New Paint and Wallpaper and Selling for $180,000 More 3-Years Later: 411 W. Briar in Lakeview
We last chattered about this 4-bedroom top floor vintage unit at 411 W. Briar in Lakeview in 2009 and 2010.
See our original chatter about it in August 2009 here.
Back then, it was listed for $535,000 and we debated whether it would sell for around $500,000 given that it was a 4-bedroom unit with about 2500 square feet.
Bob thought the asking price was too high given the assessments and that there was no parking. Others disagreed but Bob turned out to be right.
It ended up selling in May 2010 for $385,000.
It’s back again and this time it has been painted throughout and there is new wallpaper in the foyer.
You can still see the old pictures on the Crib Chatter link above or here.
The kitchen, however, appears to have the same as 3 years ago with white cabinets, a white sink, grey counter tops and a white tile backsplash. It looks as if new stainless steel appliances and a new floor were installed, however.
It has central air, washer/dryer in the unit but parking is rental in the neighborhood.
It’s in Nettlehorst.
The unit is listed for $180,000 more than the 2010 purchase price and $30,000 more than the 2006 purchase price.
Are the interior changes enough to get the premium?
Are we back to the 2005-2006 price now?
Brad Lippitz at Prudential Rubloff has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #D3: 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2436 square feet
- Sold in March 1995 for $267,500
- Sold in August 1997 for $265,000
- Sold in March 2006 for $535,000
- Was listed in August 2009 for $535,000
- Sold in May 2010 for $385,000
- Currently listed for $565,000
- Assessments now $897 a month (they were $901 a month in August 2009) (includes heat, tv/cable, security system)
- Taxes now $5335 (they were $5822 in August 2009)
- Central Air
- Washer/Dryer in the unit
- No parking- available for rent for $165-$250 in the neighborhood
- Wood burning fireplace
- Bedroom #1: 16×12
- Bedroom #2: 14×13
- Bedroom #3: 12×11
- Bedroom #4: 10×9
Back at Bubble Peak prices so soon. How short memories are.
What, exactly, has changed for the better in our economy to justify a price increase of over 50%? Have professional salaries increased over 50? Do people in the $150K income bracket have 50% more savings to make down payments with?
More “economic activity” in the form of more 0% down 7 year car loans, more college loans, and more home loans being made by FHA doesn’t make the economy healthier or the buyers better situated financially than they were in 2010.
It looks to me like the current wave of desperate buyers are being set up for another round of steep losses in their housing “investment”.
Unit D1 in the same building was listed at $575K and went under contract within a week.
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/411-W-Briar-Pl-60657/unit-1-D/home/13372732
Yes, incomes have increased a lot since the 90’s when this place traded for 50 percent less. As for the current state of this unit, it looks a lot better than when we viewed it (see prior chatter). It’s huge, top floor, great location (surprising light 151 noise) and, while it has some oddball bathroom locations, it’s a great family home. Alas, parking, parking, parking.
All they really did was paint it anonny.
Just goes to show you that most buyers don’t have any vision whatsoever. (And I’m not brushing aside the costs of doing the painting. If you have to paint/wallpaper an entire 2400 square foot unit it could be thousands of dollars.)
Many of you thought the price was outrageous just 3 years ago. They paint it and viola, it’s now great. LOL. Real estate is so fascinating, isn’t it?
“What, exactly, has changed for the better in our economy to justify a price increase of over 50%? Have professional salaries increased over 50? Do people in the $150K income bracket have 50% more savings to make down payments with?”
Absolutely nothing. It cannot be sustained because it is all fake stimulus from the Fed.
If you want to sell and move- do it now- before you’re stuck in your property for another 5 years.
What’s that disclaimer about investing… past performance is not indicative of future performance. The supply/demand curve has changed. The property may very well be worth substantially more than it was three years ago. There is a lot of demand for larger units. The 2010 buyer bought at the right time and didn’t listen to the naysayers.
“Have professional salaries increased over 50? Do people in the $150K income bracket have 50% more savings to make down payments with?”
Although fair that one would logically assume there be a high correlation between the 2.
Q: The correlation of (change in housing price) to (change in salary) has been what over the past 15 years????
A: Shit
I bet that it has been much much more highly correlated to change in confidence levels.
Let’s face it, the market is BACK. When the market was at an all time low and sellers listed hundreds of thousand dollars in improvements, the chatter balked, arguing “its not what you put into it, its what the market will bear.” Now that the market will bear huge price increases for little to no improvement, your crying its not fair because the seller didn’t put that much into it. Oh, the hypocracy.
“What’s that disclaimer about investing… past performance is not indicative of future performance. The supply/demand curve has changed.”
You still need basic fundamentals, right Russ? You still need rising incomes to get rising housing prices.
We all can agree, I think, that these mortgage rates are at their lowest. So what will push housing prices up faster than historic norms? You would need increasing salaries to do that. You would need inflation. We have neither of those things. Not yet anyway.
People in the top 10-20% have been doing pretty well the last few (or, rather, the last 30) years. I would think that people who are buying properties in the $565K range are probably in the top 20%.
Sabrina, there is very little inventory available which has caused the supply/demand curve to move in favor of sellers. There is demand to buy and financing is still available at near historical lows. The combination of these factors is putting pressure on prices. The fundamentals are there. No one knows how long it will last, but right now the prices/market is being driven by a lack of inventory.
On the surface a $180K price increase in three years seems ridiculous. However, I would ask what does it cost to get a ‘4-bedroom vintage unit” in this area and according to Madeline’s link, the price seems to be about right (depending on what they actually close at).
Would I pay this much? probably not since my house didn’t cost this much. But I suppose if I really wanted to live in Lakeview, could afford it and thought the price was fair, why not.
I think the increase in prices is being driven by a false optimism. I also think the pendulum on housing prices swung too low in 2011-2012.
The Seller took a big risk buying in 2010 when most on this board thought the sky was falling. Even when rates rise and prices flatten/decline, the new buyer of this place has a property with long-term characteriscitcs (i.e. 4BRs) with most likely a sub-4% interest rate. The ’06 price seems very reasonable.
The home Madeline linked is MUCH nicer than this un-upgraded place… just compare the bathrooms, NIGHT and DAY between the places. Kitchen is also much nicer even though the stove is of lesser quality, the crap in this place is Ikea cabinets and they look like garbage in this vintage unit especialy with that big stupid looking “chef’s stove”.
Really this place should see at LEAST a 10-15% discount of D1 Unit
Kitchen and baths are definitely nicer in D1, but D3 is top floor, which usually commands a premium. I think it would be reasonable to assume that it would go for $555 to $560.
‘So what will push housing prices up faster than historic norms? You would need increasing salaries to do that.’
I’ll be the first to say that the masses move in herds and are much more influenced by media hype than they’d admit (both good hype and bad), but I also think there’s more going on here – namely that a certain group of buyers are bullish about Chicago city living, especially GZ living. I *never* understood why professional urban wage earners in other more expensive cities (NY, Boston, SF, LA) who bring home roughly the same salaries as their Chicago peers, afforded apartments/homes their cities while Chicagoans couldn’t; it’s not that we couldn’t it’s that we wouldn’t, and that’s what’s changing, not our salaries. Our willingness to pay higher prices for housing (still a bargain compared to the others) says more about an increasing positive outlook on Chicago, than it does about another pending crash.
Jay, I agree. I’ve noticed that most urban greenzones, even in overall cheaper cities tend to have prices in Greenzone like areas that reflect the incomes of the typical consultant, biglaw, financial services type, middle manager type. All these professions pay roughly the same across the country and the real estate in urban areas equalizes to those salaries. For example, I visited Portland last year and was amazed at how expensive it was in downtown (more than Chicago) for condos. Same in Kansas City. Same in Austin. Same in Atlanta.
Chicago has always lagged in prices compared to peer cities like Boston, DC, LA, NYC. It is by far the cheapest of the Tier 1 major cities. As more and more young professionals are priced out of those cities and move to Chicago, I do think the prices of greenzone real estate could increase to similar levels.
I’m working on a purchase now in Cambridge. $525k for a 900 sqft 2/1 condo.
“I’m working on a purchase now in Cambridge. $525k for a 900 sqft 2/1 condo.”
That’s crazy.
“That’s crazy.”
In Manhattan, it would be $1000 psf.
Where is the best place to get less expensive “hip” chandliers? (basically knock-offs of what Lightology sells?) Ikea’s selection is poor. I’ve got a rehab coming up on one of my rental units and I while I can’t stand the current garish Illuminati-type decorating/fashion schemes in vogue, I guess you shouldn’t fight the current.
