LOVE this house

[thatgirl2478]

www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1536-W-Moss-Ave_Peoria_IL_61606_M75384-99417

I'm a serious old house junkie - and this place is AMAZING.  Too bad it's in a 'questionable' neighborhood & the school district could be better (grade school is ok, middle & high are bad), oh and the fact that it's way way way out of our budget. 

But it's so cool!  And they have a floor plan tour (which I LOVE) that has a TON more photos.

[pinkeggs]

Holy drool!!!!

[pitterwoo]

hey, I lived in that questionable neighborhood! The pit and I used to walk past there There are some really pretty homes over there.

[sailorgray]

Did you see the pantry? My dream!

[munkii]

The butler's pantry is fantastic. I need.

[thatgirl2478]

Feb 4, 2013 22:05:16 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

hey, I lived in that questionable neighborhood! The pit and I used to walk past there There are some really pretty homes over there.

Pitter - I did too!  Well, technically I lived closer to Main (at the corner of Cooper & Main), but I dated a guy who lived on Ayres then Calendar then Barker LOL.

When were you in the area?  Are you still here?

[pitterwoo]

Feb 4, 2013 22:43:35 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Feb 4, 2013 22:05:16 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

hey, I lived in that questionable neighborhood! The pit and I used to walk past there There are some really pretty homes over there.

Pitter - I did too!  Well, technically I lived closer to Main (at the corner of Cooper & Main), but I dated a guy who lived on Ayres then Calendar then Barker LOL.

When were you in the area?  Are you still here?

Ok, not too far away from each other.  I was on the corner of Glenwood and Fredonia by the tennis courts.  I just looked at the map satellite view and my house is now a parking lot.  
That was 2000-2004.  I totally got my H&G feet wet in that place.  We painted everything and did all sorts of stuff to the place.  I'm not in the area anymore.  How about you?   Small world.  

[pitterwoo]

Feb 4, 2013 22:43:35 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Feb 4, 2013 22:05:16 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

hey, I lived in that questionable neighborhood! The pit and I used to walk past there There are some really pretty homes over there.

Pitter - I did too!  Well, technically I lived closer to Main (at the corner of Cooper & Main), but I dated a guy who lived on Ayres then Calendar then Barker LOL.

When were you in the area?  Are you still here?

Same guy?  lol, my BF lived in the frat house across the alley from me.  I could literally see into his room from my kitchen window.  That was a disaster and our breakups never stuck!

eta: sorry for the complete and total thread jacking!

[thatgirl2478]

LOL Pitterwoo - yep, it was the same guy - he moved every freaking year even though he always had the same landlord.

I was in the area from 96 - 2000. I lived on Fredonia for 2 years as well. I moved from the area after school - went to Chicagoland. I'm back now because my husband got a job in P town (we live in Washington though) 2 years ago.

[thatgirl2478]

Feb 4, 2013 22:53:12 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

Feb 4, 2013 22:43:35 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Pitter - I did too!  Well, technically I lived closer to Main (at the corner of Cooper & Main), but I dated a guy who lived on Ayres then Calendar then Barker LOL.

When were you in the area?  Are you still here?

Ok, not too far away from each other.  I was on the corner of Glenwood and Fredonia by the tennis courts.  I just looked at the map satellite view and my house is now a parking lot.  
That was 2000-2004.  I totally got my H&G feet wet in that place.  We painted everything and did all sorts of stuff to the place.  I'm not in the area anymore.  How about you?   Small world.  

LOL - just realized you were feet away from where I lived when I was on Fredonia!  I lived in the Phi Sig house - which was the KD house by the time you were there.

[thatgirl2478]

Feb 4, 2013 22:55:46 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

Feb 4, 2013 22:43:35 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Pitter - I did too!  Well, technically I lived closer to Main (at the corner of Cooper & Main), but I dated a guy who lived on Ayres then Calendar then Barker LOL.

When were you in the area?  Are you still here?

Same guy?  lol, my BF lived in the frat house across the alley from me.  I could literally see into his room from my kitchen window.  That was a disaster and our breakups never stuck!

eta: sorry for the complete and total thread jacking!

The guy I dated was from down Fredonia  (he was a Theta Chi).  Nice guy, but not 'husband' material . 

[pitterwoo]

oh this is too funny, thatgirl. There was a LL who seemed to own every place around there- Alonzo or something. I wonder if that's who he rented from. Nice guy but kind of a creeper with the ladies as I recall. Wasn't our LL though.

Great blast from the past, goodnight!

