Last month I stood in a third floor loft off Washington Boulevard with a buyer who had already decided. Twelve-foot ceilings, heavy wood beams, brick walls with the old paint ghosting through. Then the neighbor upstairs walked across their kitchen, and we both looked up.
That's the side of timber loft living nobody photographs.
A lot of the West Loop's character comes from old warehouse and manufacturing buildings along Washington, Randolph, and the blocks running toward Halsted. Many were converted to condos in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some were built with concrete floors. Plenty were built with heavy timber, so the floor you walk on is wood decking laid over wood joists, and it's also your neighbor's ceiling. Wood carries footsteps. Concrete mostly doesn't.
I'm not telling you to skip timber. These are some of the best looking homes in the neighborhood, and buyers pay for that look. I'm telling you to know which one you're touring, because listings rarely say. "Exposed beams" could mean either.
Here's what I check:
- What's directly above the unit, and whether anyone's home during the showing - Whether the association has rules on rugs or flooring changes (some require carpet coverage on upper floors, which tells you the board has heard complaints) - The board minutes for noise issues, especially a pattern of them
If you're a first time buyer, a top floor timber unit takes care of most of this. You'll pay more for it, and I think it's worth it if you work from home.
Investors, think about your tenant. Someone paying $3,500 a month for a West Loop loft expects quiet, and a noise complaint from below turns into a lease that doesn't renew. I'd rather see an investor in a concrete conversion or newer construction than chase the beams for the photos. Tenants rent the look once. They renew because of how the place feels at 11 p.m.
Sellers, my advice may sound backwards. Schedule showings when the building is quiet, sure, but don't hide what it is. Buyers who find out after the inspection walk away angrier than buyers who knew going in. If your association passed a rug rule or the upstairs owner put in an underlayment, say so. That's a selling point.
The buyer from Washington Boulevard? She bought on the top floor of a different building two blocks over. Same beams. Nobody walking on them.