“I bet that it has been much much more highly correlated to change in confidence levels”
I’ll bet it is much, MUCH more highly correlated to interest rate manipulation by the Fed, and tens of billions of dollars made available to hedge funds to buy foreclosed inventory. I’m sure it is also correlated to accounting rules that permit lenders to keep distressed inventory off the market to the extent of letting many buyers squat for up to 4 years in expensive properties before even issuing a NOD, never mind all the HARP and HAMP and other housing help programs that permit distressed borrowers and their lenders, especially in properties priced over $300K, to keep kicking the can down the road indefinitely.
Another interesting note about inventory is what happened to the distressed property backlog. I am noticing banks taking a much more active selling approach to foreclosed properties. I know of a building in a good area getting a full gut rehab that is currently owned by a bank.
amazon is a good place to start, helmet… they have chinese knockoffs of literally any type of light you can find. also they have links to other lighting only stores where you can sort by what styles you like. I bought a minka-aire ceiling fan from there and it was of good quality and free shipped to me in 2 days.
I agree with Russ, the fundamentals are there. Nearly every buyer that I’ve been working with sat in the sidelines during ’06+, socked away money and has great income. I’m not seeing huge increases in salary, just nothing to sell and a lot of savings.
“I agree with Russ, the fundamentals are there. Nearly every buyer that I’ve been working with sat in the sidelines during ’06+, socked away money and has great income. I’m not seeing huge increases in salary, just nothing to sell and a lot of savings.”
Are these people all traders? Most of the people I know in their early to mid 30’s who make a lot more than me already own, and bought in 2004-2008. The lack of inventory and low interest rates is truly masking the overal direction of the market, which would be totally flat.
“Jay, I agree. I’ve noticed that most urban greenzones, even in overall cheaper cities tend to have prices in Greenzone like areas that reflect the incomes of the typical consultant, biglaw, financial services type, middle manager type. All these professions pay roughly the same across the country and the real estate in urban areas equalizes to those salaries. For example, I visited Portland last year and was amazed at how expensive it was in downtown (more than Chicago) for condos. Same in Kansas City. Same in Austin. Same in Atlanta. ”
Salaries are lower in Chicago than NY in professional services, especially when you take into account year-end bonuses. They also are lower here than in Dallas, Houston, SF, and DC in my area of professional services. Also, don’t they have a higher conforming loan limit in NY and SF?
“I’ll bet it is much, MUCH more highly correlated to interest rate manipulation by the Fed,”
I assume you are clearly suggesting an inverse correlation so let’s take a look…
’08 Massive drop in rates – massive drops in housing prices…
’09 rates rose substantially.. housing prices continued to fall, although at a lesser pace….
’10 rates had a nice fall and then a rise and here, yes, it soes appear the composite index did the reverse.. but all within a tiny move
’11 Rates collapsed but housing fell despite this…
’12 Rates flat.. Housing appeared to have started recovering…..
’13 Rates starting to strengthen and housing strengthening with it…
That is using TNX and Case Schiller Composite.
Maybe I should have actually gone to math class, but regardless, I fail to see the correlation in the above. Now I just did this for Consumer Confidence Index as well and I most certainly do see the correlation… now go look at consumer confidence month to month rate of change and it is pretty damn on target. with the exception of late ’11 and mid ’12 (but mid’12 is a baby move).
right on Russ. They took the chance in 2010 and now can reap the benefits. Yes, we are at historic lows for interest rates and they will go up eventually. but they wont be jumping up to 6% anytime soon. If you have cash you are making nothing by sitting on it. people are investing in real estate and locking in low rates.
Well I can certainly appreciate Ze’s points, as he thinks for himself and doesn’t parrot bullshit he was fed by the media, compared to some folks here
and every now and then he does make a good point
must be the time between his morning coffee and his morning bong hit
“must be the time between his morning coffee and his morning bong hit”
Bong hit first.. always bong hit first… then morning coffee…. 🙂
I look at salaries all day long and I see very little appreciable difference. Yes, bread and butter Wall Street bonuses are bigger in NYC, but the salaries a I see at consulting firms, big law firms, middle management, private equity, are all within a very narrow band regardless of the city.
The conforming limits are higher, but that doesn’t change qualifying guidelines around DTI. Just that you can get a larger fannie/freddie loan.
Nevertheless, my point is that there seems to be this price point in most cities that is driven by relatively similar salaries being paid to young professionals. Every city I’ve looked at typically requires spending $400-$800k for properties located in urban areas that we would define as a greenzon even in cities that are generally considered lower cost of living.
“Every city I’ve looked at typically requires spending $400-$800k for properties located in urban areas that we would define as a greenzon even in cities that are generally considered lower cost of living.”
Sort of depnds on where you draw the line for comparable urban areas, both in terms of which cities, and how ‘urban’ compared to Chicago v how urban compared to the rest of that metro.
“I look at salaries all day long and I see very little appreciable difference. Yes, bread and butter Wall Street bonuses are bigger in NYC, but the salaries a I see at consulting firms, big law firms, middle management, private equity, are all within a very narrow band regardless of the city. ”
Big law firm and consulting firm salaries below the equity partner level are 10-15% lower in Chicago than NY, including bonuses. There will be outliers obviously due to job performance, but typically the NY people also have higher billable requirements too. Middle management is a pretty general term, and I don’t consider people making $200K to be in middle management. It almost seems like if you were pricing the real estate market like a stock, that Chicago is a “strong buy” but those other cities are more of a “hold” due to prices being high relative to incomes. NY also has a lot more upwardly mobile professsionals who rent than Chicago does due to the price differential.
“Laura Louzader (June 3, 2013, 6:00 am)
Back at Bubble Peak prices so soon. How short memories are.
What, exactly, has changed for the better in our economy to justify a price increase of over 50%? Have professional salaries increased over 50? Do people in the $150K income bracket have 50% more savings to make down payments with?”
Lets see – 10 yr rates are 40% lower (2.12% vs 3.53%) while 30 yr rates are 26% lower (3.27% vs 4.39%).
Stock market is 59% higher.
Rents are at all time highs and vacancy at all time lows.
This buyer took a big risk and is making some $$. If it makes you feel better he / she underperformed the stock market.
“Big law firm and consulting firm salaries below the equity partner level are 10-15% lower in Chicago than NY, including bonuses.”
This is true. But the housing of choice for that set is generally 50% or more less (at least on a psf basis) in Chicago. Tho those people in Chicago generall own a car, and generally do not in NYC.
It is not generally true as relates to Dallas, Houston, SF, and DC, but may well be, as you note, in your speciality and any of several/many others.
This is a nice unit. The only problem is the lack of parking. I agree that in NY, this would not be much of an issue due to much fewer people owning cars. Our Texas offices are doing phenomenal and their employees are reaping the rewards. DC and SF are definitely paying more out of supply and demand issues. They have to in order to keep enough of the people from leaving to competitors.
“It almost seems like if you were pricing the real estate market like a stock, that Chicago is a “strong buy” but those other cities are more of a “hold” due to prices being high relative to incomes.”
How about if you forget about incomes and think about it as available buildable space. In Chicago as long as you drive through the GZ and see parking lots the size of square blocks it is telling you there is a constraint in price somewhere near new build cost+, as every time it goes above that, there is incentive to build. I can’t speak for SF but NY and DC have no buildable space. London and Paris as well. Here in Rio I have not seen one new building go up in the past 4-5 years, simply not allowed. So basically when the last parking lot gets built on… probably a good bet to buy.
That will be 15 years from now when all the parking lots are built on. You are referring to River North, West Loop, South Loop mainly?
“I can’t speak for SF but NY and DC have no buildable space. London and Paris as well. Here in Rio I have not seen one new building go up in the past 4-5 years, simply not allowed.”
Consider EsEff to be most like Rio–NIMBYism at it’s finest.
DC is screwed by the height limit.
“You are referring to River North, West Loop, South Loop mainly?”
I think I was referring more to the fact that there is buildable space and that is why prices are constrained.. Just like Dallas and Houston. Damn, in Houston you can just build anything you want wherever you want.
“DC is screwed by the height limit.”
I wonder. I think it is the height limit that forced the spreading out of the nice are, so quickly. I remember in the late 80’s you couldn’t walk 1 block east of the white house. That city was just an absolute shithole. When I left I actually found it to be a very nice city. Even the food was getting pretty good.
“the height limit that forced the spreading out of the nice are, so quickly”
Probably true, but also what is stopping things from being more affordable now.
“Probably true, but also what is stopping things from being more affordable now.”
I am fairly certain that from even 5,304 miles away, you can very easily sense both of my eyebrows raising in response to that…
Now to go be a low life and open up a bottle of wine and cook some dinner….
