Thursday, June 10, 2010

3 Bed, 2 Bath Skokie House for Sale

Sure, we're on the MLS, but take a look around this blog to learn more about our house and the fabulous Skokie community.

Click here for a full details of the house.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Skokie Homes for Sale: Bedrooms

Full details about our updated 3 bed, 2 bath brick ranch.

Behold bedroom number 3 (11 X 10), which was transformed from a proper bedroom to a playroom many years ago when I thought it would be "cute" to have our little boys share a room. This ridiculous move cost the master of the house and I about six month of sleep. But eventually the sharing thing was such a hit that even when we offered the boys chances to separate, they stuck together like peanut butter and jelly.So now you know why we call bedroom number 2 (11X 11) the "sharing room." When we moved our then 18 month-old in with his big brother, he refused to sleep in his crib. We eventually got him this cute little IKEA toddler bed. You want that bed with the house? We will throw it in for free!

On to bedroom 1!
At 11 x 11, it's the same size as bedroom 2, but the bay window, made this room ours. Well, actually there was this box window thingy there before and when we installed the new windows, we had a proper bay window built.

This is a good time to mention we installed energy efficient windows throughout the house. When we first moved in, we found that the previous owner had stuffed socks (socks!) in the metal window frames to try to keep out breezes.

This sunny room is a great place to nap on a cold winter day. Or any day for that matter.
homes for sale in
Want to see this house for yourself? Drop us a note at skokiehouse@live.com or call 847-942-9363 to arrange a showing.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Thank Heaven for 7-11

Having spent last weekend checking out Skokie and Morton Grove real estate in the form of open houses, I feel even more strongly that we have one of the best homes for sale in Skokie in our style and price range. Also, I promise that if you come for a showing, you will not have to pass by my family and interrupt their TV viewing in order to see the house. Just sayin'.

We are clean and organized, but still, we occasionally forget to restock the milk or have an urgent need for generic hot dogs buns (or maybe a candy bar), so it's great to have a 7-11 just a few blocks away. We can make a quick pick-up whenever we need to.

I wonder if the two gallons of milk for $5.00 "special" will be as crazy making for you as it is for me. Milk is normally about $4 for one gallon, so it's a much better deal to buy two, but if I'm running out between a full trip to the grocery store, I don't need two!

On balmy summer nights we'll take a walk to 7-11 after dinner for a sweet summer treat in the form of a Slurpee. We might connect with neighbors for the walk over or chances are that even if we don't plan it, we'll run into someone we know there.

Details about our updated 3 bed, 2 bath brick ranch here.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Skokie House for Sale: Bonus Room

There are many homes for sale in Skokie; see why ours is the best house for sale in Skokie!

Some call this a three season room, some call it a bonus room. Either way, it's a wonderful addition to our updated 3+ bedroom, 2 bath brick ranch. This room is perfect for a sunny Sunday morning family brunch, dinner with friends, or just reading a book.Skokie homes for sale bonus roomWhen we have company and weather allows, we often host the adults in this room, adding a card table if necessary to accommodate extra guests, while leaving the kiddos to their own meal in the kitchen next door. This works out well. We enjoy a pleasant meal and adult conversation while the kids talk with their mouths full and make fart jokes.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Skokie House for Sale The Details

Looking for homes in Skokie? You'll find a great one at 5345 Greenleaf Street, Skokie, IL 60077

Updated brick ranch 3 bed, 2 bath with large dine-in galley kitchen and a full basement that includes a spacious family room, full bath, office/additional bedroom, laundry room, and loads of storage.

Updates include beautiful hardwood floors, energy-efficient windows, main bathroom, California Closet systems, a peaceful three-season room off the kitchen, upgraded electric, new horizontal pipes, soffits, and more!

This Skokie home does not flood!


