apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

sorry, are those pots and pans hanging in the bedroom?

I'd help you if you were in SF. Given the market right now, I'd take my time looking for one myself and ask tell the listing agent to credit back some of his/her commission. But why am I telling you that - I'm a realtor. Good luck!

Art: Better yet . . . did you notice the stove?

Use ziprealty.com and search through listings yourself. It's cheaper and more effective. There aren't a lot of good loft listings out there, and they go fast.

I found my loft via an ad on Craigslist.

hmmm....that's a rather strange layout. Seems like some walls are in the wrong place. Lofts can be funny like that I guess.

My Realtor was great, but I felt like I really had to educate her as to what a "real" loft is -- meaning, it is not a 1000' box with exposed venting! We looked at tons of spaces over many months.


There are residentia loft buildings throughout Chicago, so it helps to have an idea where you'd like to live and then walk around that area to get a feel for which loft buildings are there. Figure out whether you want a "hard" or "soft" loft; timber or concrete, because that will naturally eliminate some buildings.

In terms of Realtors, this guy calls himself a specialist in lofts and he posts alot on the Live Modern forum - you might try him:

Vikas Wadhwa
Founder / Broker Associate
www.modernchicagohomes.com

If you have the address of a building you're interested in - check the MLS regularly to see if anything is available. The easiest way to do that is from the Chicago Trib's site: http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/

These sites might also be worth a look:
http://www.urbanspan.com
http://www.chicagolofts.net/
http://www.allchicagolofts.com/

hope that helps!

I have helped more than 1 client get into the right loft. Give me a call and I would be happy to talk a bit about the Chicago loft & real estate market and answer some questions and perhaps "interview" for the position!

Whichever direction you go...good luck.

Patrick Owca
Sudler Sotheby's International
312-804-5161

I had very little luck finding a realtor that really wanted to work for me on the buy side. While I'm sure there are a few out there, the reality of the way the system is set up really doesn't incent brokers/agents to work hard for buyers, particularly when it comes down to the final negotiation.

What I ended up doing was finding a broker that was willing to work with me at a reduced rate (refunding back part of his 2.5% commission), taking the lead on the search myself. With online tools, it is possible to have information almost as soon as it is available to agents (unless they personally know the listing agent). Educate yourself so you can really speak eye-to-eye with your broker/agent and get what you want.

That being said, if you can find a great agent/broker that really knows the area well and has the connections to get you into great properties before anyone else, they're well worth the money.

My final reality check would be that the majority of conversions are pretty mediocre, and you have to pay up big time to get your hands on a really great loft. There are, however, enough lofts that have good "bones" and just need a well thought out aesthetic rehab. If you have the energy and patience to work through that, you can create a place that you really love, and that will give you a nice return when you sell.

I live in East Ukrainian Village and constantly keep an eye on juicy West Loop/River West/Ukrainian Village lofts that pop up. I looked for years before buying and found some awesome boutique buildings, but as they are unique it's fairly rare that people let go of the good units...

Shoot me an email, happy to help. Oh, and I'm a Real Estate Broker as well.

T

I've burned through at least 5 realtors. Most of them are a complete waste, deaf to your specs and sell crazy. However, my agent Christine is fantastic. In contrast to the majority of late 20's realtor bozos, she's been doing this for many years and her experience really shows. She's really laid back and very focused on whatever specs you give her. Feel free to say that Ryan referred you should you contact her. She'll take care of you.

CHRISTINE DROEGEMUELLER (312) 401-3658 CCarr@dreamtown.com

I used urbanspan.com last year which "specializes" in lofts. It's a good place to start because you can register and view photos according to neighborhood and price range for free.
It's true, people have taken a lot of liberties in desciption of places as "lofts". I worked with Irene Morse at urbanspan to define what I was looking for (a "true" loft as opposed to apartments with loft-like features) and she helped me find a great place in the West Loop. She can be reached at irene@urbanspan.com. You can tell her that Jean referred you. Good luck!

Try this site: www.chicagocondoagent.com these agents are young, hardworking and KNOW the city...I have recommended them to 4 friends and each one has been very happy....tell them Stacy sent you....

Hi,

I am a Realtor in Chicago, I actually am a buyer specialist for a top producing team, and I happen to have an interior design background. But anyway, I digress, I am not trying to get your business, since this is supposed to be a good resource site, not a place for agents to shill for business :)

Unfortunately what you're looking for is very rare these days, especially in West Loop. Many of the so-called "lofts" there are what some other people have already described. The key, I think, is to find a building that was converted more than 10 years ago. The more modern "loft" conversions are probably not what you are looking for. You will have better luck if you venture a little bit outside of West Loop to River West or Uk Village.

Here are some addresses off the top of my head of buildings to keep an eye on, not all of them are in the West Loop, and not all of them have units available right now:
515 N. Noble - each unit here is different, some look like crap, others are really effing cool. I think one of the crappy ones is available for sale right now.
1872 N. Clybourn - Not West Loop, but this is one of the first loft conversions and was designed by Pappageorge & Haymes. The original owners purchased the units as empty spaces, and then did what they wanted with them, so every unit is different and unique. There is one for sale here right now, I saw it a few weeks ago and it's very cool.
1776 W. Winnemac - Nowhere near West Loop, but it is a really cool building that was formerly artist studio space, and who knows what before that.
2401 W. Ohio - Another really cool building where every unit is unique. There's 2 units available for sale here right now.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, good luck in your search!

Joshua Hutchison (jhutch@atproperties.com) found my dream west loop loft. He used to be an architect, so he knew exactly what I was talking about and was quickly able to spot one on the market. Don't waste your time elsewhere!

Regarding my post above:
http://www.atproperties.com/agents/JoshuaHutchison