[stellarose]

I'm in love too!

[BaileyAyres]

I usually just lurk, but was shocked when I opened the post and saw that address.  I currently live VERY near that "questionable" neighborhood! I'm about as near to it as you can get. 

[pickel]

Beautiful house! I love it too!

[thatgirl2478]

Feb 4, 2013 23:12:21 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

oh this is too funny, thatgirl. There was a LL who seemed to own every place around there- Alonzo or something. I wonder if that's who he rented from. Nice guy but kind of a creeper with the ladies as I recall. Wasn't our LL though.

Great blast from the past, goodnight!

Yep - that was him (or was his name Armando?) - very creepy IMO.  Our LL was Uta Christensen - nice enough for a LL - but then we never had an problems paying rent on time or issues with the house.

[thatgirl2478]

Feb 5, 2013 8:14:41 GMT -5 BaileyAyres said:

I usually just lurk, but was shocked when I opened the post and saw that address.  I currently live VERY near that "questionable" neighborhood! I'm about as near to it as you can get. 

LOL

There are really only 2 reasons it's questionable and most of them end up happening to be related to the college students that live there too...

Honestly, it's just as 'questionable' as the one we left back in Waukegan , so it wouldn't be THAT bad living there.  It's just the schools once you get past grade school (Whittier is good - but Manuel HS is pretty rough from what I understand).

[pitterwoo]

you got his name right, thatgirl2478! BaileyAyres now there are 3 of us that live/d there? what are the chances?!

[BaileyAyres]

No, I totally agree that it is questionable!  I actually live on the other side of Western in WP, but I am on the same street as the listing.  We are on a nice block, and I feel pretty comfortable here, but I wouldn't if we were a few blocks in the other direction.  

You are completely right about the schools.  It's a huge downside of this area for us. I grew up here, but my parents sent me to private school, and then moved before HS for the sole purpose of not sending me to Manual.  My husband and I don't currently have kids, and haven't decided if we will stay in this area when we do.  If we stay, we will send them to the same private school I went to.  We honestly wouldn't even consider leaving if it weren't for the schools.  It's kinda sad it has to be that way. 

[BaileyAyres]

Feb 5, 2013 11:50:22 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

you got his name right, thatgirl2478! BaileyAyres now there are 3 of us that live/d there? what are the chances?!

Crazy, isn't it?!?!

[wawa]

OMG that house is amazing. I actually let out a whimper at the built-ins EVERYWHERE. My only quibble is that the kitchen has a serious lack of counter space, but it's an older home so that's not exactly shocking. Though the kitchen has clearly been redone recently, so I'm surprised they didn't figure out a more effective layout for it.

I don't love the blue color on the moldings in the dining room though. Can't figure out if it's just that particular color, or the entire concept of having white panels with colored molding. I want to rub my hands all over the unpainted wood in the pantry.

[wawa]

They have some furniture I'd love to steal too. Lots of great dressers and chests.

And I love love love that the kept the old flooring in the kitchen and pantry. Lucky them that it was still n good shape.

[simpsongal]

Gorgeous! But holy short curtains, Batman....

Back to the land of 1960s and 1970s era housing....

[thatgirl2478]

Feb 5, 2013 12:07:00 GMT -5 BaileyAyres said:

No, I totally agree that it is questionable!  I actually live on the other side of Western in WP, but I am on the same street as the listing.  We are on a nice block, and I feel pretty comfortable here, but I wouldn't if we were a few blocks in the other direction.  

You are completely right about the schools.  It's a huge downside of this area for us. I grew up here, but my parents sent me to private school, and then moved before HS for the sole purpose of not sending me to Manual.  My husband and I don't currently have kids, and haven't decided if we will stay in this area when we do.  If we stay, we will send them to the same private school I went to.  We honestly wouldn't even consider leaving if it weren't for the schools.  It's kinda sad it has to be that way. 

When we first moved here I looked into renting a house on that end of the street!  How funny is that?!  It turned out that there were a few other people looking to rent it too - and the price he wanted for it was too much for the budget - so we ended up in Pekin... I'd rather live in questionable Peoria than Pekin!

[thatgirl2478]

Feb 5, 2013 13:18:53 GMT -5 wawa said:

OMG that house is amazing. I actually let out a whimper at the built-ins EVERYWHERE. My only quibble is that the kitchen has a serious lack of counter space, but it's an older home so that's not exactly shocking. Though the kitchen has clearly been redone recently, so I'm surprised they didn't figure out a more effective layout for it.