“I am fairly certain that from even 5,304 miles away, you can very easily sense both of my eyebrows raising in response to that…”
That I agree with you, or that I think that there would be more, cheaper housing in DC if they could build say 20 stories insteda of the 12 or whatever they can now? [confused]
It’s not the height issue as much in DC as its: 1. There are only a small handful of GZ areas and the rest if the district is totally crime ridden. And 2. Lots of high income earning GS scale types, lots with previous and family wealth that drives up the cost significantly in the gz areas. Couple that with the transient nature of the town where no one ever really ‘owns’ the property without a significant mortgage and its a recipe for high prices.
“That I agree with you, or that I think that there would be more, cheaper housing in DC if they could build say 20 stories insteda of the 12 or whatever they can now? [confused]”
That I would not think affordable housing is desirable..
HD.. HUGE areas of the district are extremely nice, All of NW is very nice extending down to the capital, and all the way up to Chevy Chase . G’town is considered super prime, especially the back by the river, and in my opinion Kalorama is even nicer than G’Town and much nicer than anything in Chicago….and anyone from DC would consider the inner burbs of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac to be part of DC. Then you have a bunch of great places in Northern Virginia which no one from D.C. considers D.C, but oddly no one from Virginia considers as part of Virginia.. DC has changed a lot.
“All of NW is very nice extending down to the capital, and all the way up to Chevy Chase . G’town is considered super prime, especially the back by the river, and in my opinion Kalorama is even nicer than G’Town and much nicer than anything in Chicago.”
Ze: This has been true since the 1980s of this area. If we’re talking about areas of DC being restricted in where they can grow- that’s just not true or else you wouldn’t have had gentrification of Anacostia and the Northeast. In the 1990s, no one I knew lived outside of NW. They didn’t even live on Capitol Hill because it was too dangerous (muggings, shootings- even just walking from the metro.)
There is PLENTY of land to build on in DC that isn’t height restricted. A friend just bought by some metro stop in the Northeast. Tons of empty lots nearby. Paid $500,000. Expects the area to “grow” over the next 10 years.
It’s like saying there’s no land in Bronzeville or Bridgeport for the GZ to expand. Or heck, all that land where there is still public housing in River North- north of Chicago Avenue.
Again, all people have to do is take the Brown line a few times to see that Chicago really isn’t that dense at all. High rises could be built for a long, long time before there is “no” land in the GZ.
Not to correct you Sabrina, but painting costs on a 2400 sq ft unit would not be “thousands of dollars”. Maybe a couple of weekends as a DIY project with materials the only cost and you would be looking at maybe…$1800.max. I am all about DIY esp if you can pick up units at the low prices they are now. Crazy low prices you all have available to you!
And Russ, NYC is by NO means a peer city to Chicago. Real Estate wise there is no peer to NYC in the country. Even in the ‘less refined’ areas of Manhattan, per sq ft averages are well past the $1000 per sq ft level. For that amount you will find places that could use a mid labor remodel. Try something around $1400 – 1600 for starters in say the LES and even that is going up daily. You would be well in the $2500 per sq ft for a better ‘hood.
Take a look at how the ‘hoods compare on Streeteasy.com…very informative and useful site to tell you what is current on the Island. I unloaded a number of So Fla properties recently and am currently looking at a few investment / rental places in the Gramercy area….newly renoed buildings that feature HUGE floorplans….2400+ sq ft 2/2 or 3/2 units and the average is now easily on the $2000+ per sq ft shelf. Great units all over the city at some pretty good prices. I recently toured a place that is going for an outrageous $3500 per sq ft…spectacular views on a high floor with floor to ceiling glass.
And my fav building is now back on the market and is selling like crazy. 56leonard.com…check out the site if for nothing else than a great 360 view of the entire city. Also back and trying once again after so many legal messes and years sitting empty is One Madison Park…a beautiful slender building right on Madison Park. Would love a unit in that building as I could ride down the elevator, cross the street and be at my fav summer hang out, The original Shake Shack.
Whenever I browse Chicago sites I am shocked at what you get for your money. I could sell two of my lower valued places in the city and easily pick up a dozen similar places in Chicago.
It’s so sad a city like Chicago is still caught up in all of this RE mess when other areas are improving rapidly….I mean I do see some movement but nothing of great quality.
“and anyone from DC would consider the inner burbs of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac to be part of DC.”
BS alert says gringo is talking out of his arse again–Potomac isn’t even within the beltway. Barely even considered metro DC. I’m seriously laughing on that one, Ze–you catching some connecting flights thru Reagan on your way down to your favela lately making you an expert on DC?
The others are on par with Silver Spring. Yeah you can tell out of towners you’re from DC but people live in Bethesda, Wheaton, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring for a reason: proximity to DC without the insane taxes and better demographics/lower crime. It’s not DC and people from those towns didn’t re-elect a crackhead just ta “git back at da man!”.
DC isn’t doing itself any favors by having among the highest income& property taxes in the country. DC is like Detroit but a very small part of it will always be “nice” simply because of the federal government. In DC they love their handouts and they love their crack cocaine which is why they are more Democrat leaning than even Cook County.
DC is actually a lot like Cook County in the sense that it attracts SWPLs (especially when a D is in the oval office) to the expensive nice neighborhoods who then flee to the suburbs when they crap out a kid or two because DC schools are on par with CPS and middle class living is even less tenable within DC’s boundaries vs. Chicago. And DC is a much crappier city overall–the quality of life is worse than Chicago. Ahh the good ol’ days with the Washington Bullets. Who woulda ever thunk that appropriately descriptive name could be so un-PC? 😀
Does anyone have a therapist friend who’d be willing to read people’s posts and render a verdict on what’s going on here? I think a weekly psychoanalyst post would a entertaining. We’ll start with Angry Bob!!
“BS alert says gringo is talking out of his arse again–Potomac isn’t even within the beltway. Barely even considered metro DC. I’m seriously laughing on that one, Ze–you catching some connecting flights thru Reagan on your way down to your favela lately making you an expert on DC?”
Bob 1) I lived there. 2) At rush hour I could beat anyone coming from Capitol Hill (32 blocks away) into the main intersection of Georgetown
Sabrina… I agree completely. I had written, and then deleted, that people wouldn’t even live on Capital Hill area it was so bad in the 80’s. I remember driving down NY Ave to get out of the city and it was always a very unpleasant experience. I lived 85-89 around 34-35th st and I remember the boundary being to stay West of 18th St. 16th St at night, we used to go for late night Popeyes runs and it was just completely crack whore infested. Even in G’Town there were some sketchy moments and I ssaw a few wildings. Now ALL of N.W. is good, and what was considered Prime is now super Prime.. and areas up by the Cathedral which were OK are now Prime… and Yes the movement is all to the East, which was my point about there being NO available space in D.C., (remember, Ze is not a gentrifier and writes off most neighborhoods as though they do not exist)
“Even in the ‘less refined’ areas of Manhattan, per sq ft averages are well past the $1000 per sq ft level. For that amount you will find places that could use a mid labor remodel. Try something around $1400 – 1600 for starters in say the LES and even that is going up daily. You would be well in the $2500 per sq ft for a better ‘hood.
Take a look at how the ‘hoods compare on Streeteasy.com…very informative and useful site to tell you what is current on the Island. I unloaded a number of So Fla properties recently and am currently looking at a few investment / rental places in the Gramercy area….newly renoed buildings that feature HUGE floorplans….2400+ sq ft 2/2 or 3/2 units and the average is now easily on the $2000+ per sq ft shelf. Great units all over the city at some pretty good prices. I recently toured a place that is going for an outrageous $3500 per sq ft”
1) How are people qualifying for loans? (if the salaries/wages aren’t more than 20%-30% higher than Chicago?)
2) The Manhattan demographic, at least as it’s shown on “Selling New York” TV show, appears to be homosexuals, DINKs, Mr. or Mrs. Big types in their Forties that are still single, or foreign empty-nester buyers.
I think Chicago is finally heading in that direction too, at the margin there is a % increase of people choosing the above lifestyles….or else it’s just brainwashed into them via relentless TV programming as the preferable choice (i.e. no kids, being gay, no marriage, etc.). You are starting to see that here, where marriage with kids and moving to the suburbs is perceived as a hell, versus living in a 2/2 copying the gay or materialistic-DINK lifestyle, which is perceived to be superior.
Can a married couple with kids choose to live in the City as well in your world view HH?
“it’s just brainwashed into them via relentless TV programming as the preferable choice (i.e. no kids, being gay, no marriage, etc.)”
Holy shit… are you saying that if I don’t stop watching TV, I’ll end up gay!? Dammit… time to get rid of the TVs. And just as I was about to buy that 70 inch LED for my living room and finish installing my speakers. 🙁
“Holy shit… are you saying that if I don’t stop watching TV, I’ll end up gay!? Dammit… time to get rid of the TVs.”
