Get a Gut Rehabbed 4-Bedroom Dutch Colonial For $425K In Mayfair: 4522 N. Knox

This 4-bedroom Dutch Colonial at 4522 N. Knox in the Mayfair neighborhood of Irving Park recently came on the market.

The listing says it’s been “gut rehabbed.”

It was previously bank owned in 2011 and the old listing pictures show that it was actually boarded up.

See the previous listing pictures here.

Built on an oversized 50×135 lot, it has a rare side drive with a 2-car garage.

There are hardwood floors throughout the main floor and crown molding.

The kitchen is described in the listing as a “chef’s kitchen” with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances but it looks to be the same maple cabinets and counter tops that were in the kitchen previously.

3 of the 4 bedrooms are on the second level with the fourth in the basement.

The listing says it has a Florida room but it doesn’t appear to have a family room. I’m not sure what all the space in the basement is used for.

It has central air.

The house is in a good location for commuters with the blue line El stop and the Edens Expressway just a few blocks away.

Will this house sell fast at this price?

Chester Jakala at Telequest Corporation has the listing. See the pictures here.

4522 N. Knox: 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2700 square feet, 2 car garage

  • Sold in February 2000 for $185,500
  • Sold in December 2002 for $320,000
  • Lis pendens filed in March 2008
  • Bank owned in January 2011
  • Sold in October 2011 for $115,000
  • Currently listed for $425,000
  • Taxes of $6138
  • Central Air
  • Bedroom #1: 20×12 (second floor)
  • Bedroom #2: 12×11 (second floor)
  • Bedroom #3: 10×11 (second floor)
  • Bedroom #4: 17×14 (basement)

90 Responses to “Get a Gut Rehabbed 4-Bedroom Dutch Colonial For $425K In Mayfair: 4522 N. Knox”

  1. “Near 90/94”

    Realtor understatement of the week. sb “Expansive backyard views of Kennedy/Edens merge”

    Nice enough looking inside. Should find a buyer bt $395 and 410.

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  2. Beautiful rehab. If it didn’t back up on 90/94 this is probably something we would go for.

    Realtor Overstatement of the week: “buzzing Mayfair “

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  3. ooh, just notice where they put the ac compressor. Nice for the neighbor on the other side, sux for this house. Guess it’s easy access for any repairs.

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  4. I like it! (Without knowing anything about the area however)
    I think the kitchen could have been done a bit better, the front porch should be stained, and that awful fireplace surround was a poor choice. But overall a nice rehab. It’s just too bad it backs up to the highway, it immediately would go off our list.

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  5. Mayfair is one of those areas that if CPS ever got it’s act together, it would be a great suburban alternative. It’s got big lots, it’s actually just an extension of the original old irving park farm and subdivisions. Big homes, near public transit, family atmosphere, and a nice big park. The highway can be overlooked (figuratively and literally!) if the area had other things going for it such as good public schools (not private st. edwards which only OK) or decent retail amenities, which it sorely lacks (must drive on 94 north or south to get to decent shopping). I someday see the entire NW corridor turning into what the suburbs are today in the NW corridor today. This is an area still in the city that’s affordable near Public trans; and is quieter and only 15 minutes from teh action o nthe blue line from bucktown/wicker/west town etc for those families who dont’ want to or can’t afford to live in teh GZ. However, mayfair WAS The suburbs 90 years ago when these homes were built. It’ll take a long time, and a tremendously weakened CTU, for this area to relive it’s former glory. Maybe not in my lifetime absent $20 a gallon gas; and even then, more students would make the CTU only stronger.

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  6. I don’t like that the same accent tile is used in the kitchen and the bathroom.

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  7. I think they did a great rehab job. Upgrades can be adjusted by those who choose to but and live there awhile. Location could be noisy outdoors but this is a nice house for 380-400 range.

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  8. This is not a chefs kitchen and these are not top of the line appliances. Just so sick of realtors using that phrase because appliances are stainless.

