Vintage Elegance in the Heart of Wicker Park: 2013 W. Evergreen
Some vintage conversions manage to keep their charm like this 3-unit building at 2013 W. Evergreen in Wicker Park.
This 2-bedroom unit has a wood burning fireplace, crown molding, 11-foot high ceilings and a formal dining room.
It also has central air and parking.
Karl Whittenbarger at @Properties has the listing. See more pictures here.
You can also see it for yourself on Sunday, Mar 22, at the open house from 11-1.
Unit #2: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, dining room, 1900 square feet
- Sold in October 2007 for $542,000
- Currently listed for $549,950 (parking included)
- Assessments of $194 a month
- Taxes of $4851
- Central Air
- Woodburning fireplace
I have to say I like it. Very cute, nice finishes. Maybe priced a little high for being stuck in the middle unit. Anybody know what the deal is with the other two?
I looked at this unit when it was for sale in 2007. The building was being converted and Unit 2 was the only one completed at that time.
This unit has very nice finishes but a real funky layout. The second bedroom/bathroom is actually on the first floor at the rear of the building. You get to it via a very narrow, twisting staircase. The master bedroom is directly above it on the main floor and has a master bathroom attached.
So, the only bathrooms are either down a twisty staircase to the first floor or through the master bedroom.
In addition, these condos were very highly priced when compared to anything else in the area.
kp,
Unit 1 is a duplex down (with the Unit 2 second bedroom at the rear of its upper level) and Unit 3 is a very small, three bedroom condo with extremely low ceilings.
Joe, define “extremely low ceilings”? If only low compared to the 11 foot ceilings in the unit below it, it might be just fine…
I love the location but there are quite a few newer of 3/2’s within a mile going for 10% less than this rehabbed 2/2.
“11 foot ceilings”
So, those upper cabinets in the kitchen are ~60″ tall? I’m not seeing 11 feet.
1900 sf my ass…they must be including the deck in that number.
Kenworthy,
I toured Unit 3 while it was still under construction. I am not sure what the final ceiling height ended up to be, but it “felt” more cramped than the finished Unit 2.
One positive thing about these units is the amount of light due to the open lot directly to the west. This lot belongs to the building west of this building.
A kind of creepy thing about the lower second bedroom of Unit 2 ( located on the first floor) is that the deck for Unit 1 is located directly outside your bedroom window.
“1900 sf my ass…they must be including the deck in that number.”
And the stairs and and the entry landing and a few other things. The listed room sizes total 1241 sqft, and that’s taking the impossible Kitchen dimensions at face value (it cannot be 24′ wide on a 24′ lot).
Why don’t people understand the following basic equation (no math skills necessary): You bought in 2005-2007 = your house is worth less than you paid
Joe, re: creepiness of other unit’s deck outside your bedroom–agreed. If not a complete deal killer for me, it sure would be at anything close to this price.
“Why don’t people understand the following basic equation (no math skills necessary): You bought in 2005-2007 = your house is worth less than you paid”
Well, if they were to get their asking price (they won’t), and assuming standard realtor fees, they’re losing ~$30k. Which, with interest, taxes and assessments (but ignoring tax benefits), means they have over $80k into living here for 15 months.
This listing is shady! And lulz @ $550k for this place, even if it was 1900sqft, the layout would be a deal killer for anyone!
“This listing is shady! And lulz @ $550k for this place, even if it was 1900sqft, the layout would be a deal killer for anyone!”
Gee Sonies, does that include the current owner? I believe it may not have been a “deal killer” since it has already sold once.
There are a lot of buyers out there that don’t want to live in cookie cutter 2/2’s.
>You bought in 2005-2007 = your house is worth less than you paid
I love when people make blanket statements.
“I believe it may not have been a “deal killer” since it has already sold once.”
Nah, it’s be okay at $542. $550 makes it a dealkiller.
“I love when people make blanket statements.”
You bought in 2005-2007 = your house is worth less than you paid, unless your name is brad
Seriously though, there does seem to be mass delusion on behalf of sellers (or at least the sellers Sabrina chooses to highlight) that someone they are special and the downturn does not apply to their particular property. Their denial that the downturn might not have affected them is as obvious as their former denial that there was even a bubble when they bought in 2005-2008.
Denile: its more than just a river in Egypt.
>You bought in 2005-2007 = your house is worth less than you paid
That wasn’t the case for me. Bought 2005, sold 2008 for more than I paid. In any kind of market, every house is a different story.
Other than being wrong about that, great post.
“Bought 2005, sold 2008 for more than I paid.”
But it wasn’t new construction (or a first purchase conversion) was it?
Some things Stevo posted actually make sense–don’t buy on a major street, don’t buy new construction or a conversion from the developer. Follow his rules and you might not be “safe”, but you’ll likely be better off.
