Looking For Something Unique? A Vintage 2-Bedroom Duplex Up: 1408 W. Belden in Lincoln Park
This 2-bedroom vintage duplex up at 1408 W. Belden in Lincoln Park came on the market in August 2018.
Although the listing says this building was built in 1900, we last chattered about this unit in 2011 and, at that time, the listing says it was built in 1881.
See our chatter here.
The building has 5 units. Two of them, including this one, have private entrances on Belden. The other 3 simplex units have a common entrance on Southport (see our last chatter for the realtor’s notes on the building set-up.)
The listing says it has had a “2017 interior renovation.”
The unit has 12 foot vaulted ceilings and crown moldings on the first floor.
The first floor has a dining/sitting area, the living room and the kitchen along with arched doorways and a private back deck.
The kitchen has white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, a white tiled backsplash and what look like stone counter tops.
There’s some exposed brick walls.
The second floor has two bedrooms and a laundry room.
The master suite has a stand-up shower and a walk-in closet.
The unit has an enclosed garage parking spot that the 2011 listing says is in the old carriage house.
Originally listed for $780,000 in August 2018, it has been reduced $105,000 to $675,000.
But that is still $74,000 above the 2017 sales price of $601,000.
In this fall market, will it get the premium over the 2017 price?
Karin Melberg at Keller Williams Platinum Partners has the listing. See the pictures here.
#1R: 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, duplex up, no square footage listed
- Sold in May 1991 for $258,000
- Sold in August 1994 for $265,000
- Sold in February 1997 for $282,000
- Sold in August 2003 for $469,500
- Sold in September 2007 for $573,500
- Originally listed in June 2011 for $550,000
- Sold in November 2011 for $468,500
- Sold in February 2017 for $601,000
- Originally listed in August 2018 for $780,000
- Reduced several times
- Currently listed for $675,000
- Assessments are $209 a month (they were also $209 a month in 2011)(includes lawn care, scavenger, snow removal)
- Taxes are now $11,232 (they were $7445 in 2011)
- Central Air
- Washer/Dryer in the unit
- Looks like it’s now a gas fireplace but it was wood burning in 2011
- Garage parking included in 1881 carriage house
- Bedroom #1: 14×16 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 10×13 (second floor)
- Living room: 31×22 (main floor)
- Family room: 15×15 (main floor)
- Kitchen: 15×15 (main floor)
LOL at the initial listing price and the current is Crack Pipe worthy
This place feels looks tiny
Guessing the reserves are close to $0
this place looks nice, not sure why they didn’t put the dining set in the kitchen room instead of the sofa/tv. I think it would look a lot better that way and more of a traditional layout. I don’t think the price is that far off now to be honest
“not sure why they didn’t put the dining set in the kitchen room instead of the sofa/tv”
Didn’t want tv over fireplace, and nowhere else to put it in the other room?
I had a similar thought, sonies.
Walking into the dining room is odd, and they could have a decent-sized living area there if they didn’t have the table there, and had more living room furniture set up. The tiny living area behind the kitchen doesn’t really do anything for me in a place of that size (it’s common enough in houses).
I hate TVs over fireplaces, but it still seems like they could figure something out and make the space work better.
The increase since 2017 seems to reflect some updating (described as “meticulous interior renovation) — would like to see the photos from the last sale to see what was done. Probably the cabinets (paint), counter, lights over the counter, some work in the bathrooms.
“would like to see the photos from the last sale ”
Not hard:
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1408-W-Belden-Ave-60614/unit-1408/home/21815472
And a floorplan!
Before and after is cracking me up. They spent a decent chunk of money to make extremely lateral moves, and didn’t even change the underlying style.
Thanks, anon(tfo)!
“extremely lateral moves”
Updating the 2d bath upstairs from the 90s is a genuine plus.
They need to get rid of the ceiling lighting and just keep those lamps they’ve got in there. They mustn’t have a designer.
Going through the photos, it looks to me like they:
(1) painted to a neutral (pretty nothing in terms of work, but does lighten it up a bit);
(2) changed the mantle a bit or maybe just painted it grey;
(3) refinished the floors to make them darker (I can’t tell if they needed to be refinished or if this was just a style thing, they seemed okay from the 2017 photos);
(4) updated the light fixture and the fan in the dining room/living room (I think they should have moved the dining room, not make it seem like it had to be there with another hanging over the table fixture);
(5) added hanging lights over the counter;
(6) changed the countertop;
(7) replaced the white refrigerator with stainless;
(8) different backsplash;
(9) new sink (no longer pedastal) and paint with wainscoting in second bath;
(10) new sink in master bath;
(11) more new paint and ceiling fans upstairs.
So was this an attempted flip? Seems like a bad choice for a place to flip given the cost, but what do I know.
“new sink (no longer pedastal) and paint with wainscoting in second bath;”
That’s the half bath on the 1st floor.
The 2d full bath upstairs got substantially refreshed.
New dishwasher, too.
New carpet on stairs and upstairs.
New closet doors in master.
No one has claimed a HO exemption on it since at least 2012.
I think that it was a flip that flopped (given the 780 ask), and the owner is just trying to cut losses now.
Promising exterior but the interior is rather meh. Looks like they’ve tried to create a “loft” feel, which I don’t like. Rather dull.
Also, I wouldn’t call anything near Fullerton and Ashland, “the heart of Lincoln Park.”
I like to call this area Pequodville, SoCostCo
or east bucktown (ok not really)
It’s just off Southport, basically across from St Josaphat. So technically Sheffield sub-neighborhood or close enough? Or DePaul? Doesn’t quite feel like Clybourn Corridor to me, and is nothing like the feel of that rather awful intersection of Ashland and Fullerton — both Ashland and that part of Fullerton feel much more busy and industrial than Belden at Southport.
That said, I like Pequodville. (Even though I’d normally call this LP because I don’t care about all the different sub neighborhoods of LP.)
I used to walk or run up and down this stretch of Southport all the time when I lived in the vicinity of Southport and Wellington (much younger then). I don’t mind the area, but unless things have changed it’s more a place I would have liked living in my 20s than now.
or east bucktown (ok not really)
————
Thank you
” So technically Sheffield sub-neighborhood”
The Trib would call it Sheffield Neighbors.
The Ass’n itself says: Sheffield is bounded by Armitage Avenue on the south, Fullerton Avenue on the north, Halsted Street on the east, and the Chicago River on the west.
I hate the Trib map.
PS: The Tribune map sez that Bucktown is the triangle defined by North Ave, Western Ave and the Kennedy.
“and the Chicago River on the west.”
———————-
Maybe that’s what Gary meant when he said that borders are fluid.
No way it’s a flip. Changes like the bathroom sinks or fixture or the floor color are just personal preference and would never pay off considering they were comparably sellable before. I mean it was fine before, and it’s fine now, and both places would be marginally appealing to basically the same middle of the road person.
The bathroom is the only significant change, and even that is pretty low value add, I think. It was an OK+ version of 1999 bathroom, and now it is an OK- version of a 2014 bathroom.
Closet doors are in hall not master.
“Closet doors are in hall not master.”
Look at floorplan in old listing. The “hall” is in the master, as it is the only closet in the master.
I think this is a flip. There is nothing decorative on any wall. There is not a single piece of artwork anywhere. This is the “clean wall” approach to staging. Real people leave some bits of personality scattered around their space. This space has none.
“Look at floorplan in old listing. The “hall” is in the master, as it is the only closet in the master.”
Ah, I see. Odd setup. Kind of nice, but in a funky non-conforming way.