A Renovated Vintage 3-Bedroom With Park and Lake Views: 399 W. Fullerton in Lincoln Park
This 3-bedroom at 399 W. Fullerton Parkway in Lincoln Park came on the market in February 2017.
This building was constructed in 1927 and has just 32 units along with valet parking.
The listing says this 3-bedroom has been renovated.
It has herringbone hardwood floors in all the living and bedroom spaces.
There are vintage features including moldings, arched doorways and there’s a custom fireplace in the living room.
The kitchen has custom white cabinets, stainless steel counter tops, luxury appliances and heated Belgian limestone floors with an adjacent breakfast room and a butler’s pantry.
There’s a master suite with a spa bath that has a towel warmer.
And if you like custom closets, then check out the room-sized closet in the master suite.
The other two bedrooms also have en suite baths.
There’s a den and a half bath.
The unit appears to have space pak cooling. It also has a side-by-side washer/dryer in a 6×4 laundry room.
In addition to the valet parking, there’s also a gym and full staff.
This is a co-op but it’s unclear from the public listing if the taxes are included in the HOA.
Originally listed for $2.2 million, it has been reduced $450,000 to $1.75 million.
Buyers love move-in ready properties.
Why isn’t this selling?
Emily Sachs Wong at @Properties has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #11E: 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3300 square feet, co-op
- No prior selling price since it’s a co-op
- Originally listed in February 2017 for $2.2 million
- Reduced
- Currently listed for $1.75 million
- Assessments of $2973 a month (includes heat, a/c, gas, doorman, cable, exterior maintenance, lawn care, scavenger, snow removal)
- Taxes are $10,464 (included in monthly fee or not?)
- Central air- but looks to be space pak
- 1 car parking included (valet)
- Washer/dryer in the unit
- Fireplace
- Bedroom #1: 20×13
- Bedroom #2: 13×12
- Bedroom #3: 11×10
- Laundry room: 6×4
- Den: 18×11
- Walk-in closet: 19×10
Nice place
Modern but kept much of its vintage charm
Guessing the lack of CA is problematic. looks like the Space Pac is in the closet in photo #10.
Maybe they can get someone to bite when AC isn’t needed
NO AC NEEDED.
JAN TERRI SEZ BUY BUY BUY LOLZ!!!!!!!!
SECONDZ LOL!!
Space pak is central air, if it has space pak CA is not the problem. This place is nice but looks like anywhere else these days with the total whitewash of all things wood. The herringbone floors are the only thing that really stand out to me. Lots of options at this price point.
This is one of my “If money were no object” buildings. I’m sure if I stared at the photos long enough I’d find something that I’d want to change but my initial reaction is that it’s beautiful and I wouldn’t change anything. The moulding in this condo is meant to be painted so isn’t a “whitewash of all things wood.” If it’s a coop, the assessments should cover the taxes.
I don’t understand why anyone would buy this at that price and Assessments over a SFH.
This place is beautiful imo. I agree with Sid V that there is just a lot available to buyers at this price point. Amazing location and I love the style of the unit, but you are sacrificing bedrooms, outdoor space, and having your own four walls.
OMG. I want this space. Neutral enough to just slide right in, and all the finishes look great. I was momentarily thrown by the BR that screamed PINK, but then realized that it was just the bedding. And, yes Space Pak is not a poor stepchild of CA. We had it installed when we lived in a vintage house in the burbs and other than some odd flexible ducts running through some closets it operated in every way like regular CA.
I love this. The only downside is a lack of outdoor space*. I wonder how large the landing is on the fire escape (seen in pic 13).
*well, that and it being completely out of my budget.
Awesome place but the one thing I don’t like is the lack of storage under the bathroom sinks, easily fixable I know, and well that I can’t afford at all like madeline said hah
Wow. The owner has impeccable taste…And the location is pretty unbeatable. I just love all of the flooring.
I could see buying this over a SFH if you were the kind of exec who is a single parent working crazy hours and traveling a lot or if both parents have that kind of a schedule where free moments are better spent enjoying an amazing location than maintaining the yard or worrying that some burglar noticed you frequentl. And while the assmts are more than most mortgages + taxes + insurance, at least taxes are likely included and it is a vintage building so pretty much no way around a steep assmt.
