Crib Chatter

This 3-bedroom in Benjamin Marshall’s Gold Coast masterpiece at 1544 N. State Parkway came on the market in May 2019.

We chattered about it several times in the past including last December 2019 after it had been renovated.

See our chatter here.

1550 N. State Parkway was constructed in 1912 and has just 32 units. It’s exterior is covered in limestone.

It has a doorman but no parking.

What is little known about the building is that it also has a shorter side building with maisonettes at 1544 N. State Parkway. This unit is one of those maisonettes (pictured above).

It has a separate private entrance through the landscaped courtyard.

The units don’t have the same tall ceilings and vintage features as the main building.

This unit was a short sale for several years and appears to finally have sold in an auction from the bank in 2016.

It’s now been renovated and has a new kitchen and baths.

The listing calls it a “dream kitchen and wet bar” with European materials with 10-foot island and full counters and backsplash in Taj Mahal Quartzite. It has Thermador appliances with “touch open” technology.

The bathrooms have custom vanities.

There’s a decorative fireplace, built-ins and some vintage crown molding in the living/dining room.

It has radiator heating and space pak air conditioning.

It does have in-unit washer/dryer but no parking.

The unit was originally listed at $1,049,999 in May 2019 and has now been reduced to $899,000.

What price will it take to get this sale done?

Kenneth Dooley at Compass has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #A3: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1850 square feet

• Sold in January 1988 for $289,000
• Sold in June 1997 for $335,000
• Sold in April 1999 for $442,000
• Sold in January 2004 for $865,000
• Sold in July 2006 for $950,000
• Originally listed in November 2009 for $1.135 million
• Lis pendens filed in May 2011
• Sold in March 2016 for $413,500
• Originally listed in May 2019 for $1,049,999
• Reduced several times
• Currently listed at $899,000
• Assessments are still $2169 a month (they were $1947 a month in 2012) (includes doorman, exercise room, exterior maintenance, scavenger and snow removal)
• Taxes are now $21,887 (they were $20,588 in December 2019 and $13,484 in July 2012)
• Space Pack air
• In-unit washer/dryer
• No parking – rental nearby
• Decorative fireplaces
• Bedroom #1: 17×14
• Bedroom #2: 14×13
• Bedroom #3: 11×8
• Living room/Dining room: 23×17
• Kitchen: 17×11
• Bar: 10×5

This 2-bedroom duplex up at 1020 W. Armitage in Lincoln Park came on the market in February 2020.

Built in 1995, this building has 8 units and attached parking. It doesn’t appear to have an elevator, however.

This unit is a duplex up penthouse.

The main level has the living room, dining room and kitchen, along with a fireplace and built-in bookcases.

The kitchen has white cabinets, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances.

The second floor has both bedrooms, including the master suite, and both full bathrooms.

The third floor has an office which has built in cabinets and a wine refrigerator along with a private rooftop deck.

It has the features buyers look for including has central air, washer/dryer in the unit and a 1-car attached garage.

The property is just steps away from the Brown Line El stop and the shops and restaurants on Armitage.

Originally listed in February 2020 for $725,000, it has now been reduced $75,000 to $649,999.

Is this a deal?

Pamela Rueve at Jameson Sotheby’s has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #3A: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, duplex up, no square footage listed

• Sold in August 1996 for $260,000
• Sold in October 1999 for $315,000
• Sold in April 2006 for $515,000
• Sold in August 2008 for $567,000
• Sold in April 2015 for $590,000
• Originally listed in February 2020 for $725,000
• Reduced
• Currently listed at $649,999 (includes 1-car garage)
• Assessments of $369 a month (includes scavenger)
• Taxes of $12,989
• Central Air
• Washer/dryer in the unit
• Fireplace
• Bedroom #1: 15×15 (second floor)
• Bedroom #2: 15×11 (second floor)
• Living/dining room combo: 28×15 (main floor)
• Kitchen: 12×8 (main floor)
• Office: 11×5 (third floor)
• Rooftop deck: 18×13 (third floor)

This 8-bedroom mansion at 1900 S. Prairie in the Prairie Historic District of the South Loop has been on and off the market since 2008.

