Are You An Urban Pioneer? A 3-Bedroom Rowhouse at 19 S. Oakley in the Far West Loop
This 3-bedroom vintage rowhouse at 19 S. Oakley in the far West Loop came on the market in February 2012.
It was previously bank owned in 2008 when it sold “as-is” for just $125,000.
The listing says it has all new kitchen and baths. The kitchen has cherry cabinets, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances.
Built in 1879 on a 22×120 lot, it has 11 foot ceilings.
The rowhouse also has a 1-car garage and central air.
All 3 bedrooms are on the second floor.
It also has an unfinished basement.
The listing says it will be right next to the new development of Pete’s Fresh Market. There is also a Walgreens just around the corner.
There is another renovated rowhouse at 2249 W. Warren Boulevard (just up the street) which is listed at $425,000. See those pictures here.
Will this rowhouse fetch in the $400,000s in this location?
Quin O’Brien at 4 Sale Realty has the listing. See the pictures here.
19 S. Oakley: 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2304 square feet, 1 car garage
- Sold in March 2006 for $377,500
- Sold in August 2006 for $700,000
- Bank owned by July 2008
- Sold in November 2008 for $125,000
- Originally listed in February 2012 for $439,000
- Currently still listed at $439,000
- Taxes of $4698
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 15×21 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 12×15 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 14×9 (second floor)
- Family room: 13×15 (main level)
- Unfinished basement
East of western so this propert is a-ok.
This area feels bombed out to me. I can’t see how this goes anywhere near list…I wouldn’t buy this for more than $250,000. Too bad the location stinks because I think it’s quite nice.
GREAT PICS LOL!
Who is the rehabber on this (and the other?) unit?
Wow, dark and dingy. Not worth it…
I’m amazed this went for $700K in 2006. I’ve heard the area around the United Center is one of the next areas to gentrify, areas to invest in. But I’ve also been told that this house
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/4253-N-Saint-Louis-Ave-60618/home/13483562
is in Old Irving Park so I don’t believe everything I hear.
Remember when we talked about that property at Rice and Damen, and people got all up in arms about it not being a safe area? This area is actually a not safe area. Apparently you had a 1 in 4 chance of being robbed here in 2010.
http://chicagoist.com/2010/10/04/west_town_named_most_dangerous_neig.php
“Sold in March 2006 for $377,500
Sold in August 2006 for $700,000
Bank owned by July 2008
Sold in November 2008 for $125,000 ”
Nothing to see here. Move along.
Ha, that Walgreen’s is pretty rough. The crib in one picture is an optimistic touch.
Now this is the part of Western Ave. that Clio talks about!
Another crib in the photos. I can’t blame them for wanting to get out of this neighborhood now that they have a baby. Suddenly, being urban pioneers doesn’t seem like such a thrill, I suppose.
Did anyone check the street view? A boarded up home next door; huge vacant lots/parking lots just down the street, and “The Greater Bethleham Healing Temple (whatever that is), is a huge, dingy old building right on the other side of Oakley.
“Nothing to see here. Move along.”
Both of the ’06 sales were 100% financed, and the first lis pendens was filed 5 months, 17 days after the recording of the mortgage–that is, the August buyer almost certainly never made a single payment.
A person of the same name bought a condo at 4518 Cottage Grove about the same time, and had a f/c filed a month faster.
Pretty sad when being right next door to a produce market is a feature!! Note to realtor, I’d suggest a trip out there to take a new picture of the front door without the Christmas wreath.
I was shocked after looking at the google map. I had imagined the entire block was filled with pretty homes like this one. WTF in regards to the healing temple across the street? Is that a Scientologist “hospital?”
hey with the new Berto center practice facility being built here, things may turn around?
The pace of gentrification is too slow these days to really gain any benefits of urban pioneering. I still stand by my prediction that the next phase of gentrification will be Avondale and Albany Park. The pace, however, has slowed down fairly substantially. It can take a decade for a neighborhood to gentrify even in a normal real estate market, which is time i don’t have.
regarding the asking price, is this a case where the bank that owns the property and whomever is in charge of the file is in another state and doesn’t have a clue about this specific block, the West Loop or even Chicago in general?
This looks to be a nice home. The area around UC though does seem really bombed out to me.
I think this house could have sold for $400k today had it not been for “buyers” like the Aug. 2006 ones. I’m not surprised they also bought a condo on Cottage Grove. Both neighborhoods were turning around back with the bubble, and have fallen far more than other areas due to the huge number of foreclosures in part due to these fradulant sales. How does a place nearly double in value in 5 months? I’m not sure what should be done to whoever approved that Aug. 2006 mortgage but it sure shouldn’t be pretty.
