Recent Press Coverage
Builder
November 10, 2009
Is the McMansion Dead?
by Jenny Sullivan
It’s the scapegoat of the housing bust, and that’s not all. From accusations of ostentatious overconsumption to environmental indifference, the McMansion has taken some brutal hits in the recession economy.
Are those blows lethal enough to send starter castles to their grave? Or will they live to see another boom? ....
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Chicago Tribune
September 19, 2008
Taming of the monster home
by MARY ELLEN PODMOLIK
McMansions epitomized the excesses of the housing market, but don't think that just because the market is in the dumps, the desire for overbuilt homes has dried up. ....
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The Wall Street Journal
March 5, 2008
Just Don't Call Them Rich
By KEITH WHITAKER
The key to riches in America, according to Alan Prince and Lewis Schiff, is not thinking like a millionaire but thinking like...a member of the middle class. ....
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The New York Times
December 16, 2007
The Heart of Teardown Country
By Carin Rubenstein
HAVE you ever lived near a teardown in progress? Has it ever been your daily fate to deal with noise, smells, dirt and construction crews right next door — only to behold, after endless months, a space-hogging “mansionization” in place of the petite Cape Cod you used to find so sweet? ....
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The New York Times
June 16, 2006
The Teardown Wars
By Michelle Higgins
BUILDING a dream vacation home — or at least rebuilding one — is becoming harder. In a sweeping backlash against the recent trend of wealthy buyers tearing down small — or even large — houses ....
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National Public Radio
September 26, 2006
Teardown Trend Altering Historic Neighborhoods
By Cheryl Corley
Brian Hickey, president of Xchange Properties, stands in front of an older house in Hinsdale, Ill., that is scheduled for demolition....
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The Urban Land Institute
May 2008
Stopping Residential Teardowns
By Jeffrey Spivak
Communities across the United States have tried a variety of approaches to limit or regulate teardowns and their replacements. ....
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Chicago Tribune
July 30, 2006
Plot change
by Janice Rosenberg
When Tim Lawler sought a new home in the western suburbs, Hinsdale was at the top of his list. With the housing market tight and almost no vacant land, Lawler began to consider acquiring a teardown ....
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The New York Times
August 21, 2005
Teardowns Reshape Suburbs, And Selling Strategies
by Lisa Prevost
The Hinsdale suburb of Chicago is often referred to as the epicenter of the teardown trend. Builders have been demolishing the affluent village's early post-World War II housing since 1985 ....
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August 26, 2008
Tearing down existing homes to build new ones can sometimes revitalize an established neighborhood
by CINDY HOEDEL
The first part of Mark and Constance Eddy’s homeownership story is classic: In 1998 the newlyweds bought a “starter” home in a post-World War II subdivision in Prairie Village. The 900-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bath house was dated, with 1950s metal cabinets and gold-flecked Formica counters in the kitchen, but cozy....
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CNN Money
November 16, 2006
Is your house a teardown candidate?
By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writer
Thousands on a kitchen remodel? A new deck? Just tear the whole thing down.
That's the conclusion many home owners and sellers are reaching in expensive housing markets all around the nation.
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The Doings Newspaper
January 22, 2004
New take on real estate rises from teardown trend
by Sandy Illian Bosch
Brian Hickey doesn't see his move from securities trader to real estate broker as a big transition. He said he's doing the same thing as always did. "It's just a different product," the lifelong Hinsdale resident said.
Hickey is owner and founder of Xchange Properties....
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The Buckley High School
May 9, 2007
Keeping up with the Joneses
by Willy Korchek
.... Xchange Properties, headquartered in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, makes a business of marketing over 100 teardown properties each year countrywide, including Southern California ....
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The Chicago Tribune
August 18, 2008
Pro and con
Brian Hickey, co-owner of Teardowns.com©, a real estate site for buyers and sellers based in Clarendon Hills, says the main factors that make an older neighborhood attractive are: ....
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CNN Money
July 18, 2006
Trafficking in teardowns
By Les Christie
CNNMoney.com staff writer
A Web site for teardowns is making selling old houses for demolition easier than ever ....
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Forbes
July 2006
Keep It Or Trash It?
by Ashlea Ebeling
Two strategies for an old place you're shedding: Sell it to be torn down or preserve it and get a tax break.
It's a tale of two sites. Both old. Both in need of repair....
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The HOME monthly
January 2006
Xchange Properties: teardown specialist links buyers and sellers
by Jane K. Dove
Steve and Norma are a couple in their sixties looking toward maximizing their retirement income. They want to sell their colonial home on three acres. But the kitchen and bathrooms are outdated ....
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Professional Builder
March 2003
Broker Creates Wholesale Market in Tear-Down Land
Eighteen months ago, a former stock trader turned real estate broker ....
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Chicago Magazine
September 2003
On a Tear(down)
by Dennis Rodkin
If you live in a neighborhood where newly constructed homes are going for $ 1 million .... [ read on ]
D Magazine
March 2007
Is Your Home a Teardown?
by Eric Celeste
... Mike Brawner, a broker with Xchange Properties, which runs Teardowns.com, represents one of the companies scouring the Park Cities to find just the right deal. Once a potential teardown property is identified, Xchange offers to represent the homeowners and sell to their network of builders...
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Residential Developer
Summer 2006
Demolition Derby
Xchange Properties finds a niche in demolished property sales.
The idea to market demolition properties directly to builders came when the former securities trader Brian Hickey went through the process of selling a property himself. [ read on ]
Sports Illustrated
May 2004
Tearing Down The House
by Lew Sichelman
When soaring property values meet this old, small house, more builders and buyers are choosing demolition over renovation ....
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Realty Times
January 27, 2004
Why Teardowns Rise In Metro Areas
by Peter G. Miller
Does it seem like the old neighborhood ain't what it used to be -- especially if the old neighborhood has good-sized lots, smaller homes and rising values? What you may be looking at is an ideal "teardown" area, a community where both demolitions and housing prices are booming.
According to the .... [ read on ]