Get a Single Family Home for Under $500K in Wrigleyville: 3745 N. Seminary

This 2-bedroom single family home at 3745 N. Seminary in the shadow of Wrigley Field in Lakeview recently came on the market listed at $499,000.

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While it is marketed as a single family home, it appears to be two units as the listing touts the “english garden level in-law apartment.”

It also appears that there is just one bedroom in the “owners” unit and the other bedroom is in the garden in-law apartment.

However there is an unfinished 21×51 attic space.

While the house was built in 1896, there are no dimensions provided for the lot size.

The backyard sports a brick patio and a 1-car attached garage.

There are hardwood floors in the owners unit and a woodburning fireplace in the family/kitchen area.

The kitchen has white cabinets and appliances.

The house does have central air.

What’s the market for this type of property in this location?

Teresa McCauley at CityNet Real Estate has the listing. See the pictures here.

3745 N. Seminary: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 3000 square feet, 1 car garage

  • Sold before 1986
  • Currently listed for $499,000
  • Taxes of $9800
  • Central Air
  • Bedroom #1: 8×20 – main floor
  • Bedroom #2: 7×13 – in walk-out basement

16 Responses to “Get a Single Family Home for Under $500K in Wrigleyville: 3745 N. Seminary”

  1. It’s funny that agents continue to tout proximity to Wrigley Field as a positive, when it’s that very aspect that is keeping the price on this place low. It would be impossible to live a normal life in this house on game days, and the Cubs play a lot of home games. It’s not like the Bears, where they lose 10 in a row and the season’s over.

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  2. Seems like a good deal. Its tough to get a detached structure in the neighborhood for less than $500k. Most have been torn downa and replaced with luxury housing or condos. Someone will buy this and convert the attic to living space and they will be very happy with their purchase. $480,000.

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  3. I think it will be VERY hard to sell a place like this. Think about it – who is the potential buyer? Obviously not a family. Who is left? A retiree, young couple or confirmed bachelor/bachelorette. A retiree is unlikely going to want to deal with the maintenance of a SFH. A young couple realizes that it would be wasteful to buy such a place now (when they know they are going to move within a few years) and a confirmed bachelor/bachelorette are usually too socially busy to deal with the upkeep. The smartest thing the owners of this place could do would be to add 2-3 bedroom in the unfinished attic and raise the price 50k. Otherwise, they are going to have a very difficult time selling.

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  4. Why not a family? I tend to think this will be bought by a young(ish) family looking for a SFH. They’ll buy for 475 or so, put $100k into it to re-do the whole place, and they’ll have a nice place done to their specifications for under 600k.

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  5. lot is 25 x 100.

    Across Seminary from season ticket holder parking. Then the alley behind Clifton. Basically the neighborhood charm of living on a wide alley.

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  6. Red G – you obviously don’t have young kids. A couple with young kids do NOT have the time, energy, money to do that type of renovation..

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  7. Fine, then a well-off couple without any kids yet. A little vision and you have a great SFH for the money.

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  8. danny (lower case D) on June 27th, 2011 at 9:50 am

    I’d prefer something not constructed in the 19th century.

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  9. this place is f-ing terrible!

    did you see that bed that couldn’t even fit into the bedroom? good lord what a dump, you couldn’t pay me to live here especially those close to the worlds biggest toilet, and those taxes… /vomit

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  10. The mirrors on both walls of the bedroom give the illusion that the room is infinitely larger than 8×20. It’s a nice effect.

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  11. “I’d prefer something not constructed in the 19th century.”

    I prefer living in something over a hundred years old because it gives me hope that it will be around for another century.

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  12. danny (lower case D) on June 27th, 2011 at 1:55 pm

    “I prefer living in something over a hundred years old because it gives me hope that it will be around for another century.”

    ???

    Some may think that a “gut rehab” gets rid of all the lead pipes, lead paint, asbestos, coal/incinerator slag, crappy wiring, leaky plumbing, etc. etc. But there is no way to remediate all of those elements in a house this old.

    I love old neighborhoods and old buildings. But actually owning and maintaining an old building is a whole other creature.

    If I had the money, I’d construct a new home using insulated concrete form (ICF). It is currently the best method of construction (most energy efficient and structurally sound).

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  13. Certain outmoded houses aren’t worth consideration for an owner-occupant, given obsolete floor plans, inexpensive initial construction, intermitent remuddlings, and likely hidden structural problems and antiquated mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems within walls.

    This house, in this market at this location, is priced too high for a gut-rehab or full rebuilding, and in current condition unlikely to meet typical buyer expectations as-is. Bedroom sizes are telling; both bedrooms were likely two separate bedrooms combined during the last renovation work.

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  14. Yes, I’ve seen 7′ x 7′ bedrooms in older tenement buildings here in Chicago, to accomodate an old-fashioned full-size bed.

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  15. Hmmm…maybe an under-the-radar “bed + breakfast” for traveling baseball fans? And college-kid housing during the off-season?

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