It’s Not London, It’s Chicago: 1919 N. Lincoln Park in Lincoln Park
This 4-bedroom rowhouse at 1919 N. Lincoln Park in East Lincoln Park (or some might still call this Old Town) looks like it could be found in London.
Built in 1888, it has the vintage bones but also all the modern conveniences such as central air and 2 parking spaces (which the listing says can be covered or a garage built.)
After first being listed in August 2008, and withdrawn, and then being off the market most of 2009, it has now gone into contract in just 2 weeks after re-listing.
It has three wood burning fireplaces and high ceilings with period details. The kitchen has luxury appliances by Bosch and Wolf.
Was this the case of the property simply needing to be priced correctly or is it a sign the housing market is improving?
Mario Greco at Prudential Rubloff has the listing. See more pictures, a virtual tour and the floorplan here.
See the property website here.
1919 N. Lincoln Park: 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 2 car parking, no square footage listed
- Sold in June 1999 for $437,500
- Sold in November 2003 for $810,000
- Originally listed in August 2008 and withdrawn in January 2009
- Recently came back on the market at $899,000
- Under contract in 14 days
- Taxes of $14,539
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 20×17 (third level)
- Bedroom #2: 18×12 (second level)
- Bedroom #3: 11×11 (second level)
- Bedroom #4: 12×10 (lower level)
You’re really not going to tell us what it was listed for initially?
G?
I don’t know about it as a sign of the housing market improving, but I think it is more about a great urban SFH in an amazing location priced correctly to sell quickly, which is what appears will happen.
My first apartment in Chicago was in the building at the northwest corner of Clark and Dickens (330 W. Dickens to be precise) and my wife and I used to walk this stretch of street and past this house every Saturday walking back from Treasure Island after grocery shopping. I have always loved this small sheltered cul-de-sac street and think $899K might actually be a little under priced.
Granted you do have a massive highrises right behind across the alley, but the in the center of the City, so that situation is generally a given and accepted.
Love this place and the location.
Also, nice place. Price seems reasonable for location + size. I don’t like the bathrooms or the kitchen, but that’s relatively minor.
This would have gotten a look from us, had we been in the market. The actual closing price will be interesting.
How cool would it be to have a fireplace in your bedroom? I want one.
I wonder where the covered parking is located?
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Wow…I know it is a rowhouse, but boy does it look narrow.
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“How cool would it be to have a fireplace in your bedroom? I want one.”
Don’t put your flatscreen above it if you plan on using it, tho. The heat will do bad, bad things to your tv. You could recess it above the FP and make sure it’s tucked back anytime you light the fire.
London taxes too.
I looked at this place. Main issue for me was the parking/outdoor situation. Look at the airial view. The lots narrow as you go north because the alley cuts at an angle. This one is at the northern end of the block. This means you could have a garage or outdoor space, but probably not both. Maybe too hopeful about what I can find in this ‘hood at this price, but not what I want for $899k.
what is with the taxes?
I like the way the furniture matches the place. or at least to my untrained eye. all antiques or does pottery barn have an old looking furniture section?
Listed 8/18/08 $1,075,000 reduced to $999,000 cancelled 1/22/09.
Listed by current agent 11/30/09 $899,000.
The 11/03 sold price of $810,000 equates to $949,725 today after CPI inflation adjustment.
“I wonder where the covered parking is located?”
Not currently covered. Access off of Wisconsin, b/t the park (that used to be the Armitage bus turnaround) and the huge houses/vacant lots (that used to be a convalenscent home).
J,
When you looked at the place, was it really only parking that made you pass? couldnt you do a 1 car parking pad (parralel to the alley) and still retain a nice yard?
I like the location and the fact is a dead end street.
oops just read this sorry
“Secured, on-site 2-car parking that can be covered. Can build 2-car garage!”
i guess MG=Sold
taxes are probably due to the property being assessed with a market value of 1.2 mil.
If there is space to build a garage, I say build an attached garage (would likely need a variance for setbacks, but you’d get it if you properly lobby Vi) and just have a sweet rooftop outdoor area on the roof of the new garage addition.
If you need space to “run around” you’re not doing it on this property anyway – you’re going to use the giant park a block away.
“what is with the taxes?”
2008 assessment of 108,069 equated to assessed market value of $675,431 and “real” MV of $1,080,690.
I wanted to see this place but was told it was under contract.
Cool, but off the cuff assessor’s market value factor of 1.2 mil was pretty close to anon’s researched #. Probably, due to fact that I have been doing alot of tax bill estimating in the last month since we are looking at buying in the new year.
