Bob Kiefer`s first apartment had a kitchen sink. It was everything else that was missing.
The third-story walk-up in Chicago`s Brighton Park community did not come with a stove or refrigerator, but he knew that when he rented it. What surprised him was another omission he`d overlooked: There wasn`t a sink in the bathroom.
”I really didn`t pay attention,” Kiefer says. ”It was cheaper than most (places) in the area. That`s why I took it. I just expected to have a bathroom sink. Where else are you going to wash your hands after you go to the bathroom?”
But Kiefer relied upon his ingenuity and made due. ”I got my own refrigerator and a toaster oven and a hot plate. That was all right with me. The most cooking I ever did was for two. I`d put a steak in the toaster and spaghetti on the hot plate.”
As for the sink, Kiefer bought a portable one. ”It was like a washtub. I didn`t like using the kitchen sink because I washed my dishes in there,”
recalls Kiefer. ”You still had to leave the room, however, and walk to the kitchen to use it. The bathroom was too small to put a washtub in. It was only big enough for the toilet and the bathtub. After you took a shower, you had to turn sideways just to get out the door.”
Although small walkups that provide only the bare essentials still exist- mostly on the city`s Northwest and Southwest Sides-fortunately, Kiefer`s experience now is more the exception than the rule. These days, when it comes to amenities, Chicago area renters can usually expect to find more, not less. Nowhere is the fully loaded philosophy more conspicuous than in new downtown high-rises. Microwaves, mini-blinds, plush carpeting, dishwashers, self-cleaning ovens and frost-free refrigerators with ice makers have become the norm.
On the rocks
”Whether people ask for it or not, these are the things we need to offer to call ourselves luxury,” says Olivia Greco, property manager of the new 50- story Plaza 440, 440 N. Wabash Ave. ”Originally ice makers weren`t scheduled to be part of our kitchen appliance package, but our marketing and management team advised us that ice makers are almost no longer considered an amenity. People have come to expect them.”
On the more innovative side, rotating kitchen cabinet shelves, pantries, marble bathroom floors, free cable TV and the highly coveted washer and dryer (full size, not just stackable units) are among the newer extras that await high-rise tenants.
”It`s a relatively new feature in high-rises now. I think we`re one of three buildings that`s opened in the last year and a half to have washers and dryers,” says Barbara Biederman, property manager at the North Pier Apartment Tower, 474 N. Lake Shore Drive. ”People are tired of using laundry rooms. If you want to capture the more sophisticated tenant, this is a more personal approach.”
Another twist on the same theme is customization. In lieu of a rent concession, North Pier will construct or knock out walls, or build pass-throughs between the kitchen and living areas. ”It changes the
configuration of the apartment,” says Biederman. ”In other words, a two-bedroom apartment becomes a large one-bedroom or a three-bedroom becomes a two-bedroom with a very large master bedroom. We`re trying to make it as much like a home as possible.”
Still relatively rare in high-rises are whirlpools, fireplaces and garbage disposals. ”That was one item (garbage disposals) we rejected, because they can be more problem than they`re worth,” explains Dona Laketek, vice president of marketing for Broadacre Development Co., owner of the North Pier complex. ”People drop things down them and the smells can be pretty bad if food gets caught in the crevices or the disposals aren`t cleaned properly.”
Although a tad glitzier in approach, these newer apartment buildings aren`t the only ones to jump on the interior amenity bandwagon. A tough recessionary market has forced most other landlords to adopt ”the more, not less” doctrine as well.
Bargaining chips
”Owners play `Let`s Make a Deal` when they want to get places rented. They can become very motivated to get a good tenant. If there`s an amenity within their reach, they`re going to try to provide it,” says Yehuda Cohen, president of Amquest Residential Leasing and Sales, a North Side apartment search firm. ”People are adding appliances-microwaves, mini-blinds, ceiling fans, alarm systems, washers and dryers. . . . Say the rent is X, for $30 additional they`ll put a dishwasher in the unit.”
And why not? According to Cohen, that $30 a month adds up over time: ”In two years, (the renters have) paid $720, and the owner, depending on plumbing and difficulty in hookup, probably paid only $300 to $500 to have that dishwasher installed.”