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  9. My husband and I looked at this house in January. The appliances in the kitchen are used as evidenced by grease stains on the stove top and dents in the refrigerator door. When we asked the realtor why they chose to put in used appliances in a gut rehabbed home, he acted like he had not idea that they had done that and couldn’t give an answer. Additionally, this is not really a 4-bedroom house. There are 3 bedrooms upstairs, but there is no true bedroom in the basement. The realtor indicated that the media room in the basement “could” be used as a bedroom because there is a closet in the basement. Overall, we felt pretty misled by the claims by the realtor in the posting.

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  10. “ooh, just notice where they put the ac compressor. Nice for the neighbor on the other side, sux for this house. Guess it’s easy access for any repairs.”

    it also probably slightly improves the odds that a junker won’t try to take the compressor for the metal.

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  11. Once the landscaping fills in no one will even notice the compressor.

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  12. “Mayfair is one of those areas that if CPS ever got it’s act together, it would be a great suburban alternative.”

    belding is and always was a decent school. got family memebr that graduated from there and are doing good

    “st. edwards which only OK”

    its always been a great school, dont know where your getting just okay from? maybe its the yuppies that are flocking to it and it doesn’t meet their unreal expectations

    ” for this area to relive it’s former glory.”

    dude its better and priced higher than its ever been and has more going for it now than in my lifetime

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  13. looking to buy on March 20th, 2013 at 2:21 pm

    “Mayfair is one of those areas that if CPS ever got it’s act together, it would be a great suburban alternative. It’s got big lots, it’s actually just an extension of the original old irving park farm and subdivisions. Big homes, near public transit, family atmosphere, and a nice big park.”

    How is that an “alternative”. Isn’t that what a suburb is all about?

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  14. “This is not a chefs kitchen and these are not top of the line appliances”

    Sure, there are better appliances out there, but this kitchen was designed with a chef in mind. Consider, for instance, the strategic placement of the microwave above the stove. When a chef is working with items on the stovetop, the last thing she or he wants to do is step a few feet away to access a microwave that’s tucked away in the cabinetry or within an island.

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  15. “designed with a chef in mind……the last thing she or he wants to do is step a few feet away to access a microwave that’s tucked away in the cabinetry”

    do many *chefs use a microwave?

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  16. Beg to differ anonny. Last thing a chef wants is getting fried with microwave radiation while cooking.
    Also a chef’s kitchen would have an island to move the food from the stove as soon as one needs. The use of the term chef’s kitchen is ridiculous.

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  17. It was nice of them to leave the original cabinets in place.

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  18. “do many *chefs use a microwave?”

    I realize nonny ofttimes seems entirely like a parody, so it’s difficult to tell when he is parodying, but don’t think he was being serious.

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  19. “do many *chefs use a microwave?”

    that was an allusion/nod/easter egg to last week’s (and previous) discussion about Microwave vs hood over the oven.
    BTW Groove, there’s some pics you’d be interested in you know where.

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  20. Can’t believe people are prasing the rehab work. Yes, it’s better than before, but it looks like a Home Depot store threw up in, and around the house.

    The tile choices, cabinets, granite, appliances, light fixtures, even the red mulch and crappy low-end ‘landscaping’ all look sad and generic to me.

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  21. gringozecarioca on March 20th, 2013 at 3:09 pm

    ” that was an allusion/nod/easter egg to last week’s (and previous) discussion about Microwave vs hood over the oven.”

    In my effort to catch up. Hood over oven.

    And reading leapfrog comments from Nov.. Ze didn’t even know what leapfrog is. Ze doesn’t much pay attention to individual stocks. Too complimicated.

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  22. “BTW Groove, there’s some pics you’d be interested in you know where”

    out of respect and not to hurt your pride i shall not comment and just note the respect of the archway

    “I realize nonny ofttimes seems entirely like a parody, so it’s difficult to tell when he is parodying”

    re-read it and see where your coming from. and now remembering what previous conversation it tied into

    “In my effort to catch up.”

    no need to, just jump in, eventually we will cover the same old shyte a few times before the month is over.

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  23. “I someday see the entire NW corridor turning into what the suburbs are today in the NW corridor today. This is an area still in the city that’s affordable near Public trans; and is quieter and only 15 minutes from teh action o nthe blue line from bucktown/wicker/west town etc for those families who dont’ want to or can’t afford to live in teh GZ. However, mayfair WAS The suburbs 90 years ago when these homes were built.”