“I say build an attached garage (would likely need a variance for setbacks, but you’d get it if you properly lobby Vi)”
Don’t need a variance to build to the lotlines if you use “fireproof” material (quotes b/c it’s not just brick/stone/concrete that qualify). Might need a variance for lot coverage and being attached, but think that that’s also copacetic as-of-right b/c of the samll lot. Bigger issue would be pissing off your neighbors–might work best to get everyone (5 units in the row) on board to build with party walls, to save those precious inches–19′ less two walls is tight (workable, but notfun) for two spaces, esp. if one of the cars is a suv/van.
“anon’s researched #. ”
Not me this time. G.
sorry G.
Groove — Not an engineer, but eyeballing it there did not appear to be enough room for one car garage and outdoor space. I’m also skeptical that there would be room for a two car garage. Maybe, but it would be tight.
I’m just not a fan of vintage but depending on the sqfootage someone got a good deal I guess. Not what I’d spend 900k on but good for whoever bought the place. Nicely located that’s for sure.
Yuck, that yard is tight. The satellite view shows two cars parked askew. You might be able to do a garage there, with a deck on top. But it’d be tight.
In London this would be four units for 1.2M each.
“Groove — Not an engineer, but eyeballing it there did not appear to be enough room for one car garage and outdoor space. I’m also skeptical that there would be room for a two car garage. Maybe, but it would be tight.”
i am very curious now. I might be in this area friday afternoon, i will take a detour down the alley.
from google maps it looks like you can do 2 cars on a park pad but a a 2 car garage ummm i dont know?
grooves comparison question!!!!
So would you cribchattererers rather buy this house or the wildwood house??????????
is death an option?
19′ wide lot (and only 72′ deep, too!). . . means
1)no 2-car garage (or 1 car garage plus slab). Couldn’t even get ONE of anon’s super cab 150’s back there– now (w/out the garage).
2)I’m sorry, because I like the place in a lot of ways, but that’s just too small for this price point, to me– especially given the taxes! Note sq footage claimed for the rooms is only 1681– $534/sq foot???
3)As with the other super narrow house yesterday, apparently could be too narrow for Groove and his wife to “navigate each other” before the guests show up. So there are possible, personal objections to the, um, layout.
Compare to 1826 N. Lincoln. About a hundred yards away, also $899k, also under contract. I looked at that place too. One car garage in place and a nice little patio. The place itself was a little smaller and needed more work, but for my purposes I would have preferred it over this place. Also interesting to compare to 204 St. Paul. What is the parking spot and the patio worth? Apparently a lot since Lincoln and Lincoln Park West went under contract quickly and St. Paul is still on the market after many months.
19′ is wide enough for a legal 2-car garage built lot line to lot line. And 20′ is all that is needed for the depth. Won’t be the biggest garage you’ll ever see or use but it can be done.
Saw the house when it was listed at 999k. The parking was weird, as it was kind of a side-by-side tandem parking (couldn’t pull into second spot from the alley). No outdoor space (and a possible deck on top of a garage would not be a nice spot with the alley/highrise view). Those issues were a no-no for us. Master BR suite is on the top floor by itself, not closed off from rest of the house (so not so private) – could possibly be fixed.
Given the fantastic location and decent size with the basement, 899k is a decent listing price IMO.
I never saw 1826 N Lincoln, but that 3rd BR seems tiny, and the basement in this place looks much nicer (and contains a guest BR). Plus more bathrooms in this place. N Lincoln is also on a busier street. The patio is only worth so much IMO. Those buyers will kick themselves if the sold prices are similar.
Interesting that you preferred it (at the same price, really?)
Would rooftop deck/outdoor area really be “more” visible to the highrise people than a ground patio? The highrise people are going to see into the lot no matter what – just put some screening pergolas over the garage roof patio. I would much rather try to maximize my use of the property (ie an attached garage plus outdoor space) than have a ground patio at the same level of the alley/rat highway.
And if ever a variance for 100% lot coverage is justified, it is certainly justified in this place’s context.
“19? is wide enough for a legal 2-car garage built lot line to lot line. And 20? is all that is needed for the depth. Won’t be the biggest garage you’ll ever see or use but it can be done.”
Concur. Two spots at Costco are 19×20.5–>so this is plenty of room for a workable, but not generous-sized, garage.
Two issues: does it block the window to the basement bedroom (and the kitchen window) and can you get the powerpole moved.
