Category: News

Check out this article from the Chicago Tribune on SCG's Renaissance series: By: Mary Ellen Podmolik, The Home Front It's only 32 units spread over four buildings, but a phased project in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood has received "good neighbor" kudos from the Chicago Association of Realtors for three consecutive years. Most recently, the fourth phase of Renaissance on Kimbark was awarded the group's highest honor, the Bruce Abrams Award, named for the deceased founder and president of the former LR Development. Hanna Architects, Stonemason Group and Hasani Steele, an @Properties realty agent and development consultant, teamed up to deliver the first three buildings. Those phases were previously honored for helping to stabilize the neighborhood and filling in several vacant lots....

Condo Project Enhances Woodlawn Neighborhood, Wins Chicago Association of REALTORS’ 2011 "Bruce Abrams Award" Chicago, Ill. – The fourth phase of the “Renaissance on Kimbark” condominium development, located at 6457 South Kimbark Avenue in Chicago’s Woodlawn community, is the 2011 winner of the Chicago Association of REALTORS® Bruce Abrams Award. The highest honor within C.A.R.’s annual Good Neighbor Awards recognition, the Bruce Abrams Award recognizes quality and innovation in real estate development, and properties created with a passion for serving Chicago residents. The 2011 Bruce Abrams Award was received by Hasani Steele, Steele Consulting Group, @properties, and Lewis Korompolis, Premium Builders. The concept for this award-winning multiple-phase development dates to 2008 when Steele and Edmund Offokaja, of Stonemason Group, decided...

Smart Move Mortgage Products offer affordable interest rates and down payment assistance for borrowers of low to moderate income.  The programs are ideal for borrowers who need extra flexibility on sources of income or who have limited funds for down payments and/or closing costs. Features Offers up to $6,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance as a 10-year 0% forgivable loan Maximum LTVs from 96.5% to 100% Conventional/FHA/USDA insured products available Fixed rate with terms up to 30 years Reduced mortgage insurance requirements on conventional programs Mortgage Insurance Mortgage insurance requirements are approximately 1/3 less than other conventional products.               LTV Ratio                    Coverage               80.01-85%                          6%               85.01-90%                         12%               90.01%-95%                     16%               95.01%-97%                      18%   Qualifications Minimum credit score requirement: 620 (FHA and USDA loans);...

Many purchasers have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for home prices to hit bottom. They want to guarantee that they are purchasing at the best possible price. Like them, we also believe that prices still have some room to fall in most markets. However, we disagree that waiting is a good financial decision. The buyer should not be concerned about housing prices. They should be concerned about cost. The cost of a house is made up of the price AND THE INTEREST RATE they will be paying. Two different pieces of news released yesterday highlight this point. PRICES The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their 4th quarter housing research report. In the release, they reported that home sales...

It May Already Be Gone. Homebuyers trying to time the real estate market today may think they have it down to a science. They watch the news, read the papers, hear that prices are dropping, and assume the bottom hasn't arrived. So they wait. There's just one problem. The bottom - at least the bottom for interest rates - appears to be gone. And it just so happens that interest rates are a very powerful determinant of how much home you can afford and what you'll pay each month - even more powerful, in some instances, than price. Conforming 30-year mortgage rates are already a half-point above their October lows, clocking in at 4.625% heading into the second week of...

Current market conditions suggest that real estate's traditional "off season" - the months of November, December and January - could actually represent the best opportunity during the next 12 to 18 months to make a deal. For buyers and sellers who are forging ahead in the next 60 to 90 days, here are some keys to success in today's market. SELLERS Price Correctly - The discussion on selling your home starts and ends with price. Remember, the right asking price for your home is not determined by what you paid or the balance on your mortgage. Rather, it has everything to do with the market right here, right now. Price according to the market and you have a good shot...

Sold 2015 S. Finley  in 13 days! (PROPERTY DESCRIPTION) 2604 W. 103rd to our buyer! 3757 W. 82nd  TO OUR BUYER! 6422 S. Woodlawn #2 IN 57 DAYS! 6426 S. Woodlawn #3 IN 62 DAYS! 8345 S. Hermitage 220 S. Drexel SOLD TO OUR BUYER! 6424 S. Woodlawn #2 Sold to our buyer UNDER CONTRACT 6424 S. Woodlawn #2 WITH OUR BUYER! 6457 S. Kimbark #1S WITH OUR BUYER! 9601 S. Pulaski 6510 S. Ingleside #2 6510 S. Ingleside #3 512 N. McClurg

In an effort to expand access to FHA mortgages and allow for the rapid resale of foreclosed properties, HUD has announced a temporary waiver of the 90-day flipping rule. The waiver takes effect February 1, 2010, and lasts for one year, unless otherwise extended or withdrawn by HUD. The waiver is limited to those sales that meet the following conditions: 1. All transactions must be arms-length, with no identity of interest between the buyer and seller or any other parties participating in the sales transaction, including: Seller must hold title LLCs, Corporations and Trusts must be established in accordance with state and federal law No evidence of previous flipping within 12 months Evidence that property was marketed openly, such as...