LOL…it’s not me saying it. Why do you think they are pushing it relentlessly 24/7 into the news, sitcome scripts, hiring pro-gay talk show hosts etc. Do you honestly think that 5% of the population’s lifestyle is massively over-represented for no reason? I think you need to ask the people doing it, what their goals are, if you’re that clueless.
“5% of the population’s lifestyle”
You mean sexual orientation. Lifestyles are a choice; sexual orientation is not.
And Hollywood is liberal. Surely you know this. So they like to throw in a few gays here and there. If you’re really concerned that Hollywood is going to turn you or your neighbors into flaming homosexuals, I can suggest a few places to move to, most of which are located in the Middle East and Africa. I hear they have great weather and cheap real estate!
“Not to correct you Sabrina, but painting costs on a 2400 sq ft unit would not be “thousands of dollars”. Maybe a couple of weekends as a DIY project with materials the only cost and you would be looking at maybe…$1800.max. I am all about DIY esp if you can pick up units at the low prices they are now. Crazy low prices you all have available to you!”
Who the hell would DIY on a $565,000 vintage condo? No one I know.
LOL.
It would probably cost you $5,000 to $7,000 to have this entire unit correctly painted by a PROFESSIONAL (as it looks like it probably was.) You’re dealing with crown molding, wainscoting etc. This is a BIG job. They also had to have the wallpaper in the foyer- with 12 foot ceilings- correctly installed. That would cost money too.
If you bought decent drapes, you’re looking a bunch more money- probably $3,000 to $5,000 for that.
People underestimate the cost of painting and they don’t want to do it themselves on space like this. We’re not talking about a suburban single family tri-level with 9 foot ceilings. You’d want to get it professionally painted before you moved in.
“Can a married couple with kids choose to live in the City as well in your world view HH?”
Of course. But they’re at a disadvantage paying up for price per sf, because they have other costs in life (i.e. kids, savings, need more sq. ft.) than do homosexuals and DINKs and permanently-adolescent single in their Forties. What I am saying, also is that families used to raise their kids in the District, in Detroit, in non-GZ Chicago, etc. but that was all unravelled by the JZ generation and their stupidity. Now there’s no chance turning it back, there are less families in Chicago than ever. The middle-class areas, vast areas of the NW Side, or SW side, etc. like those that Groove is from are being abandoned to the Mexicans or blacks. Yeah…and before someone brings up the strollers in SoPo and the GZ…the new yuppies with kids in the GZ areas do not compensate for the loss of population of middles class (particularly white) in the vast other areas of Chicago. That’s why the white population of CPS is only 8%, and I doubt it’s ever been lower. It used to be much higher, even in the Eighties.
So, yeah some families can live in the GZ…if they can afford to pay for property competing with homosexuals, DINKs and professional singles. But they’re at a disadvantage. The other areas where families used to exist in Chicago? Their neighborhoods and schools have been DECIMATED by the idiocy and wrong-headed ideas of the JZ-generation. Even he can’t come here and state otherwise, because he schlepped his kids up to New Trier like a hypocrite.
“or else it’s just brainwashed into them via relentless TV programming as the preferable choice (i.e. no kids, being gay, no marriage, etc.). You are starting to see that here, where marriage with kids and moving to the suburbs is perceived as a hell, versus living in a 2/2 copying the gay or materialistic-DINK lifestyle, which is perceived to be superior.”
I wish I were gay. I am convinced 99% of my problems occur because I am not gay and am married. Thank god I at least was smart enough to not have kids… At first all my friends told me I was off on that one.. Now all my friends kids are becoming teenagers and my friends now just give me this “knowing” look of saying the unsaid about how right i was for not having had kids…
I agree HH that the lemmings move to the suburbs have created the mess of a school system CPS is today. Curiously though, the white population has actually increased the last few years from a low of 8% to about 9% now. The only demographic that is shrinking in CPS is African American. Hispanics are growing as well.
They’re not “lemmings” Vlajos.
See what I mean? It’s basically a function of relentless TV programming and idiot propaganda from the JZ/baby-boomer generation that has turned the values of the Greatest Generation (marriage, kids, jobs, savings, investment, values, morals, job creation, etc.) into a topic of derision. And were now supposed to applaud the values of draft-dodgers, homos, forty-year old adolescents, materialistic DINKs on meds from therapists, and lakefront liberal hypocrites like JZ? Life imitates art. You must not be young, because I can tell you that youth spend alot of time trying to be hip & cool, dress the right way, say the things, recite the cool movie line, etc. It’s exhausting trying to keep up with the “lifestyle” they’re pushing on people, no wonder nobody gets married and has kids, now you want to pile on and call them lemmings? Things are upside down when the values of a Joe Zekas or homosexuality trump those of the Greatest Generation. PS The GG knew how to save and invest, and create jobs, unlike the JZ generation which has saddled everyone young with massive debt, thanks to their narcisscist mentality and terrible fiscal ideas.
‘I agree HH that the lemmings move to the suburbs have created the mess of a school system CPS is today’
Ain’t that the truth. While it’s true that a lot of whites moved out of the city due to losses in manufacturing jobs, many moved because they found the lure of the suburbs just too great to resist – they abandoned the city, the city did not abandon them. Now fast forward several decades and their suburban bred offsprings want city living, only to find themselves facing high costs of living for the desirable neighborhoods they want, often the same neighborhoods their people left. Full circle.
Suburban schools are vastly overrated, if your kid is a shithead it won’t matter what schools you send him to, he’ll still end up being in the bottom 50-25% of his class, maybe even pick up a heroin/X/crack/alcholism habit and eventually kill himself or someone with his drunk/influenced driving. Then you’ll have to pay ridiculous property taxes in addition to private school anyway!
You clowns act like there are no bad kids in the burbs, its ridiculous, I grew up there, trust me I know! And I’m willing to wager its far worse now than it ever was
as more parents are working 2 jobs to pay for their energy bills in their stupid houses in the middle of nowhere.
“You clowns act like there are no bad kids in the burbs”
Dooooode, they’re only talking about the ‘white’ suburbs. This isn’t about ‘bad’ kids, it’s about ‘bad skinned’ (no, not acne) kids. And the Jooze, and tehGayz.
I *am* enjoying the New Trier pot bust, tho. Judge’s daughter-heh.
I grew up in a western suburb that is probably the WASPiest place in the state of IL, and trust me there where TONS of shithead kids, I know I was hanging out with them and in the same classrooms as them!
“I grew up in a western suburb that is probably the WASPiest place in the state of IL, and trust me there where TONS of shithead kids, I know I was hanging out with them and in the same classrooms as them!”
Hinsdale? One of my friends who is on the soccer circuit hate playing anyone from Hinsdale. Says he’s never met anyone he liked from there.
“soccer circuit”
Drives around his kids on the youth soccer circuit.
“Judge’s daughter”
drug court judge’s daughter.
” the WASPiest place in the state of IL … trust me there where TONS of shithead kids”
But so long as the former is true, the latter is okay.
Think most churches per square mile in the country…
“” the WASPiest place in the state of IL ”
Do WASPs really have to be Anglo-Saxon? What if they have a little bit of Norman or Celtic blood? Or god forbid IRISH blood? Can they still live in Hinsdale? What about Catholic? Can they live in Hinsdale too?
Irish catholic are like on the same level as puerto ricans in the eyes of wasps
Sonies, I think Wheaton is less white than many north shore suburbs. It has more churches per capita than other suburbs, not all protestant though. The Theosophical Society of America is headquartered there, for instance, and several Catholic churches. No synagogues, though.
Wheaton is horrible.
Well times have changed quite a bit since the early 80s
Vlajos (June 4, 2013, 4:04 pm)
Wheaton is horrible.”
I’m sure the residents of Wheaton think your shithole over-priced city home on a lot 25×125 is horrible too.
so anyway, this once again reminded me of the Simpsons when
ned flanders’ vegas wife says, “do you think you can irish up this coffee for me? ned flanders- oooh, watch the swear words, we don’t say the “I” word in this house.”
lol
I kinda like Wil Wheaton. His character on Big Bang Theory is quite amusing.
I have no first hand knowledge of living in Wheaton, but know people who live there who are no different from most families I know. They may be religious, but not in your face with it. From what I can tell, most of Wheaton’s reputation is based on it once being dry (that ended in 1985) and the fact that Wheaton College is located there (not a good college choice for the LGBT crowd).
Here is some discussion about Wheaton that I found. Biggest complaint I see is that it is a “bit conservative” and the population is more religious than average:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/chicago-suburbs/425804-move-wheaton-area-help.html
Totally OT:
Any early line on what the Aggregate EAV or Tax Rate will be? Trying to figure out if my taxes will go down, now that the equalization factor is out.
When my son was a pre-schooler he was highly impulsive and distractible. I moved to Wilmette where he could be safe, and be able to be outside on his own when he got a little older. I loved the city. I loved my son more.
