What Will Someone Pay For A 2-Bedroom 1550 Sq Ft SFH in Southport? 1438 W. Henderson
This 2-bedroom single family home at 1438 W. Henderson in the Southport neighborhood of Lakeview is a rare SFH in Southport in that it is listed under $700,000.
It is also listed as a 2/2 but the Redfin agent who saw the house in June commented that it has 1 full bath on the second level, a half bath on the main level and a half bath in the semi-finished basement.
The house is built on a standard Chicago lot of 25×125 and has a 2-car garage.
It has a brick paver backyard with a deck and a hot tub.
There is a family room adjacent to the kitchen which has black appliances and black granite counter tops.
There are arched doors in the living and dining room.
The house is 1550 square feet and both bedrooms are on the second level.
It has central air.
The house is listed $82,000 under the 2007 purchase price at $625,000.
With 2-bedroom townhouses available in the neighborhood for much cheaper, what premium is a buyer willing to pay for a single family home?
Christy Starks at Property Consultants Realty has the listing. See the pictures here.
1438 W. Henderson: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 2 half baths, 1550 square feet, 2 car garage
- Sold in February 2004 for $560,000
- Sold in June 2007 for $707,000
- I can’t find the info on when it was originally listed but it was for sale in June 2012 when the Redfin agent looked at it
- Was listed in August 2012 for $645,000
- Reduced
- Currently listed at $625,000
- Taxes of $9961
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 15×14 (second level)
- Bedroom #2: 12×12 (second level)
- Family room:
Who would want to buy a house where the address is on sideways?
250-260 per square max: lack luster street presence and way too befuddled.
Well they won’t pay $625K. At least I hope they won’t.
Someone will probably buy this as a tear down and build something even more hideous in its place.
Maybe Gary or one of the other realtors on this site can speak to this…isn’t the convention to list half baths as .1 so that it should be 1.2 baths instead of adding the half baths and being misleading?
What I’m really asking though is, Is it possible whatever interface the agent used to enter the listing into the MLS it didn’t allow 1.2 or was she being purposely deceitful?
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Schiller-Park/3766-Scott-St-60176/home/13548358
I have a confession to make. I don’t really live in long grove. When I spoke I 50/s ranches and McMansions ans shopping grocery stores and close to the city, it’s all true.
However, I moved to Schiller park. I love it.
I wasn’t kidding, this is a 60’s ranch, needs work, near the city. and close to the metra too, my wife drops me off as she drives to work.
I know Schiller Park isn’t ‘GREEN ZONE” but I got an outstanding deal on a 60’s ranch in a great area.
This is a tear down. The taxes are out of control too.
Are you $%&*%ing kidding me?
somebody seriously paid 700k for this?
and now is asking somebody to pay 650k for it?
just retarded this world is
This is much nicer than I thought it would be. If you could find a way to spruce up the front you’d have a charming smaller home. I’m going to guess $585k.
and really i count 5 fricken different bricks used on this home!!! 3 just on the front!!
Replace the windows with something more period appropriate / cottagey, whitewash the facade, except for the red brick, which you keep as is and grow some bigger landscaping in front of to hide the block windows. I’m not sure what to do with the entryway, but I’d replace the door, sidelights and light fixture to match the new windows.
This price is crayzay but it is a HOT HOT HOT neighborhood!
“This is a tear down.”
It certainly was priced that way in 2004. But $625 is a little high for this exact location now.
“The taxes are out of control too.”
That’s what taxes *are* for a property assessed at ~$650k. Just the fact, jack.
school-wise it’s in the wrong spot. hamilton is “up-and-coming”, but 1 block south and you’re in “already there” burley, 3 blocks north and you’re in “already there” blaine.
seems like not much better than a teardown
This price is crazy, but what about busting up and out back (over porch) to add more bedrooms/living space? I don’t know if it would work but it seems worthwhile for the area and schools. You’d have to buy this at a much lower price, of course.
No one with kids in their immediate future is buying this house.
I retract that comment – if you have one child, this would work well. More than that is pushing it. Seriously, though, this house is perfect for DINKs – great neighborhood, great transportation, 2 car garage, perfect amount of space, entirely liveable as is, fun back yard. I’d much rather have this than the equivalent condo / townhome option. But I guess I’m in the minority here.
“I’d much rather have this than the equivalent condo / townhome option. But I guess I’m in the minority here”
Minority of two, at least. If the options are this, a 3/2 Dup-Down, and a TH, for about the same price, this is a clear winner–to me.
