Buy a Bungalow Instead of a Condo: 813 N. Taylor in Oak Park
Many of you have been asking to see properties in the interior suburbs so your wish is my command.
This 2-bedroom vintage bungalow at 813 N. Taylor in Oak Park has a swing on its enclosed front porch.
Built in 1915 on a 30×126 lot, it has hardwood floors throughout the main level and a semi-finished basement.
The kitchen appears to have white appliances, white cabinets and some butcher block counter tops.
There is no central air, but there is a 2 car garage.
Is this a good condo alternative for those looking for no shared walls and a backyard of their own?
Tony Nasca at Coldwell Banker has the listing. See more pictures here.
813 N. Taylor: 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, 2 car garage, no square footage listed
- Sold in December 1989 for $172,000
- Originally listed in April 2010 for $279,900
- Currently still listed for $279,900
- Taxes of $4913
- No Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 11×10
- Bedroom #2: 11×10
- Living room: 12×14
- Kitchen: 11×10
- Dining room: 12×11
Sabrina, Awesomwe just awesome!!! thank you.
there is going to be some good web blog debating on this fresh meat 🙂
good to see a starter home at close to starter prices even if it close to austin ave 🙂 🙂 🙂
Does “interior suburbs” include Kenilworth and the W’s on the north shore? Can’t wait to see the comments on the in town / out of town comparisons! Sonies, HD etc in 3… 2… 1…
um…. no thanks
nice vintage radio on the counter in the bathroom pic too
“nice vintage radio”
Fake vintage. Kloss (or copycat) no?
Small cramped 2 bed bungalow close too close to Austin. A family member of mine lives in a very similarly sized bungalow. Nice, quaint, but small.
It’s similarly priced to a northwest side Chicago bungalow at $280k. It’s probably not a ‘deal’ but better than the $400k this place would have commanded just three years ago.
there goes HD again and his unabashed love for the NW burbs 🙂
Echhhhhhh. What a dump.
It is NOT a substitute for a condo on the north lake front. It’s everything I wanted to escape from as a youth. Feels like south St. Louis in the 60s.
“Fake vintage. Kloss (or copycat) no?”
its 100% fake and can be picked up at your local target. (we had on like it in our kitchen)
“Echhhhhhh. What a dump.
It is NOT a substitute for a condo on the north lake front”
Laura i have always liked you but some days i do think you forget your meds or dont fully read sabrinas post. for the sake of entertainment i will go with the meds and picture you hanging out in uptown on those days.
i dont think its a dump i can see a family with one young one living there comfortable (if the street is ok) i will pass down this street next time i am at the house and let you know the “Safetyness” of it.
I have been doing alot of research in the Oak Park area and this house seems over priced for how small it is. You can find a very similarly priced house that is much larger in the same area. Would not even entertain the idea of purchasing this shoe box for that price.
I read Sabrina’s post and I don’t take meds. I don’t hang out in Uptown either.
It’s a fugly dump. For a comparable “good condo alternative” look at the Northwest Side. It’s a matter of personal taste, surely, but I got very sick of looking at houses like this in childhood. Only thing I like less were the post WW2 ranch houses like the one my family dwelled in and were squeezed out of a giant cookie press by the millions in the 50s and 60s…..or the Chicago “A” frames.
The color it’s painted is enough to make me want to take meds.
But it has a nice bath, sorta.
Why is the kitchen “table” set as though someone is going to eat a bowl of cereal from outside through the window?
Only two blocks from Austin and the attendant murders and crime. No thanks. Would’a been OK 50 years ago.
The house is two streets over from Austin. This is about what you will find at this price point in Oak Park, although I think this one is priced pretty aggressively. Every block you go further west, the more expensive it gets.
Sorry, it ain’t getting much cheaper than this. HD, this place would have never sold for $400k even at the height of the bubble. Homes in the upper 400s at that time in this area were renovated from top to bottom and usually had an expanded attic/2nd level. Typically 3-4 bedrooms and at least 2 baths.
http://www.bairdwarner.com/search/property-detail.cfm?guipropertysummaryid=9293e9ba-65c7-4028-a94d-accac4c15e4a
This property needs a little bit of updating but I would much prefer this one over the Taylor street bungelow, alot more space!
One thing about a house vs a condo- you have enough space to grow a little of your own food. Maybe a lot if you are just one or two people.
That might become a major advantage over the next few years.
“One thing about a house vs a condo- you have enough space to grow a little of your own food”
Another HUGE HUGE thing people for get about house VS condo is with a house you can always “add on” to a house. Need a another bedroom, add it, go up, go down, do an addition to the back you have that option.
and yes anon, most times its cheaper to move than add a second floor. but if you love your house and were its at and just need a litte extra space then just “add on”
cant do that with a condo 🙂
…there’s a really good joke here for someone with some good photoshop skills. I’m picturing one of those south loop condo skyscrapers with an extra bedroom jutting out of the side of a unit.
Russ, I have a question. I read the other day that for Q1 2010, FHA guaranteed loans were actually a share of the mortgage market than Fannie/Freddie or private mortgages.
I know you do a lot of higher end mortgages but in general how much FHA loans do you do?
“russ on May 27th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
*****
Sorry, it ain’t getting much cheaper than this.”
sorry, i meant to type, FHA mortgages were actually a ‘larger’ share of the market than Fannie/Freddie/private mortgages.
HD, I don’t do a ton of FHA loans. Maybe average 10-15 a year out of 100+ closings. FHA isn’t as common in the city due to the difficulty of getting condos approved. I have about 15 closings for June and 1 is FHA. However, there are other times when I might have 4 or 5 in a month. FHA has grown for a lot of reasons, but mainly because the portfolio, alt-a, and subprime disasppeared for the most part.
Sometimes FHA can be cheaper than a conventional loan though because they don’t penalize you as much as Fannie & Freddie or the regular private mortgage insurers. For instance, if you have less than a 740 FICO, Fannie & Freddie have rate adjustments. If you buy a condo with less than 25%, there is another adjustment. Or if you putting 10% down, sometimes FHA may be better than conventional.
IF you want to buy a multi-unit for a primary residence, FHA is the only game in town unless you have 20-25% down. FHA also has a great rehab program called a 203k which is perfect for houses like these.
“there’s a really good joke here for someone with some good photoshop skills. I’m picturing one of those south loop condo skyscrapers with an extra bedroom jutting out of the side of a unit.”
or get the guys who did the sears tower glass thing and build that to your condo. HOA be damned i would still do it 🙂
If it’s in the Oak Park schools zone, I could see it being worthwile as a starter home for someone with small kids.
“and yes anon, most times its cheaper to move than add a second floor.”
Why you think I’m opposed to living thru the war zone of construction? Sure, sometimes it might be cheaper to just move, but moving is such a pita.
“but moving is such a pita”
you know what since i hadnt had to move in a long time and know built up 30x more stuff, it was a pain when i was single and didnt have much, now i cant imagine the hassle it will be.
your right the noise and war zone of construction seems even that more reasonable
This house never sold. Was still listed at $269k when canceled in December.
(Another OPer)
Is this the oddest opening sentence of a listing?
“This location is a traveler’s delight w/ easy distance from both O’Hare & Midway.”
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Oak-Park/327-N-Grove-Ave-60302/home/13271449
gotta give some points for at least trying to find an angle, i guess…