Sabrina continues to condone helmethofer’s lunatic, completely irrelevant hate, and one has to wonder why.
Imo Wheaton & Glen Ellyn are great upper mid class suburbs w/ excellent schools (if raising kids is a priority) which also have convenient train & xway access to Chgo. Both have cheap apartment complexes which provide some diversity. Neither has as much newer sfh construction as Naperville, which is abt 5 miles south. Wheaton’s downtown area & excellent retail beats GE’s imo but there’s a nice small town feel to both & lots of good restaurants and local shops.
“Bob 1) I lived there. 2) At rush hour I could beat anyone coming from Capitol Hill (32 blocks away) into the main intersection of Georgetown”
You lived in _Potomac_ with this commute? Amazing. Potomac isn’t particularly close, not even Silver Spring close.
“Sabrina… I agree completely. I had written, and then deleted, that people wouldn’t even live on Capital Hill area it was so bad in the 80?s. I remember driving down NY Ave to get out of the city and it was always a very unpleasant experience. I lived 85-89 around 34-35th st and I remember the boundary being to stay West of 18th St. 16th St at night, we used to go for late night Popeyes runs and it was just completely crack whore infested. Even in G’Town there were some sketchy moments and I ssaw a few wildings. Now ALL of N.W. is good, and what was considered Prime is now super Prime.. and areas up by the Cathedral which were OK are now Prime… and Yes the movement is all to the East, which was my point about there being NO available space in D.C.”
DC’s gentrification is much more than urban renewal–its about balooning govt payrolls with tons o’ new bureaucrats. With the younger ones willing to pay DC’s exorbitant taxes.
For great entertainment ready Barry’s wiki–another Jesse Jackson political protege. Hey Jesse how’s the clan holding up these days?
HH, visit Champaign-Urbana when classes are in session and you will observe the Chicago suburban teen in his natural, unsupervised habitat. It’s not a compelling advertisement.
“Hinsdale? One of my friends who is on the soccer circuit hate playing anyone from Hinsdale. Says he’s never met anyone he liked from there.”
Hinsdale girls are easy. At least so long as you can hide from them that you aren’t actually wealthy, and they’re not too bright so its not incredibly hard to do, at least for awhile.
Southbound, you might consider taking your own advice.
“Southbound, you might consider taking your own advice.”
I prefer either oldskool: Physician: Heal thyself.
or intertubez-ish: nomnomnom.
but the sentiment is dead-on.
DZ: Thx, I am – only responded to JZ’s post with a suggestion, no response to other postings.
Fwiw here’s excerpt from exc. commencement speech by Jon Lovett “One of the greatest threats we face is… bullshit. We are drowning in it. We are drowning in partisan rhetoric that is just true enough not to be a lie…. It infects every facet of public life, corrupting our discourse, … lowering our standards for the truth, making it harder to achieve anything.
And it wends its way into our private lives as well, changing even how we interact with one another: … And we know that. There have been books written about the proliferation of … baloney, claptrap, hot air, balderdash, bunk. One book was aptly named “Your Call is Important to Us.”
But this is not only a challenge to our society; it’s a challenge we all face as individuals. Life tests our willingness, in ways large and small, to tell the truth…”
I remain a fan of speaking as truthfully as I can and calling out bullshit when I believe it needs to be said.
Southbound: nom^3. By which I mean heal thyself and ignore hofer and bob. Hofer best to ignore entirely. Bobbo we keep around for entertainment purposes, of which this ain’t one.
You have to realize SB probably talks with the same lisp. But RE is a high-reward, high-risk profession, right SB?
He must be taking a lot of highly leveraged RE risks schlepping around RE magazines to taverns in the morning hours, surely.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpbpzif7jGk
“You lived in _Potomac_ with this commute? Amazing. Potomac isn’t particularly close, not even Silver Spring close.”
Ya got me Bob.. Obviously ones gottsta wake up pretty early in the morning to put one past you…
Not that I did it often, but Silver Spring forces the hell commute down Georgia Ave, with a traffic light on every corner to go along with the traffic and shitty visuals… Potomac is much faster and much nicer ride.. Just if ya take GW Pkway (not the way to get into G’Town in 15 min at rush hr…btw) ya gotta be careful cause that be a brown sign rd (Federal) and speeding could send you to Federal court… Friend got himself arrested and my car impounded on it one night driving 140.
“Bobbo we keep around for entertainment purposes, of which this ain’t one.”
I disagree.. Bob is always entertaining… He’s the Chris Farley life management coach living in the beat up trailer down by the river… Great stuff!!
” ya gotta be careful cause that be a brown sign rd (Federal) and speeding could send you to Federal court… Friend got himself arrested and my car impounded on it one night driving 140.”
Not hanging with the Kennedy’s that day huh? FYI–you don’t goto federal court for traffic violations in DC you don’t even goto court you goto DC DMV. I doubt they’d even arrest for that offense in DC given what else they deal with. Lotsa pookie crackheads to process on a daily basis starting with the zombies that get close enough to the mall to harass/prey on politicians/tourists.
Who’s John Lovett? I met Jim Lovell twice, now that guy is pretty cool
HH i can assure you I am definitely not a jew
“FYI–you don’t goto federal court for traffic violations in DC you don’t even goto court you goto DC DMV.”
You speak with such certainty only to prove you are certainly an idiot… it’s a Federal Highway… It runs through Federal Parkland… It’s heavily policed, by Federal Police, cause it passes within a stones throw of the CIA… and just to show how little you know about D.C., it runs through Virginia..
ROFLMAO.. Sonies the 6’6″ Jew… Now that would be something!!!
I’d be the king right?
“ROFLMAO.. Sonies the 6’6? Jew… Now that would be something!!!”
Only if he can shoot like Dolph instead of Danny.
“Sabrina continues to condone helmethofer’s lunatic, completely irrelevant hate, and one has to wonder why.”
I’m sorry you waste your time “wondering” Joe.
I don’t wonder about you, Sabrina. I was suggesting that others might do so.
You know as well as I do that a large number of website visitors are one-time visitors. You also know, or ought to, that condoning the Bobs and the helmethofers legitimizes them and what they express, since responsible websites won’t indulge their repeated hate and lies as you do.
People ought to wonder whether you’re Bob and / or helmethofer. I don’t think you are, but I don’t see you as very different from them.
Sabrina.. I never made a request before.. I think you should turn off ability to link screen name to website… I wonder if that’s the only reason someone is here. Always fun to test theories.
Bob.. where are you??
CHecked.. from near my home.. go to google maps.. type in Persimmon Tree Rd, Potomac… then destination G’Town U… = 8.3 miles… same as Grant Park to Montrose running up LSD… So is Montrose not even Chicago Metro area???
Show your a man and those sperm have the value HH inists it does.. Men know how to say they are wrong… Men don’t hide Bob…
“People ought to wonder whether you’re Bob and / or helmethofer.”
Not this again. Next thing you know, I’ll be accused of being…Joe Zekas! And hey- wasn’t I also Clio a few years ago? I guess people gave up on that one.
If I was Bob or helmethofer, I would also be Dan Brown, best selling novelist. Because to be able to write with that strong of a voice and that consistently that those two have done year after year for like 6 years- that is extreme genius. That is a talent that would be completely wasted here on this housing site. The regulars know what I’m talking about.
And besides, I would be completely lost recommending all the good restaurants that helmethofer recommends. He clearly gets out more than me.
And as for having one-time visitors- I wouldn’t know what that was about. I don’t track my site at all. I haven’t looked at Google Analytics in a year. The only way I know my traffic is way down is because my income is. So I don’t really care if a one time visitor shows up and then freaks out and leaves.
That’s the thing Joe. How many times do I have to say it? I DON’T CARE what the site is doing! I just run it so that those of us who love real estate have a forum in which to discuss it. That’s it. I know it drives you nuts. It’s not a business Joe. It’s just a bunch of people having fun.
JZ has a consistent and strong voice calling for censorship of a blog that he doesn’t even run, and he expects to get it! Now who is the control freak? Who is ideologue? JZ just knows he’s being called out correctly and he can’t stand it. Long live freedom. JZ, the red diaper baby-boomer, probably wept went the soviet union went down. He’s a loser. Troll.
Gay-bashing, anti-Semitism, ugly racism, repeated lies about honest people …
“It’s just a bunch of people having fun.”
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!
how is this guy still not banned yet?
It has come to the point where I visit YO-Chicago more than Cribchatter as its too much of a pain to filter out all the horrible off topic gutter-snipe dribble coming from the Dan/Hofer.
I am going to say something that i thought i would never ever in a million years say….
…..Joe Zekas is right!!!
oh man that was hard to say I think I gagged a bit typing that. the fact that you let HH run wild here is really really bad for your site. you are going to loose the first time looker, the casual posters and now you are loosing the regulars. just not good.
good luck, i am outtie 5000
The Groove
Groove what the hell is wrong with you and who stole your username!
