SMART Builders – Tear-downs Are Rising In Chicago

February 19, 2015

Less than a decade ago, no house seemed safe from the tear-down wave that flattened sweet but small homes in favor of “McMansions” throughout the affluent northern and western suburbs. The real estate bust stopped that trend cold, but as pocketbooks have recovered, so, too, has the march for big new houses.

Wilmette, for example, saw 48 tear-downs last year. That’s way up from the 15 to 20 the North Shore town experienced annually from 2009 to 2011. “We’re almost back to the old average of 50 a year,” says John Adler, Wilmette’s community development director. “And the resurgence is attributable to developers getting involved again on the speculative side—not just people of means building their dream homes.”

See the full article here:  http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2015/Teardowns-Are-Rising-in-Chicago/

 

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