4-Bedroom Victorian on a Double Lot in Roscoe Village Returns: 1805 W. Cornelia
This 4-bedroom single family home at 1805 W. Cornelia in Roscoe Village just came on the market.
If it looks familiar that’s because we chattered about it numerous times in 2012. You can see our original April 2012 chatter here.
In 2012 it was described as a “Victorian”.
Built on a double sized Chicago lot of 50×125, it has a pergola, fire pit, perennial garden and greenhouse. In 2012, it also had a koi pond. I wonder what happened to that?
For a time, the property was also marketed as the house and the second lot separately.
You can see the two separate listings in our October 2012 chatter here.
But none of it sold and it was withdrawn.
It has since returned to the market with a “total remodel.”
In 2012, the main level was carpeted with those individual flooring squares. It now has hardwood floors.
The kitchen has maple cabinets, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances.
There are two master suites. Two bedrooms are upstairs while two are on the main level.
The location, near the El line and the Metra line, is still the same.
It also still doesn’t have parking, but the house does have central air.
Last time, they tried to sell at the bottom of the market.
This time, they are selling at the top.
Will they be more successful this time?
Leigh Marcus at @Properties has the listing. See the pictures here.
1805 W. Cornelia: 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, no square footage listed
- Sold in September 1995 for $93,500
- Sold in April 2002 for $335,000
- Was listed in April 2012 for $899,000
- Withdrawn
- Currently listed for $750,000
- Taxes now $15410 (they were $9965 in 2012 which was just for one lot. Second lot was $6279)
- Central Air
- No parking
- Bedroom #1: 17×25 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 15×14 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 8×12 (main floor)
- Bedroom #4: 11×11 (main floor)
Train proximity is a deal breaker and the house is nothing special
While the market may be hot, it looks like buyers north of $750M are/can be a lot more selective.
People spending this kind of money will generally insist on parking, so that’s potentially a big problem. However street parking isn’t that bad in this area by Chicago standards. I find the el track two homes away to be too much though, and while the outdoor space is large it lacks some privacy. The pricing seems more realistic this time around though so I think it will end up selling.
Did they really take listing pictures with moving boxes in the room? And with the ironing board open in the bedroom? Yikes, talk about zero effort.
For $750K, “This Home Boasts a Tankless Hot Water Heater & Efficient Gas Furnace.”
For the money, this place is a dump.
anon trying to sell his home again?
Is it renter occupied? Who leaves boxes around and their unfinished laundry when they know the photographer is on the way?
The lack of parking and taxes hurt – – but this is a lot of space for the money and not hearing neighbors is sort of priceless. Bathrooms need some TLC but otherwise quite obviously liveable. I would take this over the $600K 3/3 duplex condo any day of the week.
Given an actual hardship of the site is no parking and there appears to be room for it, how difficult would it be to get a curb cut? I certainly think someone developing the second lot separately could get one pretty easily. I bet parking could be added.
“Given an actual hardship of the site is no parking”
It has alley access. There is no basis for *needing* a curb cut.
Yes, for the money, this place is a dump. You don’t need to pay a premium like this for a tankless hot water heater and energy efficient furnace, or for a tiny, shabby, 100+ year-old cottage that was built as working-class housing.
Only if you can sell half the lot as a separate plat, does this place make any sense at this price.
Interesting. I was initially surprised at how low the price was considering it was a double lot but then I saw where it was and like others here believe the el is a big issue. However, it does slow down to go around the bend so it’s not as bad as when it goes full throttle.
I like how they use the outdoor space but that’s probably not the highest and best use for that land so selling it separately should definitely be an option.
As for the photos…geez…you just move that stuff out of the way before you snap the photo. Besides the boxes you have bags hanging from hooks and 8 packs of toilet paper.
“Only if you can sell half the lot as a separate plat, does this place make any sense at this price.”
Were this at 1905 Cornelia, they’d be asking $1.25m for it as a teardown.
The el is the entirety of the issue with this place at the asking price.
Here is the competition:
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1829-W-Cornelia-Ave-60657/home/13385655
$610k for a nicer house on a single lot with a little less noice.
And then what is for sale one block west:
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1927-W-Cornelia-Ave-60657/home/13386333
I think this one is a little aggressively priced.
I saw 1829 W Cornelia online and my initial reaction without being inside of it was that it was overpriced relative to this house. A single lot and I can’t believe the noise would be any different.
“…the el is a big issue. However, it does slow down to go around the bend so it’s not as bad as when it goes full throttle.”
The brown line does go slow at this bend. A larger noise concern is the UP-N Metra line. That one sounds like a hurricane running down Ravenswood.
Seems odd to tout a 50′ wide lot for a 15′ wide home. OK, it’s a little wider in the front. The layout reminds me of typical Chicago apartments that are long and narrow. It’s not something I would like in a single family house.
This is a great home for a family as evidenced by the large playset.
“As for the photos…geez…you just move that stuff out of the way before you snap the photo. Besides the boxes you have bags hanging from hooks and 8 packs of toilet paper.”
I think this is the first time I’ve actually ever seen the moving boxes in the photos. Heck, if there is a renter in there, they usually just wait until they move out to take the pictures. Otherwise, they take them before the boxes are sitting around everywhere.
But when the market is “hot” I guess you think anything goes.
Dealing with tenants is a tough issue. You have to factor in the holding costs of waiting vs. how the place looks. I’ve had a situation where the place looked better with the tenant there than when the owner lived there and then there are times when the tenant is a total pig and you have no choice but to wait until they move out. But waiting for the tenant to move out is easily going to cost the seller 6 weeks of holding costs and for some sellers they just can’t tolerate that unless the tenant is terrible.
Regarding the photos, you can just move the boxes, tp, dangling purses on hooks, out of the photos. I’ve taken dirty dishes out of sinks and left them on floor, out of camera range. I never saw the allure of Roscoe Village anyway. Giant fail all around.
“I never saw the allure of Roscoe Village anyway. ”
The allure is that you get to live near a bunch of carpetbagging DB 30 something finance types who play softball on weekends and drive large SUVs, all of whom make WAAAAAAAAY more money than you or I, and consequently, paid WAAAAAAAY to much for their formerly asphalt roll sided victorian. don’t even get me started on the stepford wives aspect of it all.
So the difference between Roscoe Village and where you live is that your neighbors paid too much for their Polish Palaces/McMansions instead of for a cappy frame two-flat? And you make more money than most of them?
Lets see…
Douchebag finance types or knowitall lawyers from 3rd tier law schools
I’ll take the finance types
finance types way more fun
What really disgusts me is that even the smart finance people are justifying the crazy salary increases because it helps them with their salaries too. After all the business schools cannot pay them too little if their peers make so much more in banking. I was just reading
http://faculty.washington.edu/apbond/research/axelson-bond-june2013.pdf
which won the 2015 Brattle award. Reminds me of how statisticians used to make up BS analysis to hide health hazards of smoking.
And people wonder why Her Trump is rising. When there is too much inequality and highway rubbery in the daylight, not so smart people rally after the fascists…sigh
y’all know the roscoe village stereotype is true. I lived there during law school so I have first hand knowledge of the douchebaggery. that place sucks. and long grove has far more lawyers than finance types.
As a former realtor, some clients are absolutely impossible to deal with.