Here’s a real-life scenario I encountered this morning. A friend of mine is looking for an apartment for the first time in a couple of years, and she wanted to know where she could look for homes outside of Craigslist. She wants to live in Bucktown, Wicker Park, or Ukrainian Village, she needs two bedrooms, and she’d prefer to keep the monthly rent to right around $1,000.
I used Coldwell Banker’s listings search to track down homes in the 60612, 60622 and 60647 ZIP codes, and then mapped them out to see which landed east of Western Avenue and north of Grand. The results? There aren’t a lot of options on the MLS, but there are options, all for $900 or less.
One, a $800-a-month unit, is probably out of the question due to its Western Avenue address. It’s not a bad looking home, though — it appears to be a soft-loft style home with exposed ducts and hardwood floors, and it’s not too far from Holstein Park, which can be a nice draw in the warmer months. Another home near the park, located at 2243 W Belden Ave, is listed as having almost 2,000 square feet, which is nice as long as you’re fine living in a garden unit.
The one that catches my eye, though, is this unit at 2157 W Superior St in Ukrainian Village. The home has what appear to be new hardwood floors and a new kitchen with stainless-steel appliances for $900 — $1,000 if you want a parking space in the garage. It’s just around the corner from the neighborhood Dominick’s, which is the kind of convenience I wish I had in my own place, and within walking distance of most of the ‘hood’s bars, record stores, and other fun destinations along Chicago Avenue.
Look too far beyond those homes, though, and your options concentrate around Humboldt Park and Logan Square. Branch out monetarily to $1,250, and your options in the more desired neighborhoods increase.