While it’s not always possible to have your cake and eat it too, if the timing is right in the real estate market, you just might be able to score a home you love with fewer sacrifices.
These two properties for just over $1 million are the picture of modernity, both with luxury finishes and more than 5,000 square feet of living space. One’s in the Lincoln Park area, the other in Riverwoods.
City or suburbs? You decide.
City: 2663 N. Hermitage Ave., $1,150,000
Pro: The best thing about this 5,100-square-foot home: space. A home of this size doesn’t grow on trees in the city. The house’s brick exterior and distinctive shape belie its warm interior, with transitional finishes such as hardwood floors, neutral walls and expansive windows that offer an abundance of light.
Con: Classified as a row home, the unit is part of a series of identical homes that are situated side by side and share walls. While some might appreciate the historic appeal of this housing style — rowhouses date back to 17th-century Europe — others may see it as lacking privacy.
From the agent: “A row home in Hartland Park offers really great, easy city living,” says the listing agent, Katie Bishop. “Along with (being) super quiet, it has guest parking and is close to commercial infrastructure and Lincoln Park, so it certainly offers an array of elements that you can’t get in the suburbs.”
Size: 5,100 square feet
Beds, baths: 5,5
Location: Hartland Park development, in Lathrop Homes neighborhood of Lincoln Park community area
Year built: 2008
Distance to downtown (City Hall): About 5.5 miles
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Parking: Two-car, attached, heated garage
Coffee: Five-minute walk to Starbucks, nine-minute walk to McDonald’s
Grocery: Five-minute walk to Aldi, six-minute walk to Jewel-Osco
Restaurants: Seven-minute walk to Rapidito Colombian Gourmet Bites, a Colombian street-food joint; eight-minute walk to Chipotle
Taxes: $19,966 in 2015
HOA Fees: $283/month
Schools: Prescott Magnet Cluster School, Lincoln Park High School; Chicago Public Schools
Suburbs: 2551 Palmer Court, Riverwoods, $1,200,000
Pro: This home is the essence of modern luxury. The 5,806-square-foot space includes a two-story great room, an upper-level wet bar and large basement with a theater. Black granite floors contrast with light-colored walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. What’s more, the home is an eight-minute drive from the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, which offers art classes and exhibitions, bilingual nature hikes for English and Spanish-speaking visitors, and a summertime film festival in the woods.
Con: The backyard houses an in-ground, fenced swimming pool with a water slide. For some, this would seal the deal, but if you have a dog or yearn for green space, it could be a deal-breaker.
From the agent: “It’s a fabulous house for entertaining because of the big open space and one room flows to other,” says listing agent Wendi Gordon Shelist. “And the four-car garage — can’t get that in the city.”
Size: 5,806 square feet
Beds, baths: 4, 5.5
Location: Thorngate Subdivision in Riverwoods
Year built: 1999
Distance to downtown (City Hall): About 30 miles
Parking: Four-car, attached garage
Coffee: Eight-minute drive to Starbucks, 12-minute drive to Dunkin’ Donuts
Grocery: Nine-minute drive to Whole Foods and Jewel-Osco
Restaurants: Four-minute drive to Meritage Restaurant & Wine Bar, an American bistro; five-minute drive to J. Alexander’s, a contemporary American restaurant; eight-minute drive to Mi Mexico, a family-friendly Mexican restaurant
Taxes: $28,830 in 2015
HOA Fees: $125/month
Schools: South Park Elementary School and Caruso Middle School, Deerfield Public School District 109; Deerfield High School, Township High School District 113
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