What $320,000 Will Get You In Roscoe Village: 1954 W. Newport
This 2-bedroom at 1954 W. Newport in Roscoe Village came on the market at the end of September 2012.
The unit appears to be a boom-era conversion.
It has Brazilian cherry hardwood floors and an open floor plan.
There are Espresso cabinets in the kitchen along with stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops.
There are Toto and Gerber faucets.
The unit has central air and washer/dryer in the unit but it doesn’t have parking.
It is listed $9,100 under the 2008 price.
With limited inventory in Roscoe Village, will this unit command this price?
David Lobraco at Re/Max Destiny has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #2W: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, no square footage listed
- Sold in February 2008 for $329,000 (per Redfin- as I can’t find the public record)
- Originally listed in September 2012 for $319,900
- Currently still listed at $319,900
- Assessments of $188 a month
- Taxes of $5299
- Central Air
- Washer/Dryer in the unit
- No parking
- Bedroom #1: 16×11
- Bedroom #2: 11×10
Nice enough looking place. And nice enough listing (though they may be pushing the floors a bit with that close up). Wondering though, with a bathroom on the smallish side, why they went with the dual vanity. I’d rather have the extra countertop space. Or will two people actually be in there at the same time so often that it merits two sinks?
Is that the kitchen or a wet bar?
Walk-up apartment in building abutting the sidewalk line on two sides with no parking miles from downtown. And why would a buyer pick this unit?
The picture of the kitchen is so terrible. I leaning towards thinking this should have just stayed rental.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-13/chicago-luxury-homes-rebound-as-foreclosures-plague-south-side.html
Interesting article…
$295 might get it done.
It’s a great location and a reasonable walk to the Addison brown line stop. My guess is that someone who doesn’t cook or own a car will pay around $300k.
“http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-13/chicago-luxury-homes-rebound-as-foreclosures-plague-south-side.html
Interesting article…”
Evidence of the divide widening between the 1%er’s and the rest? It does seem the improvements I have seen in the market are almost exclusive to upper bracket housing.
“Or will two people actually be in there at the same time so often that it merits two sinks?”
Two sinks are better than one, no matter how much counter space you lose.
“Evidence of the divide widening between the 1%er’s and the rest? It does seem the improvements I have seen in the market are almost exclusive to upper bracket housing.”
Yeah, and it’s sad. It only takes $48k for a single filer to be in the 85th percentile and $193 for the 99th.
“It only takes $48k for a single filer to be in the 85th percentile ”
Cite?? Not disputing (necessarily), just want to refresh my references.
“Two sinks are better than one, no matter how much counter space you lose.”
Do you often find yourself using both sinks?
http://www.irs.gov/uac/SOI-Tax-Stats—Individual-Statistical-Tables-by-Size-of-Adjusted-Gross-Income
Actually for year 2009 it’s more like 95.9% of all filers earned less than $200,000. roughly 14% of all filers earn more than $100k,
and although I don’t have a link, 75% of all households over $100k are dual income.
Man this place makes mine look spacious, wtf is with that kitchen, there is zero counterspace and OMG limp phallis faucets in the bathrooms!
The square footage isn’t listed for a reason. Id bet its under 900. SO COZY!
“Cite?? Not disputing (necessarily), just want to refresh my references.”
It’s from the IRS. I just wrote an email about it the other day and that’s why it was fresh in my mind. That’s for SINGLE filers only. There are a ton of web resources that will give you HOUSEHOLD income which will be higher since most are dual income.
“Do you often find yourself using both sinks?”
I only use one. My spouse uses the other. What’s your point? In this condo, the dual sink looks fine, great for significant others or for occasinal sleep over partners….
I also think they forced a double sink into a space that can not reasonably support it. I also think the listing agent needs to rethink their picture strategy. They need to better represent the overall space, but maybe there is nothing there worth showing.
I get it, they are trying to highlight supposed high end finishes. But people looking for high end finishes are not going to be excited about the kitchens (Michael – “Is that a kitchen or a wet bar?”) and bathrooms that are too small to support them (Anonny – “Wondering though, with a bathroom on the smallish side, why they went with the dual vanity.”), or do not fully utilize the space appropriately. I share your reactions, and the pictures do nothing to dissuade me from that thinking.
I am a high end finish type guy, and I would not even consider going to see this unit with what I know from the listing.
My condo isn’t too far from this, and is similar in size, though my kitchen is much bigger, and I’m on a top floor and it’s better finished. I don’t have parking either.
Question to the group – thinking of leaving Chicago. My condo is very nicely furnished with well maintained. Does anyone see any incentive in selling it fully furnished, including all kitchen ware, electronics (5.1 home theater and plasma), etc? Would that make it more attractive? All subject to price, of course.
““Do you often find yourself using both sinks?”
I only use one. My spouse uses the other. What’s your point? In this condo, the dual sink looks fine, great for significant others or for occasinal sleep over partners….”
I’ve never understood the purpose of the two vanity sinks. It implies that you are either comfortable enough with your partner that you use the bathroom simultaneously (but not everyone is good at sharing, even our loved ones) or you use the bathroom at separate times but refuse to allow anyone else to touch your precious sink. Very odd.