*noticed you are frequently not home.
I have a SpacePak system. SpacePak is a high velocity, central air-conditioning system that uses small flexible ducts. The small ducts hide inside the walls and avoids having large duct bumps and soffits on the ceilings.
There is not much downside if installed correctly. If not installed correctly there will be jets of air in odd places instead of a steady, even, unnoticeable airflow.
I don’t see the park and lake views out of the windows. I did see the fire escape in a number of photos. This is a much different view than a more modern building with floor-to-ceiling, or knee-to-ceiling windows.
It’s a nice interior, but I would pass if looking for park and lake views.
“I don’t see the park and lake views out of the windows.”
It’s two units per floor, and this is the East one–the LR (and other rooms?) has unobstructed views straight north over the park and lake.
But, yeah, most of the windows are on the side or rear, so don’t have park views.
I would live here in a minute if I could afford it. It’s a beautiful unit.
All that money, and they couldn’t splurge a bit more and put a nice tv above the living room fireplace?
It looks like the listing broker broke the taxes out of the HOA. (The broker should have been more straightforward. He’ll save himself and the owner a lot of wasted showings by being upfront.) Anyway, taxes and HOA of almost $4000 per month would be a disincentive. You can buy a pretty nice place at 2550 Lakeview for the same money and lower HOAs, though taxes are still really high there. (I hear taxes for new buildings eventually drop. I seriously don’t understand the Illinois property tax system. How are people supposed to plan?)
BTW, taxes for this unit seem quite low. Is this building listed on the historic register, perhaps? I don’t understand why all eligible condo and coop buildings don’t register. The tax break can be pretty nice.
The tax dodge for vintage buildings is over. There was an incentive to make improvements on structural issues for a tax break. However, that tax break does not pass on to subsequent buyers. Found that out the hard way.
THis is a coop, not condo. May be a different situation on the taxes.
I don’t understand why people around here think the be all and end all in life is a SFH. The last thing I would want is a SFH. I don’t want to mow grass. I don’t want to fix a roof. I don’t want to change out a water tank. I don’t want to sit in a backyard or a front porch. I don’t want to say “howdy neighbor” nor do I want to be attacked by a bad neighbor while mowing my lawn. I don’t want to take out my own garbage, I don’t want to put up my own Christmas lights (but I love them and want them up). I want to travel by locking my door and not thinking much about my home until I come back.
Kathy, I think you may be right. The Coop pays the tax bill, not shareholders, so the tax break should carry over. It’s a good reminder, though, not to trust that a new buyer’s tax bill will be the same as a previous owner’s. Makes it very hard to plan. I’ve never lived in a state with such an opaque property tax system.
Ha. GF, have you ever owned a condo around here? Nearly as many hassles as a SFH but you have to deal with your neighbors’ personalities, their budgets, their biases and their tendency toward thinking like you do, which means nobody wants to pitch in. And yes, many if not most condo buildings require people to pitch in or things just don’t get done-shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, obtaining bids, keeping a budget, etc. Just pay someone to do that you say? Maybe most of your neighbors don’t want to, worst case (and it absolutely happens) is they won’t pay and won’t help either. So maybe you get on the board to influence things-no guarantees there and you’ve taken on a medium to major hassle. And don’t even get me started on all of the stories I’ve heard and experienced where your neighbor’s negligence damages your unit by flooding.
If your building is big enough to have a management company you might end up just hating them as much as your tightwad neighbors in the six flat, and will have ceded a degree of control that puts you more on the spectrum toward renting IMO. You will very likely be paying high fees for mediocre work that often doesn’t take you opinions into account to any meaningful degree despite your “ownership”.
SFH gives you the most control. Most issues can be solved by just doing something at your convenience or writing a check. Sure it takes time to meet with tradespeople but if you are proactive you can generally plan for things. Chicago lawns tend to be ten minutes with a reel push mower, and I shovel no more snow now than I did in a condo.
SFH is paradise to me vs. my past condos, except it’s hard on the wallet of course.
