where my mouth is. As a Realtor and designer, I had plenty of choices to make about where and how to focus my business. The current environment motivated me to go back to my roots on the South Side in Blue Island and surrounding areas. I have met some great clients, no shocker since South Siders are typically very grounded and sensible. I enjoy educating the first-time home buyers and using my resources to assist them with the pre-approval process, along with some needing credit education and repair. I genuinely believe everyone deserves the right of home ownership no matter what the price point. I’m proud to be a part of a company (Compass) that has given its agents the option to make a commitment to give 15% of their vendor business to black owned businesses – an idea I believe will help in ways we can’t yet imagine.
What are the 3 things you love most about Chicago and 3 things that you would like to see the city change?
The 3 things I love most about Chicago are the big city, small town mentality; it’s friendly and accessible; and the collection of diverse neighborhoods gives it a look and feel that is unique amongst big cities in the U.S. Chicago exudes sophistication with an easy to be you vibe.
I would love to see 1) Chicago do more to attract businesses of all shapes and sizes, uncluttering the path to grow someone’s dreams into reality; 2) embrace technologies that make it easier for Chicagoans to use and access services; and 3) continue to put efforts into revitalizing parts of the city that have seen better days, much as the city has done an amazing job with the parks along Michigan Ave. or the Riverfront.
Describe Chicago’s current real estate market and which neighborhoods you see as the next “hot” opportunity to buy property.
Chicago’s Real Estate market in general is in an interesting place, often times with significant differences neighborhood to neighborhood and even block to block. Inventory seems to be limited at the 200k-350k price point, creating multiple offers making home buying more challenging, even through the last couple months of COVID. I recently took a buyer out to the Northside and I was one of 5 agents waiting to get into see a single-family home, that was listed at 225k. On the South Side at a lower price point of 80k-150k similar situations are happening. Inventory is lower since Covid-19 has hit, almost regardless of which part of the city you look at.
I do think the next “hot” opportunity is still south of the city. There is great value for investors and homeowners alike and the proximity to the Loop in some areas affords buyers some extra benefits. The pocket that I see as having a big uptick is the West Pullman area – some beautiful homes and neighborhoods full of culture and character.
For more real estate tips and guidance contact Julie Latsko at [email protected].
"I genuinely believe
everyone deserves the
right of home ownership no matter what the price point."
Photo credit Max Bender