I bet it was…
JOE ZEKAS!
“sonies (June 5, 2013, 9:18 am)
Groove what the hell is wrong with you and who stole your username!”
my bad, typed my groove email addy in the user name.
“Joe Zekas (June 5, 2013, 9:12 am)
repeated lies about honest people ”
now thats funny 🙂 didnt we have a little talk about the “honest” sergio & banks. and i gave you facts that you chose not to refute?
“It has come to the point where I visit YO-Chicago more than Cribchatter”
Fine. Then go there and stay there. Take JZ back over there too.
If “HH” is driving people to Yo (ridiculous by observing they have barely any comments on its threads), but if that was true, you’d think JZ would be happy to hear this. Instead, he’s still over here trolling and whining and crying with a a consistent and strong voice calling for censorship. JZ, get this through your head….you are the intolerant one. I will never give up standing up for truth and honesty against scum like you. The Yo website is run “for-profit” and it’s sponsored by advertisers, realtors, and developers. It’s a sales website, not one for any honest analysis or opinion. And he heavily edits it and censors it to maintain the skewed information it puts out. The infomercials are not open to any kind of scrutiny or analysis, because of his heavy-handed moderation, and therefore it’s not a credible source of information, it’s one-sided….and he wants to lecture people about lies? Besides. everything I say is truthful….and that’s what really bugs JZ. I’ve never asked for censorship of banning of anyone, but it should be obvious now that JZ is disruptive and should be banned.
“The Yo website is run “for-profit” and it’s sponsored by advertisers, realtors, and developers. It’s a sales website, not one for any honest analysis or opinion. And he heavily edits it and censors it to maintain the skewed information it puts out. The infomercials are not open to any kind of scrutiny or analysis, because of his heavy-handed moderation, and therefore it’s not a credible source of information, it’s one-sided….and he wants to lecture people about lies?”
BINGO!
I don’t know if banning comments/commenters on a privately owned website rises to the level of “censorship”.
Even if you are prohibited from posting on Yo Chicago or Crib Chatter, you have plenty of other outlets in which to “share” your thoughts.
Censorship is a horrendous thing and using the term indiscriminately cheapens it.
“Bob.. where are you??”
He’s still trying to count how many drinks equals a ‘binge’.
“[________] is a horrendous thing and using the term indiscriminately cheapens it.”
One could fill in that blank with a lot of terms that get tossed around here by certain folks.
We link articles from 100s of different local, regional and national sources, including this one, on our Chicago Real Estate News page. Every conceivable viewpoint is represented.
CribChatter’s haters are the real censors, trying to steer people away from anyone they disagree with by making up lies about them.
“CribChatter’s haters are the real censors, trying to steer people away from anyone they disagree with by making up lies about them.”
ROFLMAO.. Are you suggesting that everyone here agrees with one another??? Now time to walk my dog so I can come back and pray to King Sonies.. New starting center for the Tel Aviv Yarmulkes.
Seriously Joe, HH/Dan is nothing more than a silly daily dose of Michelle Bachmann sound bites… actually more Marcus Bachmann when you come to think of it. On the one hand, here’s someone who thinks that the lavish gay lifestyle is responsible for, say, straights deciding not to have kids (and uses the Bravo network as his reference), and on the other hand he then asks if anyone knows where to buy a good chandelier. Do you not see see the internet gold in that?
“Do you not see see the internet gold in that?”
Defending the quality of another mans sperm.. Platinum!!!
helmethofer continues to soil himself by making stuff up.
For the record, Jerry Kleiner has never been a client. We have a mutual friend. I did tour one of Jerry’s restaurants with him and shot several videos with him because I thought he was an interesting story. If he were a client that would have been disclosed in the video credits / description, as it always is.
Anyone can look at our Chicago Real Estate News page, drill in on the More links for each category and verify that we’ve linked to 100s of different sites.
http://yochicago.com/chicago-real-estate-news/
“intelligent Bob’s DNA”
We will just agree to disagree because really I just don’t see it, moderate intelligence and definitely not that smart… but one thing for certain.. you really love Bobs sperm…
He should sing this to you before he releases. (in best Lionel Richie voice)
And, YES……
You’ll be the ONLY ONE
‘Cause NO one can deny
This love I have inside
AND I”LL SPEW IT ALL OVER YOU
My love
My love, my love
My endless love
“yet Vlajos and his crowd think this is progress, and people reproducing and actually raising kids are “lemmings”.
I have three kids and a wife. No one is a lemming for having a family. The lemmings are the ones who head straight to the suburbs upon the birth of little Tommy or Gabby.
“The lemmings are the ones who head straight to the suburbs upon the birth of little Tommy or Gabby.”
So you find yourself superior because you choose to stay in the city despite the obvious disadvantages? You call us suburbanites lemmings, we think of your type as naive fools.
I thoroughly analyzed the suburbs v. city, weighed the advantages and made the informed and calculated rational decision that the near-suburbs beat the city by a wide margin. My family debated this issue for years on end. To arrogantly deride my personal choice and rational conclusions show your naivety.
“To arrogantly deride my personal choice and rational conclusions show your naivety.”
Action is character. If you do what the lemmings do, then lemming you are.
“near-suburbs”
Park ridge, eh?
What “disadvantages” hd? Just curious?
“What “disadvantages” hd? Just curious?’
This again? Where do I start – crappier schools except for a handful of neighborhoods, ridiculous amounts of petty crime, congestion, high real estate prices, no yard in a 25×125 lot, and all the other BS of living in Chicago.
“Action is character. If you do what the lemmings do, then lemming you are.”
I keep hearing that the trend is to move into (or stay) in the city.
G:
What’s the early line on aggregate EAV this year?
“no yard in a 25×125 lot”
You *enjoy* mowing?
“You *enjoy* mowing?”
No that’s why I pay someone to mow my 80×175 lot. It’s cheap and they do it fast and well.
‘Park ridge, eh?”
River Grove.
“River Grove.”
You pitched a yurt in the forest preserve? Becasue that’s not a real place.
“Suburban schools are vastly overrated, if your kid is a shithead it won’t matter what schools you send him to”
And if you’re kid is phenomenal it won’t matter either. But for the middle 80% of kids, the normal ones, they aren’t going to have a shot at a decent education in CPS. CPS is a huge machine adept at passing over problems or sweeping them under the rug. Combine that with the behavioral problems that exist in CPS caused by the other 93% (and I’ll give credit its mostly the blacks not hispanics), means very little instruction actually goes on. Its crowd control.
SWPLs realize this as school enrollment nears, and they still flee. These days they rent out their condos they paid 400k for though as opposed to selling, or walk away from them. A FICO score is one thing and is very important to this heavily dependent on debt set, but at the end of the day the well-being of their offspring is of far greater importance.
We’ll see whether GZ pricing holds up as interest rates rise as well as crime. Significant cuts to CPD budgets means either the ghettos are left with less coverage leading to more newspaper headline murders or the GZ is left with less coverage leading to more bike thefts/car breakins. So far the ghetto has been left out in the cold but with a rising murder rate its only a matter of time before the mayor has to change course.
With bobs rosy outlook, knowledge and superior sperm I am really shocked that no lady has scooped this guy up.
” oilc (June 6, 2013, 2:43 pm)
With bobs rosy outlook, knowledge and superior sperm I am really shocked that no lady has scooped this guy up.”
He’s saving himself for the perfect man, he just hasn’t found him yet.
A commenter named Bob, who appears to be the same as this Bob, was banned from YoChicago for repeatedly demonstrating that he was a know-nothing racist troll. Ditto for a commenter named Dan, who Sabrina identifies as helmethofer. Doing that makes YoChicago no different than any number of other websites that don’t tolerate or condone compulsive haters who are clearly in the grip of a disease process.
I’ve never deleted a word I’ve written on YoChicago – and we’ve knowledgeably slammed, by name, and with our butt on the line for it, quite a few real estate developers and brokers. I don’t see the commenters here having the guts – or the knowledge – to do that.
“and we’ve knowledgeably slammed, by name, and with our butt on the line for it, quite a few real estate developers and brokers”
Joe–if one of your advertisers told you to slam a competitor there’s no doubt you’d oblige.
” repeatedly demonstrating that he was a know-nothing racist troll”
Knew something about a “bubble”, which many did except for you. But they got banned in quick succession as well. Joe you were a bubble denier right up until 2008 when you tried to do a 180 and claim you never denied the bubble, heck you even linked to some articles about it. But this was right around the time YC changed focus to renting from owning.
“You *enjoy* mowing?”
Oh, I loved my lil John Deere tractor.. My wife said I used to have the biggest smile every time i rode it..