The house is known as The Elbridge Keith House.

Built in 1870, here’s more information from the listing:

Built in 1870 and designed by J. R. Roberts, the Keith House is a breathtaking property situated along Chicago’s historic Prairie Avenue. The original “Gold Coast” in the late 19th century, the opulent Prairie Avenue was once home to the city’s elite with legendary Chicago families from the Pullmans to the Fields calling the tree-lined avenue home. Named for banker and merchant Elbridge Keith, the Keith House is one of the few remaining original mansions in the heart of the Prairie Avenue Historic District. Today, the home sits along a secluded cul-de-sac just moments from bustling Downtown Chicago.

We actually chattered about this house back in 2008.

Back then, the listing described it as a “project.”

But it had the same uses as it has in 2020. The first floor is still being used as event space and there are two apartments on the upper floors.

The current listing has pictures of the first floor including its magnificent crown molding and inlaid floors.

In the 2008 listing, the coach house had been “renovated.” You can see what it looks like in the current listing.

See our 2008 chatter here.

This house is zoned DX-3 and the listing says it can be a single family home, a condo conversion or a boutique hotel.

It also has historic tax incentives.

Built on a 50×176 oversized lot, it has a 2-car garage in addition to the coach house.

Here’s an old picture that I used in the 2008 post. I still love the horse in the front yard.

Here’s more detail from the 2008 listing:

For the first time in many years historic 1900 S. Prairie Avenue is on the market. Built in 1870 it is thought to be the oldest existing mansion on the Avenue. Elbridge Gerry Keith a wealthy banker and wholesaler hired architect Jonathan W. Roberts to design this three story structure and stable.

The main residence is about 7100 square feet. Constructed of top quality materials including Joliet limestone and red brick this home has many of its original details still intact: plaster moldings large windows fire place mantels mahogany woodwork and parquet inlayed floors.

The home has been transformed over the years. The 2100 square foot stable was recently renovated and converted into a two bedroom two bath coach house with beamed ceilings hardwood floors and a family room and an attached two car garage.

Homedelete argued this week that the coronavirus is going to change everything for Chicago.

“That’s why, my friends, I say, drive out of the city limits until you can find an acre or more. In the matter of weeks, the Big City lifestyle is suddenly toxic, and will remain so for generations. The irony of his all is that big cities, for most of history, were cramped diseased filled places of poor people. Anyone with any money at all got out of the city and into the countryside and spent time at a villa. Anyone with means LEFT the city, and out of that experience came the suburbs. The new urbanism made an assumption that turned out to be faulty: big cities would remain clean, safe and disease free, and right now, most big cities are no longer.”

This house was pending in the last week of March 2020, during the coronavirus.

It has since been re-listed.

When we chattered about it in 2008 it was listed at $3.35 million.

It’s been reduced to $2.695 million.

Is it a myth that the rich have always “fled” Chicago and other cities, as Homedelete argued?

This mansion is now 150 years old.

Hadley Rue at Dream Town has the listing. See the pictures and floor plan here.

1900 S. Prairie: 8 bedrooms, 7 baths, 10,660 square feet

• There’s no original sales price but looks like it might have last sold in 1999
• Was listed in November 2008 at $3.5 million
• Reduced
• Currently listed at $2.695 million
• Taxes of $29,252
• Coach House
• Central Air
• 2-Car Garage
• 50×176 lot
• 5 fireplaces

This studio loft in the Mergenthaler Lofts at 531 S. Plymouth in Printers Row came on the market in February 2020.

Built in 1886, this building has 20 units and a side parking lot which has only a few spots.

It was among the first batch of loft buildings to be converted in this neighborhood as it was converted in the early 1990s.