“There are a lot of buyers out there that don’t want to live in cookie cutter 2/2’s.”
Not my fault these people were idiots and spent WAY too much in 2007 and want to share noises with their downstairs neighbors while getting it on in their office/guest bedroom. Or having your guests go down a spiral staircase to take a leak, unless you want your friends crappin in your master bathroom. THis isn’t cookie cutter, its just wierd.
“Nah, it’s be okay at $542. $550 makes it a dealkiller.”
lol 🙂
lovely location in the heart of wicker park in a classic vintage building. about one block from where nelson algren lived! 🙂 right by pritzger elem school. close to the blue line damen and division stops. pretty. looks like developer managed to update without raping the building of all character.
“Bought 2005, sold 2008 for more than I paid.”
But it wasn’t new construction (or a first purchase conversion) was it?
It was new in 2003. Granted, the original owner made out better than I did.
It was a unique place in a great location so I was fortunate to sell it at all, much less at a slight bump. But that’s my point, every house has unique attributes – good and bad. It’s a mistake to extrapolate every listing to broader market trends. People are way too quick around here to predict a return to some previous value level based on crappy conversions that are stuck on the market primarily because they are crappy. Not that this one is crappy, but the layout would be a challenge to market through.
When did ou sell in 2008? Is it possible that if you waited until today to sell that your outcome would be different?
Why not buy from a developer?
“Why not buy from a developer?”
They’re pricing in their (in recent times, high) mark-up which makes it harder to sell for more in the first few years unless you have a strong, rising market. Of course, if you aren’t paying rack rate, it’s a different story.
Wicker Park is a different place now than in 2005. In 2005, for example, there were about 1/2 the shops and restaurants along Milwaukee there are now, and Division Street was barely up and coming. West of Damen was not desirable – certainly not near North. Wicker Park, the PARK – which this property is right next to, had just been renovated and is much safer and nicer now than it was then. Further, the neighborhood just west of the park, where this unit is located, has seen many dilapidated homes and buldings cleaned up or removed since 2005.
While the general statement of “homes are worth less today than in 2005” holds true in most situations, what kind of value do you all place on the progress of Wicker Park since 2005, as it related to housing? Is this not something to consider?
“In 2005, for example, … Division Street was barely up and coming.”
Seriously? 2005? It was a suitable neighborhood strip in 1995, just with a less upscale clientele.
“Seriously? 2005? It was a suitable neighborhood strip in 1995, just with a less upscale clientele.”
yea, seriously. maybe I mis-remember, call it 2004 if you have to.
ok – well it’s relative – it wasn’t a ghost town in 2005, no. but now there’s shopping from Marshfield to Leavitt, and that was just scattered in 05 – some blocks with nothing. same with eats — there’s probably 3x the restaurants/bars now — certainly the outside seating that’s so prevalent now, was hardly there at all. on a good night there may be a 500-600 people sitting outside from Marshfield to Leavitt this summer — in 2005, certainly 2003-4, that was maybe a few dozen…
It’s just a matter of time before most of the retail boutiques along Damen close and go out of business if they haven’t started to already. The boutiques along Armitage in LP look like they’re hurting too. But the WP boutiques probably won’t survive, especially the stores paying high rent and have debt.
homedelete,
I dunno what you’re talking about but I see ample opportunities for tattoo parlors to survive and thrive in WP. Afterall the people in that part of town are going to feel a need to ‘express themselves’ and how they weren’t part of the ‘in crowd’ in high school. Afterall expressing your sense of ‘irony’ is recession proof.
LOL WP is toast.
“I dunno what you’re talking about but I see ample opportunities for tattoo parlors to survive and thrive in WP. Afterall the people in that part of town are going to feel a need to ‘express themselves’ and how they weren’t part of the ‘in crowd’ in high school. Afterall expressing your sense of ‘irony’ is recession proof.”
Hipsters can’t afford WP anymore, that’s why they moved to Bucktown, but now Bucktown is too expensive so now they live in Pilsen.
I was at a hipster bar a few weekends ago (long story), and they charge $4.50 for Old Style and PBR, and $4 for yuppie beers like bud and miller lite. It was the most messed up thing i’ve ever seen! OH and they charged cover for this god awful dump of a place. Seriously, never go to Double Door Liquors… ever!
yea I think you’re right about that, hd.
I got off point but I was just thinking in a relative sense — not defending the listing or anything…
but do we have some intrinsic value in WP property due to the maturation of the neighborhood, if you will, relative to let’s say LP, which was already mature. leave alone for a second that WP will pull back (and harshly) — there’s still no denying it’s a more desirable area than it was in 2005 for home buyers etc. certainly the area west of damen, south of north.
so for 2 houses bought in 2005 for the same price/value – one in the heart of LP, one in the heart of WP – did the WP home outperform the LP home in price?