“I love seeing Joe Zekas seethe seeing as he can’t control content on here and he is one used to manipulating every facet of a presentation to try to get a sale”
Bob, I don’t think he really cares at all… I think every time a Google spider passes his link on CC, he believes an angel gets their wings…
“I loved my lil John Deere tractor”
You got a Deere for a 1/6 acre lot?
“You got a Deere for a 1/6 acre lot?”
If I had a 1/6 acre lot, and it would make me happy, then yes I most certainly would.
“Suburban schools are vastly overrated, if your kid is a shithead it won’t matter what schools you send him to” “And if you’re kid is phenomenal it won’t matter either…”
More advice from a know nothing who has no skin in this game. WARNING: plug for sub’n schools for some! Kids w/ big basketball upside must compete against other great talent in order to maximize improvement. Ime kids w/ big learning upside must also be pushed by competition to get the most out of their potential. Sub’n districts understand the value of providing excellent students the tools to achieve max improvement & most upper mid class districts have available resources to do so. Home buyers w/ potential ‘kids who are phenomenal’ whose parents hope will excel buy homes in districts where schools historically have produced great results. Most homeowners who are happy with their schools performance don’t complain about tax bills.
Hey Z – I just looked it up and I am shocked to find our resident expert on everything may be wrong:
US Dist Ct E Dist of VA: “The Alexandria Division has jurisdiction over the following federal property, which includes, but is not limited to:
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Fort Myer
Fort Belvoir
Quantico
CIA
Pentagon
Traffic dockets are posted on the second floor outside of the Clerk’s Office….Traffic matters are heard by U.S. Magistrate Judges.” No way BubbaBoob could be wrong – this must be part of Barrack Hussein’s master plan to discredit this real American.
Except those of us who understand that Virginia is actually not part of the District of Columbia, which made the issue moot when Ze pointed it out.
And while western Potomac might be 9 miles away from western DC, its not considered DC or even quasi-DC by those who live in DC/Silver Spring/Bethesda. Its as much DC as Lake Forest is Chicago.
Eastern Potomac.
” My wife said I used to have the biggest smile every time i rode it.. ”
you just enjoyed the vibrations…
“And while [eastern] Potomac might be 9 miles away from western DC”
The east edge of Potomac is 5 miles (as the car drives) for the western edge of DC. Five miles north of Chicago ain’t Lake Forest–it’s K’worth.
Not that I know where Ze lived in Potomac, but I don’t think it was on the eastern edge.
“Not that I know where Ze lived in Potomac, but I don’t think it was on the eastern edge.”
I have, a long time ago, said I lived next to a golf course, played regularly, and a few nights ago said using Persimmon Tree, although not exact, would be a very good benchmark for where I lived. Less than 9 miles to the main intersection in Georgetown.. crap I rode my bike there dozens of times.
“Except those of us who understand that Virginia is actually not part of the District of Columbia, which made the issue moot when Ze pointed it out.”
No Bob, I said driving down the G.W. Pkwy was a brown sign rd. and could land you in Federal Court and then expressing your extraordinary knowledge of a city you know little about, and trying to call bullshit on me, you said:
“…? FYI–you don’t goto federal court for traffic violations in DC you don’t even goto court you goto DC DMV.”
which I then immediately corrected,and pointed out it was not, despite your previously professed knowledge of D.C. in D.C. Remember the whole convo started with you saying I was unfamiliar with D.C.
Bob, not only are you far from intelligent but you also appear, not surprisingly, rather intellectually dishonest. Both I am certain become rather transparent to anyone spending 8+ hours a day working with you, which explains your, at best, lower mid-level manager status. BUT NONETHELESS, I do consider you an exceptionally lucky individual to have your head so far up your ass that it actually appears that it is back on your shoulders…
“you just enjoyed the vibrations…”
Without a doubt!!!
“working with you, which explains your, at best, lower mid-level manager status. ”
You seem to know so much, ze! But you are apparently unaware that the rest of Montgomery County, indeed DC as well, considers residents of Potomac big over-privileged assholes. Bet your mommy & daddy were really milking that federal tit from your time there, eh?
In fact Ze, I think its safe to say the entire 301 area code thinks Potomac residents are huge assholes, which explains you pretty well. But for all of that milking of the government tit your parents did I guess it wasn’t enough to keep their offspring stateside. We should sent some foreign aid money to Rio for taking you. I would rather it goto the leader of Brazil as opposed to improving your favela, however.
You don’t wind up in federal court for speeding _in DC_. Same thing for outside of DC heading to Potomac. And by your own words NoVA isn’t considered DC by those who live there.
You’re a moron in a third world country, Ze. You should’ve followed your parents career of being a govt bureaucrat after G’town law.
I do like your life story, though, Ze. From livin’ large in Potomac in the 80s to living in a Brazilian slum in the 2010s your story is proof that social mobility is still indeed possible. 😀
“I have, a long time ago, said I lived next to a golf course, played regularly, and a few nights ago said using Persimmon Tree, although not exact, would be a very good benchmark for where I lived. Less than 9 miles to the main intersection in Georgetown.. crap I rode my bike there dozens of times.”
Unless you lived at the clubhouse at Congressional, or have a weird concept of “main intersection”, more than 9 miles by road. That sort of BS invites email spam.
The binge drinking started early today. Hope the Jetta Diesel is safely parked.
I started this site in 2007 because there was nowhere to discuss real estate. There was nothing but bubble denial on YoChicago back then which was totally unrealistic with what was going on.
Can we stop this discussion now? I don’t like remembering it because it was soooooo negative.
Joe, you’re welcome to keep posting here. Unlike you, I don’t ban people who don’t agree with my point of view.
“Unless you lived at the clubhouse at Congressional, or have a weird concept of “main intersection”, more than 9 miles by road.”
To G’town U was what I meant, think thats what I used in the argument.. intersection is Persimmon Rd 8.1 mi and Persimmon Ln 9.0… Point being 9.0 miles is not out of anyones metro area.. further point being Bob talks out of his ass, and when corrected continues to shit from the mouth relentlessly… . As for Congressional.. They wouldn’t let me in, they don’t let anyone in..
“You’re a moron in a third world country, Ze.” —-> Closest you ever got to figuring me out..
“I do like your life story, though, Ze. From livin’ large in Potomac in the 80s to living in a Brazilian slum in the 2010s your story is proof that social mobility is still indeed possible.”
I grew up in NY.. you really don’t pay attention…
“Ze. You should’ve followed your parents career of being a govt bureaucrat after G’town law.”
You are getting colder again… law school.. another 3 years of school and I would have killed myself… I think the only reason I remain so evasive on CC about work is because I so thoroughly enjoy watching you whiff every time you take a guess… Bob, I really do have this picture in my mind of you as Warren from There’s Something About Mary.. I can see you running around in your red ear muffs.. say it for me Bob.. “Franks and Beans”, “Franks and Beans”.. oh you make me split my stitches everytime I picture you saying that…
“which explains your, at best, lower mid-level manager status”
Sorry if that comment upset you.. I thought I was being generous… “Franks and Beans” Bob, “Franks and Beans”….
Sabrina why do you delete my occasional, relatively mild truthful responses to Bob & HerrHofer’s lie filled posts about me? I only respond to them after they post lies and hateful statements about me that I answer so there is a negative consequence for them posting lies and hate. They are the sole reason for conversations turning “soooooo negative”. I wouldn’t complain if you uniformly deleted hateful posts but it appears those two email you quickly after I post, begging you to delete my post. It’s ironic to me that hatefilled posters want to dish out hateful insults but are not willing to let responses by me or JZ stand. There is a word for people like them: p=ssies!
Sabrina,
Your straw man-Zekas doesn’t remotely resemble reality.
There was never “bubble denial” on YoChicago – there was a very deep skepticism when people were yammering that Chicago was no different than California, Arizona and Florida. When asked for local data to back up their claims they hissed, screeched, name-called and did everything but supply facts. They knew nothing of real estate but they were mired in biases and vitriol.
Throughout that period we linked to differing viewpoints from around the web, including thoughtful articles on every side of the bubble issue. The Bobs savagely attacked the personal integrity of any responsible analyst who expressed a view that differed from theirs – without confronting the actual arguments, because they’re not mentally equipped to conduct an intelligent argument and are totally lacking in experience.
No one has ever been banned from YoChicago for disagreeing with my point of view on real estate issues. You can find lots of disagreement if you go back to those days. Ugly haters were banned for repeatedly refusing to refrain from lying personal attacks, racist remarks and anti-Semitic drivel. Unlike you, I don’t tolerate it. I run a real estate site, not a hate-fest where life’s casualties are indulged in pretending that their pathology is opinion.
