Sellers Sure Fire 20 Minute House Show Prep List

Sellers hate getting ready for showings.   Living in your house while it's for sale is completely different from normal living.  All your stuff is put away.  Your closets are half-packed into storage.  You feel like you're living in a staged home all the time.

Well - here's your salvation!  This list of handy items will make your prep for showings and open houses a cinch, and a twenty-minute step-by-step routine to get the house ready for those pesky buyers.

shopping list

• Have kids & toys? Wicker baskets, decorative boxes or barrels with lids
• Feather duster or Swiffer duster
• Clorox or other handy countertop wipes
• Extra laundry baskets or decorative clothes hampers
• Vacuum cleaner

to do list

• Work from top to bottom
• Master bedroom - Clothes in hampers or baskets. Shove in closet
• Master bedroom - run duster over dressers & night stands
• Master bath - shove everything under counter
• Master bath - wipe counters with Clorox or handy wipes
• Master bed & bath - 4 minutes
• Kids room - clothes into the hampers or the baskets; shove into closets
• Kids room - run duster over dressers, stands and furniture
• Kids room - empty any smelly trash or diaper genie
• Kids room - 4 minutes
• Vacuum this whole floor - 4 more minutes
• Living room - magazines & mail - toss into wicker basket
• Living room - kids toys - toss into decorative boxes/barrels/containers with lids
• Living room & dining room - run duster over the furniture
• Living Room - fluff the sofa cushions
• Living room & dining room - Swiffer the wood floors or run the vacuum
• Living room & dining room - 6 minutes
• Kitchen - shove everything into pantry or cabinets
• Kitchen - wipe down counters with countertop wipes
• Kitchen - wipe down appliances with stainless appliance wipes
• Kitchen - Swiffer the floor
• Kitchen - 5 minutes
• Den or basement - repeat the living room process - 5 minutes
• TOTAL TIME: 24 minutes

If you only have 20 minutes, then skip the den or the basement.

Alternate - skip the vacuum and the Swiffer, and concentrate on tossing items into handy storage containers.  You should be able to accommodate a showing with nearly zero notice, or have a stress free lead up to your showing.

Open Houses for the weekend of April 26 & 27

Saturday, April 26

Warren Corner Condominiums

Open Saturday from 10:00 to Noon

Located at Arthur & Seeley

One beds from $135,000

Two beds from $155,000

New development with extraordinary finishes located in West Rogers Park.

Sunday, April 27

Wellington Park in Lakeview

2946 North Wood, Unit D

Open Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00

Three bedroom, 2.5 bath townhome with an attached 2-car garage on four floors.  Big windows, high ceilings, extraordinary finishes.  Painted and cleaned for immediate move-in.  $545,000.

 

Logan Square Single Family

2523 North Harding

Open Sunday from 3:00 to 5:00

Four bedroom home with two baths.  Updated in 2004 with kitchen, bath, roof, heating and a/c.  Large lot with big back yard.  Two car garage.  Finished basement offers two more rooms that could be beds.  New low price: $375,000!

@properties' Thad Wong on the new Market Report

@properties Market Report

2007 @properties Market Report for Chicago available now

From the @properties website:

We are pleased to present the 2007 @properties Market Report, the only real estate report that takes Chicago homebuyers and sellers inside the numbers to offer real insights into local market activity.

(Here's the link)

The Report analyzes data for detached (single-family) and attached (condominium and townhome) sales from 21 Chicago neighborhoods, comparing changes in the average selling price and market time of closed transactions. Those numbers tell part of the story. But in order to provide a more complete understanding of the local market, our analysis goes deeper, taking into account transaction volume, construction activity, economic factors, non-residential development, micro-market trends and more.

One of the most important concepts this report confirms is the local nature of real estate, which goes far beyond what's happening region by region or city by city. In Chicago, local means neighborhood by neighborhood, block by block.

