A 3-Bedroom with Rare 2-Car Deeded Parking in East Lakeview: 521 W. Surf
This vintage 3-bedroom at 521 W. Surf in East Lakeview came on the market in July 2019.
Built in 1904, this building has 25 units and deeded outdoor parking behind the building.
This is a high first floor unit with many of its vintage features including high ceilings, bay windows, hardwoods in the living, dining and bedrooms.
It has a separate dining room with a beamed ceiling and wainscoting.
The living room has a wood burning fireplace.
The kitchen has white cabinets, granite counter tops and white appliances.
Even though it is vintage, it has the features that today’s buyers look for including central air and washer/dryer in the unit.
This area of East Lakeview is notoriously difficult for parking.
But this condo comes with a rare outdoor deeded tandem space for 2 cars.
It also has two full bathrooms, which can also be rare in vintage units.
Just a few blocks from Lincoln Park, the lake front, express buses, the Century Landmark movie theater, Mariano’s, restaurants, bars and shops, is this the perfect condo for East Lakeview living?
Ian Schwartz at Coldwell Banker has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #1: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1675 square feet
- Sold in November 2001 for $335,500
- Sold in August 2004 for $405,000
- Sold in December 2009 for $363,000
- Originally listed in July 2019 for $524,000
- Currently still listed at $524,000
- Assessments of $405 a month (includes heat, gas, exterior maintenance, scavenger, snow removal)
- Taxes of $7371
- Central Air
- Washer/dryer in the unit
- Deeded outdoor tandem parking for 2 cars
- Wood burning fireplace
- Bedroom #1: 14×14
- Bedroom #2: 13×12
- Bedroom #3: 10×8
- Dining room: 16×13
- Living room: 20×14
- Kitchen: 17×10
Highly Upgraded does not equal
-Entry level Samsung Range
-Not replacing the GFCI in the bathroom
-HD Special fixtures
If they pulled the original Maple HWF (Like whats in the kitchen) or stained the oak, they should give their head a shake
Yeah, definitely not “highly upgraded”. Nice paint and refinished floors are bare minimum requirements, imo.
The best upgrade they could have done would have been a load-bearing beam in the kitchen. That post is ridiculous.
Are you sure that’s a post? I think it’s more likely a plumbing riser or vent stack which they probably weren’t allowed (or able to) move.
“plumbing riser or vent stack ”
There’s one of those in the corner, for sure.
You absolutely could be right–tho a vent stack could be moved, as the bends wouldn’t slow the air/sewer-gas. It’s fairly likely to be both. The kitchen space is just a layout disaster, tho, with a door on every wall and the laundry closet, too. would be better if corner could have been a pantry.
The mirror-image unit, but on the top floor (and maybe slightly lrger), is also for sale:
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/519-W-Surf-St-60657/unit-3/home/103185647
for $599, and is, imo, worth way more than the price difference.
top floor does look more finished
how are these units in terms of pricing? The top floor unit looks fine enough but I am a bit detached from what pricing should be in East Lakeview
I do love having the parking in this hood!
Old girlfriend lived on this street in the 90’s and parking to see her was a pita. That is worth something. Unit blah but could work for a couple that drives to work.
Reminded me of that Michael McDermott album 620 W. Surf. Check out “Life is a wall I must climb” and rock out to those lyrics. You can thank me later.
Top floor unit way nicer and updated, although doesn’t have A/C which is a major drawback for a 3rd floor unit. Also only one parking spot instead of the tandem spot, but I don’t see that as a huge deal. But, yes, definitely seems worthwhile for the price difference. Both units seem about right for East Lakeview in terms of price, but could see them dropping a bit more. The top unit has already been reduced $40k. The 3rd BR for unit #1 is tiny …Would be hard to fit a real bed in there as right now just has a crib. So, it’s almost like a 2 BR + office.
Nice looking place, but it’s small. Without the parking it would probably be worth $75,000 less. Two deeded spaces in this neighborhood is a huge part of the value proposition. The place itself, with three bedrooms jammed into 1,600 square feet, would be a tight squeeze for most families.
I was looking at the pictures thinking it resembled the 4-bedroom condo I grew up in nearby, but ours was about 2,400 SF, and that made a huge difference for two growing kids.
Damn these old layouts are rough imo. Front door opens for a view of the master bed? They should have made that a den / office opening to the living room with french doors or something and made the 13×12 room annex the closet space to become the master
As a fan of open concepts, the dining room is so odd separated off (with a lot of wasted hallway space) Reminds me of the shitholes my friends used to rent just moving out of college. Half the party played drinking card games there and completely segmented was another half playing drinking mario kart in the living room.
Finally, a 10×8 bedroom… that’s close to the size of my master closet. Maybe used as a nursery only (but furthest from the Master)?
‘Michael McDermott album”
F you’re old. That’s a name I hadn’t thought about in a decade or more.