    I think Mayfair may win the race. If you look at skeptic’s hood, it’s sadly anchored by the Lorca school, named after a LGBT poet, it’s indicative of the archliberal crap that parents, if they knew enough to pay attention to, would be disgusted to understand. Logan and Avondale have Bucktown going for them, that’s about it and that’s probably not enough to overcome what exists on Milwaukee Ave north of Western & Armitage. Vacant storefronts, drug dealers, prostitutes at Central Park, weird voodoo Botanica stores, dollar stores, multiple thrift stores, more vacancy, gangs, etc. Mayfair is just less effort to clean up and they don’t have a Lorca school anchoring the hood for years to come. Mayfair has these bigger lots and houses too. It’s better potential than Avondale.

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  24. I agree with TB. This is a pretty ugly rehab. It already looks dated. I would think a “gut rehab” would start out with taking out those kitchen cabinets and replacing them. “Chefs kitchen, top grade ss appliances”…come on, really?

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  25. While not sexy or excessively attractive, those cabinets were in pretty decent shape. Decent enough to save a little money on the rehab. They did update the counter and backsplash.

    now that I’ve mentioned backsplash, check out the backsplash in this house.
    http://www.redfin.com/IL/Palatine/824-W-Dorset-Ave-60067/home/13882690

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  26. “It’ll take a long time, and a tremendously weakened CTU”…

    Schools in the suburbs are all unionized too. Unions really aren’t the problem, but I know that is a hard concept to understand. Much easier to just blame things on “unions” or the CTU than objectively analyze something.

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  27. ” I would think a “gut rehab” would start out with taking out those kitchen cabinets and replacing them.”

    why waste something that is perfectly fine?

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  28. Icarus – I get the idea of saving some money during a rehab but if I’m buying something that is marketed as a gut rehab, I expect new. By putting granite on outdated cabinets you still have outdated cabinets. Even in the bathroom they left the same floor tile and possibly the tub and tile in the shower. Looks like they just added tile to the surrounding walls.

    That Palatine listing is great…or should I say SPECTACULAR!!! It even has “UNBELIEVABLE PULL OUT FOOD AND SPICE RACKS”

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  29. Groove…sure they may be perfectly fine, but I think they’re ugly. It’s just my taste. I guess my issue is with the term “gut rehab” What classifies a rehab as a gut. With a gut rehab I expect a lot more to be new.

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  30. “I guess my issue is with the term “gut rehab” What classifies a rehab as a gut.”

    i see where your getting at

    “With a gut rehab I expect a lot more to be new”

    many new rehabs are all about reuse. yes you are probably going to gut the walls only to get easy access to the wiring and plumbing. (also check if the structure is sound) from the previous listing it looks like the kitchen was relatively new so maybe it was already plumbed new in the wall to the basement connection, the electric was at code, and gas line was new. so why waste man power and supplies tearing that out and rebuilding it, just touch it up.

    so even with what can be considered a gut you can reuse or leave some stuff.

    the real question is do you guys think 200k of work was put into this place? (assume a 100k profit)

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  31. I would have painted the cabinets (probably gray, but maybe that vintage-y green that is popular now).

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  32. More on “chefs kitchen.” I have rehabbed and lived in 3 homes in last seven years all very much a chefs kitchen. I am not a pro, but I love to cook for my family. A chefs kitchen would include more than a crappy, even if stainless, four burner gas range with oven below and microwave above. I used a 48″ Thermador in first rehab but bending over to take out roasts and heavy items was a hassle with a bad back. So double wall ovens are preferable. Likewise, a “chefs” kitchen has an island – and there is room for one here – for the work space. And yes, you need an actual hood over the range or cooktop. Microwave elsewhere. Mine is a Sharp drawer incorporated in the island. My most recent cooktop I combined 2 induction burners with four gas burners and loveit. Anyway, like I said before, I know this is just real estate speak but I am so sick of the term “chefs kitchen” when as one commenter noted, it’s just Home Depot. Venting concluded.