Case in point: the average sales price for detached homes within the 21 neighborhoods surveyed increased 4.4 percent from 2006 to 2007; the average sales price for attached homes went up 4.3 percent. However, individually, not a single one of those 21 neighborhoods showed average price appreciation in the 4- to 5-percent range, proving that any kind of generalization about the Chicago real estate market as a whole is of marginal value to the individual buyer or seller. What matters most is what's happening in your area, and why.

The Market Report sheds light on those questions and others, including:

• Why does Lincoln Square remain one of the North Side's hottest single-family markets despite a 4 percent drop in the average sales price?
• How did Near West single-family sales prices jump almost 80 percent in one year?
• Why shouldn't Humboldt Park condo owners be concerned with a 14-percent decline in average sales price?
• What surprising reasons are behind an 8.5-percent increase in average condo sales prices in Kenwood?
• What's disappearing from Lincoln Park's single-family home market?

The 2007 @properties Market Report is a great top-line resource for understanding the trends that affect your local real estate market. For a more in-depth analysis and thorough property evaluation, turn to your local @properties sales agent. No one knows the market better.

Sincerely,

Michael Golden & Thaddeus Wong,

Co-founders, @properties

Chicagoans fair better than the rest of the US in March

Chicago homeowners were immune to the downturn in the real estate market that plagued the rest of the US in March.  The median price of single-family homes and condominiums in the city increased 5.3%, to $300,000, from a year ago. 

Sales remained slow.  They were off 11.5% from a year ago, to 2,045 sales compared to March, 2007.

Nationwide, homes sales fell 19.3% in March as prices declined by 7.7%.

Chicago Spire developer forgot to pay Real Estate Taxes

 

From Crain's today:

Garrett Kelleher failed to pay nearly $430,000 in property taxes due nearly two months ago on the proposed site of the Spire, even as the Irish developer was launching a lavish, five-city Asian tour to trumpet the massive skyscraper.

The 2,000-foot-tall Spire project would challenge even the most seasoned developers. And the failure to manage a routine task like property taxes raises questions about Mr. Kelleher’s ability to complete a multi-billion dollar project that demands the highest level of concentration.

Oops!

Although in his defense, it appears that Mr. Kelleher submitted the correct change of address forms with the Cook County Treasurer's office last November.  And the office promptly lost them.  So the bills got mailed to the wrong address.

But as Real Estate taxes are a popular topic in the news and on the blogs, everyone knows when they're due, and thanks to articles such as this one, you know how to locate your tax bill online.

Springtime in Chicago

Ahh, city life.  Things that spring forth from the ground in Chicago that non-city folks won't ever get a chance to appreciate.

And, yes, actual grass, too.

Where in Chicago is Margate Park?

Conveniently located on the shores of Lake Michigan, comfortably within one day's carriage ride from the movie studios located in the South Loop you'll find this tranquil paradise far removed from the hectic city. 

That's how this popular destination was billed to the movie stars and studio moguls of Chicago during the early 1900's.

Today this popular neighborhood lies along the lakefront and Marine Drive stretching from Lawrence to Foster Avenues.  Out of character for traditional Chicago neighborhoods, some streets such as West Castlewood Terrace feature oversized lots with luxurious mansions built during the heyday of Chicago's Silent Film era.

Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson and other early film stars are rumored to have owned homes or visited the gracious mansions in the neighborhood and relaxed along the dunes in what is now a part of Lincoln Park.

Not every street in Margate Park is as luxurious as this, but even the more traditional streets such as Ainslie and Margate Terrace are tranquil oasis' in an otherwise bustling neighborhood.  Most streets don't go all the way from Marine to Sheridan or Broadway, rather dead end.  The apartment buildings lining these streets featured units with gracious flowing floor plans of exceptional size. 

 

Still a hidden gem in Chicago, selecting a condo in Margate Park can be quite  a treasure.  Still priced affordably, it's possible to locate  a sprawling 1,700 square foot two or three bedroom condo priced in the low $300,000 range featuring vintage details such as exposed woodwork, exposed wood trim, wood floors and lots of charming rooms.

