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Heyday Homes | Meg Daday

@heyday.homes

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Find the setting for your story
📍Chicago + suburbs
✨Design-forward marketing, obsessed with details
💁🏻‍♀️Founder @megchicago | Licensed @kwonechicago

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Three outdoor spaces, including a designated spot on the rooftop deck. An elevator inside your unit that takes you from home to the roof AND down to your heated garage spot.

And that’s before we even get to the beautifully renovated interior.

2247 W Wabansia #204 has been thoughtfully updated by the current owner with a redesigned kitchen, refinished floors, two renovated bathrooms, a built-in bar and a primary suite that actually has room to spread out.

But the outdoor space is the part that got us. Rooftop for dinner, rear balcony for coffee, front patio for grilling. Pick your spot.

All tucked into Bucktown with the 606, Western Blue Line and some of our favorite neighborhood spots right outside your door.

#chicagorealestate #heydayhomes #buying #selling #bucktown by @heyday.homes

Micro-events with our Chicago community are everything. 💕

Last week, we gathered to swap the favorite pieces we no longer wear and chat about everything from dating and podcasts to sustainability and intentional investing.

So grateful to @Passages, @emmabutlergroup and @dfsgreaterchicago for partnering with us on this one.

Wreath-making and holiday mixology are up next. Want to join? 🙋‍♀️ and we'll send you the details.

#heydayhomes #chicago #moveforward #chicagorealestate by @heyday.homes

Here’s why I bought all of my places in the fall 👀 #heydayhomes #chicago #chicagorealestate #chicagohomes #realestate by @heyday.homes

Buying and selling at the same time can be daunting, especially with a 16 month old in tow, but planning ahead can make all the difference.

Lauren and Ryan closed on their dream Wicker Park townhouse in 2021 when it was exactly what they needed. Two dedicated offices and seemingly plenty of room to grow, but a wedding and a baby later, and it all of sudden started to feel tight.

They knew it was time for a change but the idea of selling and buying separately felt like a mess of overlapping mortgages and nowhere to land in between.

So we planned it out together, we started touring Oak Park in the fall, got listing photos done at the same time, and were under contract on their next home before their Wicker Park townhouse ever hit the market.

Once they were under contract on their new dream home, we listed in January, got 9 offers, and closed at $880,000 in February.
They only had to make one move and made a 35% profit.

Curious what buying and selling at the same time could look like for you? Let's grab virtual coffee and look at your numbers.

#heydayhomes #chicagorealestate #buyingandselling by @heyday.homes

We’ve helped 40 families buy + sell so far in 2026.

One thing all 20 sellers had in common: they had interest rates under 4% (or no mortgage at all). Almost all of them bought their places between 2020-2022, but their lives now look nothing like they did back then.

On paper, giving up a rate that low feels irresponsible. You feel like you’re crazy for even considering it, right?!

But here’s what I’ve learned: although it doesn’t make sense on paper, a higher rate might be exactly what you need to move forward.

Because 3-5 years later, it’s normal to need more space, a backyard for the dog or a whole new city.

Our client Cristen is a great example: she bought her Lincoln Park condo in 2021 for $635,000. When she was working crazy hours in consulting, it was the perfect oasis. But as she explored less soul-sucking jobs, she realized her best options were outside Chicago. We helped her weigh the pros and cons between renting it out and selling.

She realized even if she eventually came back to Chicago, it wouldn’t be to this place, so she sold it for $925,000, a 45% increase and a huge amount of equity to invest elsewhere.

On paper, walking away from her insanely low payments didn’t feel like a smart move. But her life doesn’t look like it did in 2021 and it was time to invest in her future, not her past.

How much is your 3% rate actually costing you? DM us to talk it through. #heydayhomes #chicagorealestate #moveforward #homeselling by @heyday.homes

Same houses. Different seasons. Completely different first impressions.

Winter photos vs late summer photos tell very different stories. And buyers feel that immediately.

And it matters more than people think.

Most sellers wait until they’re “ready” to start. But by then, you’ve already missed the window to prep, plan, and capture your home at its best.

The market from January through June was intense. Homes going $100K, $200K, even $300K+ over list.

But that doesn’t happen by accident.

It starts months earlier with timing, strategy, and yes… photos that actually do your home justice.

If a move is even on your radar in the next year, this is when you start.

Not to rush it. Just to set it up right.

#HeydayHomes #ChicagoRealEstate #FromHereToHome #MoveForward #HomeSelling #ChicagoHomes by @heyday.homes

The biggest fear going into color analysis? “Please don’t tell me I can’t wear black anymore.” 🖤

The biggest plot twist? Black was only in my season (deep winter). 😂

Watching everyone’s reactions as they found their colors was the best part. Thanks to everyone who came out for a fun night with @yourcoloranalysis and to our co-hosts, @sarahmontgkmeryinteriors and @emmabutlergroup

#HeydayHomes #MicroEvents #ChicagoCommunity by @heyday.homes

Grateful for everyone who trusted us so far this year. 💕

This year’s spring market was incredibly competitive. Almost all of our listings so far this year have sold above asking, with two going $160k above list price (and one much higher than that yet to close).

