Top brokerages notch strong sales gains in 2012

Combined sales at the five biggest firms here jumped 27 percent in 2012 from 2011, according to a new report. The biggest mover was @properties, where sales rose 41 percent. 

Residential briefs

Head of Lettuce Entertain You buys Winnetka property

Also, a Waterton Associates co-founder sells in Lincoln Park, and a Bucktown tavern turned LEED-certified home is about to hit the market. 

Closing arguments coming in trial over Trump Tower sales

(AP) — The case pits the grandmotherly Jacqueline Goldberg against a New Yorker who revels in his image as a big talker with big ideas. 

New condo sales rise downtown, shrinking supply

Developers sold 122 condos downtown in the quarter, up from 72 in fourth-quarter 2012 and 113 a year earlier, according to Appraisal Research Counselors. 

Tenant group sues Chicago Housing Authority

(AP) — Longtime tenants are suing the Chicago Housing Authority for allegedly reneging on pledges to return them to their neighborhood after redevelopment. 

Laramar buys failed Bucktown condo project

The Chicago-based apartment investor paid $4.5 million for 12 unsold condos, retail space and parking at Bucktown Station, a 15-unit development, saving developer Bruce Fogelson from foreclosure.