Single Family Home or Condo for your $669,000? 2058 N. Leavitt in Bucktown
This 2-bedroom single family home at 2058 N. Leavitt in Bucktown just came on the market.
But some of you remembered it from 2012 (thanks to MatthewLesko), when it was last featured here on Cribchatter.
Back in 2012, it was a 3-bedroom but it’s now listed as a 2-bedroom, with a third bedroom in the basement.
It was originally listed for $599,000 in 2011.
But by 2012, it had been on the market for months, and had been reduced to $549,000.
Check out that chatter here.
Now, in 2016, it is back.
If you recall, it was built in 1887 on a smaller than standard Chicago lot of 24×100 but still has a 2-car garage.
The kitchen still has the same 42 inch maple cabinets, granite counter tops but all the appliances are now stainless (back in 2012, it was a mix of black and stainless appliances.)
The house has central air and a lower level family room, along with a work room and laundry.
The current listing makes a big deal out of the fact that you can buy a condo for the price of this single family home:
“Why buy a condo when you can have a single family home for the same price & enjoy care free living without any association.”
In the 2012 Zillow listing, the house is listed as having 1238 square feet. I’m assuming that doesn’t include the basement.
The house finally sold for $490,000.
There used to be a preference for single family homes among buyers but developers have been building bigger condo units in recent years.
Would you rather have a single family home or a condo for your $669,000 in Bucktown?
Edward Jelinek at @Properties has the listing. See the pictures here.
Or see it at the Open House on Saturday, August 6 from 12- 2 PM.
2058 N. Leavitt: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, no square footage listed, 2 car garage
- Sold in June 1992 for $118,000
- Sold in September 1997 for $250,000
- Sold in September 2000 for $409,000
- Sold in March 2003 for $427,500
- Sold in December 2005 for $560,000
- Originally listed in July 2011 for $599,000
- Reduced
- Sold in July 2012 for $490,000
- Currently listed at $669,000
- Taxes are now $8835 (they were $7002 in 2012)
- Central Air
- Bedroom #1: 15×12 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 14×10 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 18×11 (lower level)
- Office: 9×17 (lower level)
I’d prefer this to a condo any day, however this particular house scares the crap out of me.
Everything in it says corners were cut
Single family is certainly preferable for many people but you can buy a condo for the same money that beats the hell out of this one without trying too hard. All depends on your preferences and standards as to which is better, and how deep your pockets are to make improvements for most houses in this range.
This place could easily be worth a mil or more in a few years. That’s pretty much where all SFH’s in the green zone will start in price in a few years.
Cute little house. I think it will sell quickly. What is going on though with the bricks by the front door? For god’s sake, if you need to redo the bricks on the front of your house, at least make sure they match.
I do like the bunk beds…might need it in a few years
“if you need to redo the bricks on the front of your house, at least make sure they match.”
the house is almost 130 years old. i would think perfectly matching brick would be difficult
not really, they sell that “Chicago brick” in a lot of places
“Chicago brick”
good luck trying to match it. i have a home built the exact same year as this and needed some brick. virtually impossible. a lot of the old brick available is the common brick you see on the sides of homes.
When my parents needed some bricks repaired on their old house, the contractor was able to go to a brick salvage yard and find a match.
I live in a SFH that is smaller than this and I would never go back to condo life. The privacy of a SFH is priceless. You learn to live without clutter and surprisingly, since you CANNOT become a knick-knack accumulator due to a lack of space, you spend a lot less money!
Not sure I follow the concerns about how “scary” this place is although I have not been in it. Are the floors wonky? I have to believe that whatever the construction quality was for a cottage 130 years ago far exceeds “luxury condo” of today. What are the concerns exactly?
“perfectly matching brick would be difficult”
Yes, it is, but they didn’t even try–the mortar is a totally different color, too.
“Chicago common brick” is not the face brick on this house, or almost any house face in Chicago. Not only is it hard to match brick on a 130 year-old house, its hard to match brick on any house older than a few years. Once a brick is discontinued by the brickmaker, it’s really hard to find any other brick that matches – from the original brickmaker or any other brickmaker.
I know more about this than I care to know. My advice for anyone doing a project involving brick is to buy enough brick for the entire project at once. And buy extra bricks for maintenance.
“Not sure I follow the concerns”
When i toured this place a few years ago, i thought it needed a lot of updates. Perhaps it’s just me, but the kitchen and baths needed to be rehabbed and the roof dormered. The upstairs bedrooms felt really small with the sloped ceilings and for a family, only having 2 bedrooms up is a real deterrent for many. The living room, dining area, and kitchen were all tight and made it problematic if you like to entertain. I will say though, that the current listing looks a lot better than it did a few years ago.
“the concerns about how “scary” this place is”
I’m not sure, either, but I think that most of them could be allayed by a *really* good inspection. The basement might be a little tough to fully assess, and it’s reasonable to be concerned about what they used for the structure to open up the first floor.
You will NOT get a really good inspection from any of the typical inspection services, tho.
First hurdle is not being able to find brick from the same lot. Then weathering and if its even made and if the materials are sourced from the same location
Might benefit from brickwashing
As far as the concerns, like I said it looks extremely cheap and they cut corners
I hate the scab plate flashing under the eave, I hate skylights and the Dormer details are a concern.
JohnnyU: “Might benefit from brickwashing”
Sure, but repointing the replaced brick so that the mortar is remotely the same color would make a huuuuuge difference.