From the web site:
“Bethlehem Healing Temple Church has been a lighthouse and beacon on the west side of Chicago for decades. This work, which was started by the late Bishop Charles E. Poole and Evangelist Mattie B. Poole, is still a haven for lost souls and a sanctuary for the masses.
As you may be aware, circumstances and occurrences beyond our immediate control necessitated our being driven from our church for nearly 7 years! Through the prayers and support of many of you, the Lord has given us the victory and we are back in our church. Praise the Lord! We give Him all the glory and praise for the victory that he has granted unto us.
During our absence, the church building was allowed to fall into disarray. There was astronomical structure damage both external and internal. So much so, that upon returning, we had to shut the church down and continue worship off site. Through it all, we have praised God through the good times and the bad, but most of all; God has kept us together as a congregation!”
Is “urban pioneer” a fancy way to say “will live near black people?”
“Is “urban pioneer” a fancy way to say “will live near black people?”
Uh, no. Let’s see – LP was hispanic when it gentrified; so was portions of wicker park; hillbilies lived in uptown, lakeview and irving park; and the south loop was skid row for a number of years. That’s a pretty ridiculous statement to even make.
“regarding the asking price, is this a case where the bank that owns the property and whomever is in charge of the file is in another state and doesn’t have a clue about this specific block, the West Loop or even Chicago in general?”
Icarus, no longer bank owned. This is simply a person who bought a bank-owned property, probably did some rehabbing and is now moving on and hoping to make a profit while at it.
It’s still sketch as hell over there, despite a decade of effort and a lot of condo construction during the boom. There’s no open drug dealing and no liquor stores in the immediate area, at least, but it will never find a buyer above its bank price.
“I still stand by my prediction that the next phase of gentrification will be Avondale and Albany Park”
it takes people with money and IIRC nobody has any money anymore. I call De-gentrification of other marginal hoods before avondale turns.
and really why avondale when jeff park is way better by far.
“but it will never find a buyer above its bank price.”
That is pretty harsh. I wouldn’t be surprised if it sold 1/2 way between the bank price and current asking or even somewhat above that.
It’s perplexing that this area hasn’t gentrified. It’s so convenient to downtown. Plus, all those empty lots mean that it isn’t necessary to tear down existing structures.
For this particular property, I would not want to live across the street from “a haven for lost souls and a sanctuary for the masses.”
“and really why avondale when jeff park is way better by far.”
Because Avondale is 4 or 5 el stops closer, that’s why. And It’s in between Old Irving which is gentrified and Logan sq which is pretty much gentrified.
This isn’t meant to sound racist or anti-religious, but to me having that old, decaying church building across the street is a huge drag on property values. I agree with Jenny that I wouldn’t want to live across the street from it, either.
“Logan sq which is pretty much gentrified”
I think once you have a store like this, it’s fully gentrified. You should stop by the farmers market again, HD. Don’t think there’s much room for political protesters any longer. Too many damn yuppies getting between me and my $6 shaved ice.
http://timeoutchicago.com/shopping-style/shopping/15428761/shop-1021-opens-in-logan-square
It’s a myth that gentrification displaces people of color and replaces them with evil white yuppies/homos/hipsters, etc. Most often it first displaces middle-class whites. There is probably a zero percent chance that gentrifiers would choose to move straight into a black community before exhausting all the other options available first.
“no liquor stores in the immediate area”
But closest one–the one Felony Franks blamed for its closing–must be pretty bad.
Perhaps it is a bit harsh, benjamon. There are probably a handful of people that can pay your price AND are willing to live there now. The alderman, the state rep, the congressman, and some well paid folks working for the Bulls organization or newly appointed city supervisors come to mind. But gentrifiers will buy fixer-uppers, UIC staff will buy in Tri-Taylor, and everybody else will buy north of Grand Ave.
PS re South Loop, that’s not truly “gentrification” in the correct sense, the new term I’ve heard lately is that “high-rise residential buildings are urban subdivisions and/or suburbs” (…or something like that).
“Because Avondale is 4 or 5 el stops closer, that’s why. And It’s in between Old Irving which is gentrified and Logan sq which is pretty much gentrified.”
are you sure, 2-3 stops is my count. montrose-irving are the two inbetween. First off Logan is not fully gentrified and OIP is a pocket hood. Jeff park borders norwood, Dunning and edgbrook. also portage but dont count that one.
so again jeff park better than avondale by a huge margin even with 3 extra stops.
you have died of dysentery.
“so again jeff park better than avondale by a huge margin even with 3 extra stops.”
put ur $ money where ya mouth is and flip dem properties in Jeff Park.