Sellers, should you be home or away for showings at your place?

A seller asked me recently if she should plan to be home or away during real estate showings at her home?

One of the reasons sellers think it could be helpful to be present for a showing is that they are worried a buyer or their agent might not be able find everything, or that they should be present to point out important features. 

Other sellers just wish to be there to see reaction to the showing firsthand.

Sellers should be aware that at the very least buyers feel uncomfortable when they are present, and that it can actually kill a sale. Buyers often won't even open closet or cabinet doors when the seller is home, and when they cannot view a house comfortably, they'll hurry up and move on to the next one.

It's best to be gone for a little while longer than the expected time of the showing.  Here in Chicago, that usually means heading out 10 minutes before the appointment time, and returning 30 minutes after. 

Most agents and their buyers do try to arrive within the scheduled showing time, but sometimes it isn't possible. They may get stuck in traffic, or the house they saw prior to your showing took longer than expected. It happens, and sometimes it happens too late to be fixed by a phone call.

Some Tips:

If you are worried about theft of small items, you should store them away. Packing up collections and small personal items is part of the process you should have already gone through to prepare your house for showings.

Pets should be out of the house during showings, especially large dogs, since many people are afraid of them. A gruff bark coming from inside the house is enough to make some home buyers turn around at the front door.

Open Houses for the weekend April 19 & 20

942 North Fairfield

The Fairfield Greystone

Open Sunday from 11:00 to 1:00

Luxurious new condominiums in a stately vintage building.  Incredible fits and finishes.  Two beds from $255,000.  Parking available.

www.fairfieldgreystone.info

 

 

2946 N. Wood St., Unit D

Wellington Park Townhomes

Open Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00

New listing in Wellington Park.  Three bedrooms, 2 & 1/2 baths on four floors.  Lots of outdoor space, spacious floor plan, giant windows, tons of sunlight.  Painted and cleaned this week for your immediate move-in.

www.wellingtonpark.net

The Uptown Broadway Building at Leland & Broadway in Chicago

From the Uptown Update

A reader wrote in on Friday: "This building was unveiled today and its restoration is gorgeous!"

We went by this morning to take a look, and we agree. The details on this building are stunning. Even with the downstairs still being gutted, it took our breath away.

Thank you, Thaddeus Wong, for giving this amazing building back to Uptown.

 

Hey! Where's the water?

100th Street and Avenue N in Hegewisch.  The South Side.  Cleverly located underneath the Chicago Skyway.  Very scenic.

 

There used to be boat yards on the North Side but they're all condo's now.

 

 

Belmont at Washtenaw - and the Chicago River.

Can Chicago Landlords show occupied apartments?

This question posed to your guides seemed oddly well timed considering the topics of our recent posts.  A writer asks:

Am I obligated to allow my landlord to show my unit while my lease is still valid?

My lease ends on July 1st, 2008 and rent has been paid on time. I do not intend to renew the lease in July, and my landlord wants to give a key to his friend to show the home to potential renters. I don't feel comfortable having a strangers with a key to my unit. Am I obligated to allow the landlord to do this?

The short answer:  Yes.

In Chicago, a landlord is allowed to enter your apartment for lawful purposes after giving appropriate notice.  It has become accepted practice that 48 hours is the appropriate amount of notice for non emergency entry into your apartment.  The law only states that a "reasonable" amount of notice should be given, but judges seem to have settled on 48 hours as the "reasonable" guideline.

Your landlord can also specify someone who can act on his behalf - such as a leasing agency or real estate agent - to conduct the showings.  Most of the time, the Leasing Agency or Real Estate Agent is a person holding a real estate license, so you would not have to worry that some random stranger has a key to your apartment.

If you deny access to the apartment for showings, your landlord has several recourses.  He can begin eviction proceedings against you.  He can also give you an unfavorable landlord reference to your next landlord.  If your lease outlined any fines or penalties for denying a showing request, these fines or fees could be deducted from your security deposit.

