Jackson Park Highlands Beauty: 6916 S. Bennett
The Jackson Park Highlands Historic District is a collection of historic homes on several blocks on the South Side, just south of Hyde Park near the lakefront and the Museum of Science and Industry, that was first laid out in 1905.
The homes are all of varying styles with an alley system that provides garages. Here are a few homes in the neighborhood that are currently on the market:
6817 S. Creiger built in 1922. Currently listed for $669,900. Rubloff has the listing:
6722 S. Constance. Currently listed for $695,000. Urban Search Realty has the listing:
6754 S. Euclid built in 1922. Currently listed for $785,000. Century 21 Kennedy Ryan, et al. has the listing:
6916 S. Bennett is also on the market. It’s a classic brick home built in 1913.
6916 S. Bennett: 6 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2 half baths, 2 car garage
- Sold in May 2005 for $350,000
- Currently listed at $765,000
- Taxes of $7,311
- Koenig & Strey has the listing
Jackson Highlands is a beautiful neighborhood! But it is surrounded by VERY violent and depressed ghettos.
Now, now, the park itself isn’t depressed nor especially violent and the lake makes a second side of the neighborhood. “Surrounded” is sooo melodramatic.
These are lovely houses, and that last house is absolutely gorgeous, but this neighborhood is too surrounded by deeply blighted neighborhoods to even rate.
Compare these homes with the house in West Ridge you featured a number of weeks back, and compare that neighborhood with the one you’re featuring here. West Ridge is right next to Lincolnmwood, while this area, though pretty, is surrounded by blight, and is miles from decent shopping or services.
I would pay half as much for a house in this area as I would in West Ridge, if even. So I have a hard time even guessing at the prices, but if that house in West Ridge isn’t worth more than $450K, I wouldn’t give more than $275K for one of these.
Amendment: I might give $500K for the last one, for that is a real mansion. It really is gorgeous.
It would go for much more in West Ridge, even now.
These ask prices are laugh out loud ridiciulous relative to what the flipper paid during the boom. Maybe they’re just leaving a tad of wiggle room to negotiate 😀
Beautiful area, and right by the park, with very easy access to downtown (14 express bus, Metra Electric, and Lake Shore Drive all right there). Also decent access to some moderate level of restaurants and shopping in Hyde Park. A number (not many) of university-affiliated people live in the highlands due to its relative affordability as compared to Hyde Park proper or the mansions of Kenwood.
But yeah, this is in close enough proximity to rough enough areas that I wouldn’t feel safe out there at night without a rathermenacing dog along for the walk.
Thus, about $150/sq ft seems like the absolute maximum it would be worth to live in such a neighborhood; probably closer to $100-125 sq/ft, generally depending on the quality and thoroughness of restoration/renovation.
For the right family, the Highlands are a great place to be, but I have my doubts many of those families are looking in the $700K bracket. Get under $600K, and there will be some bites for the better properties.
Bob–They no doubt are being greedy, but they didn’t pay $350k of that house in that condition. The kitchen is new, so is the roof of the house and the garage and it looks like a lot of other (possibly inexpensive) work was done. It doesn’t justify $765k, but $350k isn’t a true price (much less a true peak price) for this house, either.
That expensive kitchen will end up being an object lesson on the folly of over-improving your house. If you do a lavish reno on a house in a bad area, you have just plain made a very bad investment, so realize that you are doing it strictly for your own enjoyment while you live there and don’t expect to recover it.
Nobody is going to pay for that kitchen. A potential buyer will look at the neighborhood first, the house itself second, and purely frivolous renovations last.
Laura, you’re crazy if you think this house should be 275K. These are beautiful homes, that are very large. You really think someone should be able to live in that property with a $1300 mortgage payment (plus property taxes). You must have never been to the neighborhood.
Although it is a minority neighborhood, it attracts a number of professionals. I live close to the area and couldn’t imagine this lasting long if the asking was under 600K.
I agree completely with Stephen. It’s not where I would choose to live, but I know MANY people who could afford it and would love the area. I do think that $765k is too high.
Stephen, I said I would (were I able)give $500K for the third house shown in the post. That house is fabulous, but $500K is all I would chance in that area, which compares very unfavorably with ANY north side neighborhood.
I surely wouldn’t give more than 2/3 of what I’d pay for a comparable in West Ridge, which is adjacent to Lincolnwood, as well as other good North Shore suburbs, and is not surrounded by blight.
I’d give $275K only for the first two, which are sort of stodgy, ordinary, and not large. Those houses might fetch $400K in W. Ridge, right now, at best.
But I won’t pay for that kitchen reno in even the 3rd house. Just because someone sunk $100K into the kitchen doesn’t mean you, the buyer, are justified in paying that. Remember, you’re going in for your benefit, not the seller’s; no one ever recovers the full cost of extravagent renos even in fine areas, and it would be pretty unrealistic to expect to do that here.
