Forget a House, Live in a Barn Instead: 4309 N. Bell in Lincoln Square
Looking for something unique?
Not much tops this 1898 built 3-bedroom barn at 4309 N. Bell in Lincoln Square. Yes, it truly is a barn.
It has a stone fireplace, wood beams and lots of charm. It also has modern amenities such as central air.
What it is missing, however, is a parking space.
The listing says it’s a townhouse alternative. Is it?
Susan Romano at Real Estate Solutions, Inc. has the listing. See the pictures here.
4309 N. Bell: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1500 square feet
- Sold in December 1990 for $77,000
- Sold in July 1996 for $105,000
- Sold in April 2002 for $220,000
- Originally listed in February 2009 for $644,900
- Reduced several times
- Lis pendens filed in June 2009
- Reduced in July 2009 to $469,000
- Reduced
- Currently listed at $429,000
- Taxes of $4288
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 14×12
- Bedroom #2: 14×10
- Bedroom #3: 9×9
that is awesome. if only Oliver Wendell Douglas and his lovely wife Lisa could have found a place like this, their life may have gone smoother.
This would be a great place to raise kids.
Then when people ask them later in life if they were raised in a barn, they can say yes.
If the land is worth anything, this place should be torn down. Not because the outside is all that bad (character?) but the inside is awful – terrible.
“Originally listed in February 2009”
Sooooooooooo laughable. The place has had a for sale sign on it for most of the last ~3 years.
There is a vacant lot adjacent to the south for sale, too, so you don’t know what the neighbor will be in the future. This is the alderman’s block, tho, so that’s one plus.
LMFAO! This one takes the cake.
Know what I call someone who drops 77k on a barn? Crazy or thrifty. Know what I call someone who would drop 400+k on a barn? Crazy and every marketer & salesperson’s dream.
This renovated BARN is the quintessential example of how crazy things got during the bubble. I can’t help but laugh from the pics.
Maybe a goose that lays golden eggs or a rich cow will buy this place.
Where’s Mrs. O’Leary’s cow when you need her?
you guys bash the barn all you want i think its sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!
i am not a lincoln square kool-aid drinker, i dont get it i have tried to get it, but cannot see the appeal of lincoln square.
dear gawd. does it come with a rope belt and an in-born cousin?
Um, I can’t even think of anything nice to say. It is just…awful.
paulj wins.
Apply the 1990 to 1996 rate of increase to the 2002 price, you get $335k. Which is probably reasonable, relative to what else is available. How did *any*one let this be listed for $645k?
This place is awesome! I could have a ho-down. (That’s the country version of having a ho-down, not the Uptown version of having a ho-down.)
Hey I live there, I can make fun of my own hood……
This place has PACKER FAN written all over it.
“DON’T JUDGE A BARN BY IT’S COVER. A MUST SEE! THE BARN ON BELL AS FEATURED ON HGTV.”
So they featured this piece of crap on HGTV, put probably 2k of work into the place and think they can get $650k for it in February of 2009? LOL!
This place has got to be the most hilariously overpriced property ever on CC!
“ARCHITECTURALLY UNIQUE AND STUNNING”
Stunning I’ll give her, but on the first point I dunno 99% of the land area of the midwest would beg to differ, I’m sure.
Does it come with a lifetime supply of PBR? Can the listing agent square dance? And does she have good plow experience?
Oh and stunning as in: ‘Did I just get punched in the temple with brass knuckles?’ stunning.
It looks like where the Clampetts used to live before striking oil and moving to Beverly Hills.
So these real estate specuvestors, bought in spring 2002 for $220K with a $197K mortgage. 9 months later they refi’d at $581K. I’m sure that apprasal was completely legitamit. Now there are numerous mortgages and release so it gets a bit confusing for me. But as it stands I believe that they have a 1st for $480K and a 2nd, which could just be an untapped HELOC, at $150.
Anyone more knowledgable that could untangle that mess??
Surprised this isn’t a short sale at this point. I guess pre-foreclosure in June caused the price drop. You drop your price $175K and still no buyers. Thats a kick in the reality.
Regarding the adjacent lot–the developer/owner has the (planned) house listed on its website for $1.149mm, which must be w/o a garage–who would pay that much for a new construction home on what is bascially a shared lot?
Reaaaaaaal Barn of geeeeeeenius! Mr. Wearin overalls and flannel in the citaaay
“Sonies on September 29th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Reaaaaaaal Barn of geeeeeeenius! Mr. Wearin overalls and flannel in the citaaay”
LMAO!