To be clear, a legal parking spot under the zoning code is 8’x19′ – in order to be allowed to go to the lot line, the walls on the lot line have to be masonry (or at least adequately fire-rated) so you should have 16′ of interior width. The garage will not block the kitchen window but may block the basement window (depending on how deep the garage is built).
The pole can be moved. Would cost roughly $20k (b/c it’s a “central” pole whatever that means) and ComEd just quoted that to the seller last week. Were it a “non-central” pole, it would cost less than $5k to move.
“Interesting that you preferred it (at the same price, really?)”
Yes. I guess in cribchatter parlance we would be called “DINKS.” With no plans to become anything but. 1826 fits my lifestyle better. For me the outdoor space is key. I would sacrifice some indoor space to get that outdoor space. I’m also willing to do a little work on the place. This place is in better shape and has nicer finishes than 1826 N. Lincoln, but I would want to change this place too, so that’s not worth too much to me. When I looked at 1826 I was surprised how not loud it was. I was expecting serious traffic noise but it wasn’t bad. OH . . . and I almost forgot the most important thing. 1826 had much better natural light. I know that’s something a lot of people don’t care about, but it’s very important to me. I kind of regret not making an offer on 1826, but it would have been a stretch for me (especially with the renovations I would have wanted to do) so it’s probably better in the long term that I didn’t.
“I kind of regret not making an offer … so it’s probably better in the long term that I didn’t.”
In 2009 it will always be better in the long term that you didn’t.
So by my math, this is a 7000sq foot home?
When I look at the photos here, my impression is that interior finishes are not in good condition. High-end stove, yes, but kitchen cabinets look like cheap laminate production units. 2nd fl bathroom looks improvised, with a 40s vintage corner tub (not suitable for showering or bathing), cheap pedestal sink squeezed into corner, and jumbo ceramic tile on walls. Painted whitewash brick walls likely flake and chip. Master bedroom configuration is drywall without character or floor-plan useability.
Oddities. I suspect buyer will quickly decide to do a gut rehab, if not already in planning stage.
I like rowhouses; this one needs work…
“So by my math, this is a 7000sq foot home?”
It’s about 2400 gross interior SF. As lincoln park is so close (almost your backyard!), I think you can safely allege approximately 51,000,000 SF.
and if you can collect rent from the hobos sleeping in the park it might cashflow.
Just a reminder: what kind of furniture is in the property or the color the walls are painted isn’t really relevant. A buyer will bring their own belongings and can easy change out paint colors to their own liking.
Please keep the remarks about the property itself and not the interior decor, although kitchen and baths are fair game. Thanks.
Sabrina,
Are you getting crap from the listing agents?
Honestly, I think it is fair game. Otherwise, RE agents wouldn’t “stage” properties.
Just my two cents.
No-I’m not getting any feedback from agents about comments on the interiors. But it’s just not what this blog is all about. The furniture may not be to your taste. Fine. It won’t be there when you move in.
Yes- we’ve discussed units that were “staged”. We all know what they are. We’ve also discussed several properties where the interiors ARE an issue (for various reasons.) It’s pretty obvious to tell what those properties are as well.
But when the comments are simply “that furniture is ugly” or “where did they get their couch- a flea market?” – then it’s not really constructive.
Sabrina,
this is not a joke/sarcasm, Is the tv satellite on a front porch roof fair game? It was in a previous listing you posted.
oh and to answer my own question;
“So would you cribchattererers rather buy this house or the wildwood house??????????”
I would go with this place way before the wildwood one.
Groove, I agree. This house over the Wildwood, too.
But then it is a fair choice/comparison? Although, both are in the City, the Wildwood one is going to appeal to a different set of buyers in this category.
I’m not sure these houses are in the same buyer market.
“I’m not sure these houses are in the same buyer market”
you are 100% correct, just trying to put in perspective of what i said in the wildwood listing post. 800k take you pretty far now!
I agree its not even a fair choice/comparison more of pointing out how crazy the bubble made some areas?
Sabrina,
Hate to disagree with you on your very own blog-but I do think the furniture arrangement colors how prospective buyers view the house. The current owners have all of their dining room and living room furniture pushed up against the wall, which only serves to emphasize how long and narrow the house is.
Likewise their kitchen has cabinets on the long wall and the stove, etc on the other-serving to make the kitchen seem narrower.
Even something as small and easily changed as the oval mirror above the bathroom sink makes the whole room feel awkward and cramped.
I think this place would benefit from staging, to help buyers picture themselves in the house.
