This 4-Bedroom Townhouse Sold for $12,000 Over the 2004 Price: 1151 W. George in Lakeview
We last chattered about this rare 4-bedroom townhouse at 1151 W. George in Lakeview in May 2011.
See our prior chatter here.
Most of you liked this property and thought the price of $699,000 was not too far off the mark.
The townhouse recently sold for $660,000, or $12,000 above the 2004 purchase price.
Built in 1995, the listing said the townhouse had an all new kitchen with white cabinets, stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops.
It also had a private roof top deck and a 1-car garage.
Joanne Nemerovski at Prudential Rubloff had the listing.
1151 W. George: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2800 square feet, 1 car garage
- Sold in July 1995 for $332,000
- Sold in February 1999 for $475,000
- Sold in December 2004 for $648,000
- Originally listed in March 2011 for $749,000
- Reduced
- Was listed in May 2011 for $699,000
- Sold in August 2011 for $660,000
- Assessements of $80 a month
- Taxes of $9346
- Central Air
- Washer/Dryer
- Bedroom #1: 16×12 (third floor)
- Bedroom #2: 10×10 (third floor)
- Bedroom #3: 10×9 (third floor)
- Bedroom #4: 12×12 (main floor)
Me: “If you’re o.k. with the location, this place is a great value. Can’t imagine it not closing quickly for $650k, or $675k by end of summer.” Not too far off.
Congrats to the buyers.
Nice Place
Nice crib but what’s up with all of these 2, 3 and 4 bedroom places only having one parking spot?
“what’s up with all of these 2, 3 and 4 bedroom places only having one parking spot?”
Zoning at the time (still?) only required one, so they only built one, bc the extra living space on the ground floor was more valuable than a 2d parking space. Or, in this case, the extra TH they could build by not having to squeeze in 3 more parking spots (if they had 4 units w/ 2 car spots each) onto the lot.
why do you need more than one parking spot if you live in this part of lakeview?
The history of this is all pretty interesting. The current buyer is presumably an empty nester (they’re going to save lincoln park!. The buyer is also a senior managing director of some commercial property firm. The buyer is downsizing from a much larger and fancier home in Winnnetka which just which sold the same days as this house for $1,725,000.
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Winnetka/418-Cedar-St-60093/home/13785693
The seller now buyer took a loss of $134,000 on the sale from the *2001* purchase price of $1,859,000.
The BUYER of the Winnetka home is a fast food exec who is currently trying to sell their home in the city (graceland west?) for $1,229,900, which is $184,900 more than they paid for it in 2006.
http://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1445-W-Cuyler-Ave-60613/home/12743789
“why do you need more than one parking spot if you live in this part of lakeview?”
exactly. transit is easy there, very close to diversey brown/purple, a little further to belmont red. people don’t live in that area if they both work in the burbs.
HD – YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT SUPPOSED TO POST LINKS TO SUBURBAN HOUSES. THESE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY REMOVED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR (of course, that is assuming we are living in a fair world where everyone is treated the same – it will be interesting to see how sabrina treats her favorite pet when he posts links to suburban houses).
perhaps because some couples together had cars before they got together and don’t want to sell them. Besides, I wouldn’t want to drop 300k+ on a pad and have to park 3 blocks from my house.
it may be lakeview, and it may be by the el, but a 1 car garage for a 4 bedroom house is stupid
Obvoiusly, money not being a huge consideration for these well-heeled buyers, they recognized teh limitations of inventory, and it was probably impossible to find somethign they were interested in with a 2 car garage.
It’s the city, not everyone gets a two car garage.
A two car garage would be much better. Most couples at this price point have two cars. I wouldn’t get rid of my car just so I could buy this house. I like having a car that is mine and not a family car. For couples like my parents, one car works since my mom likes walking everywhere and driving makes her anxious.
“It’s the city, not everyone gets a two car garage.”
How inciteful, but seriously, for $600,000 and 4 bedrooms I would want space for 2 cars.
“How inciteful”
Heh. So now we will fight all afternoon about 1 v 2 cars?
I think it is very important to have at LEAST 2 spaces in the city. It doesn’t matter if you have two cars – you always can use the space for company, etc. – it is SO much more convenient. Just like nowadays, in the suburbs, a 4 car garage is becoming standard on new luxury homes.
You are not everyone.
I actually agree with Clio on this one.
(Although, my pet peeve with suburban homes is garages that take up the entire front of the house.)