This house has mold and serious water leakage in basement. Both Roofs leaks and needs to be totally torn off and foundation is in dire need of repair per contactor. A beauty but serious work is needes. Serious Sloping floors in house and kitchen. Owner is aware of mold but refuses to fix.
We actually fell in love with this house and were willing to bite the bullet to give them a slightly higher price even given what surrounds the Jackson Park Highlands. However, apparently the Seller’s agent is not aware of how many perceive this listing because she was not willing to have her clients fill out the disclosures or except a “contingent upon closing” contract. I have seen multiple postings about the mold since originally reaching out to contract on this property. Since they didn’t want to fill out the disclosures, I wonder what they are hiding. They came back wanting to sell the house “as is” which is ridiculous for a house over $600K
I too fell in LOVE with this house. We put a very good contract on it and the owner and agent where both unrealistic and unwilling to negotiate at all. As previously posted, the house has SERIOUS mold and water issues, window issues, roof issues, shortage of closet space, no central air, etc. The kitchen is beautiful…but you cannot live in the kitchen. This house will easily require $100K+ to make it confortable. Since there was no disclosure, we requested an inspection in order to respond to their counter offer. The owner refused which sent up major red flags. Only one home in the Highlands has sold for over $700K in well over a year and that home was bigger and in better condition. There just is no reason to overpay for a house in this market. 6910 is a Beauty to be sure but is overpriced an in need of serious repair!
Thanks for the update from everyone who has looked at this house.
It’s amazing what is going on out there with sellers given the market.
It is obvious reading these comments that the majority of folks are viewing this neighborhood with a “typical” north side snobbery. I happen to live on the block with this home. I believe the conditions referenced about the home’s interior state are true, however, the neighborhood is a wonderfully diverse community comprised of Black, White and Asian professionals – many of whom hold down top positions in Chicago’s leading corporations and/or management positions with the University (a 4 minute drive.) It is true the conditions surrounding the JPH are distressed – due in large part to the unwillingness of Chicago’s north and west side communities to accept “their share of public housing and section 8 residents dispersed as a result of the demise of the State Street Corridor, Cabrini Green and Henry Horner developments.
Our neighborhood is cul-de-saced with limited vehicular access and a great neighborhood for families with children and pets. We are one block from the Metra Station and Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive. For comparable neighboods such as Beverly and Oak Park (also I might add surrounded by equally if not worse distressed areas), we are the most convenient to Chicago’s many wonderful assets many of which are a quick 10 minute drive or walkable from our front steps.
I agree with Maria. I too live in this neighborhood, in fact one street in front of this home and I have lived here for over 22 years. I have raised 3 children in this home and know a majority of my neighbors in this tight knit community. True the surrounding area is not the most desirable but police constantly drive through and the cul-de-sacs help.
I would recommend this neighborhood to anyone looking to raise a family in the city and would like to note that I have never had a violent altercation or issue with members of the surrounding neighborhoods.
I just moved into this neighborhood and I love it. My husband and I have two children, are professionals who work downtown, and didn’t want to live on the north side or the suburbs (as mentioned in the earlier posts). Very convenient to downtown, the lake, our families, and my travel schedule. Love the cul de sacs also.
Diddo – Any area in the city is surrounded by distressed neighborhoods, so it’s a matter of to whom you want to live next door … and I love my neighbors.
My wife and I moved in around last Thanksgiving. We too absolutely LOVE the neighborhood and our house. Our neighbors are wonderful, the house is incredible, and, as mentioned, the convenience of living so close to downtown, right off the lake, near the golf course (which I’ve played often), South Shore Country Club and ITS golf course, five minutes from Hyde Park shops and restaurants, and amid some absolutely gorgeous homes, is fantastic. Jackson Park Highlands, I’ve since learned, has a rich history, starting with the fact that the homes–among the most architecturally innovative at the time–were built to overlook the World’s Fair in Jackson Park.
Our house is on a double lot with a deep setback. One of the coolest features of this neighborhood is the fact that there are no alleys. We were slightly concerned about the surrounding neighborhood, too, until we talked to the (very active) neighborhood association, and the people who have lived there. We haven’t had the slightest problems and feel as safe as any where in the city–this, from committed North Siders, who lived in River North, Lake View, and Greektown.
We looked all over–Bucktown, Wicker Park, East Village, even Oak Park. What we found was that for the price of a three bedroom, two bath cookie cutter in those neighborhoods (which believe me, are far from crime free), we were able to get a fabulous, completely redone (and I mean to the brick) five bedroom, five bath house with a two car garage and — as I said — a double lot.
People.
Since learned that we’re a few houses away from Jesse Jackson and the other residents of the neighborhood include doctors and professors at the University of Chicago as well as a number of urban professionals who have discovered this secret gem.
Thanks for the update Chiwriter. Good luck with your new house!