Want Space? Get 3-Bedrooms Under $350K in Ravenswood: 4520 N. Hermitage

This vintage 3-bedroom unit at 4520 N. Hermitage in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Uptown came on the market in April.  (The listing says Ravenswood- so if it isn’t- don’t blame me.)

4520-n-hermitage.jpg

The building was constructed in 1929 and the unit still has many of its original vintage features including crown molding, built-in bookcases, arched doorways and a wood burning fireplace.

The kitchen has white cabinets and appliances with granite counter tops and slate floors.

At 1785 square feet, it is a “true” 3-bedroom with a dining room and a sunroom.

While the unit has 1-car garage parking and an in-unit washer/dryer, it doesn’t have central air.

Also- no dogs are allowed.

The unit is currently priced $32,100 under the 2005 purchase price.

Is this a deal?

Cathy Ivcich at @Properties has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #2S: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1785 square feet, 1 car parking

  • Sold in July 1991 for $28,000 (?- according to public records)- I think it is probably $128,000
  • Sold in March 1995 for $173,400
  • Sold in September 2005 for $382,000
  • Originally listed in April 2011 for $349,900
  • Currently still listed at $349,900
  • Assessments of $440 a month
  • Taxes of $4258
  • No central air (window units only)
  • No dogs
  • In-unit washer/dryer
  • Bedroom #1: 13×12
  • Bedroom #2: 13×11
  • Bedroom #3: 13×8
  • Sunroom: 9×8

33 Responses to “Want Space? Get 3-Bedrooms Under $350K in Ravenswood: 4520 N. Hermitage”

  1. it’s ravenswood alright (if it exists). hermitage is a nice street, lots of sfh’s around here. possibly ok public school option. definitely not a screaming deal, but not horribly overpriced, either. taxes maybe a touch high. close to the tracks (both metra and rw line). no dogs, no c/a a bummer. really dig the archway b/t dining and living room. floors look nice and refinished (in the pics). most won’t like the kitchen (i don’t mind it). they’d be wise to get rid of some of that wallpaper.

    $315k.

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  2. “No dogs” in that size building and in that neighborhood makes me think that the association would be a NIGHTMARE. In a highrise, I get it, but it’s ridiculous in this type of a building.

    Otherwise, nice place.

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  3. Theres a lot of shitty dog owners out there though, so I can see why if a large percentage of the initial owners aren’t dog types, they would outright ban them. It only takes one bad owner to really annoy a large number of units and its almost a rarity to come across a good dog owner these days that knows what they are doing.

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  4. No dogs = no deal. you’re right, probably shows how uptight the association is. assessments seem high for a 6 unit building

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  5. Not allowing dogs will eliminate A LOT of buyers. I agree with Sonies though, a ton of crappy dog owners though that spoil it for the rest of us.

    Nice space for the money. Needs a little updating.

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  6. No dogs, no ac, high assessments = sit on market for a long time.

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  7. “No dogs = no deal. you’re right, probably shows how uptight the association is. assessments seem high for a 6 unit building”

    Perhaps but not necessarily. Our 13 unit building voted to limit the size of pets allowed because some people were allowing their dogs to take a dump in our common front yard in past winters because they were too lazy to walk the dog around the block (might be one of the CC’ers who cannot walk half a mile to the EL either).

    I would guess this six person association is more resource stretched than mine and so a flat out no dogs allowed alliviates the drama and legwork involved with a report of the dog from 3B pooping in the backyard.

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  8. “a ton of crappy dog owners”

    yes, there are and unfortunately for me — my neighbor is one of them!

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  9. If the floors and walls are paper thin, it’s not real fun listening to your neighbor’s dog barking and scurrying overhead on hardwood.

    No AC and high assessments are tough, but I don’t mind the space/area. Low 3’s a safe guess.

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  10. I wouldn’t pay more than 250 though

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  11. “Perhaps but not necessarily. Our 13 unit building voted to limit the size of pets allowed because some people were allowing their dogs to take a dump in our common front yard in past winters because they were too lazy to walk the dog around the block ”

    thats really stupid because from at least my first hand observations, its always the tiny poops and piss spots that are left on the sidewalk in my neighborhood

    small dog owners are almost always far worse when it comes to disciplining their dog and being good owners

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  12. Is it me, are are the available properties getting less attractive? Perhaps because sellers are finally realistic and are not listing homes if they don’t have to sell? Banks slowing foreclosures b/c of bad press? Shortage of downtown properties? There was a recent article discussing how supply of downtown condos has dropped significantly. Perhaps this is why there is a lull in sales. What was good (and reasonbly priced) is gone and what is left is either ridiculously overpriced (yesterday’s 3million mansion) or just ordinary at each price point (many recent listings that no one really likes regardless of price).

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  13. “small dog owners are almost always far worse when it comes to disciplining their dog and being good owners”

    That’s been my experience too… its easier to let a small dog get away with bad behavior, but not so with a larger dog. You pretty much have to make a large dog behave or your life is a living hell.

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  14. Agreed about bad dog owners being a problem — I’ve seen many in my neighborhood — but as a good dog owner (and property owner), I wouldn’t want to see the pool of buyers reduced for my condo just because of some bad apples. It seems like it would be easier to discipline the bad dog owners in an association (impose fines for infractions) than to outright ban all dog ownership.

