Stephanie Sims is Chicago Agent’s managing editor

In case you missed the photos a few issues back, Chicago Agent held its “Who’s Who in Chicagoland Real Estate” issue party at The Grant this year, one of Related Midwest’s new South Loop Luxury buildings. Admittedly, I had never been inside the building when it was Museum Campus East, but all of Related Midwest’s redevelopment and redesign has paid off – The Grant is a fantastic space! Our party happened to be held on the spacious balcony, which gives way to a great view of the rest of the South Loop neighborhood.

The amenities of this building were pretty impressive – the balcony was connected to a game room, which has a granite countertop bar, a pool table, lounge furniture and flat screen TVs; an indoor pool and locker room were also on the same floor.

It seems as though new construction might be stepping up its game. Now that things are finally picking up in the market, buyers want to make sure they get a good deal, and a great value for a great price. Maybe that’s why we’re seeing an increasing interest in new construction. From the terrace at Richelieu Flats, to Belgravia Group’s new brokerage, Belgravia Realty Group, to Pulte’s “flex space” floorplans and the research that goes into what homebuyers want (page 33), developers are making sure their properties are well-worth the price.

We also put a call-out to Chicagoland’s developers and created a status update of Chicagoland’s new construction properties, and you can see the full, sortable grid on our website.

Like this issue? Let me know what you think: email me at stephanie@chicago.staging312.com or comment on our stories online.