I prefer empty houses, because it helps me better understand the placement of my furniture as opposed to furniture I would never buy and that is not mine in a staged house.
Plus, if I was to see all the outlets and get to every wall/corner of the house, I don’t have to push other people’s crap out of my way.
But then again, buyers swayed by staging are probably the same ones that complain about paint colors or window treatments.
Oh and one thing in general – sellers – get your carp of the overstuffed closets so that I can accurately assess the spaces.
Thank you.
I peeked at the backyard before it went under contract, and there was definitely enough space to make a one-car garage and still have a patio as at 1826 N. Lincoln (not sure how it would affect the kitchen window or door to the (pointless) mudroom, though). I have total non-buyers’ remorse about this place.
If you are currently looking, ME, you should present those demands in writing to any prospective seller before agreeing to view their debt collateral.
It’s not a seller’s market, you know.
The most infamous concession and demand from the bubble:
Within a month of putting her two-bedroom house in San Francisco on the market recently, homeowner Linda Gao had five offers, each one above her asking price of $699,000. So before accepting the most-attractive bid, she threw in an extra condition: If you want to buy my house, you have to feed the squirrels.
Two weeks later, she and the buyer hammered out a contract that included feeding the backyard wildlife, which Ms. Gao has done three times a week for the past two years. “I don’t think it matters if it’s a buyer’s market or a seller’s market,” Ms. Gao says. “Anyone with a good heart would feed them.”
…
Indeed, when Susan Butler was negotiating to buy Ms. Gao’s San Francisco property, she was resigned to the feeding schedule. “At that point, I said, ‘Yeah, what the hell, I’ll feed the squirrels,'” she said. She signed a contract in April, paying $815,000 — or $116,000 over the asking price. Will Ms. Butler actually feed her new furry friends? “Probably not,” says the college administrator. “I don’t want to encourage other rodents.”
“In a Booming Market, Sellers Can Be Choosers” by Amir Efrati, Wall Street Journal
“The most infamous concession and demand from the bubble”
Ms Gao should have included a reversionary interest.
Unfortunately, G, though I am looking right now, the price point I’m in is the bottom for area I’m looking. I will be lucky to get a plat of survey (we’re looking at single family residences) out of the sellers in the deals that are possible for me.
Plus, some of houses I’ll be looking are usually estate houses, short sales, or foreclosures, so they are typically vacant anyhow.
Where are you looking?
The middle to high price range in the city has yet to take a hit; but it will; the rings of foreclosures around the city are like barbarians at the gates of rome. G pointed out before that in some Chicago neighborhoods SFH’s are at generational lows. SEllers refuse to lower prices and buyers refuse to buy. FOrtunately we already know who will win the standoff. Just hold out a little bit longer ME and you’ll get more house for the same price. Just a little bit longer.
We live and I work in the northwest suburbs (specifically the one with the racing ponies), and we want to get something nailed down before the new 1st time homebuyer deadline. Even though we are at the market bottom, we will still play kinda hard on the offer prices, because I think we still can even at our price point.
Plus, we are considering some hail mary offers on a couple places that are in good locations, have been on the market a while, and are currently priced where a 20% discount offer may not be a complete insult.
i have some familiarity with the suburbs with racing ponies and that’s a more expensive NW suburb. Prices have held up fairly well in the more desirable areas, more so than I would have thought. Palatine and RM and MT. prospect have dropped more in price than Arl Hts.
Yeah, AH has retained it value pretty well. Really, only about 10% market reductions in general, though there are the stray small house on small lot that isn’t valued at an unsustainable $300K for just the lot anymore (that was absurd).
We have some options.
Well, yet another example of buyers’ lunacy… this deal just fell apart an hour ago b/c… Buyer (mom) didn’t want her 6th grader crossing armitage and walking along Lincoln to walk to Lincoln School. I can’t make this stuff up. Dad and kids are peeved b/c they love the house… Sellers are on vacation so if you want to see the house, please call my office at 773.687.4696 to schedule a showing. 🙂
“Buyer (mom) didn’t want her 6th grader crossing armitage and walking along Lincoln to walk to Lincoln School”
classic! 🙂
you mean their au-pair (sp) isnt walking him/her to school?
You would think, yes, but apparently no.
Did you tell the mom that she’s a flippin idiot and the kid (now 12 years old) can probably figure out how to cross the damn street?
No. I carefully pick/choose who to deride with ad hominems. 🙂
Haha well played!
“Rarely available” would appear to be incorrect.
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1919-N-Lincoln-Park-W-60614/home/13344379