“put ur $ money where ya mouth is and flip dem properties in Jeff Park.”
this is coming from a banana splitter. enjoy your five guy’s in PR
“First off Logan is not fully gentrified and OIP is a pocket hood. Jeff park borders norwood, Dunning and edgbrook. also portage but dont count that one.”
Depends a lot on which part of avondale. The close to logan part has a chance.
I don’t see the adjacency to norwood/edgebrook mattering much. Why do I care about being next to norwood? If I want to live in norwood, I’d live in norwood. If I can’t afford norwood, what does being in jeff park do for me?
“There’s no open drug dealing and no liquor stores in the immediate area, at least, but it will never find a buyer above its bank price.”
“Immediate area”=1 block? Just wondering,since Jackson/Western and Touhy-Herbert Park (Monroe/Adams/Leavitt/Seeley) are pretty big drug spots. Touhy-Herbert Park is also the site of the annual Father’s Day/unofficial Black Disciple gang reunion.
“Remember when we talked about that property at Rice and Damen, and people got all up in arms about it not being a safe area? This area is actually a not safe area. Apparently you had a 1 in 4 chance of being robbed here in 2010.
http://chicagoist.com/2010/10/04/west_town_named_most_dangerous_neig.php”
That area in the map (just to the north of this property) is almost entirely subsidized housing; mainly the Westhaven/Henry Horner development, some scattered site CHA, and a few privately run apartments.
So what does “urban pioneer” mean then Homedelete?
“So what does “urban pioneer” mean then Homedelete?”
According to the ‘urban dictionary’ it means :Someone who buys a run-down house in an older sometimes depressed neighborhood of a city, remodels it, then sells it for a profit and moves on to another house.
wikipedia says: “Gentrification and urban gentrification denote the socio-cultural changes in an area resulting from wealthier people buying housing.”
HD, didn’t you once say on here that sooner or later all the NW neighborhoods will gentrify/become part of the green zone?
“I don’t see the adjacency to norwood/edgebrook mattering much. Why do I care about being next to norwood? If I want to live in norwood, I’d live in norwood. If I can’t afford norwood, what does being in jeff park do for me?”
i could care less either, just going off of what HD said about avondale being next to OIP and Logan which doesnt matter either. just saying
5 guys is garbage, never been so dissapointed with a burger & fries in my life
“It’s perplexing that this area hasn’t gentrified. It’s so convenient to downtown. Plus, all those empty lots mean that it isn’t necessary to tear down existing structures.”
I might agree and add that the potential downtown views from this area are great. Also the old housing stock (such as this row house) is quite unique and primed for rehab. The problem is that the many of the residents of the old Henry Horner Homes and Rockwell Gardens are still there in the newly developed housing.
“5 guys is garbage, never been so dissapointed with a burger & fries in my life”
Have only had the fries, which were fine, not great but not bad. I was astounded that the large fries were $5 and must have weighed a pound.
“5 guys is garbage, never been so dissapointed with a burger & fries in my life”
Me also, for $11 it was a big disappointment, never going back. Just get a single burger at Portillos for 1/2 the price.
[ChiBuilder] “I might agree and add that the potential downtown views from this area are great. Also the old housing stock (such as this row house) is quite unique and primed for rehab. The problem is that the many of the residents of the old Henry Horner Homes and Rockwell Gardens are still there in the newly developed housing.”
Can’t agree with this enough. This area and EGP are off the charts prime territory, just too many remnants from the recent past depressing its redevelopment.
I like this place these days for burgers and fries. Close to home and about a mile directly North of the featured property.
http://www.philslaststand.com/
CK – I fully agree with the Phils Last Stand recommendation. Had to go to a friends kids event across the street. Spent over 1.5 hours in a HOT church and the only word they spoke that I understood during the whole time was “Chicago”
That hot dog somehow made up for the lost day!
BTW Sabrina I’d call this WEST UNITED CENTER not the West end of the West Loop! Even a realtor would argue that one.
Groove – Is the Berto center actually relocating to the new addition of the UC? That would be good. At least there would be 20 rich guys in the hood several months a year. I thought that it was just going to be a retail + food/drink area designed to capture the pre and post event crowd. That could be a serious buzz kill to some of the bars along Madison Ave that make a living from event spillover. It could also inspire some spillover development in the immediate area!
“The pace of gentrification is too slow these days to really gain any benefits of urban pioneering.”
Too slow? Try reversing at the periphery entirely.
Remember talk of Bridgeport or McKinley Park gentrifying? Yeah scratch that. Six units in okay shape aren’t even moving for sub-200k. The SFH market above 200k is completely dead there.
