What $500,000 buys in Chicago right now

Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a weekly column that explores what one can buy for a set dollar amount in various Chicago neighborhoods. We’ve found six homes within $25,000 of today’s price: $500,000.

Gold Coast

Photos courtesy of @properties

Let’s start with this two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo in a boutique elevator building from 1923. The unit at 921 N. LaSalle Drive has 11-foot ceilings, hardwood flooring, custom built-ins, a fireplace, and a walk-in closet with french doors. The home is surrounded by 100-year-old buildings and sits on a tree-lined block near Washington Square Park. Asking price is $500,000.

Kenwood

Photos courtesy of Keller Williams

Here’s a classic row house in the beautiful historic Kenwood neighborhood. Built in 1887, 1033 E. 49th Street comes with five bedrooms and three bathrooms. You’ll find the original hardwood floors with inlay oak accents and the original wood-burning fireplaces too. In this neighborhood there are beautiful historic homes and a much less competitive market than Lincoln Park or Lakeview. Asking price is $524,900.

Lincoln Square

Photos courtesy of Dream Town Realty

We’ll admit, the living room here feels quite a bit dated but the backyard is what puts this house on our list. The Georgian-style brick home comes with three bedrooms, one and a half baths, a family room with a skylight, an enclosed sun room, and a nearly finished basement. The property at 2848 W. Rascher Avenue is listed for $500,000.

Lakeview

Photos by VHT Studios, courtesy of Coldwell Banker Homes

Here’s a condo in a building by Chicago architect Robert DeGolver. Throughout the 1920s he designed a handful of grand lakefront buildings that pull elements from Italian palazzos, Georgian, and Art Deco styles. The unit at 3500 N. Lake Shore Drive has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a chef’s kitchen, new hardwood floors, and a spa-like master bathroom. The owners have taken advantage of the long hallway and high ceilings by making quite a few gallery walls with antique mirrors, art, and dishes. Asking price is $524,000.

Rogers Park

Photos courtesy of @properties

This sunny yellow 1896 Queen Anne Victorian sits on a large corner lot and just came on the market two days ago. The interior is bursting with vintage charm: 10-foot ceilings, original hardwood floors, oak molding, french doors, and elegant beams. The four-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath home has an updated eat-in kitchen which overlooks a huge backyard with mature trees. The house at 2145 W. Greenleaf Avenue listed for $500,000.