This is an authentic brick and timber corner loft which has south and west exposures with unique industrial windows and hardwood floors.

The kitchen has white cabinets and white appliances and an island.

There are built-in bookcases and a brick fireplace.

The loft has central air but no in-unit washer/dryer.

It does come with one of the few coveted outdoor parking spaces, however.

The loft also has 1.5 baths.

At 1320 square feet, it doesn’t have any walls for the bedroom and is wide open space like most artist lofts.

The listing says there are no dogs allowed, only cats. Do you think that has something to do with those timber ceilings?

The last sale on this unit appears to be back in the early 1990s.

This may be the first time it has been on the market in nearly 30 years.

Listed at $320,000, will this get snapped up by a loft lover?

James Wales at Baird & Warner has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #302: Studio, 1.5 baths, 1320 square feet, loft

• Last prior sale was in 1992 (no price listed)
• Originally listed in February 2020 for $320,000
• Currently still listed at $320,000 (includes one outdoor parking spot)
• Assessments of $797 a month (includes heat, gas, cable, Internet, exterior maintenance, scavenger, snow removal)
• Taxes of $5628
• Central Air
• No washer/dryer in the unit (laundry room in the building)
• No dogs; cats only
• Fireplace
• Living room: 26×36
• Dining room: 21×20
• Kitchen: 25×26

This 3-bedroom with an arched porch at 847 W. Bradley in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Lakeview just came on the market.

If it seems familiar, that’s because we actually chattered about it 12 years ago, all the way back in November 2008.

Back then, several of you liked the covered porch but thought that, given the economy, it might be too difficult to sell.

AMW (who doesn’t post here anymore) posted the following:

Really nice place. With unemployment soaring and the stock market down almost 50% this year, I don’t see much of a demand for this type of place. Places like this aren’t being sold with the 30yr treasury at 3.74%(lowest since 1977)? Sell anywhere you can before rates surge.

It actually sold just a month later.

See our chatter here.

It’s back on the market in 2020 but with some changes.

The “chef’s kitchen” has been updated and now has white and gray (blue?) cabinets, white counter tops, and subway tiles. There are also stainless steel appliances, along with a wine fridge.

The master suite has a bathroom with dual vanities and a walk-in-closet.

The second bedroom is also en suite.

The third bedroom is currently being used as an office/family room because it is not enclosed (but the listing says it can be.)

The covered porch is off the front of the unit and is extra long and wide, measuring 8 x 33.

It’s big enough for dining and grilling.

Built in 2003, the building has 6 units on an oversized lot measuring 43×160.

It has the other features buyers look for including central air, washer/dryer in the unit and garage parking.

It’s also just a few blocks north of Wrigley Field, near the Red Line, and all the bars and restaurants of East Lakeview.

Currently listed at $649,000, that’s just $11,000 above the housing bubble 2006 sales price of $638,000.

Is the patio still the big selling point of this property?

Rizwan Gilani at Dream Town has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #2F: 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 1800 square feet

• Sold in July 2003 for $570,000
• Sold in March 2006 for $638,000
• Sold in December 2008 for $587,500
• Sold in February 2015 for $572,000
• Currently listed at $649,000 (includes the garage parking)
• Assessments of $350 a month (they were $220 a month in 2008)(includes exterior maintenance, scavenger, snow removal)
• Taxes of $12,207 (they were $7683 in 2008)
• Central Air
• Washer/dryer in the unit
• 2 fireplaces
• Bedroom #1: 17×15
• Bedroom #2: 14×13
• Bedroom #3: 17×14
• Kitchen: 15×10
• Living room: 24×15
• Walk-in-closet: 10×5
• Terrace: 33×8

This 2-bedroom co-op at 3750 N. Lake Shore Drive in Lakeview came on the market in January 2020.

Built in 1926, this co-op building has 132 units, an indoor pool, an exercise room, doorman, a deck with grills.

