Do You Need Quartz Countertops to Sell? A 3-Bedroom at 3823 N. Ashland in Southport
This 3-bedroom at 3823 N. Ashland in the Southport neighborhood of Lakeview came on the market in April 2020.
Built in 2007, it is an elevator building with 22 units and heated garage parking.
This unit is on the Northeast side of the building, so it doesn’t overlook Ashland.
There are hardwood floors throughout.
The primary suite has an organized walk-in-closet and an en suite bathroom with an oversized steam shower with double vanity.
The kitchen has been updated with grey cabinets, Viking appliances, a marble backsplash and white quartz counter tops with a waterfall edge on the breakfast bar. The cabinets have black hardware.
It has a 8×15 balcony off the living room.
The unit also has the features buyers are looking for including central air, side-by-side washer/dryer and a rare 2-car heated garage parking.
The listing says it’s in the Blaine school district.
But the listing also includes pictures of the “old” kitchen, which had the 2007-bubble era wood cabinets and granite counter tops so you can see the contrast.
Listed since April 2020 at $650,000, and now also, according to the listing, vacant, was the old kitchen holding back a sale of this property?
If your kitchen doesn’t have white quartz countertops, do you have to do renovations to sell?
Ken Jungwirth at @Properties has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #404: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, no square footage listed
- Sold in March 2008 for $562,500
- Sold in June 2013 for $565,000
- Originally listed in April 2020 for $650,000
- Currently still listed at $650,000 (includes 2-heated garage parking spaces)
- Assessments of $429 a month (includes parking, exterior maintenance, lawn care, scavenger, snow removal)
- Taxes of $11,588
- Central Air
- Side-by-side washer/dryer
- Bedroom #1: 16×14
- Bedroom #2: 14×12
- Bedroom #3: 14×10
- Living room: 20×12
- Dining room: 16×12
- Kitchen: 11×11
- Foyer: 15×5
- Laundry room: 7×3
- Balcony: 8×15
“If your kitchen doesn’t have white quartz countertops, do you have to do renovations to sell?“
If your target market is every basic Sabrina, probably as they are incapable of going off trend
The April & June pricing would be nice to see
“probably as they are incapable of going off trend”
yeah, but isn’t most of the quartz we’re seeing today just a modern, more durable version than marble. marble has never gone off trend. seems like a no brainer to put it in.
I am confused..why not update all of the pictures of the kitchen if you actually did the work and even took a picture of it? If they really did this (Paint the cabs and updated the counter/island), it is a vast improvement.
Appliances are the same though, right? I don’t care it if it is a Viking microwave – – it is still a micro hood, just an expensive one. Does it work better than other micro hoods? Can that thing accommodate the smoke generated by duck fat? They probably didn’t have a choice without moving the kitchen and given it is a condo, they probably cannot do that either. Hamstrung by what was cheapest for the developer to build.
One “bedroom” has french doors and is right off the living room. That is a guest room / office folks.
Appears to be a good sized living dining area that can accommodate larger sized furniture, so that is a plus.
I don’t get the draw of this area frankly at this price point for a condo. It is still on Ashland which means lots of car noise. As others have noted in other posts, once rates start to rise this thing will have minimal if any price appreciation. When these people get serious about selling they can chop chop chop the price….
Man, just noticed that in June of 2013 . . . when the market was just thawing out, these people paid slightly over 2008 peak pricing. That wasn’t wise…especially so far outside of the green zone. They should have played hardball…could have had this unit for much less or literally their pick of other options for less. Granted, it was a weird time where there were still few “qualified sellers” – – e.g. people capable of writing a check at the closing table in order to get rid of a property, but I really feel like they could have negotiated harder. The 2008 buyer overpaid and the 2013 buyer didn’t negotiate enough. The 2013 buyer needs to limit their expectations of “making money” on this deal. There is never a bad time to buy real estate but the caveat there is that it is only true if you don’t over pay. These folks are looking for someone to over pay and help them buy their next place.
“I don’t care it if it is a Viking microwave – – it is still a micro hood, just an expensive one. Does it work better than other micro hoods?”
Apparently it turns 300 cfm, which Viking sez is enough for the 30″ range. Color me dubious.
“yeah, but isn’t most of the quartz we’re seeing today just a modern, more durable version than marble. marble has never gone off trend. seems like a no brainer to put it in.”
