You Can Get A 2-Bedroom In The Heart Of Bucktown For Under $210K: 2112 W. North Avenue
This 2-bedroom in the midrise tudor courtyard building at 2112 W. North Avenue in Bucktown came on the market in October 2012.
At just 850 square feet, it still manages to pack more punch than many 2-bedrooms double its size, including having a separate eating area.
There are hardwood floors throughout and a covered balcony.
The unit has a gas brick fireplace.
The kitchen has white cabinets and stainless steel appliances.
There is central air but no in-unit washer/dryer. Nor is there deeded parking but rental parking is available for $75 a month just steps away.
But there’s no need to have a car because this building is located just a block away from the Damen blue line stop and is right in the heart of all the shops and restaurants of both Bucktown and Wicker Park.
If you’re thinking “these were converted to condos during the housing boom so they should go back to being rental apartments” you would be wrong. Built in 1906, they’ve been condo units going back to at least 1997.
Are these starter condos still in demand?
Eric Marcus at Eric Marcus Real Estate Group has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #2E: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 850 square feet
- Sold in May 1997 for $106,000
- Sold in October 2002 for $185,000
- Sold in November 2004 for $245,000
- Sold in May 2009 for $220,000
- Originally listed in October 2012 for $219,900
- Reduced
- Currently listed at $210,000
- Assessments of $218 a month
- Taxes of $2507
- Central Air
- No washer/dryer in the unit
- No parking- but rental available nearby for $75 a month
- Bedroom #1: 13×10
- Bedroom #2: 11×9
What a POS! Should be rental housing
I was surprised when I first realized that this building was condos. It is, however, a surprisingly great building. Even though it’s on North it’s quiet and even feels secluded. I’ve been to some great parties in the courtyard, where residents hire musicians, it’s hard to believe you’re on North Ave. I think the fact that the courtyard is several steps up from North helps with the secluded feel. Still, obviously these units are lacking most of amenities condo buyers tend to seek.
Too small for me, but I like it. You don’t see units like this in the city often (quality construction and nice courtyards). At this price it would be a good investment, as you could easily rent it out if you didn’t want to live there.
With 20% down and @ 4% for 30, this is costing 1229 a month including your taxes and assessments. Not sure this would command more than 1600/month in rent. Some profits, but better investment property options out there IMO. Definitely a rental building.
There’s no hiding how small the rooms are, and the kitchen is rather drab, but the place does have some charm. I’ve always liked this building.
I so wanted to live here in the early 90s and I remember calling the number on the sign asking how much. Someone called back and said they didn’t have any units available.
I used to live right by here before I moved to NYC. The location and courtyard are great. This would be a 1.4MM apartment in NYC. I also have seen cool parties in the courtyard. No need to have a car if you live here.
Would have bought in a second a soon as six months ago, but this city is going right down the crapper. Scary fast.
Anyone else been out there lately? Somethings going on and it ain’t fun or normal.
Goodbye Chi-Town, helllooooo Seattle!
“but this city is going right down the crapper. Scary fast.”
Long-time residents of my neighborhood, which has a near six figure median income, talk about how bad the 80s was and how you had to look out for heroin needles in the streets. So what we might hit 500 homicides this year–18 years ago it was 931.
If anything the 2010 census was an indication Chicago has stabilized (somewhat) while so many other MW cities are still in slow, steady decline.
“Long-time residents of my neighborhood, which has a near six figure median income, talk about how bad the 80s was and how you had to look out for heroin needles in the streets.”
My theory is for every neighborhood that improves, two decline. So, while the GZ-oriented people see that Chicago is getting better, go outside the green zone and you see massive decline. It’s even worse in the suburbs that now have metal detectors at high schools that never had them 18 yrs. ago.
It’s like Oak Park, it’s still nice. But it used to be that Austin, Elmwood Park, Forest Park, Maywood, Melrose Park, Galewood, Schorch Village, etc. were also nice. Now they are in total decline, with Oak Park surrounded by savages. 20-30 years ago, people used to raise great American families in these places, now the Provisio high schools all have metal detectors.
“My theory is for every neighborhood that improves, two decline. So, while the GZ-oriented people see that Chicago is getting better, go outside the green zone and you see massive decline. It’s even worse in the suburbs that now have metal detectors at high schools that never had them 18 yrs. ago.”
