The decline in the housing market over the past two years has turned the advantage to homebuyers, many of whom have acquired a larger house, a bigger yard, or a better neighborhood than they might have been able to afford before the downturn. As evidence, here is a comparative look at similar homes that were sold in 2007 and 2009 in several Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs. All square footage is approximate and is based on the real-estate listing for each home; interior space does not include bathrooms, hallways, foyers, laundry rooms, enclosed porches, balconies, and decks. (Midwest Real Estate Data, the Mario Greco Group at Prudential Rubloff, and Jory Rozner Strosberg of Zipple Property Group provided information for this report.)
 

CHICAGO

Facing one another across the street, these homes are nearly identical. They each have four bedrooms, three-plus baths, a rooftop deck, an attached two-car garage, and a landscaped courtyard garden.

Each home has four bedrooms. The 2007 purchase has three bathrooms, while the 2009 purchase has only one-plus. But that upgraded 112-year-old house sits on a lot that is more than 1,600 square feet larger than its counterpart.

Each unit has three bedrooms and three-plus baths; only the 2009 purchase has a fireplace. That unit—sold at a discounted foreclosure price—is in a less central part of the South Loop.

Photography: Dennis Rodkin

SUBURBS

For far less money, the 2009 buyer got five bedrooms (compared to four in 2007), three-plus baths (compared to two-plus), a lofty two-story foyer (not included in the home’s square footage), and a significantly larger lot.

The properties sold for the same price, but the 2009 house has four bedrooms (compared to 2007’s three), a family room on the first floor (2007’s is in the basement), and a lot more than three times larger than its 2007 counterpart.

The 2009 buyers paid $1,000 less and got an additional bedroom (five, to the 2007 house’s four), as well as a den, a breakfast room, a small office, and a mudroom that the other house doesn’t have—plus oodles more curb appeal.

Send tips about high-end home sales to dennis@rodkin.com.

Photography: Dennis Rodkin