It`s tough to predict the kind of turnout you`ll get at an open house these days.
It`s a little early for the big spring selling season (which never came at all last year), so maybe it was the slight upswing in the economy, or the fact that interest rates are down. Or maybe it was, as the old song goes,
”just one of those things.”
Whatever it was, it brought 13 groups of lookers through the open house in Clarendon Hills in less than two hours last Sunday, and that made listing agent Tina Porterfield, of Porterfield Hearthstone Realtors in Hinsdale, more pleased than perplexed.
”It`s a great spot for a young family,” Porterfield said of her $272,000 listing at 124 Oxford. ”The house is plenty big, so that you could move right in and live here. But there`s potential as well for future expansion. It`s a family-oriented neighborhood with lots of children.”
Offering prime appeal is Prospect Park, across the street, which has football fields, tennis courts, soccer fields, a sledding hill and two playgrounds. Prospect Grade School is within ”watching distance”-straight across the park and clearly visible.
Room to grow
The lot is 60 by 150 feet and it comes with an irresistible offer attached. The village is willing to sell an extra 30-foot strip (a grassy area that`s a vacated street) for $500, and that would expand the lot size to 90 by 150. This home has no garage, and the added parcel could be the perfect site for one.
Loving care is evident in this home. The slate-floored entryway is painted and papered in peach tones.
The 23-by-14 living room on the left overlooks the park and has salmon-colored carpeting and a gas fireplace. To the right is what once was a 12-by-12 formal dining room, which has been converted into a den to take advantage of the park view.
The dining room, a 13-by-11, window-surrounded area, is now at the back of the house, overlooking the patio and the tree-filled back yard.
The 12-by-11 kitchen includes a range, refrigerator and dishwasher. There`s also a first-floor half-bath.
Ahead of its time
Up the turned staircase, the master bedroom plan is surprisingly in vogue considering the 35-year-old age of the house. The 14-by-13 room has an attached 11-by-7 dressing area that has three closets, and there`s also a full, large bath with a tub and shower, done in blue tones.
A hallway bath, which has green tile and fixtures, services the three smaller bedrooms; one is 12 by 8 feet and the two others are 12 by 11. All of the rooms, including family areas on the main level, are carpeted, with hardwood floors underneath. Downstairs is a full, unfinished basement.
Because it lacks curbs on the streets, the area looks unincorporated, but it isn`t. Actually, Porterfield said, ”Clarendon Hills doesn`t have curbs. It`s a very friendly village feeling rather than feeling like the suburb of a big metropolitan area.”