“Question to the group – thinking of leaving Chicago. My condo is very nicely furnished with well maintained. Does anyone see any incentive in selling it fully furnished, including all kitchen ware, electronics (5.1 home theater and plasma), etc? Would that make it more attractive? All subject to price, of course.”
I would guess: no. Unless it’s in River North/Streeterville where you may get someone interested in an in-town, anyone buying in the neighborhoods would have their own furniture etc.
Anyone else care to chime in?
“I would guess: no. Unless it’s in River North/Streeterville where you may get someone interested in an in-town, anyone buying in the neighborhoods would have their own furniture etc.
Anyone else care to chime in?”
Agreed. Maybe you’d find the right person that wants exactly what you have and doesn’t mind used stuff, but seems unlikely. If someone has a really nice clean install of a tv (not over a fireplace) and suitable input option, I might think about asking for the setup. Although isn’t plasma v last decade?
“isn’t plasma v last decade?”
Depends on viewing demands. Better plasmas still better than best lcd in some respects, but tradeoffs.
“Depends on viewing demands. Better plasmas still better than best lcd in some respects, but tradeoffs.”
Don’t you care about your carbon footprint, plasma snob?
Uncle Bob: there are buyers who will be interested in buying some of the furniture. Good staging helps sell the property. When we sold our Streeterville condo and when we sold our first house, both times buyer asked to purchase livingroom and diningroom furniture too. We said no, because we needed furniture ourselves. Furthermore, both buyers were difficult: 1st buyer: a window shade loose, refrigerator suddenly “too old”, a closet-maid bracket bent, etc; 2nd buyer: rewrote MLS contract form, wanted “special favors”, etc. I was glad not to deal with “spot on cushion” issues. Your listing agent can note furnishings are available, with negotiable price.
To add to my prior comment. When buyer of our house listed the house for sale on MLS several years later, they used our original MLS photos, showing our furnishings. Weird complement, I guess. When I first saw their listing, I thought rooms looked weirdly familiar, and then realized they simply recycled photos.
“Depends on viewing demands. Better plasmas still better than best lcd in some respects, but tradeoffs.”
Plasma is the way to go, some of the best looking TVs these days are the newer plasmas. I’ve got one myself, and it blows the be-jezus out of most TVs I view at relatives, bars, kiosks, etc. Especially those no name vizio or sorny lcds, those are just awful, people think they’re getting a deal on a flat screen HDTV, but the picture quality is atrocious.
Speaking of leaving Chicago, that seems to be the trend lately for a lot of people and college grads. I recently learned that all of my college roommates have left Chicago and returned home to their native state which I found usual. they all lived here in Chicago for 12-15 and only recently have left the state. I think the recession and high unemployment is giving some people pause about staying in Chicago when there are better job opportunities in other states. That’s not to say that Chicago is a bad place, but it thought it was a weird anecdotal story that they’ve all moved on.
sorry, i found it UNusual that my college roommates have all left the state.
“That’s not to say that Chicago is a bad place, but it thought it was a weird anecdotal story that they’ve all moved on.”
What states did they move back to? That’s the big question.
I think as people get older and have families they want to be near their original families because suddenly the grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins all become important. I lived in another state for 7 years and left due to family. It really had nothing to do with the employment situation or anything else going on in that state.
Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Wisconsin. I just found it odd. Maybe it means nothing, but if they aren’t replaced with a fresh new crop of grads then watch the housing market stand still or decline for years.
Plasmas are great but have glossy glass screens that don’t work too well in a high light room. In a basement or whatever its fantastic, but not everyone has that luxury.
The friends I have that left Chicago all have gone overseas to make a shitload of money, and they plan on coming back within a year or two when their contracts are done. Another dude I know got a job transfer at the same company in San Diego, paid housing on the fricking beach, so I can’t exactly blame him for leaving for that. Everyone else I know though loves it here. Most of my college friends/roommates never moved to the city they stayed in the burbs.
“I’ve never understood the purpose of the two vanity sinks. It implies that you are either comfortable enough with your partner that you use the bathroom simultaneously (but not everyone is good at sharing, even our loved ones) or you use the bathroom at separate times but refuse to allow anyone else to touch your precious sink. Very odd.”
Umm ok. I think it’s the complete opposite and so does most of America since double sinks are in high demand. I also think it would be odd to not feel comofortable being in the bathroom brushing your teeth, hair, shaving etc… with your partner in the bathroom. I’m not talking about crapping or anything but normal just getting ready for bed, going out etc.
“Your listing agent can note furnishings are available, with negotiable price.”
It can’t hurt to add this to your listing. I moved to Chicago a few years ago from South Africa and while I had a furnished house there, it just didn’t make economic sense to schlep all my furniture to Chicago. So I would have been happy to buy a furnished place. That said, I’m a little picky so I probably wouldn’t have wanted to spend a lot of money on someone else’s stuff. But if the decor was tasteful and price was right…