Crib Chatter

This 1-bedroom at 511 W. Division, which is one of the buildings in the new(er) construction development The Parkside of Old Town, has been on the market since July 2011.

Bought in 2008 for $222,000 it is now a short sale listed at $110,000.

At 825 square feet, it has the new construction amenities such as central air.

The listing doesn’t say it has in-unit washer/dryer but I’m assuming that it does (based on the age of the building and that another short sale 1-bedroom listed in the building has it and shows a picture of it.)

This unit did not apparently receive any kind of upgrade package.

It has carpeting throughout and the kitchen does not have stainless steel appliances or granite counter tops.

But the current price does include deeded parking.

With the developer still selling units in several of the Parkside buildings, is this even a deal?

Cheena Chandra at Jameson Sotheby’s has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #302: 1 bedroom, 1 bath, 825 square feet

• Sold in October 2008 for $222,000
• Originally listed in July 2011 for $150,000
• Reduced
• Currently listed as a “short sale” for $110,000 (parking included)
• Assessments of $332 a month (includes heat, a/c, gas)
• Taxes of $3927
• Central Air
• Washer/Dryer in the unit (probably???)
• Bedroom: 19×11

This top floor 2-bedroom loft at 333 S. Des Plaines in the West Loop recently came on the market.

The building was converted in 2004 and retained the high ceilings, exposed ductwork and exposed brick common in authentic lofts.

This unit has also been upgraded with contemporary features including a custom architect-designed white wall unit and Mecho shades.

The kitchen is completely white, including the counter tops, except for the stainless steel appliances.

The marble bathrooms also have white cabinetry and counter tops.

At 1745 square feet, this 2-bedroom is much roomier than your typical 1200 square foot 2/2.

It is also priced $40,000 under the 2004 purchase price.

Is this a deal for the square footage?

Kathleen Menighan Wilson at Prudential Rubloff has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #715: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1745 square feet

• Sold in April 2004 for $480,000
• Currently listed at $410,000 (plus $30,000 for parking)
• Assessments of $491 a month (includes cable)
• Taxes of $5375
• Central Air
• Washer/Dryer in the unit
• Bedroom #1: 16×18
• Bedroom #2: 15×12

We last chattered about this 3-bedroom duplex down at 1542 N. Hudson in Old Town all the way back in November 2009.

See our prior chatter here.

But the unit has been on the market even longer- since May 2009- for a total of 30 months.

It has been listed as a short sale for that entire time.

The lis pendens foreclosure was filed in December 2009- so it has been almost 2 years of waiting for the bank to take possession.

Located directly next to the Brown/Purple Line El tracks, no one seems to know what this property is “worth” as it is currently listed at $175,000 but was listed as low as $149,000 last April, before the price was actually raised.

This is the lower level unit of a 2-unit building. The top floor unit, a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, is also in short sale listed at $155,000.

There is currently no condo association.

If you recall, this unit doesn’t have just one parking space it has two.

The unit has hardwood throughout and the kitchen has stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops.

It’s also a rare 3 bedroom 3 bath unit (as usually they are 3/2.)

From the listing, it appears that the living room and kitchen are both on the lower level (along with one of the bedrooms) and the other two bedrooms are on the main level.

What will become of this unit (and building)?

Kathleen Krist-Krueger at Kirst-Krueger Realty now has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #1: 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, no square footage listed, 2 car parking

• Sold in April 2006 for $550,000
• Originally listed in June 2009
• Listed in August 2009 for $375,000
• Lis pendens foreclosure filed in December 2009
• Reduced numerous times
• Was listed in April 2011 for $149,000
• Increased $50,000
• Reduced again
• Currently listed at $175,000
• No assessment- because no association
• Taxes of $8368
• Central Air
• Washer/Dryer hook-ups in the unit
• Bedroom #1: 15×15 (main level)
• Bedroom #2: 15×15 (main level)
• Bedroom #3: 12×15 (lower level)
• Living room: 18×20 (lower level)
• Kitchen: 7×15 (lower level)

The Claude Seymour House, a 6-bedroom historic mansion at 817 W. Hutchinson in the Buena Park neighborhood of Uptown returned to the market recently after briefly being listed last March.

Originally listed for just 2 weeks in March 2011 at $5.195 million, it came back on the market reduced to $4.995 million.

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

The asking price for the 16-room Claude Seymour House in Buena Park has been reduced to $4.995 million from $5.195 million.

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.

The mansion easily is the highest-priced listing in its area, with the next-most-expensive listing in its ZIP code clocking in at just under $3 million.

The house is “loaded with original details,” said listing agent Jennifer Ames, of Coldwell Banker.

“The sellers made it work for family living without tampering with the original integrity of the home.”