MARCO: All of your points are valid, and limit the likely buyer pool, but none of them constitute anything “scary”.
“I live in a SFH that is smaller than this and I would never go back to condo life….You learn to live without clutter and surprisingly, since you CANNOT become a knick-knack accumulator due to a lack of space, you spend a lot less money!”
Wouldn’t the lack of space be even better in a (presumably smaller) condo?
“scary”
Surely it is scary bc you are a half mile from western and invariably you’ll find yourself headed s at some point.
“You will NOT get a really good inspection from any of the typical inspection services, tho.”
How do you get the really good inspection then?
“is scary bc you are a half mile from western ”
I believe the word is “terrifying”.
“MARCO: All of your points are valid, and limit the likely buyer pool, but none of them constitute anything “scary”.”
Liz mentioned the word “scary” not I. Just giving my points as to why it didn’t work for me and apparently many others at the time a few years ago.
I think that anyone who buys this should gut it and make the proper structural changes and open it up more. Perhaps add an addition. I’m actually surprised the current owners didn’t do anything given the price they got it for other than paint it and add some cheap ss appliances.
NOT ENUFF BAND PRACTICE SPACE LOLZ!!!!
“I do like the bunk beds”
I feel bad for the kid that has to climb the ladder to the top bunk and hit his head on the ceiling.
“This place could easily be worth a mil or more in a few years.”
Illinoisians presume future pension returns will be 7.50%
[“The interest rate assumption includes the following components: inflation 3.00%, and real rate of return 4.50%.”]
https://trs.illinois.gov/pubs/actuarial/2015ValuationRept.pdf#page=104
So, if this asset keeps pace with expert forecast, it’d rise from $670k to $1 mil or more in 6 years. Is that so unlikely? Don’t we want that outcome?
We grow, we prosper. Now, gods, stand up for bastards.
No, we don’t want that kind of outcome because it’s indicative of an unsustainable bubble. If this place is worth a million then Chicago will uninhabitable for far too many.
I would take this over a condo any old day of the week. HOA fees suck so much.
I wasn’t feeling well last night so there won’t be a new post today. I’m feeling a bit better so there will be something new tomorrow. Sorry!
“HOA fees suck so much”
So does the maintenance it takes to upkeep a home. Sure, once you replace your roof, HVAC system, deck etc…you’ll have a few years without spending a lot of money, but it never really ends.
I’ve done a pretty thorough analysis and I do think the cost of maintenance on a modest home is slightly less than the average condo w/ HOA fees; however, having to deal with contractors is the absolute worst thing on this planet, IMO, and I would rather pay an association to deal with that.
It’s bad enough that Chicago used that low-quality brick on and sloppy mortar work on the sides of these things but the brick on the façade of this one has even seen it’s day too (like many buildings in Lakeview that I used to pass everyday). Vinyl siding is it’s only hope assuming the basement isn’t a swamp.
Oh, and I truly believe the paint on the façade of the building where I rented a “condo” in Lakeview was the only thing holding it together.
“homedelete on August 2nd, 2016 at 9:06 am
This place could easily be worth a mil or more in a few years. That’s pretty much where all SFH’s in the green zone will start in price in a few years”
Could you explain your thought process here? thank you
“Vinyl siding is it’s only hope assuming the basement isn’t a swamp.”
Nah, keeping with the historical trend in Chicago, first cover it with asphalt roll siding for a few years, then vinyl siding, followed by some odd looking dormer.
Nothing says “class” better than a vinyl sided dormer on a Chicago brick house.
Nothing says “class” like a building that’s falling down with a crumbling foundation, circa. 1910 plumbing and electrical, sewer stench, exterior bricks being held in place with paint, all interior architectural detail ruined or stripped to be replaced with drywall and………granite countertops and some Pottery Barn sprinkles. I guess if it’s next to your favorite bar or neighborhood of the week though….
I LOVE POTTERY BARN!
Oh joy!!! This redfin pic is a 2fer! The listed property is brick with a vinyl dormer, and the property next door has the same thing but an even more odd dormer!
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/5110-W-Newport-Ave-60641/home/13460167
I LOVE THE NORTHWEST SIDE
“Nothing says “class” better than a vinyl sided dormer on a Chicago brick house.”
Huh? So you’ve ruled out about 99% of them. What are your other options? Maybe you’ll see the occasional Hardie Board
“What are your other options? ”
Are you kidding me? Asphalt roll siding!!!!!!!!!!!111!
The best option for a dormer on a Chicago brick house is brick veneer. Either a single layer of brick or using thin brick. I’ve had some very nice looking thin brick work done. It’s very hard to tell the difference from solid brick.
“I’ve had some very nice looking thin brick work done. It’s very hard to tell the difference from solid brick.”
is your house 100+ years old? did it match the existing brick?
An exact brick match is not needed for a separate section like a dormer. A few shades of brick difference is not noticeable unless they are side-by-side.
If new/old are going to be side-by-side, my method is to take old bricks from someplace not as noticeable and cut off the face of the old brick, 1/2 inch thick, using a wet diamond blade. Then apply using the thin brick method.
If I have new thin brick that is a close, but not exact match, I might random intermix new/old thin brick to some degree for a section. It’s hard to notice non-uniform variation.
Obviously they park in the garage and walk through the back door every night.
under contract
closed for $650