Filming on the set of Public Enemies - West Newport Ave

Photo Courtesy of haycarrieanne

This photo was taken yesterday - as in April 10, 2008 - in Lakeview on West Newport during the filming of the new Johnny Depp & Christian Bale movie "Public Enemies."

For filming, more modern street lights were taken out and replaced by old-timey street lamps, new cars were relocated (sadly this means towed away) and vintage auto's parked in their places, and extras in vintage period clothing hired to mill up and down the street. 

Your guides still have not seen hide nor hair of the big stars.

Open Houses the weekend of April 12 & 13

Saturday, April 12

Warren Corner Condominiums

2034 W. Arthur & 6504 N. Seeley

Open Saturday from 1:00 to 3:00

Come see the new furnished model!  At Warren Corner we have one beds from $135,000 and two beds from $155,000.  These condos are finished beautifully, and they're ridiculously affordable!

www.warrencorner.info

Sunday, April 13

2523 North Harding

Open Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00

$400,000

New listing! Single Family Home with 4 beds (plus two more in the basement) and 2 baths.  Large lot offers a nice side yard and back yard.

Showing, Selling, Real estate in Chicago. Part 3.

I don't know what it is about trying to get appointments to see two, three and four-flats in Chicago, but it seems to be near impossible.

We've written before on the unique convention of Chicago Realtors actually showing up to show their listings here and here.

And when showing apartment buildings, there are even more people to coordinate with.  Of course you remember that to coordinate showings that the listing Realtor shows up for, we need to accommodate the schedule of the Seller, the Listing Agent, the Buyer, and the Buyer's Agent.  Now - add the Tenants.  And the Tenants are usually the LEAST cooperative of the bunch. 

They don't have an interest in the sale.  They usually worry that the new seller is going to raise the rent, kick them out, or perhaps both.   Invariably they're still in bed.  I'm amazed at the number of college grads with decent jobs still in bed at Noon on Saturday.

But we still can't figure out what the problem is with Agents and their Apartment Building Listings.  Trying to schedule six showings on Saturday, we've been told "no", we've been told "not at 1:30, but how about 3:30?", we've been told "not Saturday. How About Sunday?", or still the ever popular ~ Nothing.  No call back.  Silence.

For the guy who told us 3:30 rather than 1:30 because that's when he's showing the building, I hope he's there showing to no one in particular.

Ironically, the same Agent's tagline in his E-mail signature is "Striving to be the best Realtor in Chicago!"

Good luck, buddy!

Can you "play" at a Chicago "park?"

From today's Crain's Chicago Business

A few days ago, a group of 30-something Loop office workers decided to let off a little post-5 p.m. steam. Being a healthy lot, they headed not to a bar, but to the 3-acre public park plopped amid the huge Lakeshore East residential and office complex on East Randolph Street for a pickup soccer game.

A few minutes later, the cops arrived—and busted one and all for violating an ancient and unknown city law that restricts sporting activities to sites specifically designated for sport. As reported by WFLD-TV/Channel 32, the coppers had been summoned by an adjacent condo building’s management, which says it just was trying to protect the wet turf but clearly considers the “public” park to be mostly private.

This begs the question:  Can you "play" in the "park?"

In our neighborhood, there is a bit of a struggle between parents and dog owners over whether pets should be allowed inside the newly constructed Chi Che Wang Park on West Wolfram in West Lakeview.

Under a little known statute in Chicago, dogs are prohibited from any parks that do not have paved walk ways through them.  Chi Che Wang Park is three-acres of lawn with nary a path, toy, object, or impediment inside its boundaries.  It's filled with families and children playing soccer, football, baseball, softball and Frisbee.   On weekends, some organized Soccer Clubs have been setting up full soccer games.  Nets, goals, uniforms, spiked shoes - the whole shebang.

And if a dog sets a toe-step inside, a neighbor usually calls the police.

Hmmm.  I wonder if a vengeful - oops - I mean - observant - area dog owner were to keep his eye out for one of these "sporting" events being held in this "non sporting" venue - could he call the police?  Or will he just get the brush off?

