4501-4515 N Malden St

This is an older building with a number of "banks" of apartments located off of a large, sparsely furnished central lobby area. The neighborhood, Uptown, has been "in transition" for 25 years. While the number of families with young children purchasing condos in the neighborhood is growing, it still has its share of gang-related violence. Not ideal, but not unique in the city of Chicago (or most major cities).

The apartments are in good condition, and the one I live in is a 1 bedroom, 2… bathroom (yes, two full baths) with gas forced heat (though no central air; we still rely on a wall unit). Our unit is a little strange, and not sure how common it is in the building, but we're told it used to be two studios. Hence why it has two bathrooms for one bedroom. The upside is that the bedroom is huge -- bigger than the living room, though if you imagine that there may have been a kitchen in there at one point it makes sense.

My biggest gripe is the size of the kitchen. We bought a used waist-high island that goes up against the wall for more space, but it's still very tight. If we leave at the end of our lease, it will be for that reason.

That, and if they raise our rent.

The lobby, mailbox area, and laundry room are all in good condition. The floors and plaster in the apartment itself are in fantastic condition, and the windows are brand new (no leaks during winter!).

The location is also very ideal, within four blocks of the Wilson red line. It also backs into a pedestrianized section of Sunnyside Ave, which makes it very calm traffic-wise, and is frankly quite nice and provides good shade in the summer heat.

All in all, this is a good bang for your buck apartment building. Read More