Whether you want live music, great food or a great game, there’s plenty to do in Chicago this weekend.

Fiesta del Sol:  July 30-Aug 2
Pilsen Neighborhood

What began as a block party has now evolved into the Midwest’s largest Latino festival.  Fiesta del Sol begins Thursday and runs through Sunday in Chicago’s Pilsen Neighborhood.  Enjoy food, live music and much more during this family-friendly event.

Chicago White Sox:  July 31-Aug 2
U.S. Cellular Field

It’s time to play ball!  The Chicago White Sox are at home this weekend against the New York Yankees.  Come out to U.S. Cellular Field on Friday night for the game, and then stay for fireworks.  The team also takes the field Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Lollapalooza:  July 31-Aug 2
Grant Park

Three days of…

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Despite housing inventory rising 17% from June 2014 to June 2015, demand in many of Chicago’s hottest neighborhoods is still outpacing supply by a fairly substantial margin. According to Redfin’s Market Tracker, Chicago’s west side continues to be red hot, with the West Loop, Ukrainian Village, Logan Square, Wicker Park, and West Town neighborhoods having the lowest median days on market in the city, all with 11 days or fewer.

Not surprising, several of these neighborhoods also have the lowest inventory as well, with the West Loop showing a 0.2 months supply, the lowest in Chicago, and Bucktown, Logan Square, West Town, and Wicker Park all recording a 0.3 months supply.

Roscoe Village, which is located more on the city’s north side, also had a 0.3 months…

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Wolf Point Development Chicago

Wolf Point is one of the largest and most ambitious new developments under construction right now in downtown Chicago. A monumental three-tower development located right off the Chicago River, it’s hard to believe well over three years have passed since news about the project first broke.

But now, already well beyond the halfway point of 2015, work on the 48-story west tower is well underway, while some updated modifications regarding the other two towers have just recently been released. Designed by Connecticut-based architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli, the new renderings show a slightly slimmed down version of each building, wheel the center tower to the south now also features a spire at the top as well.

Although the eventual height of the south and…

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Marina City Condos, Chicago IL

There’s no doubt Marina City is one of downtown Chicago’s most iconic developments, now having been a part of our beautiful skyline for over five decades. Dubbed the “Corncob Towers” for their unique corncob-like appearance, these Bertrand Goldberg-designed towers are now being considered or landmark status once again, and unlike the last time this debate came up, it looks like there’s much stronger momentum for finally getting this distinct modernist complex approved.

As recently as 2008, Alderman Brendan Reilly pushed for Marina City to be considered for landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, but the idea was never given much thought and failed to even made it to a commission vote.

But given Marina City and its design helped…

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Buzz Bait Taqueria, Old Town Chicago

Old Town is one of our favorite neighborhoods in all of downtown Chicago and according to reports, it’s about to get a fun new restaurant from a couple familiar restauranteurs. A joint collaboration between the creative minds behind Lou Malnati’s and Kamehachi—two of the Chicago’s area’s favorite dining spots for decades—the new restaurant space won’t be serving up sushi or pizza, but rather tacos, salsa, and other fun Mexican-inspired fare, with a little seafood mixed in between.

Called Buzz Bait, this dynamic new taqueria will be located at 1529 N. Wells Street, right in the heart of the neighborhood. According to a release, Buzz Bait’s menu will consists of seven taco options, guacamole, elotes, and a few other small items. In addition, five of the…

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Chicago Condo Buildings No Smoking

There’s an interesting new trend happening around Chicago that relates to condo living and it’s one that’s causing quite the controversy. Highlighted in a recent article from Crain’s Chicago Business, a number of condo buildings in the city have recently banned cigarette smoking inside   residents’ units, with apparently many more perhaps following suit sooner rather than later.

According to most condo building bylaws, residents cannot engage in activities that pose a nuisance to any fellow condo owner, and given it’s nearly impossible to stop smoke from traveling from one unit to another, more and more condo boards are starting to eliminate cigarette smoking inside altogether.

Smoking inside a building’s common areas such as the lobby or hallways has…

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Chicago Millennials Are Finally Buying Homes

As expected, Millennials are playing a big role in how well the real estate market is faring right now, but many who are on the move are finally starting to buy rather than rent. With interest rates already rising, and expected to continue to rise before the end of 2015, many 30-somethings all throughout the Chicago area are boosting home sales significantly, so much so that sales levels are actually reaching a level we haven’t seen since before the recession.

Although the housing recovery has been on-going for the last several years and the market has continued to get better each and every year, the one aspect that hasn’t been improving relates to first-time home buyers, who are seemingly finally starting to come around.

In the 9-county Chicagoland…

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If you’re thinking about buying a new home, the time to buy is now.  Interest rates could rise in the coming months, possibly as soon as mid September.  That is when the Federal Reserve has its next policy meeting and could make a key decision to raise rates.  

The key indicator of whether interest rates will increase is tied to how well the job market performs.  The benchmark low interest rate has remained near zero since late 2008.  The idea was to help increase employment and revive the economy.  Rates remained low in light of a sluggish economy but moving to a higher interest rate usually signals movement towards a healthy economy.

The Fed could still hold off a little longer on raising rates, possibly pushing off a hike until December.  However, some…

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In case you missed it, Navy Pier has announced plans to install a brand new Ferris wheel. Although initial plans called for a wheel reaching 300 feet high, Mayor Rah Emanuel has made it official that Navy Pier Inc. will put in a new 196-foot wheel before May 2016, just in time for the pier’s centennial birthday.

The cost of the new Navy Pier Ferris Wheel is expected to be around $26.5 million, which will include construction and landscaping. And although that sounds like a lot—and it certainly is—the new wheel will feature 42 encapsulated gondolas that hold up to 10 passengers, padded seats, TV screens and speakers, heat and air conditioning, and will be quite a bit faster—allowing for riders to make three full rotations instead of just one.

Because of…

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Chicago Condos For Sale

As we get deeper into the summer season, numbers are being released for one of the busier spring months of the year—May. According to reports, Chicago’s top-selling neighborhood for the month of May was the Near North Side, a neighborhood we know all too well.

Given the Near North Side—which includes neighborhoods like River North, the Gold Coast, Streerville and Old Town—has a substantial inventory and a high concentration of condos for sale, it’s hardly a surprise to see it rank as highly as it did.

What is surprising, however, is that West Town held down the 2nd highest sales total with 195 sales compared to the Near North Side’s 280 sales, while Lincoln Park came in with the 3rd highest sales total at 157 sales.

Taking condos out of the equation,…

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