There’s rental parking in the neighborhood.

This listing says the unit has been “completely renovated.”

It has 3 exposures, including one that’s a skyline view.

Like many vintage buildings, it has a foyer and a separate dining room.

The kitchen has been opened to the dining room, which is being used as the living room in these pictures, and has white cabinets, white subway tile, stainless steel appliances and an island.

Both bedrooms are en suite.

There’s no central air and parking is available in the neighborhood for rent between $135 and $280 a month.

The listing says that in-unit washer/dryer is allowed. The last listing, in 2014, also said it was allowed so this isn’t a new policy with the building.

But if they did a complete renovation, why not install it then?

Originally listed for $349,000, it has been reduced to $325,000.

As a co-op, the assessment includes the taxes.

Is this a deal for a move-in ready vintage unit?

Alexandre Stoykov at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices has the listing. See the pictures and floor plan here.

Unit #15-H: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1600 square feet

• Sold in October 2014 for $112,450 (per Redfin)
• Originally listed in January 2020 for $349,000
• Reduced
• Currently listed at $325,000
• Assessments of $1382 a month (includes heat, electric, gas, cable, taxes, exercise room, indoor pool, exterior maintenance, lawn care, scavenger)
• Taxes are $5372 (includes in HOA)
• No central air- window units only
• No in-unit washer/dryer (can be installed)
• No parking (it is rental in the neighborhood between $135-$280 a month)
• Bedroom #1: 17×12
• Bedroom #2: 16×10
• Living room: 25×14
• Dining room: 17×14
• Kitchen: 13×11

Does anyone care about what the housing market was doing before the coronavirus hit the US?

It seems like another world now.

But it’s good to have the data.

It’s not surprising that Chicago home sales were up year-over-year in February. From the Illinois Association of Realtors:

The city of Chicago saw year-over-year home sales increase 1.6 percent with 1,472 sales in February, compared to 1,449 a year ago. The median price of a home in the city of Chicago in February was $290,000 up 6.4 percent compared to February 2019 when it was $272,500.

Here is the sales data for February going back to 1997 (courtesy of G):

• 1997: 881 sales
• 1998: 991
• 2000: 1383
• 2001: 1151
• 2002: 1677
• 2003: 1566
• 2004: 1814
• 2005: 2228
• 2006: 1855
• 2007: 1703
• 2008: 1454
• 2009: 870
• 2010: 1257
• 2011: 1092
• 2012: 1250
• 2013: 1411
• 2014: 1361
• 2015: 1497
• 2016: 1567
• 2017: 1529
• 2018: 1535
• 2019: 1449
• 2020: 1472

Here is the Median Price Data also going back to 1997 (thanks G!):

• 1997: $117,000
• 1998: $132,000
• 1999: $143,750
• 2000: $161,500
• 2001: $180,200
• 2002: $212,000
• 2003: $215,000
• 2004: $229,900
• 2005: $268,900
• 2006: $267,500
• 2007: $270,000
• 2008: $290,000
• 2009: $218,125 (with 31% being REO/Short Sales)
• 2010: $176,000 (with 46% being REO/Short Sales)
• 2011: $150,250 (with 50% being REO/Short Sales)
• 2012: $140,300 (with 52% being REO/Short Sales)
• 2013: $158,000
• 2014 $175,000
• 2015: $212,000
• 2016: $236,000
• 2017: $246,000
• 2018: $272,000
• 2019: $272,500
• 2020: $290,000

“As we ease into what should have been the beginning of the spring home buying and selling season, the data reflects that consumers are being deliberate in their spending,” said Maurice Hampton, president of the Chicago Association of REALTORS® and owner of Centered International Realty. “Median sales are on the up while inventory and days on the market both declined, showing that buyers are active in their search.”

30 year fixed mortgage rates fell to an average of 3.47% from 3.6% in January and were down from 4.37% in February 2019.