But you can get a similar amount of interior space, and similar to nicer finishes, in a 2/2 condo for *quite* a bit less, so not a fair comparison, to me.
That said, the brick garage is a *huge* plus to me.
“I’m going to guess $585k. . .if you have one child, this would work well. . .”
It’s a 1550 sq ft 2/1, but with two garage spaces, in Hamilton. If you know anyone with “one child,” who’s looking to spend $585k, let them know about a 1600 sq ft 2/2.5 with one garage space, in Lincoln.
Heck of a high price for a “cottage.” If this home were in my neighborhood (in HP), the asking price would be around $300,000. Location is everything, I suppose, though I’d choose HP for a SFH rather than Southport, mainly for school reasons.
I have to look up Schiller Park to see where it is, HD.
the fact that it is totally ugly makes it a complete turnoff…
“the fact that it is totally ugly makes it a complete turnoff”
really for me the turn off is ITS FRICKEN PRICED AT 650k!!!!!!!!!!!!
HD,
I sincerely hope you’re joking re. Schiller Park. I just looked at Google images of that suburb. Talk about depressing. Everything appears to be the worst kind of tired, dull 1950s and 1960s ranch and split-level architecture. Not only is it not GZ; it’s the polar opposite of GZ.
“the brick garage is a *huge* plus to me.”
Ok, what’s teh big upside? Or just a matter of principle?
Didn’t make the listing writeup.
“with one garage space”
Where are they going to put the second car? I kept an eye on uber yesterday. Seemed to be taxis available throughout peak period. I have had one time during peak when a taxi showed as available around logan but seemed to blow me off. Otherwise v v useful.
there’s not much “up and coming” anymore about Hamilton. It’s already there. They had 500 applicants last year and took only a handful of kids off the waiting list. In other words, you are not getting in from here on out if you are not in district.
Not sure about all the hate on this place. Great location and it’s perfect for a couple or one kid family. Yeah, it’s priced a little high, but could see it getting 590 or so.
Whats the cost to add a real second floor? Not a second floor dormered attic as it currently looks like.
With a little bit of work, it could have great curb appeal. I like it, the updates, and the location, but it’s awfully small and so, so pricey. I understand that the price is high in large part b/c of the lot and location, but aside from the yard and privacy, it doesn’t seem like it would live very differently from a duplex-down condo.
Dan #2, if a cottage like this truly does run $300 K in HP (which I’m skeptical about, other than the short sale that someone linked to a month ago that’s now under contract), I’m beginning to resign myself to the idea of north shore living.
“Whats the cost to add a real second floor? Not a second floor dormered attic as it currently looks like.”
Friends added a second floor to the New Town cottage for around $100K. They only had a crawlspace. I think the job also included some extras around the house. They said that one factor is their zoning restricted them to a certain property to lot line ratio.
“This price is crayzay but it is a HOT HOT HOT neighborhood!”
When I lived in RN, after about a year you pretty much get bored with the 4-5 block radius. How many times can you shop in the stores? eat at the restaurants? I would imagine that after about 6 mos. the “cutesy” attraction of the SoPo strip would wear off. At that point who cares? I’d rather just visit over there from time to time, than live there and pay the outrageous sum we’re talking about for this tiny place. I also got bored of that Halsted little shopping strip area over by Armitage, once you walk past the stores 100 times.
“Ok, what’s teh big upside? Or just a matter of principle?”
Principle, mainly.
I’m not sure why I feel so rah rah on this house, but I’ll make the following additional points. Yes, square footage is small, but it’s laid out very well and there may be opportunities in the basement, which is raised enough to get some light (obviously impossible to know without seeing it in person, but down the road you may be able to put in guest bedroom / office / playroom / whatever). And I don’t think you can compare a single family to a condo in terms of how they live – no association to deal with, no hearing neighbors through the walls, private yard is a BIG DEAL for a lot of people. No subgrade living like in a duplex down.
“Dan #2, if a cottage like this truly does run $300 K in HP (which I’m skeptical about, other than the short sale that someone linked to a month ago that’s now under contract), I’m beginning to resign myself to the idea of north shore living.”
Walk to train, kenilworth schools, no HP’ers: http://www.trulia.com/property/3081643932-55-Brier-St-Winnetka-IL-60093
I agree, while I really enjoy some of the many new places that are sprouting up in my neighborhood, some of the neighborhood staples I rarely go to. Thats why I think living in a location that is convienent to get to other parts of the city is more important. I can be on I-94 in 30 seconds, LSD in 5 minutes, and great access to all the train lines including the metra, and equal travel time to either airport is cool too.