All these ‘urban lifestyle’ people complaining about parking, yet they abhore one inch outside city limits? boo hooo
Some of us *have* to live in the city.
sloopdeville hit the nail on the head. and at least you guys keep a few neighborhoods nice. I never feel scared walking around Edison park and I don’t see litter there either.
If I have a one car garage I’m happy, even though I have two cars. Then again, I like City life.
It’s not about city life. It’s about getting the best bang for your buck.
If you lived in teh suburbs and had only a one car garage, or a tandem ‘car port’, would you also feel cheated?
Not at all. I don’t mind parking one car on the street. That’s what I do now in the south loop. I just don’t see how 660k doesn’t get you 2 spaces in an extremely dense neighborhood where parking is tight.
“I just don’t see how 660k doesn’t get you 2 spaces in an extremely dense neighborhood where parking is tight.”
It will for sure limit the market for this property. Most folks who buy a 4BR require 2 spaces especially as you mentioned were parking is tight.
I love my two-car garage, but the idea of using it to give a guest parking is beyond hilarious – who actually does that in Chicago? And who expects it?
I have one car but it sure didn’t take long to start using the rest of the space for the lawnmower, bicycles, etc.
btw, I grew up on this block – hate to break it to you Clio, but I *AM* the Green Zone.
Well if you raise a family here (not unreasonable seeing how it is 4 bedrooms) you might want to buy a car for the kids when they get old enough to drive. But i forgot, most people don’t think that far ahead.
“It’s not about city life. It’s about getting the best bang for your buck.”
No it’s about trade off’s and what’s more important to someone.
lol, real talk. go right on ahead and spend 660k on a 4 bedroom townhouse with one parking spot.
I don’t want a townhouse. Just saying one parking spot in the City is not bad.
If I’m dropping 660k the second spot is for the wife. The kiddos can slum it with the mistress with street parking.
“The kiddos can slum it with the mistress with street parking.”
Seems reasonable
LOL – giving a 16 or 17 old a car in the City is completely effin’ insane.
my dad let me drive a beater muscle car with a 350 V8 when I got my license, I am sure somebody out there is still having nightmares regarding that. I was too young to know that things like drag racing on Western Ave at midnight, that testing the speed of the car by cruising near Cabrini Green on Kingsbury at 100 mph are bad ideas, etc.
you really don’t need more than one car in this hood,
“Well if you raise a family here (not unreasonable seeing how it is 4 bedrooms) you might want to buy a car for the kids when they get old enough to drive. But i forgot, most people don’t think that far ahead.”
So, a two or three bed with one car garage is fine, but add a fourth bed to the mix, and anything less than a two car is somehow a fool’s move?
Sure, a two car would beat one any day. Heck, a 2.5 car would be even better. But unless you’re thinking in terms of roomies, who cares?
Goofballs that keep trying to shoehorn their rapidly-growing-obsolete suburban car-dependent lifestyles into one of the densest neighborhoods in America?
Where’s my Seven-O-Hater hat, dammit…
“Sure, a two car would beat one any day. Heck, a 2.5 car would be even better. But unless you’re thinking in terms of roomies, who cares?”
Personally, I don’t consider any property without at least a three car garage, with a party door on the yard side. Also everything needs to be updated to my exact tastes. One time I made a seller change the color of the cabinets after the final walk-through, because my preference changed, and everyone knows that real estate is worthless unless it is absolutely perfect for someone reading about it on a blog.
I’d love to hear where Princess Jenny is living.
Paint, cabinets, tile, etc can be changed. Adding a second parking space to a townhouse cannot be changed. I don’t know why it’s so weird to expect a two car garage in a townhouse this size.
The typical urban teen (of any socioeconomic background) tends to get pretty “street smart” about public transit at an early age (thanx to Bus Tracker et al) and tends to see CTA as a lot “cooler” (and “greener”) than a car, except of course on Prom Night.
Absolutely no way I’d give a teen a car to drive in the city. Especially in this area! But the 1 car garage wouldn’t put me off, we only had one car when we lived downtown anyway. I’d be more likely to get a Zipcar account if we moved back than buy a second car. I have quite a few friends that would be the market for this place and they all have just the one car too.