Augustus H. Burley School in Chicago's West Lakeview Neighborhood

Here in West Lakeview, we're fortunate to have one of Chicago's more well-regarded grammar schools - Augustus H. Burley school.

Over the years we've wondered about the namesake.  Who is Augustus H. Burley?  Other namesake schools in Chicago are easy to recognize: William B. Ogden; Walter Payton; Disney Elementary.

Well, the geniuses at Google have helped again.  They've been busy scanning and converting to text the contents of the entire Library of Congress.  Lo and behold a new title popped up in their search results:  "Chicago Yesterdays: A Sheaf of Reminiscences" by Caroline Kirkland from 1919.  Since the copyright has expired, the entire contents of the book are available online.

From the book:

Two of Chicago's early and eminent citizens were Arthur Burley and Augustus H. Burley, brothers, who in 1837, the year Chicago became a city, came from Exeter, N. H., by rail, Sound steamer, river boat, canal boat, lake ship, and horse and wagon to the uncouth, unkempt frontier settlement that sprawled along both banks of a shallow stream. The new town had been in turn a halting place for wandering Indians, a fur-traders' camp, a military outpost of civilization, and now was fast becoming a business center for a rapidly developing agricultural district. The two Burley s were preceded by their half-brother, Stephen Gale, and followed later by their younger brother, Charles. From the beginning Augustus, and later his wife, Harriet, kept up a continuous correspondence with their eastern relatives — a correspondence which gradually unfolded a graphic picture of the conditions of life in this part of the world.

Read the letters at Google

Google Maps integrates CTA directions into maps and directions in Chicago

Check it out! Google Maps rolled out its integration with CTA information this week. When getting driving directions on Google Maps for destinations within Chicago, an option is available for taking public transportation. The idea is brilliant.

Chicago Transit Authority riders can now plan their trips using the Google Transit™ website, Mayor Richard M. Daley and CTA officials announced today.

Through a new partnership with Google, mapping and directions for CTA bus and rail services are available in 11 languages on the Google Transit™ web site.

“The ease with which people can access information via Google demonstrates the true value of technology – it makes the world a global community,” Daley said at a news conference held at CTA headquarters, 567 W. Lake St.

“Regardless of whether you want to travel three miles or 3,000 miles from home, the tools to plan the most convenient and easiest way to reach your destination is captured all in one space. The CTA is now a part of that global community and offers people the opportunity to choose a more environmentally friendly way to get where they want to go,” he said.

Check out this example for getting to the Airport from our office in West Lakeview...

View Larger Map

Interview with Chicago South Side Board of Tourism's Brett Smalls

Opening Day for the Chicago White Sox brings about both excitement as well as a bit of confusion every year at this time. Pat Tomasulo from WGN TV introduces us to Brett Smalls from the Chicago South Side Board of Tourism who shares with viewers some tips on what you'll find on Chicago's South Side.

Canary in the Coal Mine? Foreclosures in the news

While Chicago is not suffering the mortgage crisis as painfully as residents of the Coasts, Florida and Las Vegas, more and more foreclosure news has been creeping into the news lately. 

A roundup of foreclosures in the news in the last month:

March 3 Crain's Chicago Business

Foreclosure flu spreads:  14,250 foreclosures in 2007, a 46% increase over 2006. 

Northwest Side neighborhoods like Albany Park, Logan Square and Portage park saw their numbers more than double, according to a new report provided to Crain's ahead of it's scheduled release.

Those areas drew newcomers in large numbers in recent years as first-time buyers sought affordable alternatives to pricier city neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square and Lakeview.

Tower builder tie-up: Related Companies and Magellan discuss a combo as two major projects falter.

Talks to combine two of the Chicago area's largest developers come at a critical time for Related Midwest LLC.  The luxury condominium developer is struggling with a slow sales start at its two newest projects and has been without a president.