I can’t imagine living way up here (at least 40-50 min commute door to door for me) and paying so much for such a tiny house and hearing the EL
were you sad when martini park closed?
no! Because Tavernita (that replaced it) is pretty dang good
Oh and let me add that being able to get a cab in no more than 30 seconds on pretty much any day of the year rain or shine is pretty priceless as well.
how often do you go to sportsmart to see if your hands are as big as michael jordans?
“When I lived in RN, after about a year you pretty much get bored with the 4-5 block radius.”
Dan #1 –
Where you do live?
I always pictured you in Old Town for some reason.
And yet you also flirt with and alternately eschew the more flavorful neighborhoods.
Helmet’s coded “no HPers” comment means “No Jews.” Which of course matters to him but not to anyone else here. I suppose he’d pay the premium for that, but I’m not sure why. Maybe someday he can explain to us why he doesn’t like Jews. Here’s my guess:
Most anti-semites are people who have a lot of failures in their own lives and want to blame someone else. They see Jews as people who generally have done well, and pick them as a scapegoat. It’s pathetic.
Dan#2: “Here’s my guess:”
I’ve always been in the “stole his GF in HS/college” camp.
Add one for me. And Hamilton is done, you can stick a fork in that turkey as far as it “turning a corner.”
“I’d much rather have this than the equivalent condo / townhome option. But I guess I’m in the minority here”
that is indeed a mystery…
“and really i count 5 fricken different bricks used on this home!!! 3 just on the front!”
seems like he was always nastier to riz than z . i think an indian stole his woman and a jewish fella just made fun of him for it. it ‘s their humor that has sustained them as a people.
1,500 SF in Highland Park for just over $300,000. Not my ideal neighborhood in HP, but still, not bad for the price.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/369-Sumac-Rd_Highland-Park_IL_60035_M70902-66067
“Dan #2, if a cottage like this truly does run $300 K in HP (which I’m skeptical about, other than the short sale that someone linked to a month ago that’s now under contract), I’m beginning to resign myself to the idea of north shore living.”
dont even need to go all the way to HP;
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Kenilworth/371-Ridge-Rd-60043/home/13783928
Groove,
Not sure I’d want to live in the smallest house in Kenilworth. This is like the slums for that town. I guess if Kenilworth living really, really means a lot to you, it’s a thought. But you can get a lot more for your money in other parts of NS.
or here
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Highland-Park/673-Broadview-Ave-60035/home/17616539
“Not sure I’d want to live in the smallest house in Kenilworth”
why not? utility bills will be better and upkeep will be cheaper.
“But you can get a lot more for your money in other parts of NS”
not in wilmette or winetka and not in glencoe. so really only HP and highwood maybe
“I guess if Kenilworth living really, really means a lot to you,”
not a k-3, 4-6, 7-8! one school that is in a walkable distance for all residents. the HS a walkable distance too. train easily walkable for all residents.
Good points, Groove, re. Kenilworth.
By the way, the Broadview home in HP you just posted is in a far nicer neighborhood than the HP one I posted earlier. The house isn’t much for curb appeal, but appears decent inside. It’s walking distance to Ravinia, the lake, shops, restaurants and the train. Great deal for someone with a small family who wants good schools and a great HP location.
“how often do you go to sportsmart to see if your hands are as big as michael jordans?”
every day I take the 156 bus!
And its “The Sports Authority” (the bargain basement actually isn’t too bad for cheap gym stuff and winter coats)
“Good points, Groove, re. Kenilworth.”
the bad, taxes are higher than HP and SoPo (oh yes i said it). Kenil is a further slow arse drive down lake st to get to 94 than HP. Kenil beach is a pain if your not walking to it or dont need to bring a bunch of stuff. shopping is not in kenil and plaza del lago is overpriced and closes at fricken 6pm!!! with the exception of park ave, all streets west of greenbay are very narrow and beat up. gotta use the tunnel (walk) or park ave (drive) to get past the tracks. only real park is the sears school.
originally morrie mages
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-06-17/business/8702140873_1_stores-mc-sporting-goods-chicago-area
fingers so long, mj must have had an extra knuckle. (sounds like something jimmy the greek would say , or helmet.)
The HP house on Sumac seems well-priced. NS is just such a pain for our commutes, but it’s beginning to seem like a better option.
I actually love having good things to do within a 4-5 block radius. It’s a huge selling point for me. I don’t really tire of having a short walk to the gym, a bunch of cafes and restaurants, the farmer’s market, and parks.
I like Kenilworth. I like the feeling of knowing that very few things are going to irritate me in that area and that it’s very unlikely that anyone is going to bother me.
