Thirty year veteran of housing industry Top housing research analyst on Wall Street Expert Chicago price research. Specializing in Rogers Park and Edgewater. Good service means listening to you and getting it done Chicago neighborhoods create housing value No one can build a nice neighborhood overnight. So when you get a nice neighborhood, it creates value for the housing units that are part of the community. People are attracted to Chicago because of the value and charm of our many neighborhoods.  This is more than a putting the right price on a home, it is appreciating where future value will occur. Chicago's north shore is a great place to invest While many other close in neighborhoods have enjoyed the boom, the upper lakefront, what I call Chicago's north shore, remains relatively unknown. Edgewater is having good demand, while Rogers Park is largely unknown farther south.  But we have direct access to the lakefront, we have wonderful access to the downtown, good shopping and much diversity. Our day is yet to come. In the mean time, let us enjoy the relative quiet. My approach to housing value Housing prices have gone up so much since 1997. Of course prices had to adjust, and they will continue to adjust. New construction and conversions compete directly with existing units people are trying to sell. Not much is written about what the next ten years will hold for housing values. But that matters to every owner and every buyer. Now is the time to educate yourself about trends that may affect your home and biggest investment.  Realtors don't need to sell, if their main goal is to educate. Get a reality check on the value of your home It does not hurt to talk to a well-trained and well-informed realtor about your home's current value. There is so much noise about real estate these days, you can tune it all out. But this is your investment too. You want to be well-informed. Talk to a LOCAL realtor about what they are seeing happen in your area. They can prepare an area real estate survey from the multiiple listing service that you might find very interesting. Don't be shy, be informed.