Maybe the problems have been exported then. As for the 2:1 ratio I’ll acknowledge it’s above one, but not willing to concede it’s two. The truth is Chicago proper was a fvcking cesspool by the late 70s. I’m not claiming it’s great, but it’s likely not as bad as back then. Self-segregation has done wonders to limit collateral damage from people who have no respect for human life. Sad story but one summer when I lived on the SS & had to drive to the highway for work. I saw one bar that looked completely out of place for the neighborhood driving through (bad blk neighborhood) and wondered how in the hell they let that place stay open. Not even a sign of the tavern’s name nearby.
Found out from headlines later the name of the establishment was Inflation Lounge some years later.
http://www.chicagonewsreport.com/2010/10/1-killed-6-wounded-in-shooting-at.html
“It’s like Oak Park, it’s still nice. But it used to be that Austin, Elmwood Park, Forest Park, Maywood, Melrose Park, Galewood, Schorch Village, etc. were also nice. Now they are in total decline, with Oak Park surrounded by savages. 20-30 years ago, people used to raise great American families in these places, now the Provisio high schools all have metal detectors.”
The highschools have to–they’re dealing with families, err single mother households, displaced by closing section 8 housing from Chicago, low IQ types with no real way to survive outside of Chicago’s handout system. They absolutely cannot adapt to suburbs which are smaller and unlike the CPS machine don’t sweep behavioral problems under the carpet.
Oak Park may be nice, but I’m betting the residents can’t be blinded to reality given the terrible ghettos and people they have to go through and the people they have to deal w/on the green line that Wilmette residents don’t on the purple line. I’ve seen some real ghetto thug behavior on the green line (around 8am no less) and this is from loop transfers some years ago. Can’t imagine it’s better near Austin stop. One of the reasons I’m skeptical of Oak Park WRT the el. There are some serious ghetto characters from Garfield Park that use that green line (& woodlawn too), at all hours.
This building was being sold as condos as early as 1986 though without much success. I think there were too many rentals and financing was problematic. I looked at a unit and thought it was a cheap conversion. My recollection was they were selling in the $40K range. I ended up in Oak Park.
I almost bought here in 1993. Would have, but deal was contingent on getting out of other deal in Lakeview where I ended up living for 11 years. Sometimes I wonder how my life would have been different if I’d lived here instead.
“The truth is Chicago proper was a fvcking cesspool by the late 70s. I’m not claiming it’s great, but it’s likely not as bad as back then.”
I dunno. There were vast stretches of the NW side that were better then, than today. Probably the same with the SW side too. Was the area around Riis Park still a normal area then? I think it was. Now it’s a gang infested dump. I don’t think Chicago really had that “Taxi Driver” type decline in the Seventies.
“I don’t think Chicago really had that “Taxi Driver” type decline in the Seventies.”
What???
What planet are you from?
The 70s sucked in every major US city. NY went bankrupt and had the huge power outage. In Chicago, the mayor was moving into housing projects (that was late 70s/early 80s). Lincoln Park and Gold Coast sucked in the 1970s. As I’ve said before, someone I know was going to college in the 1970s and her parents were afraid to let her go to DePaul because it was so scary in that neighborhood. They refused to let her live on campus.
The area around Wrigley Field was completely blue collar and different than it is now. For visual reference, rent About Last Night and relive how people actually used to put lawn chairs on their buildings across from the park to watch games.
“But it used to be that Austin, Elmwood Park, Forest Park, Maywood, Melrose Park, Galewood, Schorch Village, etc. were also nice. Now they are in total decline.”
Dan- do you have any stats to back up your claims? “Total decline?” Really? Please provide something more than just your crazy opinion.
By total decline he means the decline of the white population.
“do you have any stats to back up your claims?”
The amount of metal detectors in those villages’ high schools that didn’t exist 30-40 years ago. Have you ever been to Maywood? Go out there and drive around.
“The 70s sucked in every major US city.”
Large parts of Chicago were fine, and nice white middle-class families were raising families just fine in that era. Watch the crowd of the Bozo’s Circus reruns…..and compare them to the mongrelized, obese slob city-kids of today. You must not know anyone who grew up in Chicago from that era. They, and I can tell you that it wasn’t like Taxi Driver. Most of those people starting leaving in the Eighties and Nineties. Drive around, the old Protestant churches that thrived in the Seventies in so many neighborhoods are almost dead, only one service on Sunday, or they’ve sold out to some bizarre asian, jehovah congregation, or some weirdo hispanic pentecostal outfit. The Catholic churches have been turned over to Mexicans and they can’t run the schools or do any decent administration, or upkeep the buildings they couldn’t never build and were given for free. Look at the strip shopping along old retail areas like Central and Belmont. That was a nice area back in the Seventies. Now look. Dumpy dollar stores and taco joints, and thrift stores and vacancy. That’s basically the decline, and I’m suggesting that in Chicago and inner ring suburbs, for every GZ hood that improves, there are twice as many areas like Belmont and Central, Riis Park, Maywood, Forest Park, Austin, etc. that decline.