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  33. “Microwave elsewhere. Mine is a Sharp drawer incorporated in the island.”

    Thanks for the information. One question. Did you use a built in model or a standalone that you integrated?

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  34. It’s the Sharp Insight Pro and its built in. I love it. And I do use it but mostly for reheating leftovers or defrosting, it does a wonderful job. I also did for the first time this time a warming drawer below my ovens and I know some people say they store linens in them but I use it nearly every night so I can cook things and keep them warm but not cooking until we are all ready to sit down. And it’s a God-send on the big holidays like Thanksgiving. I love kitchens.

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  35. “a Sharp drawer ”

    “Did you use a built in model or a standalone that you integrated?”

    drawer = built in.

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  36. This home rehab was completed with materials from a home rehab store!

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  37. Of course it was, and there is not a thing in the world wrong with that, nothing. But then calling it a gut rehab, when the old cabinets are still ther, and a chefs kitchen with top of the line appliances, when it is and has neither, is dishonest. Or let’s call it realtor hyperbole.

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  38. “Great Rehab” ? It has the same kitchen cabinets in the unit from before it was rehabbed. I don’t consider it a chefs kitchen. Also it appears the bathroom floor is the same

    I can’t imagine someone paying $425K to back up to the merge like this.

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  39. Kate, are you currently in a relationship?

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  40. Actually many chefs use micowaves to heat glazes, melt cholotate, etc…

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  41. I am actually a widow. Lost my dear husband to cancer in May of 2012. He was my ultimate rehab partner. Thanks for asking tone. Not trying to be a downer. That’s my life. He was my life. And now I cook without him. Miss him so much. Probably not appropriate for a CribChatter comment thread but he trusted my decisions and was my life. Sorry guys to a downer.

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  42. Kate, I am sorry for your loss.

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  43. ” Kate (March 20, 2013, 9:16 pm)
    Sorry guys to a downer.”

    sucks arse about your loss.

    dont worry about dropping a downer, thats what Crib Chatter is all about. just type whats on your mind and let the CC community either rip it to shreds or offer some help and ideas.

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  44. Kate, nobody can understand your pain who hasn’t lived through it. I’m not religious, but offer this quote from St. Francis of Assisi:

    “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

    Facing your grief and expressing your pain comes first and from there to let coping strategies help you find a way through it. Know that the profound gift of love that you experienced will live on within you and the intensity of the loss will pass over time.

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  45. Thank you mh, juliana and Groove. Really kind.

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  46. Kate, I am very sorry to hear about your loss.

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  47. Kate, I am very sorry to hear about your loss.

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  48. The two folks who thumbs-downed Kate’s comment (at 3/20 9:16) need to take a serious look in the mirror and consider what, if anything, they can do to salvage themselves. Why spend this one, precious life as such cynical wretches?

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  49. “The two folks who thumbs-downed Kate’s comment ”

    Agreed, but (1) it’s only one person (8 + and 1 – = +7 w/ 9 votes), and (2) on a phone, it’s easy to accidentally hit the wrong thumb.

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  50. Kate– thanks for the excellent suggestions.

    I see one of those Sharp drawer micro’s in my immediate future, and I have separately been wondering if anyone has merged gas and induction cook tops.

    I may not be ready to get that radical but am going to look at it, as we launch a major kitchen job at my place.

    Oh, and to the Micro v. Hood argument, haven’t checked the thread yet hopefully that answer was obvious– hood.

    A $50 micro will pop your corn, but there’s no cheap alternative that provides proper ventilation.

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  51. Agreed, but (1) it’s only one person (8 + and 1 – = +7 w/ 9 votes), and (2) on a phone, it’s easy to accidentally hit the wrong thumb.

    Also agree with both points. Sabrina, next upgrade, your code monkees need to allow users to change their own thumb up/down vote.

