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.
Lake Zurich’s Kemper Lakes Business Center Sells for $190M Suburban Office Record
The recent $190 million sale of the Kemper Lakes Business Center in Lake Zurich marks a pivotal moment for the...
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2022 Winter Property Trends in Lake Geneva
Winter Property Trends in Lake Geneva Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, has long been a haven for luxury living and prime real...
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Broker Named Top LinkedIn Influencer
Van Vlissingen and Co. is proud to congratulate our Director of Sales and Leasing, Gordon Lamphere, on being named...
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Real Estate Experts – Change & Opportunity Ahead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCOu9HOru9I At Lake County Partners' quarterly roundup, real estate experts discussed the future of the market. The panel featured...
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Commercial Real Estate Opportunity In Recovery
Commercial Real Estate Opportunity In Recovery Despite the post-COVID-19 pandemic’s economic collapse, the US economy is recovering faster than expected....
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Robust Industrial Real Estate Market From Ecommerce Growth
The recent Covid-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place policies are accelerating many political, cultural, and economic trends. This is particularly true in...
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Excel Plumbing Opens Location at 661 Glenn Avenue Wheeling, Illinois
Excel Plumbing has purchased the 18,091 square foot 661 Glenn Avenue industrial building in Wheeling Illinois and has relocated a...
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The Perfect Medical Space For Your Healthcare Practice
When exploring the commercial real estate marketplace there are 4 primary property types to consider for your healthcare practice; office...
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Adversity Volleyball Expands in the Corporate Woods Vernon Hills, Illinois
A top level volleyball program and a beloved and respected badminton academy have enlarged their industrial warehouse presence in the...
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Incredible Technologies Comes To 1 Overlook Point
Incredible Technologies, a Class-III gaming manufacturer focused on delivering compelling video slot content to the modern-day casino floor has added...
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Stockbridge’s $43M Elk Grove Village Purchase Highlights Growing Data Center Demand
The recent $43.1 million purchase in Elk Grove Village by San Francisco-based Stockbridge Real Estate Fund underscores the growing demand...
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Chicago’s North Suburban Office Market Strengthens
Contrary to the common “wisdom” that everyone is moving downtown, Chicago’s suburban office market continues to experience positive growth. Accordingly,...
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Cook County Tax Increases Likely
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbf5ONEIaw8 Big Changes in the Cook County Assessor’s Office Major changes in the Cook County Assessor’s Office could reshape Chicago’s...
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Low Priced Office Space Offers Chance to Upgrade
For investors, tenants, and buyers the Lake County suburban office space market could be on the verge of recovery. Q4...
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Chicago’s Industrial Real Estate Market Remains Red Hot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQn-gYdLKeA The Chicagoland industrial real estate market has experienced 33 consecutive quarters of positive net absorption. As a result, across...
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Lake Geneva’s $7.2M Mansion Sale
Lake Geneva's $7.2M Mansion Sale Highlights Untapped Commercial Real Estate Markets The recent $7.2 million sale of a palatial waterfront...
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Van Vlissingen and Co. Welcomes Manhard Consulting to One Overlook Point in Lincolnshire, IL
Van Vlissingen and Co. is pleased to announce that Manhard Consulting, has leased 17,989 Sq. Ft. of Class A Office...
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Prevent Frozen Pipes 5 Tips for Commercial Property Owners
For Chicagoland commercial property owners, Wednesday’s forecast of historically low-temperatures is frightening. Below freezing temperatures create a wide assortment of...
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