A Smart Tech Home Relists: From Affordable to Luxury? 900 N. Richmond in West Town
This 4-bedroom single family home at 900 N. Richmond in the East Humboldt Park neighborhood of West Town recently came on the market.
This is a “Smart Tech” home. These were built all over the up-and-coming neighborhoods starting around 2010.
The developer bought up a lot of foreclosures, which were cheaper, and built 4-bedroom single family homes that had the same modern design and layout.
It was called “Smart Tech” because the floors were flaxseed sealed oak hardwoods and they used no VOC paint. There were also LEED appointments.
Because they were in up and coming neighborhoods, the price points were usually attractive.
We first chattered about one of these homes in 2010 with this home at 1214 N. Rockwell in West Town.
You can see our chatter here (where everyone debated the merits of this neighborhood).
But I’ve also seen these homes in Avondale and also ran across one in Bucktown. They all have a similar exterior and interior design.
Here’s one in Avondale:
Here’s another home in Bucktown:
This home at 900 N. Richmond was built in 2014 on a standard 25×125 lot.
It has the same open concept as the others, with living room, dining room and kitchen on the main floor along with a floating stair case.
The kitchen has modern white and gray gloss cabinets, quartz counter tops and stainless steel appliances. There is also a kitchen island.
3 of the 4 bedrooms are upstairs and the master bedroom has an ensuite bath.
The fourth bedroom and the recreation room are in the lower level.
There’s a two-car garage, a concrete patio and a pergola. It is a corner lot so the yard is also fenced in.
These were meant to be “starter” homes for those who otherwise might have bought a townhouse or a condo. They usually sold for under $500,000 and as low as the mid $300,000s in certain neighborhoods.
The one on Rockwell was listed for $369,000 in 2010 and sold in March 2011 for the list price but it was on a smaller than average Chicago lot of 24×102 so there wasn’t much of a back yard.
This house is listed for 31% more than the 2014 purchase price of $449,000 at $589,000.
Are Smart Tech homes now luxury homes?
Karen Biazar at North Clybourn Group has the listing. See the pictures here.
900 N. Richmond: 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2400 square feet, 2 car garage
- Sold in December 2000 for $357,000
- Lis pendens filed in January 2012
- Sold in December 2012 for $65,000
- New construction home sold in April 2014 for $449,000
- Originally listed in October 2015 for $589,900
- Withdrawn in December 2015
- Re-listed in February 2016 for $589,000
- Taxes of $6145
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 15×12 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 14×9 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 10×10 (second floor)
- Bedroom #4: 15×10 (lower level)
- Recreation Room: 13×33 (lower level)
It’s still hideous, but now it’s overpriced as well. This isn’t my idea of “luxury”.
Looks like one of the HGTV renovation specials. not having insulation in the tv room ceiling is a mistake
Don’t see an egress window in the basement bedroom
further proof that good buys do not decrease in value.
As the young kids would say “FAIL, FAIL, FAIL”
okay I get its a kit home but two of these sit on a lot where the starboard side is not next to another building. It is an EPIC FAIL not to take advantage of all that natural light and FRESH AIR (well the alleyway one not as fresh).
So fine its a kit home and blah blah cant alter due to cost reasons. Well then if that’s the case the WHY IS IT LISTED AT $589k in Humboldt park?
Lets say it would have lost its LEED rating due to the adding of the windows, well if you are going to charge $589k then dont cheap out on good R-value windows!
“two of these sit on a lot where the starboard side is not next to another building. ”
That’s because Phase II is to just build another one right against it (think New York row houses) when the lot becomes available.
What are teardowns over by there selling for these days? It was basically lot price + $150 psf when new.
“That’s because Phase II is to just build another one right against it (think New York row houses) when the lot becomes available.”
Icky, icky, icky? “Technically” i dont think the “lot” can be available as one “lot” is an actual alleyway and the other “lot” is a street named Walton street. Named after the GS Wariors assistant coach’s Dad.
Groove, you’re talking about this specific corner lot cube. But I’m referring in general to the overall infestation of these homes on the landscape.
“Groove, you’re talking about this specific corner lot cube.”
to get all anon(ufo)…….technically I am talking about 2 specific corner lot cubes.
“But I’m referring in general to the overall infestation of these homes on the landscape.”
I wonder if thats what people said about the classic chicago bungalow in 1920’s?
I will say although the bungalow did the same thing with materials like these boxes, face brick on facade red brick on side. but at least the bungalow when situated on a corner lot they builder had the COMMON SENSE to use face brick on ALL the street sides.
and on to the interior staging, a bit to much usage of Ikea.
btw when one types common sense the reader should never have white reggae band be the first thought over the wordsmith urban poet.
I remember touring one of these in Pilsen many moons ago… the build quality was pretty bad, stairs didn’t seem super sturdy, the exterior walls seemed paper thin, it was just kinda wobbly feeling for a new construction IMO, but for the price it wasn’t a bad deal for new construction I guess.
For the Landlords out there….. https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/chicago-new-home-high-income-job-growth/
I don’t think these are going to age well.
The alley facing side of the home is just asking to be bombed with graffiti or a billboard erected.
None of Sabrina’s pix is of the 900 Richmond house (tho it, of course, looks exactly the same). There is not a face of the house on an alleyy, just the garage. The side of the house faces Walton.