The experts admitted that the forecasts were created before the coronavirus really started to impact.

“The forecasts were prepared using data prior to the stock market meltdown and the increased concern about the impact of the COVID-19 virus pandemic,” said Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, director of the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory at the University of Illinois. “Absent these events, the housing market would have continued its slow but steady rebound. In times past, consumers have become very risk averse when faced with uncertainties about the economy. The difference with the current crisis is the limitations on interactions and fear of infection. This may prove to have a very significant impact on the housing market over the next two to three months.”

Is it just a coincidence that the median high hit $290,000, which was the same in February 2008 before that recession hit?

What will the coronavirus do to sales in the coming months?

Defer them?

Or will many deals fall through as the mortgage lenders tighten the loan requirements?

Already, those who did loans to the riskiest buyers have already started laying off mortgage brokers as there is just NO lending in that market at all.

Illinois home prices and sales head higher in February [Illinois Association of Realtors, Press Release, March 20, 2020]

This 2-bedroom loft in the Union Square Lofts at 333 W. Hubbard in River North just came on the market.

During the coronavirus shelter-in-place crisis!

Real estate isn’t stopping even though the city has been put on a virtual lock down.

The Union Square Lofts was converted into lofts in 1998. There are 217 lofts.

There are several buildings around a center courtyard, a doorman and a parking garage.

This is a corner unit with 15 foot ceilings and large windows on two sides of the loft.

Both bedrooms have windows.

The listing describes the kitchen as a “Chef’s kitchen” and has white cabinets with a breakfast bar and luxury appliances by Bosch and Wolf.

But the selling point of the loft is the South facing “almost” 1000 square feet (the 2015 listing says its 900 square feet) private terrace with an outdoor kitchen.

The 2015 listing said that there was also custom lighting and irrigated planters on the terrace. It’s unclear if that is still the case.

It has the features that buyers look for including central air, washer/dryer in the unit and heated garage parking is included.

The loft has come on the market at $950,000 which is $25,000 below the 2015 purchase price of $975,000.

Will the huge terrace get this sale done quickly?

Zachary Koran at Compass has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #706: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, no square footage listed but the listing says it’s “over 1500 square feet.”

• Sold in September 1998 for $455,000
• Sold in August 2015 for $975,000 (included the parking)
• Currently listed for $950,000 (includes the parking)
• Assessments of $1818 a month (includes heat, gas, security, doorman, cable, exterior maintenance, lawn care, scavenger, snot removal, Internet)
• Taxes of $16,242
• Central Air
• Washer/dryer in the unit
• Fireplace
• Bedroom #1: 16×13
• Bedroom #2: 19×12
• Living/dining room: 26×21
• Kitchen: 14×9
• Deck: 42×21

This 6-bedroom historic mansion at 817 W. Hutchinson in the Buena Park neighborhood of Uptown was originally listed 9 years ago, in 2011.

We’ve chattered about it several times, including the last time it came on the market in 2017.

See our 2017 chatter here.

The Claude Seymour House is one of the many historic mansions that line Hutchinson on this landmarked block.

The Elite Street column in the Chicago Tribune highlighted it in 2013:

Designed by Prairie-style architect George Washington Maher and completed in 1913 for jewelry wholesaler Seymour, the more than 12,000-square-foot mansion has six bedrooms, four full baths, two half baths, leaded stained-glass windows, a grand mahogany staircase, three fireplaces, mahogany millwork throughout, an eat-in kitchen and a coach house atop a two-car garage.

The property has 136 feet of frontage and a wraparound yard.

Two other Maher mansions are also currently on the market.

750 W. Hutchinson is on 6 city lots and is listed for $3.995 million.

839 W. Hutchinson has a 4-car garage and a solarium and is listed at $3.65 million.

If you recall, this house is on 5 city lots measuring 136×140.

It has a 2-car garage plus space for 2 cars on the driveway.