I’d rather give my teen a car than let them ride the bus or el. It’s not safe for a 16 year old boy or girl to be wandering the streets, especially at night. During rush hours to get to school, sure. maybe on weekends during the day. But anytime when it’s dark outside? No way. It’s dangerous out there. At least in the car there is some semblance of security; waiting for the bus at 9:00 pm NOT A GOOD IDEA – they look like a perfect mark for a mugger, predator, creep, or just someone out there up to no good. I see whackjobs and weirdos everywhere out there. I’m 6″ 180 lbs so I don’t get messed with too much but some green eyed teenager is fresh meat in this city.
re:teen drivers
I think much more harm could come with giving a teenager a car. I gave my daughter my BMW 645ic for her 16th birthday. It was totalled within 3 months. My ex-wife was furious with me for giving her such a car – she bought her a BMW X5 – same fate after 1 year. I think children driving is EXTREMELY dangerous –
“I’d rather give my teen a car than let them ride the bus or el. It’s not safe for a 16 year old boy or girl to be wandering the streets, especially at night. During rush hours to get to school, sure. maybe on weekends during the day.”
Exactly, let the kids use CTA unless it’s late at night, in which case they should be home anyway.
oh hell, I wandered the streets and took buses, trains, etc. at all hours, 11 pm, 2 am, whatever. but we used to walk a LOT, it was not uncommon to walk from LV to Lincoln Sq, downtown, Edgewater, etc – teens have a LOT of free time and a dollar saved, etc.
that said, the car thing can go both ways – definitely safer, as long as you aren’t drinking or partying it up. and I doubt anybody on this board who didn’t grow up here can understand how widespread that really is. I remember Lincoln Park kids driving around with trunks full of beer. I mean FULL of beer.
Just make sure your kid’s friends aren’t idiots, basically.
“I doubt anybody on this board who didn’t grow up here can understand how widespread [drinking and driving by teens] really is”
You really think that’s a semi-unique to Chicago phenomena? Virtually everyone I knew in HS who had a car did it at least occasionally.
hd- when are you changing your name to barringtonbound?
Well, there’s always the cab as the alternative to the CTA during “dangerous” times. Giving your kid enough money to pop for a cab is preferable to giving him/her a car, right?
I grew up in East Lakeview and was driving almost everywhere starting at age 16, sharing my mom’s early-80s Toyota wagon. Except for one fender bender with a CTA bus at 2 a.m. (which the CTA eventually acknowledged was their mistake and sent me a check to cover repairs!), I had no problems, other than finding parking spaces. This was in the late-80s, early-90s.
Oh – well if Dan#2 didn’t have a problem, then a problem obviously doesn’t exist!!! Again, ridiculous comment based on the experience of one.
Oh – well if Dan#2 didn’t have a problem, then a problem obviously doesn’t exist!!! Again, ridiculous comment based on the experience of one.
I can’t afford to live out there or anywhere other than hazel crest.
“Sonies on September 1st, 2011 at 8:46 am
hd- when are you changing your name to barringtonbound?”
East hazel crest?
HD – I’ll help you buy a home. Do you want to move to hinsdale – I own a 3 br/1 ba on a triple lot 1 block from the train station, 2 blocks from the pool and 4 blocks from downtown. The house has been totaly renovated and can be expanded. I’ll sell it to you w/ owner financing for less than my cost (335k) – Taxes are 5k. 10k down and financing at 4-5% for 3-5 years. Great deal….
Thanks, Clio, for the enlightened response. I didn’t mean to imply my experience was universal, only that it worked for me. Some others had posted that they’d never give a teenager a car in that neighborhood. I offered my own experience as a counterpoint. Or am I not allowed to do that under your rules for the site? Maybe I should have posted an Oak Brook listing with a 4-car garage instead.
Sure, the city holds various dangers for teens. But I would submit that teens in the burbs can get into just as much (if not more) trouble in their secluded basements and often parent-unoccupied houses and on their boring streets (and, whereas in the city you could at least have the car v. no car debate, there’s no debate in the burbs). In fact, some of the craziest stuff I experienced as a teenager was out beyond the burbs, in more rural areas. Kids out in the sticks have even fewer things to do, and lots more space to do it in, which seems to have a commensurate impact on their interest in getting wasted, getting naked, and getting into fights.
sorry dan #2 – that was an asshole comment I made – totally out of line. I apologize.
Thanks, Clio. Apology accepted. And accept mine about the sarcasm in my reply.
Anonny, you’re absolutely right about the sticks being more dangerous. Growing up in the city, I never knew anyone my age who was killed or even seriously hurt in a car crash. But when I went to college, I met a guy who grew up in a small town in western Illinois, and he’d been to several funerals of friends killed in car crashes. Dark rural roads are far more dangerous than well-lit city streets.
“Dark rural roads are far more dangerous than well-lit city streets.”
Also at the speeds one drives in GZ, it is more likely to have fender benders than fatal accidents.