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  52. @SquareD,

    welcome back and per an anon(ufo) recommendation look into the convection microwaves

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  53. Thanks again to all. As to the merged cooktops, Italian manufacturer Bertazzoni has a gas/induction mix. Their appliances are beautiful. And because they are new to the US their prices are quite a bit lower than Wolf or Thermador. I don’t know if they are available locally though. Wolf does not have an integrated unit however, the do have a narrow stainless strip that can be installed between the gas and induction that makes them appear as an integrated unit. The induction boils water. In like 90 seconds and also has such precise low heat settings for melting, simmering sauces etc. its great. as long as a magnet will stick to the bottom of your pot, it can be used on the induction side. As for hoods, I,think Broan are the best and also well priced.good luck SquareD and again, thanks for the kindness from all.

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  54. Re: Bertazzoni. . . beautiful stuff. . . and my Barazzoni cookware would look awesome on it! Also agreed re: Broan (have had one in every kitch since the 80s w/no issues, and upgrading to a better one as part of this kitch job.)

    @ Groove– a tip of the hat to you. Been a slow few months but I’m back to lazy lurker status.

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  55. “Italian manufacturer Bertazzoni has a gas/induction mix. ”

    on the next kitchen redo we decided last year we are going full induction. but if i can get a 3 zone induction and one gas then that would be perfect.

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  56. ” but I’m back to lazy lurker status.”

    considering that butler was the only game that was good so far. i actually have time to post and lurk.

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  57. Kate: do you have a view on ovens or fridges?

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  58. We just gut renovated our house and I did a lot of research on appliances. We wanted something high end but couldn’t afford a professional range. We settled on a Viking D3. I’ve read mixed reviews in terms of reliability but Viking is giving a 3 year warranty. They cost about $3500. Regarding refrigerators, we went with a Kitchenaid counter depth french door. Kitchenaid makes a lot of other high end brands refrigerators (JennAir & Viking) so it wasn’t worth paying the premium for them. We also got a Broan hood.

    SquareD…i mentioned in another thread, you can get a nice microwave installed in an island that has the stainless trim around it. Looks great and is half the cost of the micro drawers.

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  59. I agree with Marco. KitchenAide, Maytag, Whirlpool and Jenn Air are all the same company now but really you would be guided by 1) features you need or desire 2) your budget and 3) how it’s going to be used. For built in refrigerators the price of the KitchenAide and the Subzero were $800 apart so I went with subzero. But a really good alternative for builtin refrigerator IMHO is Liebherr at a better price point than either KA or others by a couple thousand dollars. For wall ovens, the same three principles apply but I would check out Bosch. They are “high end” but have some really cost effective lines without all the bells and whistles hardly anyone uses anyway. Bertazzoni is another one to ck out and apparently Plass does carry them. You did not ask but I believe Bosch dishwasher worth every peeny, again I got the model without the many, many wash cycles, just their basic. But it is virtually silent when running and cleans extremely well.

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  60. gringozecarioca on March 21st, 2013 at 4:33 pm

    http://www.lodgemfg.com/seasoned-cast-iron/reversible-pro-grid-iron-griddle-LPGI3

    Ze uses constantly these days… tonight – medallions of pork tenderloin that marinate only half an hour in a marinade of soy with garlic that has been sitting in a jar for a bit over a week… simple and excellent..

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  61. you got ripped off Ze… http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=727443

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  62. “but really you would be guided by 1) features you need or desire 2) your budget and 3) how it’s going to be used”

    Thanks. Am always interested in informed opinions on this, in the unlikely event we ever get around to buying a house (and need to rehab kitchen).

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  63. gringozecarioca on March 21st, 2013 at 5:17 pm

    C’mon HH, don’t be silly. You know it’s against my religion to pay retail. Currently $37.41 on Amazon with free shipping…

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  64. Kate,

    I absolutely agree about the Bosch dishwashers! I cannot say enough about ours…it is so quiet and works wonders. We’ve recommended it to several people and a few have taken our suggestion and been just as pleased as we are.

