h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oh.. and we have actually looked at places as nasty, or nearly so, as the one you linked to, Ictoan. Ugh. There have been a few places we've come out of and the first thing our realtor has done is break out the sanitizer. Then I hurry home for a shower. We were in one where I pulled a chain on a light fixture and a chunk of plaster fell on me.

heh, always a bonus then!

And yes, liked the bathroom in #1 - not a million miles off what I've done with mine, albeit not with as nice a window or bath!

Mind you, I long to have a bathroom that is big enough to properly take a cast iron freestanding bath in the middle of it. One can dream, eh?

I should get round to having my water metered - currently just pay a flat amount per year as calculated by the water company based on house size. This covers freshwater provision and sewage disposal. All the water companies are trying to move to metered, and I think any new builds have to be metered. Bin collections are covered by council tax we pay, which is used to fill council coffers to pay for policing and all sorts of council services. Based on house size and value and payable by all occupants of the house over 18 (I think). Middle of the road middle-class 3 bedroom semi detached where I live costs me just under £1000 a year as I get a discount for being a single occupier. WOuld be £1300 ish otherwise.

Our landlord presumably recoups water expenses and trash removal with our rent. He sure as hell doesn't use it for common area upkeep- our front foyer has needed painting for three years.

We have a free-standing cast iron tub in our bathrom now. The one in that bathroom in #1 is close enough, it appears to be ceramic as opposed to cast iron, but at least it has feet on it so it's close.

We don't pay property tax here based on occupancy, but based on the assessed value of the property (home and land). House size probably has some bearing on the overall value (though obviously values vary by location). The average for most of the homes we have seriously looked at has been about $4,000- $6,000 a year. Homeowners who occupy their homes get a bit of an exemption (and seniors pay maybe half).

A friend sent me a link to this today:

http://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/4348-N-Spaulding-Ave-60618/unit-1N/home/21905685

We could pay cash for this one. Well, they'd want a cashier's check, but they call it a cash deal if you pay in full at time of purchase as opposed to financing.

Not sure what the square footage is... sounds a bit small. I'm leaing more towards house than condo, but sometimes when I get to thinking about yard work, etc, if we could find a decent sized one with sufficient closet and storage space, I'd gladly get a condo...

ah, 'fraid I have too much against flats and the like to be objective about them. The closeness to others is just a big turn off for me.

I mean it looks nice from the inside - bit drab and brutalist on the outside. And I think you are right about the space involved. But clean and well presented.

Back to questions again - it says the association dues "Includes Scavenger" - any idea what they mean by scavenger? Do you get your very own bald headed eagle perched on the railings at the back?

I wish!!

Scavenger is a euphemism for waste removal- hauling away of trash and recycling.

That's actually one of the reasons on my "cons" list in regards to condos. In Chicago, the city handles trash removal for all single family homes and multi-unit residential dwellings with four or fewer units. All businesses, and residential buildings with five or more units, use private waste removal companies, and some of their recycling programs leave a lot to be desired. Not that the city one (which is't rolled out in all areas yet) is anywhere near perfect, mind.

I don't mind closeness to others, though I'm not keen on the idea of buying in a building with retail units as well. I also tend to prefer rehabbed older buildings ("vintage", they call it) to new construction. They have more character and look like they belong, rather than some monstrosity out of Beetlejuice or something.

That one is roughly 1/2 mile east of my current place, and 3 blocks (a bit under 1/4 mile) north. So it's not getting us any closer to K's work. But I sure do love my current neighborhood!

I like the outside, actually. Front more than rear, obviously, but it did look like it had off street parking (huge deal here for insurance purposes, as well as just having a guaranteed space). Scandinavian architecture tends towards Modernism or Functionalism, which I've always found appealing and this reminds me a little of that style.

Inside looks fairly compact, but perfectly doable. And for that price too - hire storage if you need it! How bright is it? Would you be overlooked by neighbours (like Ugly Naked Guy)?

Horner Park (name?) seems nearby enough - is that nice enough for your green space? Are window boxes doable in that building?

Is there a balcony or something for this place? What floor is it on? Does it have stairs or a lift? How well is it insulated for sound?

Don't know all of the answers to those questions- all excellent ones- and some I'd probably only assess if we went to see it in person.

Horner Park is not all that far from where I live now (though I prefer Independence Park, which is about a half mile west, and where our farmer's market is) and it's a pretty nice park. This wouldn't have a view of the park but it's hardly even a walk away. That park is huge- I'm guessing a square quarter mile? We walk over there and then take walks through the park all the time. Lots of dog walkers there, and K likes stopping to say hi to all the passing pups.

I can guess at window boxes- most condo associations allow them, so long as they're not too gaudy. Some HOAs want everything to be uniform, but I see a lot of variation on balconies around the city. Not sure as that this place has one, though- sounded like a ground floor unit, which I'm not so keen on. I don't care much for garden level units, either. A house with a basement and first and second floors is different though.

And yes, off street parking would mean a significant insurance discount for us, too. As well as a guaranteed spot. K deejayed last night till midnight, and it took him over an hour to find a parking spot two blocks away...

"Garden level unit"?
Is that a basement unit? 'Cos to me the garden is ground level!

So, are you any closer to a decision now? Sorry, can't really keep up with it all, but do my ing.

A garden apartment/ unit is usually a basement unit, or at least below grade level. Here in the US, the first floor is the ground level floor (or just slightly above ground level if there is a basement that's partly above grade level). All of the places I have looked at so far, the building I live in now, and every place I've lived but one, has had a basement at slightly above grade level and the first floor just above ground level. My very first apartment was a garden unit, and it was always damp and people were forever peering into my windows.

Sho, we aren't that close to a decision yet. I'm sort of holding back getting too attached to anything until we see what kind of offer my uncle makes us. We still have a year and half left on the lease and I'm not even positive the landlord will let us out of it early, though we've been such great tenants I can't imagine him jerking us around if we're only asking to leave to buy a house.

(I misspoke when I used the word "slightly" referring to basements in places I've lived- the basements have all been partly above and partly below grade level, which I assume is the norm over there as well?)

Can I suggest a tent, PC? Not enough accountants live in tents.

OOoh, you could build a teepee or an earthship!

Homer Park maybe?

Not enough accountants live in those.

I'll do a search for some suitable tents. In the meantime, this is kind of cute- I like the woodwork in the dining room, and the bathroom vanity. Kitchen is perfectly serviceable.

http://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/3445-N-Avers-Ave-60618/home/12562470

Too dark (in the photos at least) for my liking, I'm afraid. But then I'm not buying it, so never mind.

No pictures of bedrooms or the rest of the bathroom though, nor of the yard.

Kitchen desperately needed work space - did you notice how the cooker was just all on its lonesome? It was also really hard to tell the size of the kitchen from the pictures they showed.

Is it in a nice area?

That woodwork is rather enticing, I agree.

ooh, like that one. The entrance from outside with the terrace and steps, the wood throughout (although perhaps a bit much, but still good).
I think, looking at the windows from the inside shot, that the darkness is just the camera settings. The windows look like they should provide quite a bit of light.

That sideboard in #6 is very nice!
Bathroom basin unit looks a bit battered.
Kitchen - hmmm. Looks a bit out of keeping with the rest of the place - looks more like a low rent flat kitchen than a house of that price. Bit sort of 'afterthought', doesn't seem to be well planned. On the other hand a nice big window to look out of whilst cooking on the stove!
And no garden shot. But I think I'd deffo go have a look at it.