ETI Blog

The Single Most Useful Move Available Before you Sign the Lease

It’s long been said that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. In multifamily construction, this is especially true. Capital projects that move forward without reliable data tend to run into blind spots once work is underway, exposing budgets and...

Not many phrases in the multifamily construction industry stir up as much debate as “value engineering.” For architects, it often hints at potential design compromises in service of the budget. But what if this perception misses the true...

With summer just around the corner, property managers across Chicagoland are prepping their multifamily properties with innovative outdoor amenities that continue to take resident experiences up a notch, year after year. We're not referring to...

A few years ago, a construction survey revealed a $177 billion industry problem. The cost of rework and conflict resolution was causing a massive financial burden across the sector. Rework alone is estimated to average around 12% of total project...

Every construction project has its twists and turns, with unexpected challenges inevitably arising along the way. Now more than ever, expecting the unexpected is par for the course. From material delays and client change orders to peeling back...

When you are getting started on a construction or renovation project, it may seem easy to simply Google, “contractors near me.” However, there is a bit more to the process than just an internet search. One essential part of finding a contractor,...

Illinois is a unique state to develop any commercial construction. Chicago and its surrounding metropolitan areas introduce several variables to consider. The key task is finding the right commercial property contractors for your project....

The challenges of urban housing and the general real estate market across the USA and globally are complicated. Cities such as Chicago continue to become more densely populated as the number of new builds simultaneously declines. Lots, buildings,...

As the temperature starts to drop and cold weather settles in, property managers in Chicago are starting to winterize their units and protect their properties against storm damage and extreme cold. From insulation checks to plumbing protection, a...