    And totally true about small dogs.

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  15. gringozecarioca on June 7th, 2011 at 3:06 pm

    “It seems like it would be easier to discipline the bad dog owners”

    You could smack them with a rolled up newspaper?

    Try buying a condo in Miami with 2 big dogs. The word impossible might actually be accurate. The little ones make all the noise too!

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  16. This blog is going to the dogs.

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  17. This apartment is GORGEOUS and it has more square footage than many SFHs in the city. I love it. I would keep everything as is.

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  18. Great-looking place at a good price, though the bedrooms are on the small side.

    I’m glad there are no dogs allowed. I don’t need to hear someone’s mutt barking all day. (I’m a cat guy myself, so I could live here).

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  19. roma,

    I’m curious what is the potential public school option here, is ravenswood elementary decent??

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  20. No dogs or AC wouldn’t be a problem for me either but those assessments would. Actually I really like this place but I don’t think there are any decent schools here.
    Shame because in every other way it’s actually our perfect place in terms of location, size and condition.

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  21. “Is it me, are are the available properties getting less attractive? Perhaps because sellers are finally realistic and are not listing homes if they don’t have to sell? Banks slowing foreclosures b/c of bad press? Shortage of downtown properties?”

    It’s not just you. Gary has blogged about this on his site (and has the stats.) Inventories are down substantially in Lakeview and LP from prior years.

    What we have are a lot fewer properties being listed and fewer sales. Lots of stale listings (those that have been on the market, literally, for years.) If you don’t need to sell- you’re not doing so. I assume it’s because too many people are too far underwater.

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  22. I can just imagine a dog owner camping his pooch in the backyard 24/7. No dogs is a great rule when you have shared green space.

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  23. No dogs = I have great respect for this condo association. Some people will seek out resorts that won’t allow children, others will seek out condos that won’t allow dogs.

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  24. The desirability of most properties is inversely proportional to the price.

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  25. This is a huge, lovely apt, but the pet restriction and high HOA will turn off many people.

    Given the number of Lakeview 2 bed 1 bath and even 2 bed 2 bath I see dropping under $300K and languishing on the market for months, I think $275K is a more reasonable price for this place.

    Interesting thing about neighborhoods: I remember when Ravenswood was not a particularly desirable neighborhood, and not so long ago. It was never a “bad” neighborhood, just as stodgy, boring redoubt of well-paid blue-collar types. No interesting retail districts, no hot restaurants and bars, until the early 90s or thereabouts. Sort of like the way W.Rogers Park is now. Not to say that any of these far north neighborhoods will “hot up” anytime soon, but merely to point out how things have changed over time and how quickly people’s perceptions, and preferences, can change in a relatively short span of time. 20 years is not a long time.

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  26. “Actually I really like this place but I don’t think there are any decent schools here.”

    yeah, i dont think “schools” are an issue if your buying a 350k 3br condo?

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  27. A $440 HOA fee for an 1800 sqft 3/2 plus a sunroon, dining room and heating included sounds CHEAP to me. Just curious, what do you think a reasonable HOA fee would be?

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  28. The public here is McPherson, which is not horrible, not great. Both McPherson and Ravenswood nearby have had some efforts at putting in programs that would attract the kids of gentrifiers, with mixed success. Some with very young kids in the preK rave about McPherson, though, so maybe there’s hope. Those schools are not as far along in become established as schools like Blaine to the south or Waters and Coonley to the west.

    “mac on June 7th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
    roma,

    I’m curious what is the potential public school option here, is ravenswood elementary decent??”

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  29. “The fog comes in on little cat feet” (sorry, dog folks) – and perhaps so does the ghost of Carl Sandburg, who used to live around here…

    Don’t know about the schools, but this is one of the most church-friendly nabes on the North Side. Plus the nearby Buddhist temple at Wilson/Ashland.

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  30. Actually Groove this is exactly the kind of place we were looking at. It was only schools that held us back.

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  31. “Actually Groove this is exactly the kind of place we were looking at. It was only schools that held us back.”

    why? why a condo with kids? why a condo with kids at this price? why a condo with kids at this price in this hood?

    i can see a condo in LP, Loop or LV, or can see a condo for a single parent.

    unless you want this specific hood why settle for a condo at this price?

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  32. “The public here is McPherson, which is not horrible, not great. Both McPherson and Ravenswood nearby have had some efforts at putting in programs that would attract the kids of gentrifiers, with mixed success. Some with very young kids in the preK rave about McPherson, though, so maybe there’s hope.”

    My son attended McPherson for two years of pre-k and K. He had excellent teachers and very positive experience there.

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  33. I had actually assumed the local school here was Ravenswood, since it’s only a block away. School locator says so, too, but boundaries may have changed…Michelle?

    I’d say Ravenswood is a tiny half-step ahead of McPherson on the attracting-the-rich-folk path, though it’s correct neither are yet near Waters or Coonley. McPherson may have even more yuppies-stuck-in-condos, though, so who knows what the future holds.

    Had some friends who thought very highly of Ravenswood, the teachers, and the principal (although the latter has since moved on, Google tells me).

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