Related Midwest LLC developments include:

• 340 on the Park - already completed
• Canyon Ranch Living - planning
• Pestigo - Planning
• Roosevelt Square - Under construction

Magellan Development is currently building several high rises at Lakeshore East on the New East Side.

Decline seen in apartment sales

Sales of Chicago-area apartment buildings could drop 30% this year, to $1.08 billion, from a record breaking 2007,  according to a report from CB Richard Ellis, Inc.

Signs of the slowdown were evident late last year, a time when sales activity typically spikes as investors hurry to complete deals before yearend.  But only 42% of the Chicago deals close din the second half of last year, as opposed to 69% in the last 6 months of 2005, the previous record year when sales totaled $1.89-billion.

March 10 Crain's Chicago Business

A Sterling example of condo Bust:  Foreclosures, falling prices: a bad omen?

Over the past three years, lenders have filed 95 foreclosure suits, accounting for about $40-million in loans, on condominiums in the 389-unit high-rise, fueling a big drop in condo values throughout the building.

The tower represents a worst-case scenario in a downtown condo market that is weak but so far hasn't seen the falling prices and rising foreclosures that have afflicted once-hot markets like South Florida.  The real test for condo owners will come over the next two years, when downtown developers are expected to complete more than 10,000 condo's, an unprecedented jump in supply.

A nice building in a superior location seems an unlikely victim of rampant foreclosures, but artificially propped up prices along with developer incentives may have played a part in its unfortunate predicament.

American Invsco Corp attracted a lot of investors with incentives such as two years of free taxes, two years of free assessments, and artificially propped up cash flow.  One incentive offered to make up the difference between the rent and the mortgage + tax + assessment payments for a two year period. 

It was too good to be true for some buyers.  As the incentives wore off, many buyers saw their monthly payments soar to unsustainable levels.

A trickle of foreclosures in 2004 grew to a flood in the next three years.  Nearly 1/3 of foreclosures involve owners with multiple units in the building.

An American Invsco spokesman blames the Sterling's troubles on the depressed market:  "It has nothing to do with our program."

In more stable neighborhoods where the inventory supply is more limited and there is not as much speculation, the number of foreclosure epidemic seems quite limited.  In the Lakeview neighborhood, for example, only had 126 foreclosures, but this represented a 94% increase from 2006. 

It's interesting to watch the tale of two cities developing right inside the borders of Chicago.

Open Houses for the weekend of April 5 and 6

Sunday, April 6

942 North Fairfield - Open Sunday from 11 to 1

Six luxurious condominiums inside a restored Greystone.  Just reduced some prices this week. Two beds from $255,000

www.fairfieldgreystone.info

Warren Corner Condominiums - Open Sunday from 2 to 4

2036 W. Arthur and 6504 N. Seeley

Twenty condominiums ready for occupancy located in West Rogers Park near Warren Park. Great pricing with homes priced from $135,000.

www.warrencorner.info

Brand New Duplex? Or Turn of the Century House?

A customer recently posed the question:  Should I buy a new duplex-up or a turn-of-the-century SFH?  I'm looking to buy in the Chicago near north area. Both are similarly sized and in good condition, just built a century apart. Which will have better appreciation/resale?

It's such an interesting question because usually the same buyer would never be considering both at the same time. 

Here in Chicago, the history of the popular neighborhoods is such that they began their lives as working class neighborhoods filled with modest homes that do not lend themselves to modern living.  In the photograph above, this Victorian was the original farm house for the township built in 1889.  Despite its obvious charm, the inside layout was a jumbled mess of rooms that did not make any sense.  The basement was not accessible from inside the house.  Bedrooms were scattered throughout both levels of the home.  Some rooms were long and narrow, others did not have closets.

We were the third listing agents to try to sell this property, and after several months of reaching out to neighborhood residents who might enjoy this superior location in Lincoln Park, we pitched the property to a developer.  The lot was extra long, extra wide, and the zoning was generous (R4) to allow a large condo building to be built.

