illinois/chicago/ and www.essential-architecture.com/.../CHIC.htm

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September 26, 2007 in Illinois | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

September 03, 2007

The Very Rev. Tracey Lind

By Jeff Adolph

News in Brief

The Episcopal Church, which recently divided after the 2003 election of an openly gay Bishop in New Hampshire is now considering a Lesbian priest as the next Episcopal Bishop of Chicago.

At present, there are still property disputes going through courts to determine exactly who owns what church. And, it is expected that the very Rev. Tracey Lind, an openly gay Dean of Cleavland Trinity Cathedral since 2000, could add fuel to the already smoldering angry Episcopal fire.

Source: Washington Post News in Brief (2007) Episcopal Church; available online at http://www.washingtonpost.com.

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September 03, 2007 in Illinois | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 16, 2007

Softball a LGBT Hit

By Jeff Adolph

LGBT Sporting Pursuits

Just like Gay Pride Parade and Northalsted Market Days softball is becoming a summer must-do within the LGBT community of Chicago.

The amateur league comprises of 650 players on 43 teams with 90% of these being gay. No team is allowed more than 3 straight players who are aged between 20 to 60 years and come from a multitude of backgrounds and professions including real estate.

Commissioner of the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA), Joe Cappelletti feels the draw-card for the game is camaraderie and friendship.

As Cappelletti said, 'one of the biggest changes over the years is that there are just more players, especially younger ones. Plus, players interact socially more off field on Sundays than in the past.'

Capelletti is a real estate agent and has played outfield for more than ten years.

The CMSA Open League is the largest in the North American Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA), which overseas gay softball and runs the annual 'Gay Softball World Series', held this year in Phoenix in October.

For more information on gay softball please visit http://www.nagaaasoftball.org/ for the men and http://www.nagaaawomen.org/ for the womens league.

Source and Images: Forman, R (2007) Gay Mens Softball: A Hit with the Community; available online at http://www.windycitytimes.com

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August 16, 2007 in Illinois | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 20, 2007

Have Your Say On the LGBT Political Front - August 19th 2007

By Jeff Adolph

LGBT Politics

In a national first, the Democrats are challenging the Republicans by staging a debate that is dedicated to the LGBT community and will answer many of the issues facing Lesbians, Gays, Bi-sexual's and the Transgendered across the nation.

The leading candidates for the Democratic nomination for presidency will actively involve themselves in this debate on August the 9th, which is being telecast by LOGO, a gay cable network. Alternatively, you may view proceedings on http://www.logoonline.com/ if you are unable to access the network.

Participants in the debate will include Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards (pictured above), with the moderators being singer Melissa Etheridge and Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign's president.

If you would like to actively participate by lodging questions for the candidates to answer you may do so by logging on to LOGOonline.com as well as on HRC.org.

Source: Demorcrats to Hold Gay Debate (2007) available online at www.wweek.com

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July 20, 2007 in 'Ask a Realtor', *National*, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C, Weblogs, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 21, 2007

Gay, 26 and a Real Estate Mogul

By Jeff Adolph

Special Interest

Jay Michael may be only 26 but he has accomplished a great deal in terms of investment in his short existence. His passion for realty began in his early teens and has progressively grown since, with him now being one of three partners in an Estate Property Group that sells over $60 million in high-end prestige properties annually.

As Michael said about his passion for property, 'I don't know where the real estate interest came from during my childhood; I couldn't really tell you. I guess I wasn't normal. I was just really interested in architecture; I really loved the idea of condo/city living. It was something I aspired to do one day.'

And, this is exactly what Michael has done but with a unique twist, he knew the layout of the condo he now lives in well before he considered purchasing it because he had studied it years prior to his ownership.

However, Michael does confess that he thought he would never be able to buy in such a prestige location, which just goes to show that anyone is capable of achieving anything if they set their mind to it.

Source and Images: Forman, R (2007) Jay Micheal: A Real Estate Mogul; available online at http://www.windycitymediagroup.com

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June 21, 2007 in Illinois | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 30, 2007

Gay Friendly Places to Reside and Work: Moving to Chicago, Illinois and Studying in Connecticut?