Traditional amenities such as hardwood floors, crown moldings, wood cabinetry, built-in breakfronts, hutches and woodburning fireplaces are the types of offerings most likely to be found in vintage properties. ”We have a place,” says Cohen, ”where the entire dining room ceiling is a stained-glass (scene) supported by oak beams. There are built-in hutches and leaded glass, but otherwise, the apartment is low in amenities.”
Old can also be infused with new. Lake View rehabber Bob Taugner outfits his buildings with everything from ceiling fans, dishwashers and disposals to skylights and a whirlpool (which he installed in his own apartment that he plans to rent next spring). ”I`ve set up all my units in the manner in which I`d like to live,” says Taugner.
Renters such as Bill Buland, recently transferred from Washington, D.C., would agree that such an attitude is smart to have. Buland was swayed by the fireplace in his Arlington Heights apartment. ”I was looking for something that made me feel at home. I didn`t want some cold apartment. It`s a very warm feeling to come home, turn on nice music and sit by a fire,” he says.
Others, like Becky Yargus, property manager of Windscape Village in Naperville, predicated her move on having a washer and dryer inside her apartment.
Non-negotiable
It was the dead of winter when Yargus forgot her key and was locked out while doing laundry at her former dwelling. ”There I was in a T-shirt, shorts and socks, jogging through the snow to get to a pay phone. I had to call my husband collect and tell him to come and get me. I told him the next apartment, we will have washer and dryer inside the apartment,” Yargus says. Playing the amenities game is nothing new in the suburbs. It`s no surprise that apartments outside the city typically deliver more for the money. ”In some of the really elite setups, you`ll find wet and dry bars, island kitchens, track lighting, mirrored closets, fireplaces, washers and dryers, whirlpools, Roman tubs, self-cleaning ovens, ice makers, wallpaper and private storage,” says Cheri Berglund, vice president of marketing and sales for Apartments Across America, a suburban apartment locating service. ”One property in Glendale Heights even had a storage closet large enough for a Christmas tree as you walked in the front door.”
But, as Berglund points out, it`s a tradeoff. ”You`re not going to find every one of these amenities in any one apartment. (Landlords) couldn`t afford to do all of it. The (rent) would reflect it. They`d price themselves out of the market.”
Not every renter can afford all the bells and whistles, of course. Some, nonetheless, have found the present rental climate to be a fruitful time to negotiate.
Says Northwest Side renter Susan Stacy: ”It`s not always standard to have a stove or a refrigerator on the Northwest Side. My apartment actually didn`t have any appliances, but when I told the landlord that I absolutely could not afford them and would have to refuse taking the apartment, he agreed to go out and buy them. I now have a new refrigerator and stove.”
Long-term tenants can benefit from ”the more, not less” trend, too. When Richard Sauer rented his Gold Coast apartment 15 years ago, his unit didn`t come with carpeting or any window treatments. But two years ago, after three brand-new high-rises sprouted up within a block, the management began to remodel.
First, carpeting, mini-blinds, new kitchens and bathrooms were provided for the new tenants. Then Sauer and some neighbors put their heads together and decided to see if they could reap from the harvest.
”They replaced my kitchen appliances, meaning my stove and refrigerator, and gave me blinds and carpeting,” says Sauer. ”Frankly, the only reason they did it is because I asked. I know they`ll do it for anyone who asks, but they won`t put a notice on the laundry room bulletin board saying `those who want new appliances, please see the manager.` ”
The Habitat Co., which owns and manages 10,000 units in the Chicago area, has begun a remodeling program of its older buildings. ”We`re starting to renovate in order to stay competitive,” says Michael Robillard, senior vice president. ”In the apartments we`re redoing, we`ve replaced the kitchens-which means all new cabinets, appliances, countertops, floors and light fixtures. We`re also redoing the bathrooms.”
Yet, despite the obvious advantages of this amenity-laden era, there are some who question the intrinsic value of such items.
Says Plaza 440`s Greco: ”Amenities certainly can make a building competitive, but ultimately, it`s the overall service provided for tenants and the way we make them feel that counts.”