Evergreen Park mall was a nice area in the Seventies, lots of American families, now look massive decline….but something pops up like a Longman and Eagle and the d-bags at chicago magazine write it up, and idiots think the city is almost like Paris. I noticed that Preckwinkle was ripping on our ballerina student mayor because the city and schools are now totally crappy. CPS was probably better in the Seventies as well. I bet Steimetz and Schurz were. Mather and Sullivan were too, I bet those now have metal detectors…but there’s a new infused botanical cocktail bar to drink at in Pilsen, everything is just great now.
I don’t even know if there are stats from the seventies, but in 2002 41% of CPS students either met or exceeded state standards. In 2012 it was 82%.
” I bet Steimetz”
“but in 2002 41% of CPS students either met or exceeded state standards. In 2012 it was 82%.”
I love how these two quotes are in adjacent messages. As CPS would/could never fudge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheaters_%28film%29
“but there’s a new infused botanical cocktail bar to drink at in Pilsen, everything is just great now.”
Funniest thing about Pilsen is there’s not a lot of places to buy beer. Went on a beer run w/a friend who lives way west of here in a dry area too and we went east looking for the first beer store we could find. Wound up all the way in Pilsen at some crummy dump where the (presumably) politically connected owner wanted $25 for a case of beer.
Lucky guy–he absolutely r_pes those SWPLs and we all know they’re too lazy to venture far. Needless to say we didn’t drink beer that night.
“$25 for a case of beer”
+
“those SWPLs”
=
That’s what the beer they drink costs, Bob. Hell, it’s a *good* price (or cheapish SWPL-beer). MacroBrew =/= SWPL-approved beer.
$25 bucks is indeed what good beer costs even at Costco. Bob is probably talking about old-fashioned American beer that’s only good for slamming, like at tailgates. $25 for that is a high price.
“MacroBrew =/= SWPL-approved beer.”
Point noted. However PBR & Schlitz are sold at Whole Foods (but not Budweiser or Bud Light–SWPLs don’t want to be associated with Americana or fratboys, respectively).
“$25 for that is a high price.”
It’s at least $5 higher than the ripoff quick-mart shops in LP the college kids go to. The guy who has that liquor store in Pilsen must be hemorrhaging $$$. It’s probably like Kimbark Liquors in Hyde Park which actively works with church groups & politicians to keep competitors out.
“However PBR & Schlitz are sold at Whole Foods”
Good for par cooking sausage, and other cooking-with-beer purposes.
Also good for your sister’s hipster DB boyfriend to visibly reject your bougie trappings while having a second serving of free range meat (and, hey, did he really just pocket that half-wheel of cheese?) at the bbq.
“Also good for your sister’s hipster DB boyfriend to visibly reject your bougie trappings while having a second serving of free range meat (and, hey, did he really just pocket that half-wheel of cheese?) at the bbq.”
Sis & husband proto-hipsters at best (they didn’t exist for their generation quite yet). They don’t live in a hipster area, don’t dress the part, and now have a big backyard, although they do bike, are vegan and she likes the craft beers. Both own their own car & neither’s hybrid, altho she used to but got burned on it so swears them off now.
Oh yeah and she just recently realized how she got screwed over on her 30yr FHA loan. One whole year into it. Had they been able to budget better they could’ve been sitting a lot better now, but they’re like most Americans. Will take them something like 9 years to get rid of PMI (or a minimum 5, but where are they going to get the extra $ to pre-pay to make sure it ends at 60?). And ma & pa had to help w/the DP, although I commend them for not going the full 20%+points+fees and setting a rather low cap.
Democrats for life. Dependent on govt programs/handouts their entire life because they don’t realize without them they would’ve likely gotten a better price on that house.
(& they got me a 12pk of craft beer for last X-mas so it makes things easier for my X-mas shopping. And to be honest, I prefer it that way 😀
err make sure it ends at 60 months?