“Hipsters can’t afford WP anymore, that’s why they moved to Bucktown”
Huh? Must have missed this trend in 1993. BT (at least the nicer streets) was yuppifying in the mid-90s.
“$4 for yuppie beers like bud and miller lite”
If this is what y’all think yuppies drink, no wonder you have such disdain for yuppies.
I agree with anon(tfo). I was always under the impression Bucktown was more gentrified with more normal folks than WP. And yups drink Beck’s and Heinekin, or mixed drinks with top shelf liquor. There are some parts of Bucktown that are quite nice, with leafy streets that resemble many LP/LV ones.
Oh please every twenty something in LP drinks a bud or miller lite every now and then… or should have I said that yuppies only drink 312 or Fat tire or stella or sheas or goose island or sam adams or whatever the beer of the month is…
Hell, I have a distant relative who was a police officer in the Shakespeare district (wicker park, humboldt, etc) and in 1995 he gave me an 8 tour of his beat and basically the entire district for part of a college research project. From what I remember Wicker Park was starting to becoming gentrified even back then and I remember the amazement of the police officers I spent the day with. They kept saying shit like “there are only two type of people in this neighborhood … criminals and dumb white yuppies….and the dumb white yuppies keep nice stuff in their apartments for the criminals to steal” and, after pointing out two attractive women milling around in front of a bar at the damen and north intersection, “hell, 5 years ago you’d never see any white girls lookin like that on this beat. Now they’re all over.” say what you want about the CPD but I’m just repeating what I heard.
Where am I going with this? WP has been gentrifying for over 15 years now and can still be rough around the edges; LP has been gentrified since probably the 80’s but definitely before my time …
It’s hard to say whether the LP or the WP home outperformed but I’d say that the LP home will probably retain its value. WP is a stone’s throw from huboldt and it has less gentrifcaiton to fall back on. there is a much greater concentration of wealth in LP.
That’s why LP can suppose boutiques and high end stores. the marc jacobs and spoon and all the other high rent district stores on damen ave is a joke; there’s no way there is that much wealth concentrated in WP is only 15 years of gentrication, where as LP has had twice as much time.
anyway I’m rambling, i’m outta here, gonna leave work early today.
sorry i meant to say precinct not district, long day you konw.
“It’s hard to say whether the LP or the WP home outperformed but I’d say that the LP home will probably retain its value. WP is a stone’s throw from huboldt and it has less gentrifcaiton to fall back on. there is a much greater concentration of wealth in LP.”
that’s a good point. and crime will rise significantly… the WP/BP fringes may well revert back to what you saw in the 80s… “nice stuff in their apts to steal” etc.. thanks for the comments.
“every twenty something in LP drinks a bud or miller lite every now and then”
When I was a 20-something in LP, only if someone else was buying and I didn’t want to be rude. And I wasn’t really the P part of yup then, either (now I’m not so much the Y part).
“yups drink Beck’s and Heinekin”
At least the dumb yups. Same thing as Bud/Miller, just in a green bottle; still only drinking it to not be rude.
Still nothing beats a New Glarus spotted cow.
“Still nothing beats a New Glarus spotted cow.”
We get it: you go to Sconsin to buy your beer, so you’re better than the rest of us. Now go eat some cheese.
It is RIDICULOUS to say that division street wasn’t up and coming in 2005. Mirai Sushi moved there in about 2000 and that was the first high-end restaurant i remember. Mas has even been closed for SEVERAL years and is located close to Marshfield. Settimama (sp?), Bob San – too many to mention have been there for quite a while and still are. While there has been in-fill since 2005, Division Street had already arrived in 2005.
I was eating at a restauarnt on Damen the other night and all i could think as i looked out the window at the chic little boutiques is how many of them are going to go out of business.
“While there has been in-fill since 2005, Division Street had already arrived in 2005.”
That was my point. It was “up and coming” in 1995.
“Still nothing beats a New Glarus spotted cow”
Maybe –
Bells – Hopslam; Three Floyds-Dreadnaught, Dark Lord; Piece-Top Heavy Hefewiezen, Cameltoe; Flossmoor Station IPA series; Goose Island -Juliet, Saison; just about any beer on tap at the Maproom??? 🙂
My favorite beer used to be the old formula Beck’s Light. I guess I was the only one though and they decided to reformulate it to that low calorie water down p*ss. So I’ve been boycotting Beck’s ever since.
The old Beck’s Light had the best qualities of Beck’s & Bud Lite, IMO. Which I guess are two universes that the premium beer gods deemed their venn diagrams should never overlap. Had I known they were going to reformulate it I would’ve stockpiled a couple of pallets of it.
Delirium Tremens > all beers no contest, now… back to the property. LOL knifecatchers!
The price already dropped 20k this week to $529.
This apparently sold….wonder what for?
Closed 6/16/09 for $486,000.