On this House Hunters, middle school teacher Jordan wants to move from Evanston to Chicago. She fell in love with the city while attending DePaul University, and now Jordan wants to fully immerse herself into the big city life. She has been renting in the suburbs for the last six years, three of them on her own. Jordan wants to buy a condo or loft to save money and to live closer to the action. While house hunting, she’s bringing along her little sister, Sydney, to help with the decision.
Sydney also wants to stay with Jordan when she visits the city, so Sydney is just as invested in this decision as her sister. Jordan’s budget is $250,000, but she wants to keep it closer to the $200,000 range.
Wish Lists
Sydney’s List: Sydney thinks that Jordan should buy a two bedroom, two bathroom condo, so that she has a room when she visits. Sydney also thinks Jordan should save money by buying a vintage walk-up with plenty of closet space.
Jordan’s List: Jordan wants a modern, turnkey high-rise with plenty amenities, including a pool. She wants her new place to have a great view of the city and be an open concept layout. Jordan wants floor to ceiling windows and a nice outdoor space. She would also love for it to be downtown or the north side. Jordan needs the place to have an in-unit laundry.
House #1, $238,000
This high-rise is located in the Gold Coast neighborhood of downtown. It’s about 700 sq ft. The HOA for this unit is $409 a month. Some of the major amenities include a pool and an entertaining space. The place is very small for the price with only one bedroom and one bathroom. It has a popcorn ceiling, french doors, and an open floor plan.
The place also has a white kitchen with new appliances. It doesn’t have in-unit laundry, but the laundry floor is just one floor below. The bedroom and bathroom are both small and tight. Jordan wouldn’t be able to fit much into this room. She would also only be able to get a small couch for Sydney to sleep on when she visits.
House #2, $170,000
This vintage walk-up is located in the Rogers Park area. It’s about 20 to 30 minutes from downtown, but closer to where she works. The loft was built in 1921, but has been newly remodeled. It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It’s about 1100 sq ft. Jordan’s unit is located on the second floor, and there are no elevators. The HOA for this place is $242 a month.
The home has plenty of kitchen counter space and new appliances. It has two floors, so another set of stairs. The stairs have this hideous carpet on them. This place includes in-unit laundry. It has plenty of windows for natural lighting, and an open concept layout. The view from the deck is less than desirable as it only shows an alley.
House #3, $295,000
This place is located in the West Loop area of downtown. It’s by Union station. The condo has a loft style, and one bedroom and one bathroom. It has an HOOA of $350 a month. It’s 858 sq ft. The place has high ceilings, hardwood floors, and a balcony. The home is located on one of the lower floors, so it doesn’t have that much natural light.
In addition to the one full bathroom, it does have a half bathroom. It also has plenty of storage space and in-unit laundry. This condo has a lot of amenities, including a bowling alley, outdoor space without a pool, a gym, and a theater.
Decision Time: House #3 seemed ideal but not the right price for a teacher. House #2 was a great price and had things on both sister’s lists, but it wasn’t located downtown. House #1 had a high HOA for not many amenities, but it had a great view of the city.
Jordan picked…House #2.
She paid the $170,000 asking price and got a few credits for repairs. The first thing she did when she moved in was paint the bathroom lavender to cover up the initial red.
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