Sears on 79th St: The rise and fall of an Icon

                                                  Sears on 79^th St: The rise and fall of an Icon.

On November 2, 1925, Sears Roebuck & Company was opened at 1334 E. 79^th St.(Kenwood Ave) Chicago, IL, which boasted 127,000 square feet of retail space.  This store was one of the main retail fixtures in the Chatham/Avalon Park/South east areas.  After 88 years of continual good service, with the decline of sales since 2009, the store has officially closed its doors forever. 

 

With the loss of 40 full time and 80 part time jobs, many wonder what’s to become of the space? Whatever it is, it will not replace the countless memories that Sears offered: The memories of Back-to-School shopping, walking around with grandparents to pay their charge cards, or even memories of when Sears sold food in the back of the Electronics dept!!!  Too often we see a good thing gone!



Check out the article below on planned use for the space:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-05-31/business/chi-sears-shuttered-stores-20130530_1_data-centers-stores-sears-holdings-corp

PADDY LONGS BEER AND BACON PUB REVIEW

PADDY LONGS BEER AND BACON PUB REVIEW

 

I read several good reviews about Chicago’s Paddy Long’s Beer and Bacon Pub, so I decided to visit last Tuesday!  This is a small neighborhood bar, that has an immense supply of craft beers and bacon!!! Who can go wrong with bacon!!!  It was pop culture trivia night when I went and Paddy’s was filled a good size crowd of friendly people.  I ordered a very tasty Half Acre blonde ale, which accompanied my “Bacon Board” of Irish, Danish, Jowl, and Cracked Black Pepper Bacons.  The bacon was awesome, especially the hard to find Jowl Bacon, which was my favorite!  Before I left, I also tried a small glass of high ABV Belgium Ale called Delirium Tremens, which is brewed with Belgium candy to give it a sweet finish.  This was one of the most awesome beers ever!  I would most definitely go to Paddy Longs again!

 

Happy Eating!!!

The Best Shortcut Streets in Chicago

           Living in Chicago, we all know the expressways are everything but express!!! Sometimes getting on the e-way will cause you to lose time, as opposed to street routes.  As a realtor in the city, I know Chicago like the back of my hand and I have found a few hidden shortcuts that I would like to share:

·        Loomis St. to Roosevelt Rd. [1400W, 1200S] (North to South)

·        Roosevelt Rd. to Sacramento Ave. [1200S, 3000W] (East to West)
 
·        Sacramento Ave. to Elston Ave.-ends near Belmont Ave. {3000W,3200N] (North to South)
 
·        State St. to Roosevelt Rd. [0E/W, 1200S] (South to North)
 
·        Indiana Ave. [200E] (Quick way to get from 69^th St to 95^th St. South)

·        South Chicago Ave. at 69^th St. to 95^th  St./Torrence Ave. [400E, 9500S/2634E] (quick way to get to Indiana)

·        California Blvd. to Montrose Dr. [2800W, 4400W] (North to South)

·        Racine Ave. to 95^th St. [1200W, 9500S] (South)

·        76^thSt.-Lakefront to Damen Ave. [7600S, 2000S] (South; East to West)
 
I hope these quick routes will be useful!  Be safe and Happy driving!!!

WEEK OF 01/21/13: LOWEST DAILY 30YR FIXED MORTGAGE RATE

01/21/13- Today’s lowest 30yr fixed home mortgage rate in Chicago: 3.46%

First time home buyers: What to expect

Are you considering buying your first home? Where do you start? What do you expect?  Here are the steps of  buying your first home:

·        Contact a Mortgage Loan officer to determine your credit worthiness and maximum home purchase price; You can also contact a Realtor, who can provide a small list of reputable mortgage lenders.

·        Once you have your pre-approval letter from your lender, you can start to view homes with your Realtor.
·        When you find your dream home, you will submit an offer to purchase (with the help of your Realtor), which can be accepted or countered by the seller.
·        After all parties have agreed on pricing and terms, you now have a fully executed contract!  Within the first 5 days after acceptance of offer, you must submit the Earnest Money (usually $1,000 via Certified Funds), conduct a home inspection with a licensed Home Inspector, and have your real estate attorney review the purchase contract to amend if needed.
·        Your mortgage lender will have you submit an application for mortgage financing, where you will gather financial information such as employment info, bank statements, w-2’s, etc.  Your home mortgage lender may also ask for appraisal fees upfront, at your expense.
·        Before closing, a final walk-thru will be performed on the home to make sure it’s in the same condition when inspected and broom cleaned.
·        Closing on the home will take roughly 45 days with financing, and 14 days for Cash deals.

I hope the steps above were helpful.  Please feel free to contact me for more information.

 

Happy house hunting!!!