1. Let's get things going with the upper crust of recent Under $300K bungalow listings (we know, there's a lot of qualifiers in that statement). The fully redone 3/3 home comes to us from Belmont Cragin, a distinct bungalow haven. Built in 1925, its owners affixed the 3,200-square-footer with a new kitchen, new baths, new mechanicals, new roof, a finished basement, and obsessively polished hardwood floors. There's a garage, too, and a back yard that's as much cement as grass. The ask: $299,900.
2. At the low end of the price spectrum is this 1923 Morgan Park classic, sporting three beds, one bath, and 1,162 square feet of living space. The photo gallery starts off strong, with the rustic warmth of the living room and its wood-burning fireplace, built-in shelves, and stained glass. The other rooms just don't match up: dank, dated, and depressing, and with the occasional stain. Then again, the seller only wants $65K for the place and it will stand upright with its newer roof, furnace, and water heater. Good, perhaps, for the small family fatigued by hipper neighborhoods' hype.
3. Hanging out near the middle with a $120K asking price is the above South Shore short sale— 1,670 square feet of attractive home with wonky decor. Yep, those are floor-to-ceiling curtains you see crusted onto a questionable paint job. The kitchen could also use a sprucing-up but the master suite w/ tile-walled bathroom is where it's at. Oh, but the indisputable champ is the full basement bar complete with stools, overhead lighting, and a suited figurine (Sinatra is our guess). There's also a second kitchen down there, courtesy, perhaps, of the Cold War era.
4. Probably the best rehab of the bunch, this three-bed hails from another staunch ally of the Chicago Bungalow— Auburn Gresham. This place packs in a lot at only 1,200 square feet, beginning with a broad living room with coffered ceiling and continuing with a well-appointed kitchen, finished basement, and skylit master suite w/ jacuzzi. The back yard isn't on display, but there is a small one fronting the two-car garage. The ask? $185,900.
5. With the last pick in this month's roundup, Curbed selects a non-distressed South Shore specimen, measuring 2,200 square feet with four beds and two-and-a-half baths. The home was the recipient of a gut rehab and second-floor addition, and, like the other, includes a finished basement and a garage. Mechanicals have also been replaced/enchanced, and the kitchen and master bathroom have ceramic tile floors with eye-catching striations. The ask? $234,900.
·Brilliant Bungalows [Curbed Chicago]
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