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  65. I’m actually not thrilled with our fairly basic Bosch dishwasher! It’s surprisingly noisy, it’s tough to keep the works clean, and the lock isn’t very good (i.e., you can just open it while it’s running). It’s nicely built in, though — to the point that people can’t find our dishwasher. Our Kitchen Aid micro (built into the wall cabinetry) is awesome and has held up beautifully — the reno was done in 1998 or so, and I couldn’t be more pleased with both this and our 4-burner Viking range. The ceiling-mounted Broan hood is loud but does an excellent job — I think the newer ones are a little more quiet. There was no splurging on a high-end fridge, so I have no real thoughts there. That said, my friend’s Wolf range seems to require yearly service (while we’ve only had to do a service call once or twice, touch wood), and her Sub-Zero fridge has also merited a few repair calls — the pan at the bottom cracks and leaks, and the water line to the ice maker has been a problem.

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  66. “fairly basic Bosch dishwasher”

    Is it ’98 vintage? If so, I think that’s just before they madea big move on the quiet front (and the newer ones are even quieter). Our (also fairly basic) ’01 vintage Bosch is very quiet, unless loaded very strangely. And always gets everything clean.

    Do have to train the macaques to not pull on the door when running, but even the dumb one learned after the third whack to the knuckles.

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  67. Yep, still the ’98 Bosch dishwasher. Maybe it’s time to upgrade… You’d be surprised how often the macaques around here pull on the handle. Sigh.

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  68. Under contract ….I guess we are back to 2006

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  69. “Under contract ….I guess we are back to 2006”

    EVERYTHING is under contract. It doesn’t matter what part of the city you’re in.

    Why are people paying $350,000 for old bungalows in neighborhoods like Portage Park? You could get one for $150k a year ago. But there’s no inventory- so they are.

    You can really tell how hot it is based on what is going on OUTSIDE the GZ. The prices people are paying to live in non-GZ neighborhoods is absurd to me.

    But if you want to sell- now is the time. I feel like this “hot” market isn’t going to last forever. Today’s employment report was a stinker. There is still global uncertainty.

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  70. The city seems more affected than the suburbs. At least in my precursory review. My neighborhood has a lot of inventory, mostly overpriced, but inventory is still there, but languishing.

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  71. “The city seems more affected than the suburbs. At least in my precursory review. My neighborhood has a lot of inventory, mostly overpriced, but inventory is still there, but languishing.”

    Maybe in Long Grove. In Evanston, Park Ridge, Oak Park, Northbrook, Deerfield, LaGrange and I could go on and on…there are multiple bids, little inventory and even the crappy beat up houses are going under contract (why- I don’t know.) I know people who have stopped looking in those suburbs because it’s so bad and they don’t HAVE to buy right now.

    The entry level starter homes are the hottest market, of course.

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  72. ” The prices people are paying to live in non-GZ neighborhoods is absurd to me.”
    as in for the same price they can get the same thing in a GZ neighborhood? If not, then it kinda makes sense.

    First, a neighborhood is never going to bcome GZ if people don’t move there. second, interest rates are historically low so paying a higher price for that bungalow in Portage Park doesn’t seem as painful — and third, show me a bungalow that was listed for $150K last year, delisted and then is now going for $350 without updates?

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  73. I will say that, the entry level starter homes are the hottest. the sad part are the crappy 3/1’s with original everything priced the same as the 3/2 starter home that have been updated. there’s a lot of those.

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  74. “and third, show me a bungalow that was listed for $150K last year, delisted and then is now going for $350 without updates?”

    It’s not the same bungalows Icarus. Plenty of foreclosures in previous years all over Portage Park. They were giving them away. These weren’t “updated.” Original 3/1s and the such. But those similar “original” bungalows are now being listed at double the price (NOT foreclosures though.) These are just owned by Baby Boomer owners who have lived there 50 years and done nothing to the house.

    You have the inspection and it’s a nightmare but they still want $350,000. And with almost nothing on the market in all of Portage Park they’re basically getting it. It’s insane.

    $350,000 is NOT a middle class starter home. $150,000 is. Only upper middle class people are buying a 1700-square foot 3/1 for $350,000.

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  75. I single out Portage Park but same thing happening even further west and in Albany Park and other neighborhoods that aren’t the GZ. Solidly middle and working class but there’s no Starbucks or other fancy restaurants. There’s the Golden Apple and that’s about it.

    The prices being paid there are outrageous. These are middle class neighborhoods. They’re making middle class salaries. It’s NOT the GZ.

