Buy Your Chicago Condo With Your Eyes Open.
Licensed Illinois broker and software engineer. First condo or third — I read the building, the HOA budget, and the offer the way I read code.
About Me
Piotr Senkow
Chicago Condo Broker · North-Side Focus
I'm Piotr Senkow (Peter, if that's easier), a licensed Illinois broker with Kale Realty. I work with Chicago condo buyers across the north and near-west side — Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Edgewater, Uptown, Near North, and West Town.
On the side, I'm a software engineer, so I read buildings, HOA budgets, and offers the way I read code — slowly, carefully, and with a spreadsheet open. Assessment history, reserve ratios, per-unit delinquency, the stuff most buyers never see.
I closed on my own first Chicago condo in Lakeview last year — the inspection, the HOA reserve-study read, the 22.1 disclosure panic, all of it is fresh. The same read works for move-up buyers sizing up their second or third.
Mówię po polsku — happy to work in Polish or English.
Start a ConversationHow I Help
Here's what working with me actually looks like.
Buy Your Chicago Condo
I work with condo buyers across Chicago's north side — first-time and move-up. What that actually looks like:
- ·A no-pressure first call to figure out what's realistic in your budget
- ·A short list of buildings worth walking — not every listing that matches your filters
- ·Line-by-line read of the HOA budget and reserves before we write an offer
- ·Honest math on taxes, assessments, and total monthly cost
- ·Someone in your corner at inspection, appraisal, and close
Sell When You're Ready
When your first condo becomes your starter condo, I'll help you price it, stage it, and trade up — clean prep, no wasted weeks.
Straight Answers
Not sure if you should buy or keep renting? I'll run the actual math with you, not the pitch. If the answer is "not yet," I'll tell you.
Guides
Two things I wish I'd read before buying my first Chicago condo. Free, no email required.
Checklist
First-Time Chicago Condo Buyer Checklist
What actually matters at each stage, from pre-approval through the morning after closing. Specific to Chicago, specific to first-time buyers.
Read the checklist →Due Diligence
Chicago HOA Budget Red Flags
How to read a condo HOA budget when you're seeing one for the first time. Seven specific flags, concrete examples, and when to walk versus when to negotiate.
Read the red flags →Explore Chicago
Discover the city's most dynamic neighborhoods with real market insights
Edgewater
A north-side entry point with vintage walk-ups and mid-century high-rises along Sheridan. The most accessible price point on the belt.
Read about Edgewater →Lakeview
Vibrant, walkable, and lake-adjacent. Lakeview is the heart of Chicago's north-side condo market and where most buyer shopping time lands.
Read about Lakeview →Lincoln Park
Historic architecture along tree-lined streets, with the deepest pre-war small-building inventory in the $600K to $1M move-up band.
Read about Lincoln Park →Near North Side
Largest condo submarket on the north side. Slower 18-day median DOM gives buyers time to read the building. Streeterville, River North, Gold Coast, Old Town.
Read about Near North Side →Uptown
The cleanest sub-$400K entry into the belt. Pre-war Uptown Square character, mid-century Sheridan high-rises, and 2000+ infill on Broadway.
Read about Uptown →West Town
The off-axis option, west of the river. Wicker Park, East Village, Ukrainian Village. New-construction townhomes and 3-flat conversions; deepest 2-bed and 3-bed inventory.
Read about West Town →Medians calculated from MRED MLS closed transactions, attached residential (condo/townhome), 12 months ending April 21, 2026. Source: Realytica analytics platform. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Shopping a Chicago Condo?
If you're looking in Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Edgewater, Uptown, Near North, or West Town — $300k to $1M, first condo or third — let's talk about what's realistic in your budget and what's actually worth your time to tour.
Start a ConversationGet in Touch
Tell me where you're looking, what you've saved, and what's on your mind. No-pressure first call.