Does Staging Matter For Million Dollar Properties? 1652 N. Bell In Bucktown
This 5 bedroom French Provincial single family home at 1652 N. Bell in Bucktown has been on the market since March 2012.
It looks to be newer construction possibly circa 2006.
Built on an oversized 38.5×150 lot, the house has a 3-car garage and is located at the end of a no outlet street.
It has luxury finishes in the kitchen including Wolf and SubZero appliances.
There are stone baths.
The house has radiant heated floors and crown molding and wainstcotting.
The listing pictures also show a house with very little furniture and no window treatments or any other form of staging. The redfin agent, in his notes on the property, said it could benefit from some staging.
This house is listed for $395,000 more than the 2010 sale (which looked to be from the bank.)
Is staging even more important in million dollar properties?
Will this house get the premium to the 2010 price without it?
James Prendergast at Southbrand Investments has the listing. See the pictures here.
1652 N. Bell: 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 6500 square feet, 3 car garage
- Sold in June 2006 for $730,000
- Lis pendens filed in April 2009
- Bank owned in May 2010
- Sold in December 2010 for $1.38 million
- Originally listed in March 2012 for $1.775 million
- Currently still listed at $1.775 million
- Taxes of $17,686
- Central Air
- Partial kitchen in the lower level
- Decks on roof and the garage
- Bedroom #1: 35×25 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 17×20 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 17×20 (second floor)
- Bedroom #4: 17×20 (lower level)
- Bedroom #5: 17×20 (lower level)
It needs staging and better pictures. Your picture is better than any of the realtor’s – the listing picture of the facade makes it look like the house is missing a gun turret.
Also the kitchen is a real letdown – it looks like it belongs in a 2/2 condo in the South Loop.
I agree on the kitchen…was going to say the same thing.
Has anyone taken any of these courses? http://www.cod.edu/Catalog/detail.asp?url=Real+Estate I wanted to take some Real Estate courses at McHenry Community College, but they don’t offer many. College of DuPage is supposed to have a really strong program, though!
love that the listing says ‘safe cul de sac’ then the second picture shows the bars on the windows.
The bed on the floor looks like a flop house. Maybe the developer is crashing there.
This one screams lowball offer. Maybe starting at $1.1 million gets something done under $1.4. Not going anywhere for a long time at list.
“French Provincial”
Napoleon is rolling in his grave
“It looks to be newer construction possibly circa 2006.”
A 1.5+ lot in B’town (even this far west) in ’06 would have easily fetched $730k.
Per the ’10 listing on URE, it was built in ’07 and then “sold before print” in Dec-10:
http://www.urbanrealestate.com/property/1652-N-Bell-CHICAGO-IL-60647-2ILIKRKPUODR6.html
“love that the listing says ‘safe cul de sac’ then the second picture shows the bars on the windows”
2d to last shows the extant copper downspout, so it can’t be too unsafe.
The listing photos make me sad.
I toured the home with a buyer a couple of months ago, it is not just the staging that is unusual about showing this home. That being said, the large lot allows for generous room sizes and the level of finish throughout the home is quite nice. I will say pricing this type of home can be challenging because there are no real good comps in this area.
Also, 2012 assessed value is 131,110 (they should do a one year reduction, if actually vacant).
Assessor also thinks that there is 3900 sf of above-grade interior space. Making “6500” unlikely, so someone is wrong.
How do you have a 6500 sf house, and only 3 bedrooms above grade?? If they had 5 bedrooms (and 3 full baths) on the 2d floor, would be a much easier sell, imo.
From the street, the first floor looks too big compared to the second floor. It’s all out of proportion. Is the first floor on steroids and the second floor a 98-pound weakling getting sand kicked in its face on the beach?
“French Provincial?” That reminds me of when General Motors laughably labeled its dull, boxy 1980’s Pontiac 6000 the “EuroStar.” In both cases – this house and the Pontiac – the European labeling would draw a laugh from any European who knows anything about European houses/cars.
Greg, when you say “it is not just the staging that is unusual about showing this home,” what else is unusual about showing the home?
The room sizes here sound ridiculous. LR. 35×25, DR 35 x 40, MBR 35×25, 2d and 3d BR 17×20?
All the photos make me feel really depressed. They couldn’t even finish the cleanup before taking photos?
Mattress on the floor? WTF? Flophouse, indeed. This house so does NOT scream a Million-plus, from the photos and staging.
I think the “finishes” are really cheap looking. Room sizes are decent. $250 psf to complete the project. Also, either empty the house or stage it.
Maybe the reason for the below-grade bedrooms is that it’s assumed that the target market for something this expensive will be a family with older children who don’t need to sleep on the same floor as Mom + Dad? It’s a time-honored tradition around here that teenage/college-age kids get their own “inner sanctums” in the basement, complete with technology and musical instruments that won’t disturb the elders’ peace.
This is somehow a very sad house, especially for the price. It has no architectural distinction, and none of the interior appointments seem to go with the house or with each other.
The kitchen is too modern in style and completely inadequate for a family of more than 2 people. There is nothing “French” about the staircase or other interior embellishments. The wet bar in what looks like the dining room looks awkward. And sub-grade bedrooms don’t cut it in a house in this bracket.
All in all, not a beautiful house.
This house is also next door to public housing.
“Maybe the reason for the below-grade bedrooms is that it’s assumed that the target market for something this expensive will be a family with older children who don’t need to sleep on the same floor as Mom + Dad?”
In a location fairly inconveniently located to desirable private or public high schools? (ok, maybe not *too* bad for Jones) Sure, why not, just one more bad assumption.
The pictures tell a different story from the price. There doesn’t seem to be any consistency with the styles inside the house. There’s a modern kitchen and some other cabinets, traditional trim levels and bar cabs (some dated), and no real flow. There’s plenty of clueless buyers out here though, I’m sure someone will bite.
As noted, terrible photos. Question–why would anyone need a bedroom that big, it looks like you could host a dance class in the second half of what appears to be the master. Could cut up the space for an office / den. Overall this is a sad listing for the price, that’s for sure.