1906 House for sale by architect owner in Balvanera/San Cristobal

[jantango]

My neighbors are ready to sell the house they bought 40 years ago before moving to Europe where their family lives. I have known the house since 2016 when it was a guest house managed by one of their sons.
I have photos and a video tour of the house that I shared with tango tourists. The owners speak English.

 

[QuilmesSlo]

My neighbors are ready to sell the house they bought 40 years ago before moving to Europe where their family lives. I have known the house since 2016 when it was a guest house managed by one of their sons.
I have photos and a video tour of the house that I shared with tango tourists. The owners speak English.
View attachment 10420

Can I ask the obvious question? Can you send a link?

 

[jantango]

 

[Ries]

Its a cute house, but my guess is that in today's market, if it sells at all, it will be for maybe $150k to $200k, to be torn down for a 9 story building. 18 apartments sold for $200k or so each.
I have renovated a couple of apartments in BA, including one of this vintage. They are a can of worms.
If you hire an architect and contractors, its easy to put a hundred thousand dollars into this- at which point, you would have no off street parking, and none of the modcons that most buyers in the $300k range want- porteros, rooftop gardens, gyms, pools.
People with three hundred thousand dollars in cash want a certain level of appliances, lighting, air conditioning, bathrooms, double pane windows, security systems, etc.
And no offense, but that neighborhood is not attracting the sort of people who have that money.
my guess is it would need major electrical, plumbing, and some structural work
Roof condition? All the doors and windows are ancient- hardware is virtually unavailable, they are beautiful but drafty.
The tile is nice, but some of the floors look like bare concrete.
Somebody with more dollars than sense would have to really want this house.
Especially since you can find more architecturally significant ones, for the same money, in nicer neighborhoods.
Its sad, but its the reality of the economy here.

 

[jantango]

I shared your comments with the owner. You make good points that any buyer has to consider. Not everyone is interested in an old house from another era.

There are two patios, which are my favorite areas of the house. They are full of plants and trees, and so quiet.

 

[Ries]

The facade is great.
The two small balconies are original, and date to pre WW1, probably from Vasena, famous for the Semana Tragica.
Having recently looked at a couple dozen older apartments, and having bought one and renovated it this year, I am not trying to be mean, just realistic.
A property that is priced right will sell in this market- but many people will not budge, because they dont have mortgages, and thus, dont sell.
We sold our 1903 apartment, admittedly in Alto Palermo neighborhood, in 3 weeks.
The prices on apartments are more negotiable, because in the last year many people's expensas have gone from 50,000 pesos a month to 400,000, and that adds up fast.
But as a freestanding house, this doesnt have expensas.
On the other hand, if it needs a new tablero and electrical wiring, or a new roof, or plumbing, you pay 100%, no getting the consorcio to pay for common problems.

 

[jantango]

Considering that the owner for the past 40 years is an architect, the house has been structurally maintained.

 

[rdcooper]

It's a nice house and it piques my interest, but I'm not planning on living in Buenos Aires. I'm looking at a smaller city like Bahia Blanca or Viedma. I've noticed a lot of the real estate have bars on the doors and windows there. When I see neighborhoods like that in the states, I avoid them like the plague. It looks nice and decorative on that home, but is burglary that common there?

 

[LuckyLuke]

It's a nice house and it piques my interest, but I'm not planning on living in Buenos Aires. I'm looking at a smaller city like Bahia Blanca or Viedma. I've noticed a lot of the real estate have bars on the doors and windows there. When I see neighborhoods like that in the states, I avoid them like the plague. It looks nice and decorative on that home, but is burglary that common there?

I too found bars on windows to be really ugly...until someone broke my front door open. Then I found them to be really neat. While the murder rate is very low here, petty crime is a constant nuisance. Bars on windows, rolls of barbwire, spike strips, broken glass shards on the exterior walls, neglected "security" dogs, fake cameras, are just some of the many eyesores that you get used to seeing down here to deter "las ratas".

 

[jantango]

This old house is located at Chile 2468, one block from Av. Independencia, between Alberti and Matheu. It is technically in San Cristobal, and the other side of the street is Balvanera. (I learned that detail from the police.)
I rented and then bought the unit on Chile because several milongas are conveniently located within walking distance. Since the owners are moving to Europe, all of the furniture remains.