Some Press Coverage
The chicago Agent Magazine | August 24, 2015
Teardowns: An Evolution within the Housing Market
Brian Hickey, the founder of teardowns.com, an online marketplace geared towards the redevelopment of properties, likes to think of teardowns as part of an “evolution not a revolution” within the housing market... [ read on ]
The Wall Street Journal | November 30, 2014
A Final Goodbye to a Family Home
I have managed to navigate most trials in middle age (job changes, children leaving home, deceased pets) with a fair amount of grace. But now I find myself strangely unnerved by an event beyond my control:... [ read on ]
RE-INSIDER | March 6, 2013
Faces of the Industry with Brian Hickey
We recently interviewed Brian Hickey who is a subscriber to RE-Insider and founder of teardowns.com to get his perspective on where the market is headed in 2013. Here are excerpts from that interview:... [ read on ]
Hinsdale Clarendon Hills Patch | February 18, 2013
Teardowns.com 'A Disruptor' in Real Estate Industry, Owner Says
Brian Hickey pointed to an old black-and-white photograph of downtown Chicago above his desk in Clarendon Hills... [ read on ]
Chicago Tribune | February 13, 2013
Future of well-known Hinsdale home uncertain
The fate of a Queen Anne-style house that has stood for 123 years on Washington Street in Hinsdale has not yet been decided, but it's not likely to stay... [ read on ]
The American Genius | February 7, 2013
Teardowns.com, for when the value is in the land
Deciding where a business should be located is one of the later steps on a business owner’s checklist... [ read on ]
The Washington Times | October 25, 2012
Renovate old home or tear it down?
Is it better to renovate or rebuild? This question is not as simple as it may appear — financially or logistically... [ read on ]
Realtor® Mag | September 2011
'My Best Negotiating Secrets'
You may find yourself negotiating more than ever before in your real estate career.But did you know there’s a skill to negotiating that can be taught?... [ read on ]
Chicago Tribune | September 19, 2008
Taming of the monster home
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... [ read on ]
The Wall Street Journal | March 5, 2008
Just Don't Call Them Rich
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... [ read on ]
The New York Times | December 16, 2007
The Heart of Teardown Country
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?... [ read on ]
The New York Times | June 16, 2006
The Teardown Wars
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... [ read on ]
National Public Radio | September 26, 2006
Teardown Trend Altering Historic Neighborhoods
Brian Hickey, president of Xchange Properties, stands in front of an older house in Hinsdale, Ill., that is scheduled for demolition... [ read on ]
Chicago Tribune | July 30, 2006
Plot change
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... [ read on ]
The New York Times | August 21, 2005
Teardowns Reshape Suburbs, And Selling Strategies
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... [ read on ]
August 26, 2008
Tearing down existing homes to build new ones can sometimes revitalize an established neighborhood
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... [ read on ]
CNN Money | November 16, 2006
Is your house a teardown candidate?
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... [ read on ]
The Doings Newspaper | January 22, 2004
New take on real estate rises from teardown trend
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... [ read on ]
The Buckley High School | May 9, 2007
Keeping up with the Joneses
.... Xchange Properties, headquartered in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, makes a business of marketing over 100 teardown properties each year countrywide, including Southern California... [ read on ]
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:... [ read on ]
D Magazine | March 2007
Is Your Home a Teardown?
Don’t tell Robby Skinner that the teardown market is slowing down. Every month, the Park Cities developer gets a lead on a house that “no one knows about.” And every time he arrives, “there are five other developers there. It’s crazy.” ... [ read on ]
CNN Money | July 18, 2006
Trafficking in teardowns
A Web site for teardowns is making selling old houses for demolition easier than ever... [ read on ]
Forbes | July 2006
Keep It Or Trash It?
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... [ read on ]
The HOME monthly | January 2006
Xchange Properties: teardown specialist links buyers and sellers
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... [ read on ]
Professional Builder | March 2003
Broker Creates Wholesale Market in Tear-Down Land
Eighteen months ago, a former stock trader turned real estate broker... [ read on ]
Chicago Magazine | September 2003
On a Tear(down)
If you live in a neighborhood where newly constructed homes are going for $ 1 million... [ read on ]
Sports Illustrated | May 2004
Tearing Down The House
When soaring property values meet this old, small house, more builders and buyers are choosing demolition over renovation... [ read on ]