I used to think all of Wilmette was like this until my friend, who lives in the poor part of Wilmette, told me he had a drug dealer move into a house down the block. He said it’s getting so bad that he has to spend most of his weekends in his vacation home in Lake Geneva and is considering moving.
“Most anti-semites are people who have a lot of failures in their own lives and want to blame someone else. They see Jews as people who generally have done well, and pick them as a scapegoat. It’s pathetic.”
Oh, can it with that crap. Whenever the “anti-semite” card is played it makes me laugh. I’m not blaming anyone for anything. Dan, just as some people prefer Naples, FL to the more obnoxious, crude, crass, and ostentatious places like Miami Beach, Aventura, Boca Raton….many people view Kenilworth vs. HP in that same light. Many people who move to HP do so because they don’t like WASPs and their culture. I guess they feel like failures and then blame someone else for not fitting in or looking the same, etc. It’s pathetic.
Which part of Wilmette is that, Jenny? Far west side?
near Glenview Rd and the Edens.
“a bunch of cafes and restaurants”
Who wants to blow a bunch of money eating in their own neighborhood? How boring. If you’re going to go out, go out somewhere…
Basically, you’re saying HP is more obnoxious than Kenilworth. You’re entitled to your opinion about that of course. I might disagree. I think obnoxious, ostentatious displays of wealth are far more common in Kenilworth/Winnetka than in HP, with some exceptions.
Many people find Caddyshack a funny movie and it lampoons WASPs. I should do a script of HP-people. Call it Jappyshack. It would equally as funny!
“I actually love having good things to do within a 4-5 block radius. It’s a huge selling point for me. I don’t really tire of having a short walk to the gym, a bunch of cafes and restaurants, the farmer’s market, and parks.”
Shockingly you can get this in the burbs too. and its usually cheaper. but then you would have Dan#2 as a neighbor.
I guess having me as a neighbor would be the down side.
Dan would rather have you as my neighbor than helmethitler.
“jenny (September 28, 2012, 2:58 pm)
I like Kenilworth. I like the feeling of knowing that very few things are going to irritate me…”
That quote made my day.
No way. Didn’t that AWESOME house on Bosworth only sell for a little over 9?
475 – 525K.
Did you really just talk all about possibly finishing the basement and then say you wouldn’t have subgrade living like in a duplex down? Wouldn’t finishing the basement basically turn this into a duplex down with the bedrooms duplexed up and no association? I can see making the second floor bigger to make it not duplex down like…but certainly not finishing the basement!
“mh (September 28, 2012, 11:09 am)
I’m not sure why I feel so rah rah on this house, but I’ll make the following additional points. Yes, square footage is small, but it’s laid out very well and there may be opportunities in the basement, which is raised enough to get some light (obviously impossible to know without seeing it in person, but down the road you may be able to put in guest bedroom / office / playroom / whatever). And I don’t think you can compare a single family to a condo in terms of how they live – no association to deal with, no hearing neighbors through the walls, private yard is a BIG DEAL for a lot of people. No subgrade living like in a duplex down.”
“Did you really just talk all about possibly finishing the basement and then say you wouldn’t have subgrade living like in a duplex down?”
I’d totally do it for a guest bedroom / playroom, depending on ceiling height, etc. But they already have above grade bedrooms for the parents and one kid room, plus a family room. My big problem with the duplex downs is that so much of the actual “living” space and the outdoor space seems to be subgrade. But I’ve never actually lived in one, so I’m willing to eat my words here.
Once you have had a yard, there really is no going back. At least until you’re too old to do the maintenance.
“I actually love having good things to do within a 4-5 block radius. It’s a huge selling point for me. I don’t really tire of having a short walk to the gym, a bunch of cafes and restaurants, the farmer’s market, and parks.”
Groove is right. Just about any of the “old” towns on the railroads have this. LaGrange, Hinsdale, Downers Grove, Naperville, Park Ridge, Oak Park, Evanston, most of the North Shore, some of the South Shore suburbs as well. What about Barrington? Cute downtown right on the train line with restaurants, an old movie theater etc.
Other than walking/biking to Wrigley Field, most of these towns give you identical restaurants/shops to say, Southport. Those would be: Starbucks, Pot Belly’s, Einstein Bagels, Noodles & Company, Anthropologie, Francesca’s, lululemon, Jewel, CVS. And many have old movie houses just as nice, if not nicer, than the Music Box.
Gosh- it’s stunning how SIMILAR they are. Who would have thunk it?
