Buy Your Own Sears Catalog Home in Sauganash: 5936 N. Kostner
This 3-bedroom Victorian at 5936 N. Kostner in Sauganash is described in the listing as an original Sears cottage home.
Sold from the Sears catalog as kits from the 1920s to 1940, they are known to be plentiful in the Chicago suburbs but this is the first time I’ve seen a house described as a Sears home within the city limits (not that there aren’t more of them- but this is the first time I’ve seen it.)
Libertyville, Downers Grove and Crete all have a large variety of Sears homes near their train lines (as the kits were delivered via train and the houses tended to be built on lots near to the depots).
This Sears home was apparently renovated in 2001 to add more space in the kitchen and in the bedrooms.
All three bedrooms are on the second level.
The kitchen has white cabinets and appliances. The house also has hardwood floors.
The house, with its wrap around porch, is on a 57×124 lot and was built in 1923.
Bonus points to anyone who can tell us what actual Sears model this home is.
Patty Cerny at Baird & Warner has the listing. See the pictures here.
5936 N. Kostner: 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2.5 garage
- I couldn’t find an original sales price
- Originally listed in February 2010 for $539,900
- Reduced
- Currently listed for $519,900
- Taxes of $3986
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 15×15
- Bedroom #2: 14×11
- Bedroom #3: 13×11
Small world, i just got back from a business lunch on peterson in sauganash 🙂
Is there a senoir freeze on the taxes? Seems low for this zip.
Model #159, perhaps? That would put it before 1923, tho, right?
“Is there a senoir freeze on the taxes?”
Yep. Also a “long-time resident” freeze of some sort.
They would be better off just returning it for store credit.
Yeah a 500k shopping spree at K-mart WOULD be awesome
“Yep. Also a “long-time resident” freeze of some sort”
i knew it was something 5k+ for taxes is the norm over there.
I like this house (the bathroom would have to be redone that gold trim screams baby boomer). It has a great sized lot, good elem school, but you would be car dependent like most NW hoods.
I’ve looked at my two of the Sears House reference books, and this house is not posted in either book. (And it doesn’t look like #159 model, which is shown.) This house’s streetside elevation doesn’t have any characteristics of a vintage Sears House. Perhaps there was a drastic remodeling which removed most of the Sears character elements, because both the interior and exterior (including that entry porch) contain a jumble of different architectural motifs.
Wonder if the entire block has similar low taxes? Blockshopper should help.
“Wonder if the entire block has similar low taxes?”
Nope. Everything else is at least 15% higher.
Oh, and Groove, I looked at the wrong thing–no exemptions except HO. But it is assessed as a single-story, no attic, one bathroom, 840 SF house. For an MV of $351,700.
“Oh, and Groove, I looked at the wrong thing–no exemptions except HO”
i see why its assessed so low! one deuce hole 850 sqft, crazy that our taxes are similar in totally different hood.
it looks like a good 350sqft add-on on the back of the house does that get re-assessed after the sale?
“Yeah a 500k shopping spree at K-mart WOULD be awesome”
Ditto what Sonies said. While built a long time ago these were built for working or middle class single income families. These were modest homes.
Its only due to the perversion of the bubble would you need a definitely upper middle or upper class dual income couple to afford a place like this.
It looks a lot bigger than it actually is too because of the wraparound porch and note that most of the second floor isn’t suited for much as it has that steep inclined ceiling (note no pics in the listing of this).
I don’t see anything historically significant about this house. Also the vinyl siding looks ugly and the wood porch and coverings look like they’re big maintenance issues. The only positive I see is the spacious backyard.
This should be a 300k home but some baby boomer is counting on 500k for their retirement more than likely.
I don’t understand how this is a half-million dollar home. Especially if this is a long time homeowner, who didn’t purchase during the bubble and doesn’t need to pay off a toxic mortgage. List it for a normal price and it will sell.
danny,
I already stated there are baby boomer (or older) long time homeowners all throughout the city counting on the sale of their property at an outsized valuation to fund their retirement. They likely try to find a realtor that sings the song they want to hear that it is indeed possible. Sorry but I have zero sympathy for folks like this. I hope they grow old in this home and have to install one of those stair-lifts. Enjoy boomer!
“Especially if this is a long time homeowner, who didn’t purchase during the bubble and doesn’t need to pay off a toxic mortgage.”
$325k mortgage on the place. From 2008. If that’s 80%, then $410k.
“$325k mortgage on the place. From 2008.”
Are you sure its not a HELOC? I know a few older folks that wanted to tap some equity for grandkids, they only wanted like 30k bank gave them a line of credit for 200k. so 170k is unused but in the ccrd its looks like 200k.
example, if you look at the ccrd my second looks bigger than my first. but i only have 3k on the second (recent bathroom remodel).
AND YES I KNOW i hear it all the time, it makes financial sense to get rid of my main mortgage and throw it on the HELOC to save 2-3% points. but i dont like playing the variable interest game. most of my gambling is done frugally with charlie schwab and my heart can barely take that 🙂
“Are you sure its not a HELOC?”
Paid off a prior mortgage and a roofer’s lien; that prior mortgage paid off two prior mortgages. And, iirc, the lenders were all Chase/Bankone/1stChi, so it wasn’t relationship shopping. So, no, I’m not sure, but seems reasonably likely.
And, I think you know, I’m the big proponent here of “that 2d is an undrawn HELOC, available bc it was free and who doesn’t want a free, cheap line of credit available for whatever”. This one just doesn’t have that look, iykwim.
Boomers will be in for a rude awakening when the younger generation doesn’t have any money to pay them for their globetrotting retiree lifestyle.
The next house of cards to fall will be summer and vacation homes owned by boomers. They’re going to be looking to sell to the next generation and guess what, there aren’t enough younger people with sufficient incomes to buy the available supply of homes.
Here’s a link to a nice summer home in MI that ‘AnnS’ was nice enough to post on the Dr HB blog. (i’m sure she’s probably posts here under a different moniker). Sold for 2.5 mil in 2006 with a hefty down stroke; 6 hours from Chicago, 1.5 hours from the nearest airport. Listed for under a million today.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/5415-E-Sugarbush-Ln_Leland_MI_49654_1082931693?source=suggest
“This one just doesn’t have that look, iykwim”
its the crazy free money life style, dont get why if you have the house for that long you still have a mortgage?????
but hey for all we know they needed it for medical bills?
“Here’s a link to a nice summer home in MI that ‘AnnS’ was nice enough to post on the Dr HB blog. (i’m sure she’s probably posts here under a different moniker). Sold for 2.5 mil in 2006 with a hefty down stroke; 6 hours from Chicago, 1.5 hours from the nearest airport. Listed for under a million today.”
have to drive reeaaalllly slow to make 35 miles (to Traverse City) take 1.5 hours. But 6 hours from Chicago is *very* optimistic. Some people like that.
This Sears Home in Sauganash sold as well.
Sold 9/3/2010 for $450,000. About $90k under the original list price.