The outside is nice… it is the inside that’s scary. Yikes!
This would be a great house in the right location. I just can’t imagine anyone living in city would have country taste. If this were for sale in, say, McHenry it would be swooped up fast. This is roughly equivalent to building an ultra modern highrise in the middle of a downstate cornfield.
Aww Groove, what’s not to love about the Square? I’ve lived near LS for 9 of my 14 years and I dig it. For me, its the perfect balance of price, convenience, social activities and delightful lack of douchebaggery. Plus its just awfully pretty.
Well, pretty except for that… that barn… thing. WTF? That’s got all the charm of an Arkansas theme park.
Would have been better as a barn: may have been more “historically significant” as I do not think there are too many left in Chicago. As a home it looks like a “ruined barn.”
“i am not a lincoln square kool-aid drinker, i dont get it i have tried to get it, but cannot see the appeal of lincoln square.”
I missed this before–dude, you live near Riis Park and you’re crackin on LS. You have a problem with Germans, libraries, parks, beer and small-biz commerce? b/c, while I get saying “eh, not my thing” I don’t get “not seeing the appeal”. I can even see the appeal of where you live, man, so I think you have a failure of imagination.
“The outside is nice… ”
Like you’re with your drinking buddies and youre wasted and saying “LOL, check out that abortion of a home” and they say, “Nice dude” nice?
And I like Lincoln Square more than Bucktown, Logan Square & Wicker park!
Barn House Fail
Anon and lincoln lover,
“so I think you have a failure of imagination”, we have a couple playdate friends over in lincoln square, more towards lawrence ave. its hard to explain the vibe over there. its kind of like bucktown/wicker park during the transformation. ‘im cool and pay less all my neighbors are trendy cool too and we are better than lincoln park/lakeview snobs cause we pay less’ you know that kind of vibe thing.
lincoln lover, you have been there 14 years so you have been to the Sears over there right? and you can remember it being shyty over the years.
anon,
why you attacking me?
“you live near Riis Park and you’re crackin on LS”
i chose the riis park area for commute to work, being close to grand parents, and not wanting to pay insane bubble prices for the NW side. yeah its ghetto here but we made our surronding blocks better over the years.
i will agree the area of lincoln square more towards north center is sweet.
groove, once you get on anon(tfo)’s bad side he’s like an attack pitbull and he tries to tear apart everything you say. You just have to deal with stuff like this on the interwebs.
tehGroove:
“why you attacking me?”
Dude–you read to the end of my post–did you miss this:
“I can even see the appeal of where you live, man”
I wasn’t attacking, just questioning your your not getting LS.
Also, I really only think of LS as the part of it that’s in the 47th ward–mainly south of Foster and east of Western–and agree that the area around the Sears isn’t much different than most of Albany Park, but is a lot more expensive.
“groove, once you get on anon(tfo)’s bad side he’s like an attack pitbull and he tries to tear apart everything you say.”
I’ve rarely met an attorney as sensitive as you, HD. You make grandious overgeneralizations and then get all defensive when someone calls you on it.
“Dude–you read to the end of my post–did you miss this”
did miss that part oops 🙂
I guess i see LS as the area as lawernce/western/lincoln. and montrose/lincoln i see as st. bens/north center. I need to really get a grasp of the new chicago hood borders.
i did all my High School reports at the Library on montrose and Lincoln.
“just questioning your your not getting LS” i guess i have a thing with the trendy new wave of families and their attidudes there.
“I guess i see LS as the area as lawernce/western/lincoln. and montrose/lincoln i see as st. bens/north center. I need to really get a grasp of the new chicago hood borders.”
Yeah, I think of LS as the pretty immediate square area–Damen to the river, Sunnyside to Winnemac or so (LS CofC calls it the same, but north to Foster), even tho the “official” “community area” is apparently Ravenswood to the river/channel, Montrose to (w of Western) Bryn Mawr and (e of Western) Peterson.
And, tho I have no love for the north of Lawrence area, Winnemac Park is pretty nice.
We actually put in an offer on this place, only to get rejected by the bank.
The Barn is in short sale and is currently listed for 409K, however the bank has since come and assessed the property for 400K. We came in at 330K and apparently that just wasn’t enough for them.
Could someone please explain this short sale business to me. We offer them slightly more than 80% of appraised value, which we thought was totally acceptable. Especially considering the place has been on the market for ~2 years or more with only 2 offers ever being made. Let’s face it they market this place terribly and it’s too unique for most Chicagoans. Why not just cut your loss and let a couple who truly likes the place (we must be crazy) get in on a deal?