“I don’t understand why people around here think the be all and end all in life is a SFH. The last thing I would want is a SFH. I don’t want to mow grass. I don’t want to fix a roof. I don’t want to change out a water tank. I don’t want to sit in a backyard or a front porch. I don’t want to say “howdy neighbor” nor do I want to be attacked by a bad neighbor while mowing my lawn. I don’t want to take out my own garbage, I don’t want to put up my own Christmas lights (but I love them and want them up). I want to travel by locking my door and not thinking much about my home until I come back.”
I’m almost certain you can find someone to do all of those things for you for less than $3000 a month.
You end up talking to your neighbors more in a condo building than in a single family home. The elevator chit chat is horrifically tedious.
You can get attacked in a condo building or near the condo building too. My grandpa had a crazy guy in his building and it took him physically harming someone inside the building before the board was able to get him removed. He had pushed and tripped elderly people coming and going from the building on multiple occasions.
You also have to deal with more mundane issues, like smokers and noisy people in a condo that you don’t have to deal with in a house.
There are only two things I love about living in a condo building. One is that someone is there to accept my packages and keep them secure. The other is that my cable and internet bills are dirt cheap.
condo living is brutal, it is Ok at first until you realize how much your neighbors suck ass after a couple years
Sid is spot on about the shoddy work the management company hires… usually its the manager’s “got a guy” and surprise surprise, the issue keeps popping up… (we had to replace/fix our fuckin garage door like 15 times before the stupid fucking board said to hire someone else)
would much rather have a SFH, I fuckin can’t stand board meetings and the gossipy clique’s for neighbors
best I can muster with our measly income is a townhouse though or live in bumfuck and have a 45 minute commute to work
meh
thats why I’m outta here sooner than later
I want to congratulate Sid and Jenny. I’m awarding them the “ Captain Obvious” award for their outstanding posts. And an honorable mention to Sonies. Yes, we all know the trade offs with each Type of Housing there is. Yes, the SFH, you have more control but then you have to deal with it all. Yes, condo living you have less control and mgmt companies are a problem but it’s pretty much a check signing situation and that’s it. Without a management company, condos can be self managed but then you have to deal with the other 5 families in the complex, but it’s cheaper without a mgmt company. So you might think renting is the answer, but, then your rent goes up and the landlord could suck. We all got it. We understand the different housing options. There is no universal “right” choice. My point is when I read how “you can get a SFH for that price” as though SFH are a goal we are all reaching for.
Having lived in a mix of condos (one was at the Marlborough and the other was an old rowhouse converted to duplexes) and single family homes over the past nine or so years of parenthood, I’m currently of the mind that (1) I don’t how people raise 2 or more kids in anything other than a SFH and (2) as soon as our youngest goes to college, we plan to move into a condo/apartment building.
You don’t want an answer because you know it all already, then don’t post questions that make you seem utterly clueless.
GF:
You started with: “I don’t understand why people around here think the be all and end all in life is a SFH.”
That phrasing is an invitation for people to explain to you why they prefer an SFH. Since you stated, in plain English, that you don’t understand it.
Yeah, yeah, it’s an idiom, I get that, but it’s not an idiom that is *always* an idiom.
This place is nice. Add me to the group that would prefer a large single floor home with a view over a narrow single family home split up over 3-4 floors.
Many pros and cons to coop v condo argument. Probably more significant cons, but I will say with two units per floor life in this building will likely be nothing like life in a 6 flat on large 100+ unit condo building. Much higher quality neighbors (i.e. long term residents, can afford to live in and maintain building, lot’s of skin in the game) and no renters.
“This place is nice. Add me to the group that would prefer a large single floor home with a view over a narrow single family home split up over 3-4 floors.”
Agreed. But the problem with the single floor layout is if you entertain with intergenerational guests. That’s a fancy way of saying that if you have kids you need the finished basement, while the adults are in the kitchen and family room.
Interesting condo vs SFH debate. I have both and I prefer condo living way over a SFH. In a big condo with management company, one runs into neighbors in common areas only which makes things very pleasant. Basically you say hello and some nice sentences and move on. I can believe it that in a small place you have to deal with their personalities so I would prefer a condo over a 3 unit condo.
I totally agree that not having to worry about roof, taking care of the window frames, gutters, lawn, etc… is very attractive to some (including yours truly).