Schools:
Elementary School District: 69 Madison, Edison
Junior High District: 69 Lincoln
High School District:219 Niles West


Approx. Sq. Ft: 1318

Dining Room: 11 X 7 (L-shaped w/ living room)
Kitchen Size: * built-in dining nook with storage in seats
Master Bedroom Size: 11 X 11 includes bay window overlooking backyard
Bedroom 2: 11 X 10
Bedroom 3: 11 X 11
Living Room Size: 19 X 12
Family Room Size: 20 X 19 (basement)
Office/optional bedroom: 12 X 9 (basement)
Bonus Room: Sunlight-filled, freshly renovated three season room
Bath Amenities: Upstairs bath renovated in 2004- reglazed tub, retiled tub surround, installed ceramic tile floor, new lighting, vanity, and cabinets.
Basement Bath: Y
Master Bedroom Bath: N
No. of Fireplaces: 0
Appliances: Oven/Range, Microwave, Dishwasher, Refrigerator, Disposal, Coffee Maker, CD Player (kitchen), Toaster Oven, Washer, Dryer
Optional Appliances (for a fee): Treadmill, 65-inch TV


Exterior Features
Garage Type: 2 Car Garage
Exterior Building Type:Aluminum/Vinyl/Steel Siding,Brick
Roof: Tear-off roof 1998 (Shingles)
Foundation: Concrete
Lot Size:Less than .25 Acres
Type of House: Step Ranch

Utility Information
Air Conditioning: Central Air
Electricity: Circuit Breakers, updated
Heat/Fuel: Gas, Forced Air
Equipment: Humidifier, Ceiling Fans throughout, Whole House Fan
Water: Lake Michigan


Miscellaneous Information
Area Amenities: Fantastic parks, shopping, library, bike trails, culture all nearby (see list of Skokie Fun and Skokie Food on the right side of this page)

Other Features:
No sump pump necessary; this house does not flood.
Transportation: Walk to Skokie Swift or Pace bus stop
Township: Niles
Built Before 1978:Y
2007 Tax year: $5,466.27

Priced to sell at $284,900!
(updated 5/14/10- check with Coldwell Banker for the price updates)
Earl B. Ruthman, Broker (Click his name for contact info)
Coldwell Banker Leader Realty

A kid's view of Skokie

Life in Skokie through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy.
If you like Panda Express you're in for a treat! There is one in a walkable, runnable, joggable, bikeable, scooterable distance from the house. When you're done eating maybe you want some dessert. Then you can just walk around the corner to Dunkin' Donuts. Maybe after that you're still up for a walk. If so, you can go to Lockwood Park just across the street!

If you have kids you are VERY lucky. The camps are awesome! Skokie has nature camp, circus camp, outside and inside sports camp, acting camp, culture camp, golf camp, science camp and more.

I might be back with more fun information about Skokie!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Skokie House for Sale

skokie homes for sale
Looking for homes for sale in Skokie? Look no further than our updated 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch house with gorgeous hardwood floors throughout.
skokie homes for saleskokie house for sale hardwood floors

Main Bath

Skokie house for sale updated bathroom
More details about our Skokie House for Sale. We updated the main bath in 2004. In addition to installing fresh greenboard and new vertical pipes, we retiled the shower walls and reglazed the tub.
We also installed a new, custom vanity, cabinets, updated lighting and mirrors with built-in storage.
Five years later it still looks like new!


skokie homes for sale updated bathroom



Thursday, April 8, 2010

Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts?

Learn what makes one of the best homes for sale in Skokie even better.

We were thrilled when a Starbucks with a drive-thru opened up near by. The Starbucks made it incredibly convenient to grab a cuppa joe on the way to work or preschool. It also gave us a place to walk for a treat after playing at Lockwood Park or hang out while waiting for an oil change at Car-X.

Now there's a new option in town--Dunkin' Donuts! A new shop opened up right across the street from Lockwood park.

Of course, if you don't need your morning caffeine with a side of doughnuts, or topped with whipped cream and loaded with flavor shots, you can simply make it at home, like the man of the house does, in our under-the-counter coffee maker.
Note the GFI outlet we installed to make the kitchen safer.
And if you don't need your morning caffeine in the form of coffee, there's always this.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Cedar hallway closet

Our Skokie House is for sale and we love to show it off! We maximized the storage in our updated 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch by installing closet systems throughout our home. Here is the official California Closet System in our cedar storage closet on the main floor.

We use this for jackets, purses, backpacks, lunch bags, craft and some cleaning supplies. We also store beach towels in the summer and hats and mittens in the winter.

This closet is also home to a hand-vac that is charging when not in use as well as the millions of canvas bags we've accrued over the years.

Best of all this closet has a "magic light" that turns itself on when you open the door and shuts off when you close it.

The left side:

skokie house for sale cedar closet























The right side:
Skokie homes for sale cedar closet