[Carley] Oh, my gosh, look at this kitchen.
- [Vickie] Love this kitchen. - [Tammy] Isn't the kitchen great?
[narrator] Carley's buying her first place in Chicago
and, as an actor, she wants to keep costs low.
[Carley] I never know where my next job is gonna come from.
It feels really open even though it's tiny.
[narrator] So she's thinking a one bedroom condo is all she needs,
but her mom thinks Carly should get a bigger two bedroom place
and a roommate to help foot the bill.
[Vickie] A two bedroom
is a much better investment, Carly.
She's finance conscious.
If she has to spend a little bit more
maybe the better.
This is not gonna be big enough.
Yeah, I don't want to think about what ifs.
I want my own home.
It's my decision.
I'm the one who has to live here.
[doorbell rings]
- Hi, Mom. - Hi.
- You made it. - I made it.
- Dee needs to chill. - Hey, Dee.
I'm Carley.
I'm primarily an actor.
I'm also a company manager,
which is kind of scary because I never know
where my next job is gonna come from,
but you can work consistently in this city
[chuckles] if you really try.
- Work is good. We open soon. - Yeah?
- Are you seeing what's-his-name? - You know I don't date people.
- Yes, you do. - I'm not interested.
I grew up in a really creative household
with a mother who's an actress,
with a brother who was a writer and director,
and my dad's a musician.
When I was a kid, we would do musicals together in community theatres,
- Yeah, yeah. - And that's...
First show was Hello, Dolly!
[Carley] We get along really well.
[Vickie] We really do.
- Kind of my best friend. - Aww, Mom.
Well, you are. You're kind of my best friend.
When is Chris moving out?
Three weeks.
We have to be out of here in three weeks.
[Vickie] And he's moving in with his girlfriend?
[Carley] He's moving in with is girlfriend,
and now my landlord is raising the rent to 2,600.
And now my landlord is raising the rent to 2,600.
I currently live in Logan Square
in a pretty big apartment, two levels,
but it's great because I have a backyard for my dog,
but I just don't want to pay this much in rent.
Pursuing my first home is such a big step for me.
It's something that I never that I would do, especially in Chicago.
Yeah, so I'm really glad that you're here to help me.
[Carley] My mom is very independent, opinionated, so crafty.
It's why I'm really excited for her to come with me
because she's very DIY, save a little bit of money.
[Vickie] There's a lot of things,
after being a homeowner for years,
that you may, you know, overlook your first time buying.
I'm gonna be here for four days
and we're gonna see as many places as we can.
What kind of style are you looking for?
Or you don't care as long as it's clean,
and functional, and... [chuckles]
I mean, really, yeah. But...
You're gonna get a Chicago-style condo.
Maybe an old brick home
- that's been renovated? - Maybe.
- That would be nice to have. - That would be pretty.
I know that I do not want
to be in a garden unit or first level.
I'd like to be second or above.
And it needs to be safe, a safe neighborhood.
Safer than downtown.
I'm not interested in looking in the suburbs
or anything that's too far out of the city
since I, you know, this is where all my work is.
Something that has an outdoor element to it.
-A big balcony, -Mmm.
A nice backyard.
This is Denise,
my other roommate, my life partner.
My other roommate, my life partner.
I want to be able to make sure that she has a place
- that she can run around in. - Mmm.
I think that I do want a one bedroom,
-a place that's all mine, -Mmm-hmm.
- That's move-in ready for 150. - Okay.
Which I know is gonna be hard.
Well, what about a two bedroom and have a roommate come?
If I find a nice two bedroom I would go to 175
- Okay. - And have a roommate.
I've never lived in my own space.
I know, but a two bedroom
would be such a better resell value for you.
Just spending all that money,
just spending all of my savings,
it's something that I'm really nervous about.
I'm fully aware of the profession that I'm in.
I don't want to get into a lot of debt.
[Vickie] Carley is very cautious.
-It's time for her to do the grownup thing -Oh.
- Okay, well, let's not go that far. - And find her own place.
[Vickie] It's just a different feeling
living in the city compared to the, you know, suburbs.
- You have to limit a lot of necessities. - [chuckles]
[narrator] Today, Carly and her mom
are seeing a place in the city.
-This is a one bedroom -Okay.
That might be kind of small but I love the price.
- [chuckles softly] - Yeah, that's a good pro.