The house is on 5 city lots measuring 136×140.

All 6 bedrooms are on the third level.

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

Has the upper bracket market improved enough to sustain a $5 million price point in the Hutchinson Historic District?

Jennifer Ames at Coldwell Banker has the listing. 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
• Taxes of $20,579
• Central Air
• 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) 

We’ve chattered about Nate Berkus’ 3-bedroom at 1325 N. Astor in the Gold Coast several times before.

See our March 2011 chatter here.

Originally listed in January 2011, it has now been reduced $500,000 to $2.15 million.

Berkus renovated it but kept the original St. Charles metal cabinets in the kitchen and the Samuel Marx paneling.

According to the listing, there are new hardwood floors, a rehabbed master bath with custom English tub and a reconfigured master suite.

It also has two-zone air conditioning and new electrical.

The unit has an in-unit washer/dryer and a coveted deeded parking spot.

It’s been featured in Elle Decor magazine.

Even with the renovations, can this property ultimately command more than the 2003 price?

Katherine Chez at Coldwell Banker still has the listing. See the listing here.

Unit #8: 3 bedrooms, 4 baths, 3980 square feet, 1 car parking

• Sold in June 2003 for $1.5 million
• Originally listed in January 2011 for $2.65 million
• Reduced
• Was listed in March 2011 at $2.399 million
• Reduced in August 2011
• Currently listed at $2.15 million
• Assessments of $3816 a month (includes heat and doorman)
• Taxes of $29162
• Central Air
• Washer/Dryer in the unit
• Bedroom #1: 14×20
• Bedroom #2: 14×11
• Bedroom #3: 17×12

This 5-bedroom single family home at 2027 W. Leland in Lincoln Square has been on the market since April 2011.

In that time, it has beenreduced $54,001 to $674,999.

The house is on an oversized 37.5×122 lot.

It has a front porch and a back porch as well as a rare 3-car garage.

The kitchen has stainless steel appliances and skylights.

There are hardwood floors throughout the main level and a fireplace.

2 of the bedrooms are on the second floor, 2 are on the third and the fifth is in the lower level along with a family room.

Yes, that’s the El running along the back side of the house but that hasn’t stopped 2124 W. Eastwood, a 3-bedroom single family home just steps away listed at $519,000 from going under contract in less than a month. See that listing here.

What price will it take to sell this house?

John Robinson at Conlon has the listing. See the pictures here.

2027 W. Leland: 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, no square footage listed, 3 car garage

• Sold in June 2000 for $312,000
• Sold in March 2002 for $545,000
• Originally listed in April 2011 for $729,000
• Reduced several times
• Currently listed at $674,999
• Taxes of $9202
• Central Air
• Bedroom #1: 12×14 (second floor)
• Bedroom #2: 10×12 (second floor)
• Bedroom #3: 13×15 (third floor)
• Bedroom #4: 10×10 (third floor)
• Bedroom #5: 11×15 (lower level)
• Family room: 19×28 (lower level)

We last chattered about this 6-bedroom bank owned greystone at 1111 N. Hoyne in the Ukranian Village neighborhood of West Town in May 2011.

See our prior chatter here.

If you recall, the greystone was originally built in 1905, but none of its interior vintage features remain.

The house now spans 3 lots measuring 75×105 and that includes a 5-car heated garage.

It also has 2-story ceilings in some parts of the house and a contemporary interior including glass block framing the staircase.

At 9700 square feet, 5 out of the 6 bedrooms are on the second level with the 6th in the lower level.

It also has a lower level great room and exercise room.

If you’re looking for an in-law suite, it has that too.

And, interestingly, the listing says it has 6 furnaces.

Yes, it also has central air.

There are no pictures of the kitchen (though you can maybe see it through a doorway in one of the pictures.) So we don’t know if it is intact.

The listing says “drama throughout.”

The house was last purchased in 1993 when the Ukranian Village was a much different place than today.

How low will this have to go to find a buyer?

Suzanne Gignilliat at Coldwell Banker still has the listing. See the pictures here.

1111 N. Hoyne: 6 bedrooms, 6 baths, 3 half baths, 9700 square feet, 5 car garage

• Sold in February 1993 for $228,000
• Lis pendens filed in October 2008
• Bank owned in June 2010
• Was listed in May 2011 for $1.975 million
• Reduced
• Currently listed at $1.495 million
• Taxes of $20,264
• Central Air
• 6 Furnaces
• Full in-law apartment
• Bedroom #1: 31×24 (second floor)
• Bedroom #2: 14×14 (second floor)
• Bedroom #3: 10×11 (second floor)
• Bedroom #4: 14×10 (second floor)
• Bedroom #5: 15×11 (second floor)
• Bedroom #6: 11×8 (lower level)
• Great room: 19×20 (lower level)
• Exercise room: 22×19 (lower level)

The September sales data is out. It should be no surprise to anyone that while sales rebounded in Chicago from September last year, rising 6.8%,  they are still well under the Great Recession sales data despite record low mortgage rates.