It has most of it’s original vintage features, including moldings, stained glass, and a carved staircase along with 3 wood burning fireplaces.

All 6 bedrooms are on the third level.

The kitchen has stainless steel appliances and what look like stone counter tops.

There’s also a library, game room and a big lower level recreation room.

It has central air.

Since 2017, the house has had a $3 million price cut to $2.6 million. The listing now says:

$3,000,000 Reduction. Accepting Offers & Showings. Must Sell.

It’s also now a Short Sale.

Given the price of the other two Mahers on the same street, is this house a steal?

Alfred Cohen at Coldwell Banker still has the listing. You can see the pictures here.

817 W. Hutchinson: 6 bedrooms, 4 baths, 2 half baths, 12000 square feet, 2 car garage, studio

• Sold in November 1993 (no price listed)
• Originally listed in March 2011 for just 2 weeks at $5.195 million
• Re-listed in October 2011 for $4.995 million
• Lis pendens foreclosure filed in December 2011
• Was listed in October 2012 at $4.995 million
• Reduced
• Was listed in August 2013 at $4.5 million
• Withdrawn in February 2014 listed at $4.5 million
• I can’t tell if the bank now owns it
• Re-listed in November 2017 at $5.69 million
• Reduced $3 million
• Currently listed as a “short sale” at $2.6 million
• Taxes are now $103,803 (they were $88,500 in 2017, $81,517 in August 2103 and they were $21,652 in October 2012)
• Central Air
• 3 fireplaces
• Bedroom #1: 19×19 (third floor)
• Bedroom #2: 16×14 (third floor)
• Bedroom #3: 17×12 (third floor)
• Bedroom #4: 14×11 (third floor)
• Bedroom #5: 10×15 (third floor)
• Bedroom #6: 12×20 (third floor)
• Recreation room: 50×28 (lower level)

This 3-bedroom in a greystone at 506 W. Oakdale in East Lakeview came on the market in February 2020.

There’s no date on when it was built (1800s?) but one of the older listings says it’s a greystone (is it?).

It was converted into condos in 2003.

It has 4 units and there’s garage parking.

This unit is Unit #3, but it’s actually on the second floor. We chattered about it back in 2013 and it bothered some of you that it was NOT the top floor unit.

See our chatter here.

It has 10 foot ceilings, hardwood floors and crown molding.

There are 2 fireplaces including one in the living room and one in the master bedroom.

It has two outdoor spaces, a front balcony and it has the private deck above the garage.

The master suite has dual closets and a bathroom with a separate shower with body sprays.

There’s a hall bathroom for the guest bedrooms and a powder room.

The kitchen has white cabinets, black granite counter tops, a center island and breakfast bar along with Viking and Subzero appliances.

There’s also a family room just off the kitchen.

This unit has all the features buyers look for including central air, washer/dryer in the unit and one car garage parking.

Listed in February for $775,000, it was reduced to $749,900 in March and went under contract.

But it just fell out of contract and is available again.

In 2013, many of you thought this was a beautiful property which would sell immediately.

Will that happen again in 2020?

Ryan Gable at Starting Point Realty has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #3: 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2000 square feet

• Sold in August 2004 for $671,000
• Sold in August 2006 for $726,000
• Sold in June 2013 for $660,000
• Sold in July 2016 for $705,000
• Originally listed in February 2020 for $775,000
• Reduced
• Under contract but fell out
• Re-listed for $749,900 (includes garage parking)
• Assessments of $361 a month (they were $238 a month in 2013)
• Taxes are $13,108 (they were $10,460 in 2013)
• Central Air
• Washer/dryer in the unit
• 2 fireplaces
• Bedroom #1: 25×10
• Bedroom #2: 10×12
• Bedroom #3: 10×10
• Living room: 11×19
• Dining room: 10×8
• Family room: 11×12
• Den: 10×8
• Deck: 19×13
• Balcony: 15×5