- And I love the location. - Yes.
- This is a cute little courtyard. - This is cute.
This would be good for Denise.
- Hey, Tammy. - [Tammy] Hi.
- How are you? It's so good to see you. - Good. How are you doing?
- You too. This is my mom, Vickie. - Hi, I'm Vickie.
- Nice to meet you. - Hi. Nice to meet you.
Welcome.
- [Carley] It's really cute. - [Tammy] Isn't it cute?
- [Carley] I love the brick. - [Tammy] Yeah.
- [Tammy] HOAs are gonna be 313. - [Carley] Great.
Covers just your basic water, you know,
-exterior maintenance, snow definitely in the winter, -Okay.
- Which is a need. - Yeah.
- I love this brick. - Oh.
- That's cool. - Oh, that is cute.
[Tammy] Let's start in the bedroom.
It is 550 square feet so it's on the smaller side,
but it's definitely in her price range.
But it's definitely in her price range.
If Carley wants to find a place this weekend with her mom visiting,
she's gonna have to be aggressive
because in this market they'll be gone the next week.
- [Tammy] This is definitely a decent-sized bedroom. - [Carley] Oh, for sure.
- [Carley] I like the color. - I do like the color, yeah.
- [Tammy] Mmm-hmm. - But I'm not a huge fan
of being so close to my neighbors.
- Yes. - You could put some nice ferns hanging there,
-kind of block some -[Carley] Mmm-hmm. Oh, yeah.
- Okay. - Denise will love this little area.
- She will. - You could do, like, a little bed thing
or a table where she could look out and bark at everyone.
-[Tammy laughs] -[Carley] Oh, yeah. Yep, that is true.
[Tammy] The living room kitchen.
- [Vickie] It's definitely tiny. - And it's...
- [Tammy] Yeah it is. - [Carley] Where would I...
- Um. - Where would dining go?
- It's, like... - Breakfast bar.
You could make this a breakfast bar.
- [Tammy] Mmm-hmm. - Just put a couple of stools.
[Vickie] You just would have to extend it, right?
- Or you can dine out on the terrace. - On the balcony.
- [Carley and Vickie] Yeah. - Mmm-hmm.
[Carley] Romantic.
- [Tammy] Uh-huh, especially in the winters. - [laughs] Yeah.
But then it's just you and Denise, too.
- It's just me and Denise. - So something to think about.
- [Carley] She doesn't care if there's a dining room. - If you just want to entertain
- or anything like that. - [Carley] Yeah.
- But you do have a great kitchen. - Maybe. Okay.
[Tammy] You have a dishwasher, you have a gas stove,
-which is awesome, -[Carley] Love it.
- That's great to have. - [Carley] That's a great stove.
What is this?
So, that is actually a washer dryer in one.
You could do your laundry while you're cooking up a, you know, a little...
- Whatever I cook. - Yeah.
[Tammy] You're getting a good amount of light.
And it feels really open even though it's tiny.
This kind of reminds me of my last place with Erica, Mom.
- Well, no, that was two bedrooms. - Oh, well, all right.
Carley is really budget conscious,
but I would rather her spend a little more money
and have a better product to purchase.
[Tammy] There is a little deck out here.
- [Carley] Oh, okay. - [Vickie] Oh.
[Tammy] That could be, like, some storage here
- or something. - [Carley] Mmm-hmm. Yeah.
[Carley] Right over here is definitely a tiny bathroom.
- [Vickie] Yeah, it's tiny. - So...
[Carley] It's functional.
- Get maybe some shelving I guess. - Mmm-hmm. Yes.
Here's your terrace.
You know, you could get one of those doors that has a dog door,
and Denise could go in and out.
- This is nice. - Oh, cute.
- [Vickie] Oh, I like this. - Hi.
- Hi there. - [Carley laughs]
- Hi. - We're looking at a condo for my daughter to buy.
- What's your name? - Amy.
- Amy, nice to meet you. - Likewise.
- Yeah. Do you like living here? - Oh, I love it.
Any single men around here?
- Probably full of some single guys. - [all laugh]
Perfect.
- [Carley] Oh, my gosh, it was so nice to meet you. - Yes, absolutely.
- Have a good day. - Bye.
[Carley] It just has a lot of character, and it feels clean and ready.
Yeah, it feels ready to move in.
