Logan Square and Avondale crime issues!? (Chicago, Lincoln: rentals, transfer, living)

[tomcho]

Originally Posted by sydbarrett

Sure I would, because in a few years Six Corners will be just as bad as Addison and Cicero.

Sure it will

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by tomcho

Sure it will

Six corners will be fine.

[tomcho]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Six corners will be fine.

Yes I'm aware of that, it was entertaining to read the person I quoted compare Addison and Cicerco to six corners.

[sydbarrett]

I got my money on six corners going down the drain in 10-15 years. Only time will tell who wins this bet.

[Hendu]

Hey sydbarret...what credentials do you have to opine on the future or lack thereof regarding Six corners or Portage Park. IMO, the neighborhood is getting better. Some businesses staring to come back, the 6 Corners bbq fest. There's much more stuff to do than even a few years ago despite the recession and construction on Milwaukee which left a lot of empty storefronts. I've lived around Belmont & Cicero for the past 6+ years so what do I know? And LOL at the Addison & Cicero comment. Pretty much right down the street from the heart of Old Irving...

[sydbarrett]

Originally Posted by Hendu

Hey sydbarret...what credentials do you have to opine

I didn't know someone needs to reveal and prove credentials to present their opinion. Disagree with me all you want. Only time will tell if I will be right or wrong on this.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by tomcho

Yes I'm aware of that, it was entertaining to read the person I quoted compare Addison and Cicerco to six corners.

It's not like Addison and Cicero is in the middle of some urban battlefield either.

[Hendu]

Originally Posted by sydbarrett

I didn't know someone needs to reveal and prove credentials to present their opinion. Disagree with me all you want. Only time will tell if I will be right or wrong on this.

Well, if betting against a neighborhood makes you feel better be my guest. Might as well just bet against Chicago while you're at it.

Anyways, if anyone wants an honest on-the-ground opinion of this area and not some vague predictions from someone who can't even explain why they think this neighborhood [cliche alert] is going down the drain let me know. I'm not selling real estate so have no bias.

[Hendu]

Let me expand...

I'm stuck here because I bought at the wrong time. I will be stuck with my place for practically ever because I make way too much to do a short sale or walk away. But I also have enough built up where I could buy in a "trendier" hood and rent this place to break even with my current mortgage. I'm white and married and planning on having kids soon (just to get rid of any notions about the type of people who live here).

I really do like the neighborhood. It'd be nicer to live right on the blue line but for it's a 10 minute bus ride to Logan Square on the #76, or a $7 cab ride (before tip) after a night out there. The bars around me are OK but not as much variety as Logan Square or Bucktown. However, Sol de Mexico is phenomenal and that's within walking distance. It takes me about 45 minutes door-to-door on the #77 bus to blue line to downtown. O'Hare is about the same. So is the lakefront on the #77.

Anyway...my wife and I feel very safe here. We walk around at all hours of the night and see other people walking with their kids. I actually feel safer here than I did in out previous neighborhood (East Village)...not as many crazy drunkards. Our car insurance is also cheaper here which tells you something. Lat summer someone got shot outside one of the neighborhood bars, and another was shot at my bus stop - neither crime was random. However, this summer has been very quiet.

There have been a lot of foreclosures which really made me nervous a couple years ago. The NW side relied on construction jobs which dried up when the old normal suddenly became the new normal. But what I have noticed is that the properties, from bungalows to condos, have been sold very quickly at auction and the quality of buyers have been even better. I'm on my condo board so have a first hand look at what is transpiring. There were a lot of former owners who never should have bought and now the buyers have to put some cash down for the most part.

As far as Six Corners...it got hit HARD with a double dose of recession and Milwaukee getting torn up. But Portage Theater has kept going strong, and the LaSalle Bank cinema recently moved in (plus the Patio on Irving Park has also recently re-opened). The Six Corners BBQ fest was the newest street fest in Chicago and was awesome. There's an Italian restaurant opening up across from Portage Theater on Milwaukee. Still a lot of empty storefronts (even down to Logan Square) but the Six Corners intersection looks way better now. Much more marketable for business owners.

Bottom line - if you want a neighborhood where you can be surrounded by hip, young singles, north Hermosa/Portage Park/Old Irving are not for you. Same if you want a quick commute to downtown. Or if you want 20 bars outside your front door. Or want to impress anyone on C-D. But if you want an actual house and want to live in the city long-term, this area is a bargain. Houses in decent condition can be had for under 200.

[AnnabellaK]

Hendu, I think you are right. To expand on what you said...many polish and mexican buyers, legal and illegal, used their construction industry employment to apply for stated asset, stated income loans, and those modest bungalows were appreciating dramatically over a few short years...they were all pushing $400,000. If you looked at sales history you would sometimes see a home purchased for say $325,000, re-listed 7 months later, boasting of granite counters and stainless steel, and it was now $385,000...and it sold...quickly. This was not sustainable and it was based on falsified income statements in the loan applications. Now, that those same folks have to prove their income, it is evident that the north west side cannot support $350-$400 000 bungalows. The $150,000 range that they are now selling at perhaps better reflects the true demand and wealth of those buying and selling there.