Gentrification came and it will go: there aren’t enough people with income to fill in all of the expected gentrified areas so look for it to shrink. I also expect West Town to shrink as well. Although I’d never call this property in West Town or even “Far West Town”.
Just because there was mortgage fraud involved does not a 700k property, or anywhere near it, make.
Let’s start at 180k.
I’ll have to agree with chibuilder and dude. The new Horner and Rockwell are just smaller versions and a reiteration of the old projects. This area is still dangerous and the decision to rebuild the projects means that it will most likely will remain unsafe.
@bob
I don’t know if Bridgeport will gentrify but it has been a hipster fave for a few years and seems to becoming even more popular.
“I don’t know if Bridgeport will gentrify but it has been a hipster fave for a few years”
I though hipsters needed to move to minority areas to validate their hipness and give them their mental “I’m better than you” one-upsmanship versus their fellow working-class and middle-class whites? Oak Lawn is going hip next? Actually, I could see gentrification in Bridgeport eventually moving out the lower-middle class whites, that’s how it classically occurs across the nation.
“HD, didn’t you once say on here that sooner or later all the NW neighborhoods will gentrify/become part of the green zone?”
I don’t want to speak for him- but yes- he said he believed all the neighborhoods going north on Milwaukee would gentrify. Avondale is well on its way- by the way. Properties flying off the shelf there.
“Is “urban pioneer” a fancy way to say “will live near black people?””
Yeah, pretty much. This area was gentrifying up to 2008, now it is de-gentrifying. I bet the condos built west of Western at the height of the insanity are now copper free.
Urban Pioneer, indeed. Good looking place, though.
“Avondale is well on its way- by the way. Properties flying off the shelf there.”
Yep, and there’s new construction going on as well.
“Groove – Is the Berto center actually relocating to the new addition of the UC? That would be good.”
cant tell if its official or a positioning move to get something from deerfeild/lake county to stay. from they its said it seems like its already a done deal. but until its built and people walk through the door, who knows.
If the Bulls do move from Berto, we’ll miss seeing the players out in the north burbs. In the last few months we’ve seen Kyle Korver at Whole Foods (and apparently we just missed seeing Derrick Rose there the same afternoon, according to store workers), and Carlos Boozer at a sub place. I suppose they’ll still live out there even if the facility moves, but who knows.
“and Carlos Boozer at a sub place”
i would have spit in his sub and kicked him in his shins
Its true when out by you i run into bears and bulls players. I actually had a random long talk with kirk hinrich at max and erma’s in vernon hills. Had a talk with Da Coach at barber shop in highland park. Seen 50% of the current bulls roster in true religion jeans. Ran into scott skiles twice at the deli on dundee and i think phingston, not a intense guy off the court surprisingly. ran into billy corgan at trendy toyz in Northbrook court. talked to mike brown at Michael hotdogs in Highland Park. also got cut off by Jaelen Rose in riverwoods.
“cant tell if its official or a positioning move to get something from deerfeild/lake county to stay. from they its said it seems like its already a done deal. but until its built and people walk through the door, who knows.”
I don’t think this is positioning. The move will happen.
The coach (Thibs) lives in a townhouse in downtown Highland Park. I keep hoping to see him when I go by there, but haven’t yet.
“The coach (Thibs) lives in a townhouse in downtown Highland Park. I keep hoping to see him when I go by there, but haven’t yet.”
be glad you havent run into him, he will make you cut his hedges and leave you out there too long where you end up going home early with an injury.
“The” coach is This. “Da” coach is Ditka.
Is “Avondale” east or west of the Kennedy? Centered along Elston or Milwuakee?
Beju, I am curious to hear more about what goes on at Touhy Herbert Park. I am a dog walker and I am one block away from there (Monroe & Leavitt) 5 days a week, so I am extremely familiar with the area.. however when googling or looking up any info, I don’t come up with much.
Also, I would never purchase property over there. The area is not becoming gentrified anytime soon, and I know that many homeowners around there are prisoners of their own property.
Hi Dan –
Avondale’s borders are:
Addison on the north / Diversey to the south / Milwaukee on the west / The Chicago River to the east.
Most of the interesting businesses are along Belmont.
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/98.html
There is a good Argentinean bar with dancing, an outdoor patio and strong drinks called “N” at the corner of Elston and Rockwell.
On the subject property…
I got a good look at the area from the Green Line a few weeks ago.
I would not live anywhere between Ashland and Oak Park.
Saw lots of beautiful old buildings, but I don’t care how cheap they are.
For 439K you could buy something nice on the North Side in a stable area with lots of amenities.