Welcome To The Real Finds Blog: Commercial Real Estate Insights for Chicago and the Midwest
Welcome to The Real Finds Blog, your daily briefing on commercial real estate trends across Chicagoland and the Midwest. Published by Gordon Lamphere, a fourth-generation commercial real estate broker at Van Vlissingen & Co., this blog delivers sharp, actionable insights for CRE professionals navigating a changing market. Every article connects macro trends—interest rates, automation, supply chains, policy shifts—to local real estate strategy across high-demand submarkets, including:
- Downtown Chicago – office space, adaptive reuse, capital markets
- Elk Grove & O’Hare – industrial leasing, logistics infrastructure
- Kenosha & SE Wisconsin – warehouse development and distribution hubs
- Oak Brook & Schaumburg – suburban office leasing and reinvestment
- Naperville & the I-88 Corridor – flex space, R&D, life sciences
- Bolingbrook & the I-55 Corridor – fulfillment centers and industrial site selection
- Lake, DuPage, Will, Kane, and McHenry Counties – land use, entitlements, development opportunities, and tenant migration
From daily blog posts to in-depth strategy guides and transcribed podcast interviews, Real Finds turns global uncertainty into hyper-local market intelligence for investors, landlords, tenants, developers, and brokers New posts are published every weekday.
Overcoming Logistical Challenges in the Return to Office Movement
As organizations worldwide navigate the post-pandemic landscape, the push to return employees to physical office spaces has unveiled a myriad...
Read More
The Changing Risk Profile of Federal Leases—What Investors Need to Know
Introduction For years, real estate leased to federal agencies was considered one of the safest investments. With long-term lease commitments,...
Read More
How AI Data Centers and 1-Gigawatt Supercomputing Will Reshape Commercial Real Estate
The France-UAE agreement and Fluidstack’s €10 billion AI supercomputer project mark a turning point in global infrastructure. With two separate...
Read More
A Barometer for Occupiers and Office Market Strength in Logan Square
The commercial real estate landscape in Logan Square is undergoing a significant shift as RXO, a Charlotte-based freight brokerage provider,...
Read More
Bannockburn’s Office Market Faces Foreclosure: What It Means for Suburban Chicago Office Space
The suburban Chicagoland office market continues to face significant headwinds, with the latest example being the potential foreclosure of a...
Read More
Why Are Exterior Conference Rooms The New Office Space Trend?
The latest trend in office space design isn’t about open-concept workspaces or collaborative hubs—it’s exterior conference rooms. While this might...
Read More
What Fulton’s Next Development Means For Chicago Small Bay Industrial?
The Chicago industrial market continues to evolve, and the latest planned development at 2519 W Fulton Street is a prime...
Read More
The Potential Of Nvidia’s Quantum Campus on Chicago’s South Side
The rumors surrounding Nvidia’s interest in building a quantum campus on Chicago’s South Side are stirring excitement across tech, academia,...
Read More
Office Foreclosure Lawsuit on 10 South LaSalle, Chicago
The Feil Organization, a prominent New York-based real estate firm, is facing a foreclosure lawsuit concerning its property at 10...
Read More
Chicagoland Industrial Market Update January 8, 2025
The Chicagoland industrial real estate market remains a critical hub for logistics and warehousing, attracting institutional investors despite shifts in...
Read More
Accenture Tower Secures Lease Extension Amid Challenging Market Dynamics
In a rare bright spot for Chicago's commercial real estate market, the iconic Accenture Tower at 500 W. Madison St....
Read More
Amazon’s US Grocery Expansion Could Disrupt Midwest Industrial Markets
The Midwest industrial real estate market, particularly in the Greater Chicagoland area and Wisconsin, is uniquely poised to be reshaped...
Read More
Senior Housing Expansion Will Shape Crystal Lake’s Real Estate Market
The recent development of new senior housing units by Ravinia Communities in Crystal Lake, including 67 new units at Oakbrook...
Read More
Developing Successful & Sustainable Planned Communities With Tom Hoban – RFP 54
When most developers talk about community, they’re referring to lot sizes, traffic patterns, and maybe a town square with a...
Read More
Why Chicago’s Christkindlmarket Is The Future Of Office & Retail
The future of in-person real estate, particularly in the office and retail sectors, hinges on prioritizing walkability and experiences. As...
Read More
Downtown Chicago Office Space Sells For Under $67 Per Sq.Ft.
The recent acquisitions by Glenstar and 601W Companies—purchasing office buildings in Chicago at steep discounts—highlight a major shift in the...
Read More
Chicago’s Data Center Boom Continues At 2800 S. Ashland
As the digital economy continues to expand, Chicago has emerged as one of the top markets in the United States...
Read More
How Deerfield’s $70M Senior Housing Project Highlights Challenges in a Shifting Real Estate Market
The recent announcement of Celadon Partners’ $70 million senior housing project in Deerfield underscores a trend of reimagining underutilized commercial...
Read More