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  76. “First, a neighborhood is never going to bcome GZ if people don’t move there. second, interest rates are historically low so paying a higher price for that bungalow in Portage Park doesn’t seem as painful — and third, show me a bungalow that was listed for $150K last year, delisted and then is now going for $350 without updates?”

    This

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  77. $150,000 is not the price of middle class home in Chicago.

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  78. what is the price of a middle class home in Chicago, Vj?

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  79. Area Median Income for a household of 1 is $52K. AMI is $59K for a two person household. So I would say $250,000 is probably the normal price of a middle class home.

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  80. “I single out Portage Park but same thing happening even further west and in Albany Park”

    yes cause portage is a good neighborhood, but try to buy the same brick bungalow 1.5 miles south in belmont-craign and you will see why portage is high and selling.

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  81. “Why are people paying $350,000 for old bungalows in neighborhoods like Portage Park?”

    I looked at PP on Redfin for closing in the past 3 months and currently contingent places. I see *nothing* over $300k that isn’t at least partly reno’d exept (maybe–no pix) 4443 Major.

    Soooo, what am I missing? Is it that it’s hoods “like” PP, but not PP? If so, what hood?

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  82. while looking up something here i found this blast from the past:

    Sabrina (January 13, 2011, 8:44 am)
    People have to get off the GZ thing. The city is BIG. It is NOT just 3 neighborhoods (LP, Lakeview and Bucktown/WP.) Many people don’t want to live in those neighborhoods (gasp!) and are actively looking in the very nice neighborhods like JeffPark, Avondale, Portage Park etc.
    http://cribchatter.com/?p=9847

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  83. this one was not renovated and finally sold for $205K. During one of its earlier listing/delistings when we went to see it (2010, 2011?), it was in the high $300s. Clearly someone had a come-to-jebus moment with the estate heirs and explained that even though grandma was a lovely woman, no one was going to buy an outdated bungalow with deferred maintanence for Boom year prices.

    http://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/4336-N-Marmora-Ave-60634/home/13474713

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  84. “I looked at PP on Redfin for closing in the past 3 months and currently contingent places. I see *nothing* over $300k that isn’t at least partly reno’d exept (maybe–no pix) 4443 Major.”

    They haven’t closed yet anon(tfo). You know that “hot” market we’ve been talking about? It started about 2 months ago. It’s amazing what is going under contract out there for absurd prices.

    But to each his own. If people want to over pay for a dumpy brick bungalow in Portage Park because, for some reason, they MUST BUY RIGHT NOW- god bless them.

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  85. “People have to get off the GZ thing. The city is BIG. It is NOT just 3 neighborhoods (LP, Lakeview and Bucktown/WP.) ”

    I just discovered Tony’s Finer Foods, and prefer it over Paulina Meat market.

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  86. Not sure how the backsplash was the most exciting thing about the Palatine house – swimming pool in the master?!

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  87. ““I looked at PP on Redfin for closing in the past 3 months and currently contingent places. I see *nothing* over $300k that isn’t at least partly reno’d exept (maybe–no pix) 4443 Major.”

    They haven’t closed yet anon(tfo). You know that “hot” market we’ve been talking about? It started about 2 months ago. It’s amazing what is going under contract out there for absurd prices.”

    Are you saying that places are under contract for over asking price in Portage? Or that there are a bunch of contingent places that are not showing as such on Redfin? Or … what? I looked at all the SFH listed as pending in Portage on RF for $350+–they’re all reno’d, except maybe 4443 Major. Just trying to figure out what you’re seeing, as I can’t find evidence of it.

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  88. I looked last night on the MLS at Portage for under 250K and couldn’t believe how many UC there was. Its crazy.

    Started looking now further out to rehab and flip and even Palatine is crazy.

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  89. “I looked last night on the MLS at Portage for under 250K and couldn’t believe how many UC there was. Its crazy.”

    You find anything in the un-reno’d bungalow space looking likely to close at $350k+ that I might have missed?

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  90. In Portage Park?

    $350 would be too high unrenovated in Portage. That is stretching Edison Park and Edgebrook prices now and even too high over there right now unrenovated.

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