By Jeff Adolph

Finding LGBT Friendly Residences

Recently, a reader contacted Gay Real Estate USA in relation to him and his partners move to Chicago, Illinois and his need to finish his studies in Connecticut and find employment in this region as he did so. His immediate concern was to find a gay friendly place to live with his partner in harmony, as well as find a place to work that was accepting of his sexual orientation. Therefore, after researching the possibilities and talking to our readership Gay Real USA is able to offer several localities within the Chicago region that could possibly be suitable for this relocating couple and others who are also considering the move to this region.

The areas within Chicago that are LGBT friendly are:

South Loop - 60605 - is growing in popularity due to its close proximity to the loop, lakefront and Grant Park. New luxury constructions and loft conversions are a residential draw-card to this area, as are the historic row houses of Printers Row and Derbon Park.

Andersonville - 60640 - is becoming known as 'Girlstown' due to the overwhelming number of Lesbians residing here, however, gays still exist in this locality and it is considered an area of inexpensive housing and diverse growth.

Lakeview - 60657 - is considered one of Chicago's older and more traditionally gay area's and is situated 4 miles from the loop. This neighborhood consists of bungalows, high rises and modern condominium buildings and is also colloquially known as 'Boystown'.

Uptown - 60640 - is within close proximity to Andersonville and offers very affordable housing, and is considered to be one of the up and coming neighborhoods of this region. This historic locality is close to public transport, and the lake.

Pilsen - 60608 - close to the loop this district offers under-priced historical housing and has a continuously growing LGBT population. This neighborhood is tipped as one of extreme potential for investment as it slowly redevelops.

The median price of rentals within the Chicago area are approximately $844 with the purchase of homes estimated to be around the $270,000 mark at present.

Please visit www.GayHome.com, a new website for home sales and apartment rentals across America.

On the work front the gay friendly corporations to work at within both of these states are as follows:

Xerox Corp. - Stamford - CT

Aetna Inc. - Hartford - CT

CNA Insurance - Chicago - IL

Global Hyatt Corp. - Chicago - IL

McDermott Will & Emery LLP - Chicago - IL

Starcom Media Vest Group - Chicago - IL

For job listings that are gay friendly within the US please visit http://www.gayjob.biz/index.cfm

And, a book that you may also find particularly helpful for the Chicago region is ' A Field Guide to Gay & Lesbian Chicago' by Katherine Berqquist & Robert McDonald; available online at http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Gay-Lesbian-Chicago/dp/1893121038

Images: www.soulforce.com and www.destination360.com

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April 30, 2007 in Connecticut, Illinois | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

March 23, 2007

Civil Unions a Step in the Right Direction

By Jeff Adolph

Gay Legislation

If all goes as planned and the bill that is currently being voted upon within Illinois government is passed gay couples in the state will be allowed to form civil unions with their partners and be recognized as having the same legal rights as their heterosexual counterparts

In fact, Illinois would become only the fifth state in America to do so and this would mean gay couples would have the same rights to real estate, child custody and adoption, as well as asset ownership that other unions currently enjoy.

At present, the states that offer civil unions are Connecticut, Vermont and New Jersey with California having domestic partnerships, a variation of the civil unions legislation.

As Rep. Greg Harris said of the bill, 'Illinois is ready for civil unions. The outpouring of public support shows it's ready for civil unions, and I hope one day it will come around to the concept of same-sex marriage.'

At present the only American state to legally recognize gay marriage is Massachusetts.

However, some see little difference between the two and still oppose both same-sex civil unions and marriage.

Rep. Paul Froehlich felt that a civil union 'did change the definition of marriage', as he said, 'if it can be defined to mean anything, then it may mean nothing.' His greatest fear is the civil union between two consenting adults may be changed in a bill to include three or more individuals in a union and this then presents an undermining of marriage, as such.