From the Illinois Association of Realtors:

In the city of Chicago, September 2011 home sales (single family and condominiums) totaled 1,498, up 6.8 percent from 1,403 homes sold in September 2010. The city of Chicago median home sale price for September 2011 was $190,000, up 5.6 percent compared to September 2010 when it was $180,000.

“September home sales in the city of Chicago show signs of stabilization, with an increase in the units sold for both single family and condominiums,” said REALTOR® Bob Floss, president of the Chicago Association of REALTORS® and broker-owner of Bob Floss and Son Realty. “While interest rates remain historically low and prices compelling, we remain concerned of the overall economic stability of our marketplace with unemployment numbers and job creation still top of mind for so many buyers and homeowners, alike.”

September sales for the last 5 years:

• 2007: 2172 sales
• 2008: 1816 sales
• 2009: 1918 sales
• 2010: 1403 sales
• 2011: 1498 sales

Median prices for the last 5 years:

• 2007: $267,750
• 2008: $268,600
• 2009: $225,000
• 2010: $180,000
• 2011: $190,000

“The housing market is showing some positive signs in terms of sales volume, yet sale prices remain lower and more sales are expected in the category of homes priced less than $100,000,” said Dr. Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, director of the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory (REAL) of the University of Illinois. “For Illinois, the forecast indicates that total home sales will be positive for October and November on a month-to-month and year-over-year basis, a rather unexpected outcome for the last quarter of the year when the market typically cools down.”

For the second month in a row, the IAR has NOT provided the separate Chicago condo data. Call me a cynic but that usually indicates to me that the data is NOT improving. Since it doesn’t support the story, the IAR just doesn’t provide it.

But if anyone has the condo sales data, I’d be interested in seeing it.

September Illinois Home Sales Up 13.5 Percent from a Year Ago: Statewide Median Price at $136,850 [Press Release, Illinois Association of Realtors, October 20, 2011]

This duplex-up 2-bedroom loft in the Clock Tower Lofts at 2300 W. Wabansia in Bucktown has been on the market since March 2011.

In that time, it has been reduced about $50,000.

It is now listed $53,500 under the 2005 purchase price.

The loft has exposed brick and timber ceilings along with a 30-foot wall of windows.

The master bedroom is on the second floor and has skylights.

The kitchen has granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances.

The loft has central air, washer/dryer in the unit and parking is $20,000 extra.

Is this a deal for a Bucktown 2/2 loft?

Greg Vollan at @Properties has the listing. See the pictures here.

Unit #302: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, duplex-up, no square footage listed

• Sold in September 1996 for $159,500
• Sold in June 1998 for $203,000
• Sold in April 2003 for $375,000
• Sold in September 2005 for $362,500
• Originally listed in March 2011 for $339,900
• Reduced several times
• Currently listed at $289,000 (plus $20,000 for parking)
• Assess ments of $286 a month (includes cable)
• Taxes of $3563
• Central Air
• Washer/Dryer in the unit
• Bedroom #1: 15×13 (second floor)
• Bedroom #2: 10×10 (first floor)

We last chattered about this 5-bedroom contemporary at 838 W. Webster in Lincoln Park in April 2011.

See our prior chatter here.

If you remember, the house is an AIA design interior architecture award winner.

Built in 2004 on an oversized 48×115 lot, the living room has 20 foot high ceilings and a wall of windows which opens onto the 22×40 courtyard.

In all, the house has 2400 square feet of outdoor space in 7 locations.

The finishes are what you would expect from a luxury home.

There is a Poliform kitchen with stainless steel appliances and black granite counter tops.

The house also has a rare attached 3-car garage which is accessed through the kitchen.

What price will it take to finally sell this house?

Millie Rosenbloom at Baird & Warner still has the listing. See the pictures here.

838 W. Webster: 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3 car garage, 6920 square feet

• Sold in October 2001 for $1.615 million (the prior house)
• Was listed in September 2010 for $4.95 million
• Withdrawn in January 2011
• Reduced
• Was listed in April 2011 for $4.4 million
• Reduced
• Currently listed for $3.895 million
• Taxes now are $42123
• Central Air through 4 HVAC units
• Basement rec room
• Bedroom #1: 19×14 (second level)
• Bedroom #2: 19×15 (second level)
• Bedroom #3: 15×15 (third level)
• Bedroom #4: 15×15 (third level)
• Bedroom #5: 11×13 (third level)