Confused about Chicago housing/ apartments. standard of living (to rent, houses)

[Gelasia]

Originally Posted by snoylekim

Different forms of ownership . I'm not an attorney nor Real Estate pro, but the major differences are that , in a co-op, you own a share of the entire building, and get to live in the unit .. with a condo, you have a deed to the specific unit, plus interest in the common elements. Generally, co-ops can be harder to finance, almost always have an approval process and some are known for their 'snootiness' ... If you're going to buy an apartment when you move to Chicago, chances are good most of what you'll be looking at will be condos versus co-ops.. they're not that common here.. but you should research the differences

yeah well this home is a Co-op at least thats what it says.

I guess I will have to wait another 5 years before I can by a home like that or I could just move back home to Houston instead of Chicago and buy a home like that.

[Organized Mess]

Originally Posted by patrix542

i hove one more question... do people from suburbs consider themselves chicagonians? do they say theay are from chicago?

This is typically how that conversation goes, if you are speaking to an actual resident of Chicago:

Q: "Where are you from?"
A: "Chicago"
Q: "Oh, which side?"
A: "Schuamburg"
Q: (repressed scowl) Oh.

If you are looking for the authentic Chicago resident "experience", you will not find it in Aurora or Joliet. They are fine communities, but they are not Chicago. Figure out what's important to you and your lifestyle. Try renting in both areas before you buy to see what suits you.

[j33]

Originally Posted by patrix542

i hove one more question... do people from suburbs consider themselves chicagonians? do they say theay are from chicago?

In a nutshell, as a former suburbanite, when traveling away from the Chicago area, I stated I was from Chicago for the ease conversation (nobody in Seattle is going to know the location of that nondescript burb on the s. side I grew up in). When in the Chicago area, I state the name of the burb I was from for the the ease of conversation (and even then I get some blank stares). If, outside, of the Chicago area, the other person happened to be from Chicago I would say 'oh, I'm really from xxx, but I didn't think you'd know where that was'. Mature people didn't seem to have a problem with this (it is the teenagers and the hipsters in their young 20's who get all excited about this rather trivial issue).

[patrix542]

from what i see chicago is good for wealthy people or lower class people and suburbs are good for lower and upper middle class. that would explain why chicago have 2.8 million people and suburbs 5 million. thats weird because UK and europe is completely different I think people from the burbs should consider themselves as "part chicagonians" because thats fair enough

[Drover]

Originally Posted by MyssaTx

Like I said $1800 more like $1,892 a month in assesments and as Lookout suggested it does in fact include taxes as well as all expenses.

Baird & Warner


either way my dreams went up in a puff of smoke =(

Are you sure that's 1892/month or is it 1892/year?

[Gelasia]

Originally Posted by Drover

Are you sure that's 1892/month or is it 1892/year?

I'm pretty sure its a month because it read that it covers all utility expenses including taxes.
If its a year than I am buying it!!!

[Drover]

Originally Posted by MyssaTx

I'm pretty sure its a month because it read that it covers all utility expenses including taxes.
If its a year than I am buying it!!!

I saw the "monthly payment" calculator on the side after I posted. The assessment is per month. For that much, I better get free "massage parlor" services.

One thing I find interesting is that it says "includes taxes" and yet there's a separate line item entry for taxes. I'd like to know what's included in these "expenses." Just what "expenses" are involved other than building maintenance? Does that include utilities? Parking? Is there a pool? That seems awfully steep even for a relatively old building, which tend to have high maintenance costs....

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Drover

I saw the "monthly payment" calculator on the side after I posted. The assessment is per month. For that much, I better get free "massage parlor" services.

One thing I find interesting is that it says "includes taxes" and yet there's a separate line item entry for taxes. I'd like to know what's included in these "expenses." Just what "expenses" are involved other than building maintenance? Does that include utilities? Parking? Is there a pool? That seems awfully steep even for a relatively old building, which tend to have high maintenance costs....

Co-ops always have high monthly assessments like this. There is nothing unusual about this place in that regard. It's almost like paying rent in addition to your mortgage, but they don't really let you mortgage much of the equity share anyway.

[lise22]

There are a lot of neighborhoods in Chicago with large homes. Especially if you want a house, downtown is not the place to look. Every neighborhood has its own character. In general the further you are from downtown the less expensive it will be (at least in the city.) You might be interested in old town. You also might want to consider renting if you're moving to the city and don't know that much about it.

chicagoapartmentsearcher.com can help you with that. Good luck.

[surlycue]

Originally Posted by lise22

There are a lot of neighborhoods in Chicago with large homes. Especially if you want a house, downtown is not the place to look. Every neighborhood has its own character. In general the further you are from downtown the less expensive it will be (at least in the city.) You might be interested in old town.

Yeah, here in Old Town there are tons of huge houses on lovely properties. In fact, right on Division and Halsted is Cabrini Manor on a wonderful green gable.