That said, a billboard would probably be an improvement, especially given that it looks like they used the wrong windows/made the window openings too big.
“That said, a billboard would probably be an improvement, especially given that it looks like they used the wrong windows/made the window openings too big.”
yeah just noticed that, hilarious
We bought our SmartTech (same layout) in 2013 in Humbolt next to the 606 for $407,000. It just appraised for $649,000…
There’s a sucker born every minute
“Love It on February 16th, 2016 at 4:25 pm
We bought our SmartTech (same layout) in 2013 in Humbolt next to the 606 for $407,000. It just appraised for $649,000…”
Another good buy retroactively confirmed! Well done.
So, who is the downvote vigilante on this thread?
“We bought our SmartTech (same layout) in 2013 in Humbolt next to the 606 for $407,000. It just appraised for $649,000”
Sell NOW while you can, rent for one year wait till the prices get back to normal. Bam you just made a cool $200k in three years. Talk about an ROI.
The market is Hot, Hot, Hot!
mmm, down votes. Love me some down votes! Give us more!! clear your cookies, borrow a friends phone, use a library computer, we all need more down votes!!!
I just went thru and down voted everything, too. It was F!U!N! I feel like a kid again. A surly, four-year-old kid!
“mmm, down votes. Love me some down votes!”
it has to be one of the two of us, we are the only two posting at the moment and the thumbs down are immediately after either of us post.
Somebody really hates the Sex Pistols
“it has to be one of the two of us”
Not me, not you, and I doubt that JohnnyU(tah) could be bothered.
I suspect it is someone with an interest in this house, or SmartHomes generally.
Got out the phone, and downvoted everything a second time!
F!
U!
N!
If I could sell my home for a 250k profit I would in about a second… maybe in 6 months! lol
thats a lot of tax free monay
This home is located very close to parts of the city that are not very safe. A mile to two miles west and south are pretty rough areas. Why would anyone choose to buy here when there are other viable options? Buyers must think that values will double and triple in ten years. I wonder when did this trend start of small retail investors speculating in this manner?
I think that now that the police officers are handcuffed from doing their jobs, crime will go up in the rough neighborhoods and it will spill over to neighborhoods close to them.
Yes it would seem that there is some clown who is downvoting most anything and everything. Pretty cool if you’re eleven years old.
“I remember touring one of these in Pilsen many moons ago…”
You probably looked at the house that one of my buyers bought. Paid around $500K for it. I’m not going to share all the details here but I was surprised at how much customization the builder was willing to do for my clients, including moving walls and adding a bar (we got to the house pretty early in the process). The original layout did not make anywhere near as much sense as the modified layout we negotiated. One of the really weird elements of the house, which I don’t know if they are still doing this, is they had a bathroom in the basement with a shower head in the wall and a drain in the floor and I’m not talking about a separate shower. So you would be well advised to remove your toilet paper from the bathroom before taking a shower. I believe we actually moved the bathroom all together and made it bigger.
Basically if you want/wanted a SFH of that size in that area for that price this is how you got it. You don’t expect super high end materials and finishes at that price but it’s not like the house is going to fall down.
The builder paid $115K for the lot and it was 2400 sq ft so that works out to $160/SF. Keep in mind that this is what SmartTech does and they have a reputation to protect if they are going to stay in business and they’ve been in business for a while.
“they had a bathroom in the basement with a shower head in the wall and a drain in the floor and I’m not talking about a separate shower. So you would be well advised to remove your toilet paper from the bathroom before taking a shower.”
that is called a wet bath, mainly used now for Sail Boats and RV’s, or these new trendy 100-200sqft tiny homes.
Dont know the reasoning to put one in on a home that is 2400sqft even if in the basement.
Yeah, they said it was some kind of Euro thing, which endorses just about any kind of concept.
“Yeah, they said it was some kind of Euro thing, which endorses just about any kind of concept.”
Would really like to know their thought process on that wet bath.
I have been on a 39 ft catamaran that had 2 heads with separate showers and 4 bunks, it was tight but it still was separate.
also that 160/sqft for new and partially customized is a darn good deal you got your clients!
iirc the 2400 sqft included the basement so really 1600sqft
Yes, the 2400 sq ft includes the basement but I don’t see that as being any cheaper to build than the rest of the house except it has carpet instead of hardwood and the open ceiling. It was fully finished and it had a full bath, bedroom, closet, family room.
“iirc the 2400 sqft included the basement so really 1600sqft”
a great man once said ‘sqft is just a number’
“iirc the 2400 sqft included the basement so really 1600sqft”
You have a builder that will not count the basement in their cost estimate? I’d like his number.
I’m just saying that compare it to a resold house that doesn’t count that when talking $/sqft
and new cons will count everything as square footage, rooftop decks, garage space you name it
“I’m just saying that compare it to a resold house that doesn’t count that when talking $/sqft”
Totally depends. Last time we refi’d, the appraiser took a comp listing at face value that *clearly* included the basement in the SF–asserting that the floors were fully 50% larger than they are. I pointed that out to him–he, of course, ignored me. Fricking dopes, appraisers are.
I never include outdoor space in my calculations and I always include finished basements in mine.
And appraisers can do some really dumb things. I’ve seen it all.