If by trend you mean solid surface, yes I’d agree. This place increase the slave to the trend with basic white SS, Waterfall + Grey cabinets
Common space lay out feels awkward to me.
Most of the living room seating is facing the large dining table…that will get used a few times per year? I don’t think they could have done much different with the furniture placement.
” I don’t care it if it is a Viking microwave – – it is still a micro hood, just an expensive one. Does it work better than other micro hoods? Can that thing accommodate the smoke generated by duck fat? They probably didn’t have a choice without moving the kitchen and given it is a condo, they probably cannot do that either. Hamstrung by what was cheapest for the developer to build.”
It looks like there might be ductwork going above the Microwave providing actual exhaust (I’m not the ABT guy tho)
The MW & the gap above the fridge really are laughable
Re: Viking microwaves and duck fat.
While we (discussing here) do care about the actual function of commercial style appliances, and the differences between venting and circulating hoods – I believe the majority buy kitchens and finishes purely as status goods. They couldn’t care less how it vents.
Also, I think the stakes of the game have been raised now, in the HGTV generation – requiring everyone at a certain price point and above to trick out their kitchens so potential buyers can use them to heat their Lean Cuisines.
“If by trend you mean solid surface, yes I’d agree. This place increase the slave to the trend with basic white SS”
but it’s not. the white quartz has veining to resemble marble. and solid surface is different than quartz.
In addition to the countertop change, they also lowered the breakfast bar to be countertop height. I think that is a nice change/upgrade and something I’m considering doing at my own house. More counterspace when nobody is sitting there and you can use lower barstools in more spaces than just at the breakfast bar.
As much as I’d like to say this unit is a total zero, I’m not sure that’s right.
It’s definitely priced too high for the location and the type of building (the exterior design is hideous). It’s on Ashland, and whether or not the unit faces Ashland itself it’s still probably noisy. The kitchen looks like it might be one of those that looks expensive but was done cheap.
Still, I can’t completely despise it. The bedrooms seem pleasant, and I like all the sunlight in the living room/dining room. It’s also rare that a unit from this era has room for a full DR table. Still, it’s a pass for me.
“That wasn’t wise…especially so far outside of the green zone.”
Whut???
The Cat, Southport and Lakeview are smack dab in the middle of the Green Zone. Not “far outside” of it.
“The Cat, Southport and Lakeview are smack dab in the middle of the Green Zone.”
I assume The Cat recalls when Ten Cat (just up the block) felt like the end of the earth to anyone who didn’t grow up in the city.
Yes, when I lived this far north (actually a hair further), this was no mans’ land.
Maybe it is less relevant these days, but commute to the loop from here can be anywhere from 45 min to one hour door to desk. It is almost never quicker.
“commute to the loop from here can be anywhere from 45 min to one hour door to desk”
The only fix is uber (bike/scooter) to the Sheridan redline, which is outside acceptable walking distance (full mile).
It’s obviously Green Zone, although I wouldn’t want to be on Ashland personally (but you get more for your buck on Ashland vs the rest of the area). When living in Southport (again, not Green Zone?), I had a similar walk to the Southport stop (Sheridan (longer) if going to someplace near the Red Line, but my office, thank goodness, is near the Brown Line, and it was 45 min for the commute and one could usually get a seat at Belmont (when people got off). This place might be closer to Addison or Irving Park and IME one can usually get seats there, esp IP (although during coronavirus this is all moot).
So general location (oh, so far north and west, no one there is cool!) is not an issue, IMO, except for Mills who think living north of River North or West Loop is horrifying. I got tired of Southport and North Center for other reasons (I’m in even more horrifying Lincoln Square now, assuming Mill mentality, and in the past have made the apparently insane decisions to move from East LP to ELV to west LV (a couple of different places) and now LS — all clearly less socially acceptable). Good thing I’m not a Mill or my status would be cratering. Also, I don’t have quartz counters and, shock!, don’t care, and hate white cabinets.
But that aside yeah the price does seem a bit high. Is quartz required? When I sold a 3/2 in Southport just 3 years ago, no — I painted my cabinets white (not my preference, but clearly the market), but kept my dark granite, and my place sold fast. (It also had a 3rd bedroom with French doors that was clearly an office.)