Buyers dealt with 70+ groups at open houses and 10+ offers on places that were priced right.

The clients that closed in June:
✅ started the process in January / February (or last year — it takes longer than most people think!)
✅ wrote offers on multiple places before locking in “the one”
✅ moved to be closer to family and grandchildren
✅ need more space for their 1st . . . or 4th baby!
✅ sold an estate and made strategic updates to get more interest

The good news for both buyers and sellers: July is bringing a bit more balance.

Buyers are still out looking, so homes are still moving quickly but there is a lot less competition.

So, for anyone thinking about making a move, the next 6 months offer something that’s been missing for a while: a bit more breathing room to make a thoughtful decision.

Right now, we’re working with anyone thinking about moving in the next 12 months to start prepping their homes and honing in on what makes sense for their next chapter.

Moving is not an easy decision or a fast process. We’re here for the journey . . . as long as it takes.✨ by @heyday.homes

What do you get for under $1M in West Loop? Right now, a lot.

Here’s what we love about this one:

a true duplex layout with space that lives like a single-family home
3 real bedrooms and 3 full baths (the unicorn combo in West Loop)
renovated and move-in ready, no projects waiting for you
steps from Fulton Market, Randolph Row, the 90/94, and the Loop
the kind of square footage that feels impossible to find at this price point right now

West Loop has quietly become one of the best values in the city for buyers who want space, walkability and access to everything, without paying a North Side premium.

If you’ve been waiting for the right place to come up, this might be it. Send us a DM to set up a private tour.
#chicagorealestate #heydayhomes #westloop #westlooploft #chicagolofts by @heyday.homes

"Our home was the longest place I had ever lived and was filled with so many memories - our wedding, bringing home both babies, our first baby (dog), building our community, going through a pandemic... it was very bittersweet to make the decision to buy/sell."
-- Sara

When Sara and Chris bought their Portage Park home 10 years ago, it was the start of everything, but with their oldest nearing kindergarten, it was time to find a home and community that fit where their lives are now.

While the decision to start looking was easy, figuring out how to buy and sell at the same time felt completely overwhelming, especially with two busy jobs, two kids in daycare and very little extra time.

"We ended up buying our new home first and then selling our old one. In our initial conversations, Meg helped us map out this approach and showed us how it could actually work without completely losing our minds - something that felt especially daunting with two small kids," said Sara.

How did they buy first and then sell? With a carefully thought out strategy, tailored to them:

- Our team took exterior photos back in September while the weather was still nice.
- They started exploring different suburbs and narrowing things down on the buy side
- While they were honing in their search, @the_clutter_curator mapped out a plan for editing prior to listing photos, which were taken long before they locked something in
- Once they went under contract on a place that checked a lot of boxes and closed due diligence, we laid out a specific listing timeline
- We went live with their listing right as the spring market was starting to kick off

When we listed, they had one day of showings and multiple offers came in that same day.

They ended up with the perfect buyer: no contingencies, an ideal timeline and a price they could barely believe was possible.

The best part? No overlapping mortgage payments.

On paper, it looked seamless. Behind the scenes, it was thoughtful planning, timing and a lot of honest conversations about what really mattered.

"Meg helped us create a clear plan, guided us through executing it, and we were very lucky that the timing worked out almost perfectly." by @heyday.homes

Our clients are *loving* Roscoe Village this year. So far in 2026, we’ve helped 4 families buy/sell there and, truly, what’s not to love?

Claire and Tom started looking in the fall and lost out in a crazy multiple offer situation on what they thought was their dream place in Bucktown.

Fast forward a few months: with almost no inventory in Bucktown, they decided to expand their search to Roscoe Village.

With a toddler learning to walk and #2 on the way, making this small tweak helped them check all the other boxes:

- walkability to parks, restaurants, public transit and gyms
- neighborhood street festivals in the summer
- a coffee shop where they could become regulars
- an updated townhouse large enough to grow into over the next 5 years

By staying committed to the process and focusing on the bigger picture of a neighborhood that felt right for their family, they found a home that met their goals and allowed them to getting settled before the next baby comes.

We’re so grateful to help them move forward. by @heyday.homes

Six hours of me unpacking = a bigger mess

Six hours with @the_clutter_curator = everything in its place

I actually *like* unpacking and organizing, but I simply don't have time to do it the way I'd want to right now.

In the past, I would have attempted to do it all without asking (or paying) for help. ADHD and perfectionism in wanting to get it exactly right would have paralyzed me and many things would have stayed in boxes for weeks or months.

But now I've started to see how doing everything myself has taken its toll and I'm looking for opportunities to lean on my community for support.

In the process, I'm realizing there is something powerful about having someone else create systems you would never slow down enough to create yourself.

Now all that's left to do is pick out the light fixtures. 😭 by @heyday.homes