Here’s what $250K buys around Chicago right now

Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a weekly column that explores what one can buy for a certain dollar amount in various Chicago neighborhoods. We’ve found five homes at or around today’s price of $250,000. Vote for your favorite below.

Edgewater

VHT Studios, courtesy @properties

Let’s start things off with this bright two-bedroom, one-bath flat in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. The updated North Side property features a living room with a decorative fireplace, moldings, built-in bookshelves, and a charming sunroom flanked by wrap-around windows. There’s also a refreshed kitchen with white cabinets, subway tile backsplash, and black countertops and a rear porch overlooking a private backyard. It’s listed for $250,000.

East Lakeview

VHT Studios, courtesy Compass

Here’s a rehabbed two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo in a midcentury building along Lake Shore Drive in Chicago’s East Lakeview community. The corner unit offers tree-top views of Belmont Harbor and the lake beyond. Updates include a new kitchen, bathrooms, lighting, electrical system, plumbing, flooring, and windows. The unit can be yours for $257,500, but HOA fees run an additional $1,142 per month.

Woodlawn

VHT Studios, courtesy Compass

For $259,000, pick up this bright Woodlawn three-bedroom that’s just steps from the University of Chicago, Jackson Park, and Lake Michigan. Situated on the second floor of an attractive old-school greystone, the home boasts hardwood floors, a carved fireplace, built-in shelves, and a handsome arched picture window in the living room. Monthly assessments are a reasonable $235.

Printer’s Row

VHT Studios, courtesy Compass

Closer to downtown, you’ll find this cozy condo in the historic Transportation Building along Printer’s Row. The South Loop residence makes the most of its 1,000 square feet by offering an updated kitchen, a single bedroom, and a separate den (staged in the listing photos as a nursery). It’s asking $257,000 plus $443 in HOA fees.

Lakeshore East

VHT Studios, courtesy Urban Real Estate

Smaller still is this 708-square-foot studio perched on the 28th floor on the Harbor Point condominium tower in Lakeshore East. What the pint-sized unit lacks in space, it makes up in tremendous views of Grant Park, Monroe Harbor, and the skyline beyond. Building amenities include 24-hour doorstaff, a health club, pool, and grocery store. Own it for $249,000 plus $455 in monthly assessments.