Seriously now Sabrina, NO ONE you know would do a DIY paint job on this house pre move in? With the rough place Chicago is in and the low inventory? Per Sq Ft pricing so low and NO ONE will do their own paint in a 2400 sq ft apt? It would take a couple of weekends if two ppl were working on it…..maybe a week – 10 days for a single…easily.
I’ve done larger places myself on the fly when under a deadline…vintage, modern, high ceilings, mouldings….in a week, including priming and trim. It’s not a hard thing to do and considering the economic status a lot of buyers are in. If it were to save a buyer $3000 – 4000, I think most would see the value…..especially in Chicago.
And BTW, HH is the reason I am not here but on a bi monthly basis anymore. Between him and clio, Clio & CLIO….this place is hard on the eyes sometimes. Not a personal slam at you Sabrina….you do a fantastic job on your site, especially when dealing with Jay Zee. It’s just hard to keep your mind on the properties being featured with all that garbage spewing out of HH’s urinal mouth.
“Per Sq Ft pricing so low and NO ONE will do their own paint in a 2400 sq ft apt? It would take a couple of weekends if two ppl were working on it…..maybe a week – 10 days for a single…easily.”
Given the fact that about 80% of the properties I see on the market either have white walls or atrocious paint- I would say- NO ONE would paint it on their own.
When was the last time you painted anything westloopelo? This is a HUGE project. It is every single room with intricate detailing, windows etc. This is a several week project if you were doing it yourself. Give me a break. You’d have to prime every room first. And THEN paint them all- maybe with more than one coat (depending on the color.) Oh my god! Just hire someone already!
And yes- as we discussed on this property- it’s NOT going to be a singleton buying a 4-bedroom in Nettlehorst, right? It’s going to be someone with kids or expecting kids. You think two working 30 year olds maybe with one or two kids under the age of 5 are going to spend 2 weeks every day in this apartment painting it when they can hire someone to do it in 5 days for about $5k or $7k?
Give me a break.
“They knew nothing of real estate but they were mired in biases and vitriol.”
This is the problem and always has been. We all know NOTHING. Joe knows everything. This is exactly what happened 6 years ago on YoChicago and this is why I started CribChatter. (In fact, I’m having flashbacks to 2007 right now!)
Yes Joe- this current hot housing market is NOT going to last (but, remember, I know nothing.) Rates will rise because it is all artificial from the Fed and as Alan Greenspan himself said this morning- rates could rise more rapidly than anyone ever anticipated. The Fed’s balance sheet is too large. It has to be unwound and it’s not going to be pretty. Who knows how long this hot housing market will last? At least until rates rise further, I would assume. But it won’t last.
When you linked to my bearish comment a week ago- that was classic Joe Zekas circa 2007 all over again. Attack, attack, attack. Look at Sabrina- she knows NOTHING. I, Joe Zekas, know EVERYTHING. That is why I stopped reading YoChicago in 2007 and that’s why I don’t read it now.
I have never, nor would I ever, put a post on my site directly attacking someone like that. NEVER.
How sad for YoChicago.
(By the way- Chicago was NOT any different than Chicago, Arizona and the other hot markets as our 33% decline in prices and numerous fraud cases against fake appraisals all proved too true.)
“Sabrina why do you delete my occasional, relatively mild truthful responses to Bob & HerrHofer’s lie filled posts about me?”
I’m sick of this.
IGNORE THEM. But you don’t.
“Ugly haters were banned for repeatedly refusing to refrain from lying personal attacks, racist remarks and anti-Semitic drivel. Unlike you, I don’t tolerate it. I run a real estate site, not a hate-fest where life’s casualties are indulged in pretending that their pathology is opinion.”
You can keep repeating that, but you’re not a truthful person. You can keep throwing out those buzzwords because you think they are effective attack words, but they just expose you for what you are. Untruthful, biased and hell-bent on censorship. I wonder why JZ isn’t offended when CC’ers discuss and lampoon other facets of our demographics: frat boys, Bridgeport residents, gangbangers, Chinatown, Midwestern transplants from OH, WI, IN, IA, MN, boystown, suburbanites, hipsters, yuppies….etc.
JZ just shows what at the top of “his” totem. He’s still here trying to censor a blog that he doesn’t even run and never will. Who else thinks its time to BAN JOE ZEKAS for disruption and his own hate here? Enough!
Ban Joe Zekas already. LOL, he spends more time on this website than he does his own. He’s getting hooked, but we don’t need his drivel here. We need to get back to chattering about Chicago and its diverse real estate neighborhoods and product types.
“IGNORE THEM. But you don’t.”
He doesn’t listen. His goal is censorship, and it appears he will continue to disrupt you Sabrina. I don’t think he’s capable of listening or stopping. Just ban Joe Zekas and peace will return here.
By the way- the irony that I started Crib Chatter to escape Joe Zekas and yet here it is 6 years later and he’s still calling us all stupid- has not escaped me.
“Sabrina why do you delete my occasional, relatively mild truthful responses to Bob & HerrHofer’s lie filled posts about me? I only respond to them after they post lies and hateful statements about me that I answer so there is a negative consequence for them posting lies and hate. They are the sole reason for conversations turning “soooooo negative”. I wouldn’t complain if you uniformly deleted hateful posts but it appears those two email you quickly after I post, begging you to delete my post. It’s ironic to me that hatefilled posters want to dish out hateful insults but are not willing to let responses by me or JZ stand. There is a word for people like them: p=ssies!”
A: tldr
Try and make your rants shorter. Tighten up the text. Edit it down to 3 sentences or something. Or just call someone you don’t like an “anti-semite”. That’s what JZ does.
http://yochicago.com/housing-tragedy-tomorrow-cribchatter-comedy-tonight/30440/
That’s attack, attack, attack? Are you serious?
Again, the problem the commenters here have is that people can read. I haven’t been here In months, and came here only to respond to lies that were completely irrelevant to the posts they were made on. That’s censorship?
So, you weren’t a draft-dodger?
Like millions of people of my generation I was strongly opposed to the Vietnam war. I sought and received an occupational deferment for working as a social worker in a public agency. I refer to myself as a “draft dodger” in tribute to my long-deceased Marine kid brother who volunteered to go to Vietnam and referred to me that way, half seriously, at the time.
I wouldn’t call it an attack, but wow Joe you sure sound like a whiney, jealous, petty little bitch with that post.
Too bad nobody here is allowed to post on your site to rip you to shreds, well not too bad really your site is quite irrelevant.
So HH, I take it that you are serving in Iraq and Afghanestan? Or as a typical racist loser, the rules of the game are different for you?
“I wouldn’t avoid a draft, like a weasel.”
No, you would just end up in another country, kind of like you ended up at the wrong auto shop…lmao
“IGNORE THEM. But you don’t.” Thanks for your advice S. I do ignore 95%+ of their postings. I don’t agree ignorant a-holes should be allowed to attempt to bully others by posting whatever they want without consequence. I look forward to when their shield of anonymity whilst spewing hate & lies is pierced and their co-workers, neighbors & prospective employers can discover what these two’s core beliefs are. They’ll then understand the meaning of the word consequence. Fwiw I don’t see you practicing this advice by ignoring JZ etc.
“Given the fact that about 80% of the properties I see on the market either have white walls or atrocious paint- I would say- NO ONE would paint it on their own.’
Right, you answered your own question…no one putting a unit on market will do the painting as it is usually viewed as part of staging and most buyers want to be able to customize their own way. Painting is the easiest and most inexpensive way to do so. As busy as NYers are, I would venture to say at least 50% of them do their own painting as having it done for you by a pro is SO SO SO expensive…and I am talking labor only.
“When was the last time you painted anything westloopelo? This is a HUGE project. It is every single room with intricate detailing, windows etc. This is a several week project if you were doing it yourself. Give me a break. You’d have to prime every room first. And THEN paint them all- maybe with more than one coat (depending on the color.)”
Two weeks ago I finished totally priming and painting a vintage, combo 8 room pre-war unit for a couple from Brazil. It was a just under 2600 sq ft duplex unit with 3/3 and a large double height LR/DR combo. To top it off, there was moulding on the edge of the ceiling and a very intricate pattern on the plaster ceiling, complete with a decorative medallion. Was it difficult, at times yes, as at 22′ high, it was quite a stretch for me to do. Total work time for me once all materials and supplies were in place? One day to tape it off….three days to prime only the walls and one week to apply three coats of a high quality paint in dark colors on the walls. Of course the primer was tinted making the job easier. I took three days off then returned and finished the trim and mouldings in two days. Am I a pro? I guess so, but with proper instruction and some perserverence, it is not that difficult to do….even for a couple with kids.
I have to ask you…have you ever painted a unit yourself? Are you aware of the labor involved? When you plan correctly and use prime quality materials, it is not that difficult at all. Of all jobs done by contractors, painting is the easiest and least time consuming.
They’ve relisted this property after a $15k price cut. Now at $550k.