I don't love the blue color on the moldings in the dining room though. Can't figure out if it's just that particular color, or the entire concept of having white panels with colored molding. I want to rub my hands all over the unpainted wood in the pantry.

Ditto the kitchen lacking counter space .... seems they could have put in some sort of island / wall peninsula to give a LITTLE more space (though, you'd possibly loose the eat in aspect). 

I know - the blue is hideous.  I'm not yet on board with colored mouldings... I have seen it done well - but I'm not there yet.

Did you go to the virtual floor plan?  There are additional built ins on the 2nd floor.  *DROOL*  And the thought of a whole 3rd floor with more rooms & a bathroom..!! LOVE IT.

[wawa]

Feb 5, 2013 16:41:05 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Feb 5, 2013 13:18:53 GMT -5 wawa said:

OMG that house is amazing. I actually let out a whimper at the built-ins EVERYWHERE. My only quibble is that the kitchen has a serious lack of counter space, but it's an older home so that's not exactly shocking. Though the kitchen has clearly been redone recently, so I'm surprised they didn't figure out a more effective layout for it.

I don't love the blue color on the moldings in the dining room though. Can't figure out if it's just that particular color, or the entire concept of having white panels with colored molding. I want to rub my hands all over the unpainted wood in the pantry.

Ditto the kitchen lacking counter space .... seems they could have put in some sort of island / wall peninsula to give a LITTLE more space (though, you'd possibly loose the eat in aspect). 

I know - the blue is hideous.  I'm not yet on board with colored mouldings... I have seen it done well - but I'm not there yet.

Did you go to the virtual floor plan?  There are additional built ins on the 2nd floor.  *DROOL*  And the thought of a whole 3rd floor with more rooms & a bathroom..!! LOVE IT.

Yes!  The room that is clearly occupied by a teen/tween girl?  That desk/vanity with all the storage around it?  I'd dance around with glee if that was my room when I was a kid.  Or...you know...now.

[thatgirl2478]

Feb 5, 2013 14:53:49 GMT -5 asdfjkl said:

Oh my GOD, I am in love with that place.  I mean, how bad is the neighborhood. For $250K, I think I might start my own damn middle-aged chick gang (our colors are green and white, like Starbucks) just so I could buy that house.  Honestly, drool.

LOL

Well... there's a lot of generalized crime there - from drug dealing, robbery, burglary, etc.  MOST of what happens in the area is perpetrated on the naive college kids who come here from relatively sheltered Chicago 'burbs (think affluent ones like Naperville, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Winettka, etc where the crime is mostly controlled).  There are a lot of hold ups, muggings, car thefts, break-ins etc because of that general population.  Also, if you're a 'townie' you have to deal with the stupid ass college kid renters who are often drunk and disrespectful of their neighbors.  Then you have to deal with the parking issues b/c a lot of those houses don't have off street parking....

[awick14]

I don't care what neighborhood that house is in, for that price ill take it.

(In an ok neighborhood it is a multi million dollar home here.

[thatgirl2478]

Feb 5, 2013 13:31:19 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Gorgeous! But holy short curtains, Batman....

Back to the land of 1960s and 1970s era housing....

I know

We ended up choosing location/schools/peaceful neighborhood over cool old house :*( and it still makes me sad.

We found 2 houses that were in our budget - one was a 1920 foursquare with built-ins in the kitchen & dining room - it needed a new kitchen & new boiler & a/c system.  But it was in Minier - 45 - 60 min away from my DH's office.

The other was a 1850's victorian with curved corners, leaded glass, and a healthy mold problem in the basement... Oh and it was at least 30 - 45 min away from DH's office (in Farmington). 

So... we found a nice solid 1959 ranch in Washington.  It's not quite the most boring house I can imagine - that honor goes to some of the LOVELY 1970 / 1980's homes that are also built here... The new houses are nice, but uninspired and ridiculously expensive (for what I'm used to - I'm sure some of you wouldn't bat an eye at 300k for a 4 bdrm).

[thatgirl2478]

Feb 5, 2013 20:06:43 GMT -5 asdfjkl said:

I just looked at the virtual tour.  God, there is nothing about that house that is not completely awesome.  Except it's proximity to MLK Jr. Street.  Politicians universally pick the worse damn part of town to lay down an MLK Street.  It's like some kind of racist rule of urban planning.  

true - not sure why that is either.  The good thing about it's proximity to MLK is that it's down a steep hill / ravine that's wooded.  So it's not like MLK is in your back yard...

You can do a street view on google maps of that whole area - some of the houses are AMAZING!