Love the balcony.
-You know, it's tiny -[Vickie] I do love it, yeah.
- But I don't need much. - It's the best part, yeah.
- It's sort of comfortably what I want to spend. - [Tammy] Right.
I just don't know if this is gonna be big enough.
Yeah, the two bedroom is a much better investment, Carley.
- [Carley] If it was a, yeah. - [Vickie] Even if it was big enough
- for a pull-out couch. - [Carley] For a real couch.
- [Carley] Yeah. - [Vickie laughs]
- Yeah, if there is, yeah. - I mean, a pull-out couch
-and then you could have me sleepover -Yeah,
- or someone else sleepover. - I could.
- Yeah, that is very true. - Yeah.
Another thing to think with the two bedroom,
you'd probably spend more but then you could also get a roommate
- if you ever wanted to do that. - Yeah.
So, I'm on the fence of getting a one bedroom or two bedroom.
I think that, because this is my first home,
I don't really want to share it with someone else.
I just want it to be all mine.
I love the idea of you living in the suburbs.
It feels safer.
- You're close to transit. - Yeah.
You still have, I think it's the pink line.
I just don't know if I want to do
this kind of commute.
[narrator] With Carley's roommate moved out of her rental,
she needs to make her first home purchase fast.
Today, she's agreed to check out a big two bedroom place.
It is 195
but it has a lot more living space.
-And if you have a roommate -[Vickie] Space.
You're actually saving money,
and they're helping pay your mortgage,
- Yeah. - And it gives you
more flexibility financially.
[Vickie] And you don't have to do it forever.
You could do it for a couple of years.
- It's a lot more than what I was expecting. - Mmm-hmm.
[Carley] Oh, this is so cute.
- [Vickie] Aww, yeah. - [Tammy] Very cute.
Oh, I could get so many great pictures of Denise.
- [laughs] You could, yeah. - Really build up her Instagram.
- You really could. - [Vickie] Yeah, there you go.
- [Tammy] So, the HOAs are gonna be 308. - [Carley] Okay.
Includes your typical insurance, water,
-garbage, -Mmm-hmm.
- All that fun stuff. - Okay, that's great.
[Tammy] Third floor so you don't have to worry
- about anybody stomping around or having a dance party. - [Vickie] That's nice.
[Tammy] And I love this little fountain here.
[Vickie] Oh, look at the fountain.
- [Carley] Yeah, this is pretty. - [Tammy] Yeah.
- You can make a wish every time you leave. - Mmm.
So, we're over here.
Carley is a bargain shopper,
but I wanted her to see what the options are
where she could have a lot more spacious condo
versus getting something a little smaller
and her later outgrowing it really quickly.
And her later outgrowing it really quickly.
[Carley] Oh, my gosh, look at this kitchen.
[Tammy] Isn't the kitchen great?
[Vickie] I think the floors are kind of old.
[Carley] Yeah, they're old but at least it's hardwood.
- [Vickie] You could always get those redone. - [Carley] Yeah.
[Vickie] You have a lot of cabinet space.
[Carley] It's a lot of storage.
[Tammy] You have a ton of storage.
[Vickie] Yeah, Denise would love it.
- Oh, yeah, because there's so much room for Denise. - Look at all the room she has.
- It's so cute. - So much room.
Is there a balcony or a...
[Tammy] So, that's the thing, there is no outdoor space.
- There is a little, like, stairwell right here. - Okay.
- So you do have a little storage right here. - [Carley] Oh, yeah. Good.
Oh, what is this?
- I think that... - Is that one of the old things for coal?
[Carley] It's for secrets.
- [laughs] - Dead bodies.
- Uh-huh. All your jewels. - Okay, this is, you know, a nice little...
Yeah, a little addition.
[Tammy] You're at the top so you definitely get a lot more light.
- I think if you were down on the second floor even... - [Carley] Yeah.
Oh, Carley, this is so cute.
- [Carley] This is sweet. - [Vickie] Oh, yeah.
[Carley] I work in a profession
- where I'm in a dark room all day. - Right.
- Where I'm in a dark room all day. - Right.
So to have a lot of natural light
- [Tammy] Yeah. - Is just important.
Especially in Chicago where it's summer only, you know,
- five days out of the year. - [Tammy] Three months out of the, yeah.
