Thursday, January 25, 2007

The West Wilson Corridor: Chicago's North Side

I'm throwing in my hat! Yes, a new -buzz-catchphrase-says-it-all-hot-hot-hot neighborhood name to market my properties. I’ve never invented anything! But here it goes, my coining of a phrase if you will… The Wilson Corridor.

I will begin to market and sell listed properties along West Wilson Avenue as the “Wilson Corridor”. That’s the sound of fire catching, of the phrase hitting. Of marketing genius.

The Wilson Corridor consists of these boundaries…North Ashland Avenue (1600 west) to North Kedzie (3200 west) and West Montrose Avenue (4400 north) to West Lawrence (4800 north).

All kidding aside (and I’m not), this stretch offers a laidback, tree lined, pleasant existence. The entire stretch is close to many Brown Line stops (one Metra stop) and offers close proximity to restaurants, theatre, music venues, shopping and parks.

The price and housing stock varies greatly. You can get a one bedroom condo near the train for under $190K on a nice street in Albany Park. Or, you can buy a $2 million dollar estate that nestles the North Branch of the Chicago River on an extra wide Chicago lot in Ravenswood Manor… these two properties only about 3 blocks apart. Take in the action of the Lincoln Square strip, located directly in the middle of the Wilson Corridor. This stretch rivals any in Chicago for entertainment, shopping, dining and recreation choices.

New construction is starting to dominate the main arteries of Lawrence and Montrose. This while total gut-rehab condo conversions have slowly compounded over the last ten years in the interior grid of pleasant streets. Houses have had make-overs… some torn down to make way for a new born. But here too, the stock is diverse. Mainly, there is a colonial look to the style of homes, with a good helping of grey stones and a spattering of contemporary… but not too contemporary in these parts.

I will add a few entries describing the several moods in each pocket of the Wilson Corridor over the coming days. It would help if I solved my Blogger sign in problem on my home PC, but alas, I’ll have to post from the office until then.

I love to take new clients here looking for a little more space than Lakeview or Lincoln Park to this stretch. Many easily find a new home here, even though they had never before crossed Irving Park Road.

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