No way could I pay even $500,000 for this POS and feel good about it. There is nothing even remotely nice about this house except for location. To call it unremarkable would be an understatement.
Very true & why I would be a hard sell to ever move to this area, even though I’d consider moving back to my old stomping grounds a bit further east. I’m just a not fan of the suburbs being re-invented and shoehorned into the City, I think it’s a bad idea to gear a whole neighborhood to the shopping/cultural whims of a very specific (and limited) demographic. The whole point of the City for me is the diversity and options.
But to be fair, the access downtown and to the hub at Belmont is pretty excellent from Southport. Long ago this was the L stop that all of the little hoodlums from my neighborhood gravitated to because it was super-easy to climb right up the side, and thus to save that whopping 40 cents.
“Groove is right. Just about any of the “old” towns on the railroads have this. LaGrange, Hinsdale, Downers Grove, Naperville, Park Ridge, Oak Park, Evanston, most of the North Shore, some of the South Shore suburbs as well. What about Barrington? Cute downtown right on the train line with restaurants, an old movie theater etc.
Other than walking/biking to Wrigley Field, most of these towns give you identical restaurants/shops to say, Southport. Those would be: Starbucks, Pot Belly’s, Einstein Bagels, Noodles & Company, Anthropologie, Francesca’s, lululemon, Jewel, CVS. And many have old movie houses just as nice, if not nicer, than the Music Box.
Gosh- it’s stunning how SIMILAR they are. Who would have thunk it?”
I’ve been in the house and describing it as a tear down is laughable if you’re saying that from the standpoint of anything other than having difficulty figuring out how to fit more into the same space. The house itself is perfectly ready for move-in, the kitchen/baths look like they were redone maybe 10 years ago. So it’s not perfectly new trendy finishes, but not tear down from that point of view. The finishes aren’t so far behind that you couldn’t quickly make this a really up to date place without too much money. For 10 grand you could easily redo the finishes to match every cookie cutter condo in the city.
The back of the house has a kitchen area where there’s no second floor above it. You could expand the second floor out back that way and probably add another bedroom, though I think in the process you would make the existing 2nd bedroom smaller unless you dormered out the roof by the existing stairs. You might be able to expand the kitchen out more too at the same time, which would eat up some of your deck /outdoor space, but if it were me I’d then consider building a stairway to the garage and having a roofdeck garage (though I think actually if it were me I’d investigate the legality of selling or leasing the garage roof rights to the adjacent condo building, which has a coach house that abuts the garage wall and the living floor would go perfectly out onto the garage roof. a small 5′ privacy fence would mean you wouldn’t know they were there and vice versa)
The basement is partially finished, there is a good sized office, bathroom, and laundry in it. You have to duck under ducts to get there though.
The backyard is nice, and there’s a brand new high end hot tub.
I agree this is the perfect DINK property, but if it were me I would actually be targeting the 50+ crowd who aren’t likely to want much more house than this to maintain. And the perfect balance between not too much house and the equivalent sized condo. And this house is going to have a lot less maintenance issues than any of the cheaply built new single families. It’s the perfect everything for anyone whose kids have gone away and they’re wanting to down size and move to the city.
I still see lots of appeal to living in the Southport area! So easy to hop on the brown line, walk to Wrigley, plus favorites like Julius Meinl, Southport Grocery & Cafe, and the Music Box (not just the ubiquitous S-bux and Noodles & Co.). Now I don’t live there, and it’s not my dream location, but I can understand it.
I was just in Downers Grove the other weekend and hated it, though I’m willing to give some of the other suburbs a try. Most of these Chicago ‘burbs are just so far out and would be a disaster for my family commute-wise (we drive in opposite directions and our offices aren’t anywhere near Metra stations). I’m also spoiled by growing up in a beautiful smaller city in the Upper Midwest and still like to be able to access theaters/music venues/etc. fairly easily and quickly.
Please save the 10 grand and buy a car or go to Europe instead!
Ha.. but right, calling this a teardown is just beyond hilarious – come 2 miles west to Avondale and I’ll show you what a real tear-down looks like.
“I’ve been in the house and describing it as a tear down is laughable if you’re saying that from the standpoint of anything other than having difficulty figuring out how to fit more into the same space. The house itself is perfectly ready for move-in, the kitchen/baths look like they were redone maybe 10 years ago. So it’s not perfectly new trendy finishes, but not tear down from that point of view. The finishes aren’t so far behind that you couldn’t quickly make this a really up to date place without too much money. For 10 grand you could easily redo the finishes to match every cookie cutter condo in the city. “