Getting Real

Posts in category "Bizarre"

Would You Pay $9.9 Million For This 980 Square Foot Home?

This has to be the strangest listing in Chicago that I’ve ever seen – also the most overpriced one. David Piche of Remax just listed a 980 square foot 4 bedroom, 2 bath single family home at 3710 N Kenmore in the Wrigley Field Adjacent Area for the bargain price of $9.9 MM. The lot... Read more »

By Gary Lucido,
November 23, 2011 at 6:08 am

• 9 comments

The Ultimate In Home Security - From South Africa

There’s this email that has been circulating for a while allegedly showing a home in South Africa that has the ultimate in home security. There are also a few Web sites going back to April that show these same photos – usually with the title Home Security South African Style. The house is amazingly cool... Read more »

By Gary Lucido,
October 7, 2011 at 9:50 am

• 5 comments

Most Expensive Chicago Area Mansion Heads to Auction Block October 29

Serving suburbs like Hinsdale and Oakbrook, I’m no stranger to jaw dropping and inspiring luxury properties but every once in a while a house really gets my attention. That property is “Le Grand Reve” (The Big Dream), located in Chicago’s affluent north shore suburb of Winnetka, Illinois. It is truly an architectural wow. Built by Richard Landry Design Group... Read more »

By Sari,
September 19, 2011 at 7:07 am

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Does Zillow Determine Your Net Worth?

A short while ago Zillow revised the algorithms that power the home value estimates (cleverly called “Zestimates”) on their Web site. According to a recent Wall Street Journal story “the overall margin of error for Zestimates dropped from 12% to 8.5%, not far off the typical 5% margin of error that most home appraisers claim.”... Read more »

By Gary Lucido,
July 16, 2011 at 12:23 pm

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Attempting To Raise Home Prices With Crazy Laws

What do you do if you are a politician concerned about declining home prices? Simple. You do what politicians do – create a law designed to raise prices. In Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, and Missouri legislators have proposed laws that would prohibit the use of foreclosure sales in appraisals. The Illinois law, HB 0092, would be... Read more »

By Gary Lucido,
April 6, 2011 at 7:49 am

• 3 comments

Oak Brook Castle Marked Down $200K - Kings In Short Supply

Last month I posted on the Oak Brook castle that was looking for a king. Apparently kings are in short supply because they just dropped the price by $200,000. It is now listed at $4.75 MM so get your checkbooks ready. The castle is located at 3015 Lincoln Rd in Oakbrook. That’s a new link... Read more »

By Gary Lucido,
March 17, 2011 at 9:59 am

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Massive Villa Taj Palace Flooded - 6501 S County Line Rd, Burr Ridge

My business partner has previously written about the massive mansion in Burr Ridge at 6501 S County Line Rd – affectionately known by the original owner as Villa Taj. Just to give you some quick stats on the home: 30,000 square feet A 15,000 square foot terrace 6 bedrooms 2400 square foot master bedroom 8... Read more »

By Gary Lucido,
March 16, 2011 at 10:22 am

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Strange Home Pricing Strategy - The Lowball List Price

Occasionally you will see a real estate listing with a price that seems too good to be true – and usually it is. Despite the fact that there are bargains to be found out there the real estate market is actually pretty efficient. “Efficient” in this sense has a rather precise definition – namely that... Read more »

By Gary Lucido,
March 9, 2011 at 9:37 pm

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Oak Brook Castle Still Looking For King

Oak Brook, Illinois is known for having some over-the-top homes but this castle (yes, a real castle) takes the cake. I found out about it from one of the commenters on Crib Chatter a couple of days ago. As he said, “what a waste of resources”. Still under construction and owned by Iwanski-Pyzik Masonry, the... Read more »

By Gary Lucido,
February 17, 2011 at 7:20 am

• 11 comments

Bad Realtor Photo: Giant Grass Head Emerging From Wall

It’s been about 30 minutes and I’m still laughing. I know I’ve got a winner when I’m furiously flipping through property photos and I run across something at 10 O’clock at night and I have to stop to post it. This bad realtor photo is bad on so many levels: It doesn’t tell you anything... Read more »

By Gary Lucido,
February 10, 2011 at 10:27 pm

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