List price: $15,000
The weird thing is that it doesn’t look that bad in the primary photo:
This is one of those instances when maybe everyone would have been better off (or at least had fewer nightmares) if the listing agent had only included a single photo.
Whew – Well, from what little we can see from the photos, the bones look okay- not great, but something that could be worked with… although I wonder what ghosts from this house’s past are lurking out of sight that would make it better to raze and start fresh: mold, foundation, hidden water damage, etc.
One thing’s for sure: this house needs a serious renovation at the very least. Houses on the block are between $60-$120G, so renovations couldn’t be more than $50G to at least break even. There’s a nice jungle and a “Dependable” Missionary Baptist Church (my grandfather was a MB preacher) across the street and the end of a train yard beyond that. Looks like an interesting(?) neighborhood.
Well, at least the church is “dependable” (if you believe their advertising) ’cause not much else around here is. Four simple words is all you need to understand why I say that – South Side of Chicago. Hence the “seasoned investor” notation in the description. Oh, and ***SHORT SALE*** in all caps, too. Gotta admit, though, I’m stumped by the “plenty of potential” comment. Then again, compared with the “Abundant Life” MB church a couple blocks down, maybe the “dependable” church does have trustworthy PR.
Some of the houses nearby may look decently kept, but pretty much every last one has bars on the front door (and windows on some) and nobody bothers with the cost of that if there isn’t plenty of reason. Then there’s the highly informative sign posted up at the corner – just across from the dependable church. It reads…
6800 Bell ~something~ Club (it’s been blurred out)
No:
Drug Trafficking
Dumping Debris
Loud Music
Littering
Loitering
Solicitation
Washing Cars
Because of course drug traffickers, prostitutes, and all the other ne’er-do-wells will not only read signs but obey them. (O_o)
All this before we even address the massive train yard less than 200′ away. It runs north to south from 55th to 71st Streets, a distance of almost 2 miles. Day and night, night and day, rail cars are being on and off loaded from the main tracks. At least your mobility isn’t cramped, because there are conveniently located (dark, scary, and likely dangerous) tunnels underneath the yard for most of the nearby east-west streets. Maybe that’s where the drug traffickers and prostitutes hang out? Good thing kids never want to go into places like that…
Yeah, so… what’s a little black mold and wood rot compared to that? Easy-peasy.