KLM Builders, in Spring Grove — albeit not exactly close to the North Shore is partnering with Gary Lang Auto Group, to give away free cars to the first 10 homebuyers at any of its four suburban communities.

Buyers will get a 2011 Chevy Cruze (Valued at $16,995 value) when they purchase of a home at Sunset Ridge Estates in Richmond, Woodland Ridge in Antioch, or Thousand Oaks Estates and Forest Ridge Estates in Spring Gove.

Shoppers can check out Sunset Ridge Estates to try on a wide selection of single-family designs, including eight ranch floor plans and five two-story styles. Prices start at $178,900, and the houses range from 1,350 to 2,800 square feet.

Your standard features include three to five bedrooms, two to 2 1/2 baths, a full basement, two- to three-car garage, formal living and dining rooms, great room or family room, Corian countertops, central air conditioning, front porch (per plan) and one-third-acre homesites.

Hmmmm, would not be surprised if we start seeing more of these two-fers … think about your next Highland Park Home For Sale matched with a sweet deal from North Shore Lexus…What’s next?

Technorati Tags: north shore homes for sale, highland park homes for sale, north shore real estate

The Chicago Real Estate market is sucking wind and the latest reports from today’s Crains article reports that the state’s foreclosure-related filings decreased 44.6% in February, to 9,592, compared with February 2010 and was down 27.1% compared to January, according to RealtyTrac Inc., an online distressed-property listing firm.

Get this One out of every 552 Illinois properties received a foreclosure-related filing in February, the 11th-highest rate nationwide and behind the West Coast frontrunners Nevada (one in every 119), Arizona (one in every 178) and California (one in every 239).

In February, there were 225,101 foreclosure filings down 27% from a year earlier and a 13.9% dip from January.

Further, “Foreclosure activity dropped to a 36-month low in February as allegations of improper foreclosure processing continued to dog the mortgage servicing industry and disrupt court dockets,” RealtyTrac CEO James J. Saccacio said in a statement. He explained that “While a small part of February’s decrease can be attributed to it being a short month and bad weather, the bottom line is that the industry is in the midst of a major overhaul that has severely restricted its capacity to process foreclosures.”

Bugs me bad. Everyone dissing on Charlie Sheen. Of course he’s totally lost his mind, done a ton of bone-head things, has no morals, integrity or couth… so what. He’s not the first or the last for that matter who is nuts. The question is why is he still the repeated subject of ridicule and stupid jokes. Morning shows, late night shows — magazines, and newspapers devote time and space for this poor fella. At this point its so over the top and boring that I haven’t a clue why any one would be following this media fueled trash. He’s not well. Maybe if he’s left alone he will get better but all this attention is apt to be giving him more incentive to do more. Last word.

One developer’s failed project could mean your best north shore real estate deal. I’m referring to Cornerstone in Evanston. Naturally when I learned that Steven Lome one of the partners of Eon Partners of Glenview admitted in yesterday’s Crains that “We’re not looking to make any money… and that “the realistic goal is to liquidate the asset and pay back as much of the loan as we can.” I thought… WoW, how can I take advantage of this seller’s desperation and snap up a great deal but I just moved…
So perhaps this can help you. Only three of the 19 units located at 641-49 Custer Ave have closed. Another six are under contract but the construction loan — just shy of $7 million matured more than two years ago and now these guys are in the hot seat trying to pay down the debt.

This is no Evanston isolated case either. The owner of Grand Ben on Green Bay Road just cut prices again for the second time in January in response to the discounts announced at the nearby 96-unit condo building One Evanston (previously Winthrop Club).

Cornerstone’s remaining units are set between $324,000 to just under $380,000.

This smells like a serious buyer power but based on some of the Crains’ reader comments… you may still be better off waiting until First Midwest, the bank that granted them an extension on their loan gets really fed up and these condos start to fly!

Technorati Tags: Evanston, Evanston Condos, North Shore Real Estate

An epic movie…well that’s easy, Lawrence of Arabia or Gone With The Wind. An epic adventure would be climbing Mt.Kilimanjaro…but
in here in Chicago, the latest in Epic comes in the form of burger. Just when you thought Michael’s or Five Guys was the holy grail of beef, comes
Epic Burger, A More Mindful (all-natural) Burger. In Crains today, Epic announces its newest West Loop, and third location.

CEO David Friedman hopes to open these new doors over the summer, by June or July but in the meantime his other two locations, on North Avenue and on State Street in the South Loop hold steady offering notable organic, “fast-casual” for those craving a better alternative to the standard burger joints.

Epic aims to reach “people who are maybe looking for something indulgent, but also a little better quality than fast food — food that doesn’t contain antibiotics and hormones and food coloring,” says Mr. Friedman, who has worked as a chef and as a consultant to food manufacturers and national chains like Boston Market.

Interestingly burger joints have been one beacon in an otherwise slumpy and depressed retail marketplace. Fast growing chains like Five Guys Burgers & Fries have expanded aggressively in Chicago . The question remains who will stay or will turn into mince meat.

“Between Meatheads, Smashburger, Five Guys, the Counter, it seems to be an oversaturated segment,” says Allen Joffe, a principal and managing broker in Chicago with Baum Realty Group LLC who wasn’t involved in the Epic deal. “But banks, bagels, yogurt — there’s always some hot concept.”

No news yet on whether Epic will hit the burbs — but of course we’ll keep you posted.