Surround Yourself With Historic Homes: 2155 W. Caton in Bucktown
This 5-bedroom single family home at 2155 W. Caton in Bucktown was built in 1889 and is located on a street with other historic single family homes.
The listing says it is a “Wicker Park Historic Landmark Greystone.”
It still has some of its vintage interior features including doorknobs, hardwood floors with inlay and a large stained glass window above the wood staircase.
Built on a 50×77 lot, it has a 1-car side garage.
The house has no central air.
4 of the bedrooms are on the second floor with the 5th in the third, or attic, level where there is also space for a family room.
There are no pictures of the bathrooms and the only picture of the kitchen shows a double stove and a refrigerator and that is it.
What will it take to sell this unique property?
Catherine Caravette at Catherine Caravette & Associates has the listing. See the pictures here.
2155 W. Caton: 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3500 square feet, 1 car detached garage
- Sold in October 2009 for $881,500
- Originally listed in January 2011 for $1.15 million
- Currently still listed for $1.15 million
- Taxes of $9878
- No central air
- Bedroom #1: 14×15 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 10×10 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 12×15 (second floor)
- Bedroom #4: 12×14 (second floor)
- Bedroom #5: 10×7 (third floor)
who took those pictures? It’s and MLS listing not an ego-driven art project.
What kind of listing photos are these?! Is this a joke?
A ~30% profit to two years of holding and doing, seemingly, nothing to the house. No.
I predict they get the 2009 price, if they’re lucky, and I would say $800,000 gets it done.
Although, apart from price, I would this house and it would be great place with a bit of work.
Isn’t that a pvc pipe sticking out of the floor in the lower right of the kitchen pic?
Kitchen is listed as 10×14, so it appears there are no (or, at best, minimal) cabinets.
The pictures belong in a coffee table book rather then a MLS listing. They are nice pictures, but don’t really give you a feel for the house. The picture of the kitchen is especially frightening. It looks like a major redo in there, and i’m guess the same goes for the bathrooms and some other areas as well.
It looks like a beautiful house but there’s a lot of work that is going to need to be done. I’d put the house around $750 to $850 considering the assumed need for renovations.
The agent owns the property. Those photos are hilarious. And what’s up with that kitchen?
I love the pic of the fence. It seems haunted to me.
I thought of this house immediately when I saw that 1956 W. Evergreen just sold for $1.25M (listed at $1.7M): http://www.urbanrealestate.com/property/1956-W-Evergreen-CHICAGO-IL-60622-U4GU5QVBAINCO.html
For $100K more the Evergreen house gives you a huge lot, a better location (within same neighborhood), a 2.5 car garage, a renovated coach house, A/C, and beautifully finished kitchen and bathrooms.
Given a comparable like that and the fact that this owner has no realtor to talk any sense into her, I imagine this (genuinely lovely but totally unfinished) house on Caton will sit for a long, long time.
why would you highlight the fact thet the front has a shitty chain link fence? House is perfect for a vintage lover (me!) but it will take some very careful editing that is not reflected in the price.
HA! rarely available but last sold in 2009…
Those photos had to be taken by a wedding photographer!!! I have many pics in my wedding album of twigs and vines….very artsy.
Those photos look exactly like the ones I took when I first got a DSLR. Fun with bokeh.
Gorgeous place (or at least the potential to be) but vastly overpriced. Nice find on the Evergreen house — tough comp.
i say “no soup for you”
this can be a beautiful home, but 1.2mil and nothing done yet on a shortie lot. i say “no soup for you” and i hate the sienfeild show!
I like the minimalist kitchen. (1) double oven (1) rental grade refrigerator, no cabinets or counter tops or any of that other useful functional stuff to get in your way.
“professionally lanscaped” = pile of bricks in front yard. FAIL.
It is designed for a Jedi, no need for surfaces to get things done.
“I like the minimalist kitchen. (1) double oven (1) rental grade refrigerator, no cabinets or counter tops or any of that other useful functional stuff to get in your way.”
Its a fine line between vintage historic and old and crappy. These photos say it all.
That Evergreen home is truly incredible. But that place was listed at $1.699M so using that as a comp is fine if you close at $846k, still too much for what I see here though.
“For $100K more the Evergreen house gives you a huge lot, a better location (within same neighborhood), a 2.5 car garage, a renovated coach house, A/C, and beautifully finished kitchen and bathrooms.”
I’d gladly trade the extra depth for the extra width and light on 4 sides, and call that a wash. The garage/coach house is non-duplicable, so that’s probably worth ~$100k (to me), and then you need to bring this place to comparable interior finishes, which I’d ballpark at $100 psf, assuming no major structural/mechanical problems. So, I’d put this place at ~$750k, max, with the extra $50k+ for the headache of dealing with getting the work done.
Then, I’d have a house that I would like much, much more than the Evergreen house for the same money (+ monetized time/aggravation).
I think the 2009 price is right. This would be nice at 1.1 million with new kitchen and baths so $200k for renovations and you’re there.
100k? You would at least need 200-300K to make this work assuming no problems.
“100k?”
No one said $100k. I said $100 psf, which would be $350k, without doing anything in the basement, which, depending, could easily be another $200k.
what is psf?
“what is psf?”
per square foot.
bahahahaha this listing is hilariously bad
as for the place? 1.15 mildo? GTFO! how about 10% off the 2009 price you paid
That Evergreen house is nice. The anti-Zaskowski list price strategy seems equally nuts. $1.25MM is probably still too high for my budget especially given lack of school but I’d start to have some interest. I don’t generally look at listings that are almost a half million more than I’m looking to spend though.