However, for people like Lee Korty, and his partner of 25 years this concept is absurd. All he and his partner would like is to have the same benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy, without having to negotiate legal loopholes, and he feels that this change to legislation is monumental as the pair has battled issues that any heterosexual couple would not even encounter. As Korty said, 'I find it hard to stand up here and have people tell me how giving my partner the same benefits that they would give their husband's or wife's is somehow detracting from their marriage.'

Lambda Legal, a legal support group for the LGBT community stated that this current vote 'was a step toward the goal of legalized gay marriage.'

Something many of us can only dream of...

Source: O'Connor, J (2007) Illinois Bill would Allow Civil Unions of Gay Couples; available online http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-ap-il-xgr-civilunions,1,467204.Story?coll=chi-news-hed

Images: http://www.vermontwoman.com and http://www.arlingtoninn.com

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March 23, 2007 in Illinois | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

November 14, 2006

Bankrupt Developer Causes Chaos for Tenants

By Jeff Adolph

Investment Heartache

A scandal that could possibly be one of the biggest to occur in real estate for some years, is unfolding from Green Bay to Dallas as a long paper trail of unpaid bills, unsatisfied investors and disgruntled creditors follows Professional Realty and Development Corp as it flees the sites of many incomplete developments.

The company, which has constructed hundreds of units for senior citizens and other investors in the states of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, is now seeking bankruptcy protection in Appleton. While claims that they have literally walked away from another major project in Kenosha and left it half-completed.

The sad thing is many of these investors trusted not only the company but also its owner, Architect Robert Niebauer, because of his notoriety and reputation.

As veteran investor, Bob Castleberg said, I had known (Niebuhr) so long, and the rate of return he was offering was so good I just handed the money over.'

And, there just possibly could be many other investors like Castleberg who will now have to fight in court for their return of their money.

It is suspected that the company has debts of more than $20 million with 'apartment-to-condominium conversions at Junction Point on Madison's far west side, Whispering Pines on the southwest side, along with Angelus Retirement Communities, especially the Nekoosa village that is now facing foreclosure.

The list of unfinished projects and failure to pay mortgages and tax bills is staggering with many tenants including the elderly now looking at the possibility of loosing their homes, something, even the bank is perplexed about!

As Attorney, Charles Hertel said of the bank involved with the Nekoosa Village, 'It's not just a simple business matter. We're talking about elderly residents who need to be taken care of, and that is something the bank is very concerned about.'

The question on everyone's lips is how did such a 'good' company get to this stage?

Speculation by investment experts suggests that the Professional Realty and Development Corp kept buying when the housing market bubble burst without considering that they could not possibly be able to sell the hundreds of units they had purchased, or were building.

As Castleberg added, 'I think Robert had simply gotten overextended. When interest rates went down, ever-body wanted to buy condos, and now that market has dried up.'

Unfortunately, the moral of this story is to consider the downside of any purchase before taking the plunge, always weight up the pro's and con's before buying and make sure that your investment return is favorable to your requirements.

Sources: Ivey, M (2006) Developer's Bankruptcy Leaves Investors, Tenants in the Lurch: available online at http://www.madison.com/tct/mad/topstories/index.php?ntid=107050&ntpid=0

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November 14, 2006 in *National*, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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March 06, 2008

Around the Nation -- Residential Real Estate Update - Illinois

January 11, 2008

Building in Chicago is Booming Despite the Chilly Weather

September 26, 2007

Chicago Draws Gay Buyers

September 03, 2007

The Very Rev. Tracey Lind

August 16, 2007

Softball a LGBT Hit

July 20, 2007

Have Your Say On the LGBT Political Front - August 19th 2007

June 21, 2007

Gay, 26 and a Real Estate Mogul

April 30, 2007

Gay Friendly Places to Reside and Work: Moving to Chicago, Illinois and Studying in Connecticut?

March 23, 2007

Civil Unions a Step in the Right Direction

November 14, 2006

Bankrupt Developer Causes Chaos for Tenants

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RealEstate Blog Contest

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