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.
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Schaumburg’s Big Mixed-Use Plans Could Reshape Its Commercial Real Estate Market
Schaumburg, one of Chicago’s most dynamic suburbs, is poised for a significant transformation with ambitious mixed-use development plans. These projects...
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What the Residential Conversion of 65 E. Wacker Place Means for the Chicago Office Market
The recent approval of zoning changes for the residential conversion of 65 E. Wacker Place, a former office building in...
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More Foreclosures In Chicago’s Office Market Future?
Chicago’s office market is under siege, and the recent foreclosure suit against Accesso Partners’ Loop office tower at 200 West...
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Glenview’s Low Supply Real Estate Market
The commercial real estate market in Glenview, Illinois, continues to solidify its reputation as one of Chicagoland's most desirable suburban...
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Downers Grove on the Rise As Invesco Bets on Suburban Offices
The news of Invesco signing a lease extension at KORE's suburban office campus in Downers Grove is a significant indicator...
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IBM’s Bold Expansion at U.S. Steel South Works: The Quantum Future In Illinois
Illinois is rapidly emerging as a premier destination for data centers and quantum computing enterprises, driven by strategic investments, a...
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777 Hickory Hill Sold: Van Vlissingen & Co. Delivers Major Win in Lake County Market
Van Vlissingen and Co. has successfully brokered the sale of 777 Hickory Hill Drive in Vernon Hills, marking a significant...
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Implications Of Chicago’s Anti-Gentrification Ordinance
In December 2024, the Chicago City Council amended the Northwest Side Housing Preservation Ordinance, widely called the anti-gentrification ordinance. These...
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Caterpillar Aurora Office Closure’s Commercial Real Estate Impact
Caterpillar Inc.’s recent decision to close its office near Aurora, Illinois, and lay off 60 employees underscores a pivotal moment...
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Successfully Redefining Office Space with Spencer Levine – RFP 53
The phrase “office space” no longer means what it did five years ago. In a post-pandemic world shaped by hybrid...
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The Impact Of Chicago’s Proposed $68.5M Real Estate Tax Hike
On December 10, 2024, the City Council Finance Committee narrowly approved a revised $68.5 million property tax increase proposed by...
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What the O’Hare Office Market Can Learn from the CDA Lease?
The Chicago Department of Aviation’s (CDA) recent lease of 99,421 square feet at 8420 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. delivers a...
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Illinois Science & Technology Park Building Sells For Major Discount
Turning Point in the Lab and Life Sciences Market? The life sciences sector has been a darling of commercial real...
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