It is not trivial to find people who do small odd jobs for you even if you did not mind paying for it. In a big condo you don’t even have to worry about it.
I practically lived in this building in high school, because my best friend lived in it and I spent lots of time there. They were a little higher up but also on the preferred east side of the building (preferred because it has one extra room, a library next to the LR).
These apartments appeal to me in a big way, but the price of this one seems a little high by comparison with others I’ve seen here. Also, the assessments are very pricey, which is true for all of the units.
This building used to have an elevator man, which I loved back in the 80’s. I wonder if it still does.
If a place here is priced under $1 million, it’s a good deal, and my wife and I might buy here eventually. Great location, too.
Some of the issues about condos brought up on this thread are much more prevalent if you’re living in a smaller, cheaper building than the one in question. You can bet the service provided at 399 Fullerton is a heck of a lot better than what you might get in a six-flat in Albany Park or Uptown.
Dan, ya think? We have another Captain Obvious contender…
Ok – perhaps so. But others here didn’t seem to understand that very simple fact.
Well, believe me Dan, the cumulative IQ of the chatterers isn’t very high. I can count on one hand the people that know anything on this board. Most are living in Moms basement types even though they claim to own all kinds of things.
Feel free to step off and raise the cumulative IQ average, Fish.
Really Sid? So we go from Captain Obvious to Benny Goodman? What’s next, going to ask chatterers to take my wife, please? Sigh.
Your weird, dated cultural references are a bit beyond me, fortunately. Have a nice weekend being a snarky dolt.
Someone mentioned it’s easier for teens to entertain friends in an SFH. Usually, I’d agree. But having been a teen who had a friend who lived at 399 Fullerton, this was our favorite place to hang out. The long hallway from the LR to the MBR meant parents were far away and we could make noise at night without bothering them, whether it was playing cards in the LR or playing pool in the huge family room off the kitchen. Believe me, this was a really fun place for teens to hang out. We even had a huge New Year’s party at his place to ring in 1990. Wonderful times.
“You also have to deal with more mundane issues, like smokers and noisy people in a condo that you don’t have to deal with in a house.”
Jenny: Many buildings are going non-smoking now. I would not be surprised if most of the city high rises were non-smoking within 10 years.
As for noisy people, that is true. You share walls so that is always a risk. Buyer beware (and buy in buildings that have concrete etc.) Not every building uses only drywall between the units, for instance.
“Jenny: Many buildings are going non-smoking now. I would not be surprised if most of the city high rises were non-smoking within 10 years.”
My building is trying to go non-smoking, but the board told us that we would need 75% to agree. There are many people who think that smoking should be allowed, even if they aren’t smokers, so it’s an uphill battle. There are also people who go outside to smoke and then come back in and make the lobby and elevators stink. I wish we could require these people to use service elevators and the back door only.
My friend’s building recently tried to go non-smoking and a petition was circulated, but not enough people signed it. There are still way too many people who think that it’s unfair to bar people from smoking in homes that they own. I wish smoking would just be banned entirely with the exception of inside single family homes when one’s windows are closed.
“My building is trying to go non-smoking, but the board told us that we would need 75% to agree.”
There are plenty of buildings going non-smoking and its passing easily. Yes- you need 75% agreement.
I didn’t say all the buildings would do it immediately. I said within 10 years it will be nearly all the buildings. Younger people don’t smoke and they don’t want to be around it. You’ll have a better chance of having a non-smoking building in a big building than in a 3-flat. Good luck trying to get THAT non-smoking (or the 6 or 8 flat. Same difficulties.)
“There are plenty of buildings going non smoking and it’s passing easily”
Not in the big high rises it isn’t. My friend lives in a GC highrise and they tried to get to the 75% mark and it didn’t happen. Between people that don’t agree with non smoking and investors who don’t care, it was very hard to get to 75%. So they dealt with smokers on a case by case basis. Most of the smokers causing problems? Under 30 year olds.
“Not in the big high rises it isn’t. My friend lives in a GC highrise and they tried to get to the 75% mark and it didn’t happen.”
Maybe people I know are in more enlightened high rises then. It passed in one of them on the first ballot. Easily.
The young are smoking marijuana, that’s why they want to keep it.