We sold the house to the developer for $700,000.  When the condominiums were completed, the developer's agent sold the largest condo - the duplex on the first floor - for $741,000.  This was in 2005.

In 2006, the same condo sold again for $818,000.

I suppose that says volumes about the popularity of condominiums, and of the duplex floor plans.

Based on this anecdotal evidence (as well as a bunch of experience) our advice would be to only purchase the single family house if it's a very good value and is sitting on a parcel of land that a developer would be very interested in when you're ready to sell. 

Otherwise, the popularity and salability of new condominiums can't be beat.

Back Few Day (Dry Cleaners.)

It's not too late to take part in Chicago's Whiskey Fest

We can not imagine how we missed this last week, but over the weekend, Chicago's Whiskey Fest opened.

America's Largest Whisky Celebration featuring more than 200 of the world's finest, rarest, and most expensive, single malt and blended Scotch, Irish, bourbon, Tennessee, Japanese, Welsh, Canadian and other whiskies from around the world to sample in one Grand Ballroom. Attendees will also enjoy an expansive gourmet buffet all evening and will receive a commemorative Glencairn whisky glass.

Fortunately, Whiskey Fest takes place throughout Whiskey Week.  Therefore, there are plenty of events to attend, including the final event at the Hyatt Regency on April 4.

Other local events you haven't missed yet:

Wednesday, April 2nd

- One North Restaurant, 1 North Wacker Drive, 5:30-7:30 p.m., $30.

It's Hump Day and Whisky Night! Enjoy whiskies from around the world paired with delectable appetizers, while chatting the ears off of whisky reps and distillers

- West Lakeview Liquors, 2156 W. Addison, 6-9 p.m.

Wojcik will be on hand to sample out Bulleit Bourbon, Kentucky's "frontier" bourbon.

- Chief O’Neill’s, 3471 N. Elston, 8-10 p.m., complimentary, but Reservations are required.

Duffy and special guest Gregor Cattanach, global brand ambassador for Johnnie Walker and the Classic Malts of Scotland, will be on hand for a formal sit-down seminar of whisky. There will be lots of whisky, a buffet, and music.

- Rocks Tavern, 1301 W. Schubert, 7-10 p.m.

Rocks is having a Bushmills celebration. while you're there, check out their extensive whisky selection.

Thursday, April 3rd

- Warehouse Liquors, 634 S. Wabash, 4-7 p.m.

Cattanach and Tom Bulleit of Bulleit Bourbon will be on hand from 4-5 p.m. for a special sampling and bottle signing of the Classic Malts of Scotland and Bulleit Bourbon

- Binny’s South Loop, 1132 S. Jefferson, 5-8 p.m.

Brett Potoni hosts a whiskies of the world event, with Duffy, Cattanach and Bulleit. There could be a possibility that every bottle of whisky in the store could be opened.

- Sam’s Wines & Spirits South Loop, 50 E. Roosevelt, 5-8 p.m.

Singleton and Bulleit sampling/bottle signing with Bulleit and Cattanach available from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

- Bar On Buena, 910 W. Buena, 7-10 p.m. – THE SINGLETON VIP PARTY

It's a Singleton VIP party with Master of Whisky Robert Sickler as the guest of honor. Bar on Buena will also be serving whisky flights.

- Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro, 3905 N. Lincoln, 7-10 p.m.

Tiered tasting of the Johnnie Walker selections.

- The Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace, 8-11 p.m.

There will be a free Bushmills sampling.

- Red Ivy Tavern, 3525 N. Clark, 8-11 p.m.

Red Ivy will be sampling out their new whisky flights. Bulleit and Cattanach will be on hand from 8:30-10:30 p.m.

Not a good day for the dry cleaner

I stopped at the dry cleaner today.  It seems I was a day late.  Or perhaps this is a good thing.  If I would have gone yesterday, I would have exchanged four shirts for six, plus a nice suit. 

Dear readers, do any of you know what to do when your dry cleaner has been shut down with your clothes still inside?