This is a gorgeous house and I have *always* wanted a wood panelled kitchen! I’d agree something slightly under the 09 price would work, maybe 850k before you find inspection issues that could lower it further. 775k-800k or so as-is may work too…
“why would you highlight the fact thet the front has a shitty chain link fence”
Chain link fences and pictures of door knobs are the new kitchens and bathrooms.
Funniest thing I’ve read all day!
“It is designed for a Jedi, no need for surfaces to get things done.”
Don’t quite get the picture of the chain link fence — Huh??
Some of the features are lovely but do people really pay >$1 mil for something without central air?
“I’d gladly trade the extra depth for the extra width and light on 4 sides, and call that a wash.”
Anon, you might not say that if you knew that the backyard and larger side yard are not contiguous — passage is blocked by the garage. (The property outlined in redfin is wrong; it’s actually the second house east of Leavitt on the south side of Caton.) Very unappealling yard situation.
love that evergreen house. Good pick up for someone. This one will struggle to get 800k
“Anon, you might not say that if you knew that the backyard and larger side yard are not contiguous — passage is blocked by the garage. (The property outlined in redfin is wrong; it’s actually the second house east of Leavitt on the south side of Caton.) Very unappealling yard situation.”
Yeah, but the house is 32′ wide vs 20′ wide with a party wall on Evergreen. The biggest reason I like the extra width is light in the house and space from the neighbors–the usable yard space is just part of it.
“with the extra $50k+ for the headache of dealing with getting the work done.”
Its less of a headache if the work is done before you move in (which will be the case here).
but living with the work being done to me is more than 50k for the inconvenience fee, even if you hire out the work being done 🙂
“Its less of a headache if the work is done before you move in (which will be the case here).”
Yeah, then there are the carrying costs for two residences for the ~6 months that that takes. Plus, do I really want to have to deal with contractors?
“Yeah, then there are the carrying costs for two residences for the ~6 months that that takes. Plus, do I really want to have to deal with contractors?”
dealing with contractors is like going to the dentist for your wisdom teeth…put it off as long as possible but it sucks no matter when you do it.
but the flip side, and something to weigh, would you rather have a finished house without the headache or a bieng able to create a home to your liking the way YOU want but deal with the headache.
Thanks anon. I had never seen improvement figures in terms of price per square foot before. It is a strange metric as a kitchen has a certain cost regardless of what the size of the house is. Certain other features like say hardwood floors and tile are clearly footage dependent.
Good bones. Keep the vintage features and restore….gut the rest.
“Thanks anon. I had never seen improvement figures in terms of price per square foot before. It is a strange metric as a kitchen has a certain cost regardless of what the size of the house is. Certain other features like say hardwood floors and tile are clearly footage dependent.”
Averages out, as the living rooms and bedrooms are much cheaper psf. And that’s inclusive of updating electric, etc. but not including a total re-do of plumbing and mechanicals, and basically *no* structural work. And I’d bet this place *at least* needs drain tile/sump installed.
“Yeah, but the house is 32? wide vs 20? wide with a party wall on Evergreen. The biggest reason I like the extra width is light in the house and space from the neighbors–the usable yard space is just part of it.”
Anon, that’s all completely true about the light, and the width is really incredible — proper entryway plus wide living room plus space from the neighbors. Still — awkward yard.
I know I am in the minority here…but I prefer this house over the Evergreen home. Every piece of wood is painted in the Evergreen home, and even worse painted the exact same white as EVERYTHING else in the house. I love the natural woodwork and old doorknobs. This place just needs the TLC that will never come at 1.2MM
This has nothing on my Bosworth house, which has sadly been de-listed since there is now a siding house on the block that is well under its asking price.
Gorgeous vintage features here, but that kitchen shot. Gah.
I am glad someone pointed out the Evergreen house, probably one of my favorites in the entire city. Extremely tasteful and minimal rehab of a vintage house and the added bonus of a coach house.
And if that place could only fetch $1.25mm then this place on Caton has ZERO SHOT WHATSOEVER of getting over its 2009 price. If anything I say its worth $750k as it sits.
This is the first time I’ve had an opportunity to look at this thread. The Evergreen house is amazing, just amazing. That’s what a million dollar plus vintage home in the city should look like. It’s rare you’ll find me agree with a selling price but this is one of them. If this is $1.25 mil then so, so, so many other homes in the city are put to shame.
The biggest problem for this house is the nearby El.
I think the biggest problem is the price.
Great bones, but crazy priced!! Given that there is easily $400,000-$500,000 worth of work to do the renovation correctly, given what they are “asking” for Evergreen this should not sell for over $800,000 and probably will start with a 6 or 7 handle or not sell. When will seller’s and agents learn that they are just wasting their time with this nonsense. If I hear another residential agent whine that they are not getting any deals done I will screem- price a property correctly or get OUT OF THE BUSINESS!! But I digress, 1 car parking and a small lot, not even a chance that this sells for anywhere near this price.
“given what they are “asking” for Evergreen”
The Evergreen house *sold* for $1.25mm. It’s no longer an available alternative, just a sold comp.
“a small lot”
It’s not small, just short. It’s actually almost 25% larger than a standard (25×125) lot.
Howie, you missed the part where this property IS agent (broker, apparently) owned.
Maybe that’s why they’re selling; they didn’t price right for their clients, so now have to sell their own property (that’s also not priced right)?
pure snarky speculation on my part. It’s not been a good few years for many realtors.