- [Vickie] Oh, look at how cute. - [Carley] My gosh,
- this place is great, Tammy. - [Tammy] This place is cute.
[Vickie] Oh, he reads in the bathtub.
- [Carley] Yep. - [Vickie] That's, okay. [chuckles]
[all laugh]
If you got roommate then they have a one full bath to themself.
Yeah, that would be nice.
- [Vickie] That's a nice feature. - [Carley] Yeah.
[Tammy] Bedroom.
[Carley] It's a good size room. It has a lot of light.
- What's the view outside? - It's of the dumpster, but...
[all laugh]
[Tammy] Here's another full bath.
- [Carley] Okay. - [Vickie] Oh, nice.
So, here's the thing with this bedroom.
- It is smaller if you notice. - [Vickie] Oh, yeah.
[Carley] It's just me and Denise.
I know, but you got to think of down the road, Carley.
You're gonna meet someone and this is not gonna be big enough.
Yeah, I don't want to think about what ifs.
It's, like, finding a place that's just for me
-is, I think, -Yeah.
-Is, I think, -Yeah.
- This is the priority right now. - This is more important
-than thinking about like, -Mmm-hmm, yeah.
- "Oh, what if I ask someone to move in with me?" - Hypothetical.
- Yeah. - Right.
Carley tends to be a little emotional with her decisions.
She doesn't want to spend too much money.
She's very much finance conscious.
When you're buying real estate though
you want to think of that resale value,
and if she has to spend a little bit more a bit
I think maybe the better.
- This place is really cute. It's really spacious. - [Tammy] It is.
- I do love this kitchen. - [Tammy] Yeah.
I think the biggest cons are the price and the location.
[Vickie] This is a good investment though.
- Be a better resale than a one bedroom. - [Carley] Yeah.
[Tammy] Two bedrooms do sell better than one bedrooms.
[sighing] Yeah, but I also don't want to go into a purchase
thinking about when am I gonna sell it?
Its been great having her to get all of her input,
but I have to kind of retrain myself to think, "What's the home that I want?"
[narrator] So it's back to another one bedroom in the city
but with a catch.
[Vickie] One minute in, I'm already starting to feel
- a little allergies kicking in. - Yeah, mmm-hmm.
You know, if Chris didn't decide
to move in with his girlfriend,
you wouldn't even be
- in this situation, right? - I know.
- This is all his fault. - [laughs]
We ought to make him find you place.
I know. No kidding.
[narrator] Today, Carley and her mom are back in the city
to see a well-priced one bedroom condo.
-[Carley] Very interesting -[Tammy] Mmm-hmm.
- Because the price is real nice. - Yeah,
- she likes the price. - [Tammy] Yes, it is a great price.
- So, it's 130. - [Carley] Yeah.
HOAs are 386.
Yeah, that's fine.
[Tammy] It's just your typical, you know, water, garbage,
but it's a one bed with a bonus room.
- Ooh, I'm liking that. - So, 1,100 square feet.
- Oh, that's a nice size. - Yeah.
- One thing I do want to bring up
is it is a garden apartment.
Yeah, I'm not too thrilled
- about that. - Is there a terrace
- or anything? - No, no terrace.
- No? - All...
But you do have this right here.
- Mmm-hmm. - Yeah,
-so this is a great little space -It's a great courtyard.
- For Denise. - [both] Yeah.
-I'm not a very decisive person, -[Vickie laughs]
but I know that I don't want a garden.
But with the size and the price I might consider it.
Another thing is its been on the market a little bit
- so we might have some negotiating power, so... - Tammy.
- [laughs] You said the magic word. - I know her too well.
- Okay. - So...
Carley has been talking about price the whole time.
You know, she is a first time homebuyer.
It's a great deal. This is, like, the bargain basement.
I'm calling it.
- You lead. - You don't have to trek up a whole bunch of stairs.
[Vickie chuckles]
- [Carley] Oh, nice entryway. - [Tammy] Yes, so we're definitely gonna go this way.
[Carley] Okay. This is narrow.
- Well, it's a big area. - It is a big area.
- Yeah. - [Tammy] Nice space.
- [Vickie] Oh, two rooms. - [Tammy] And there's a fireplace.
- [Carley] Okay, that's cute. - [Tammy] You know...
You could put your TV up here.
I could put a little bed for Denise
- right by the fireplace. - She'd like that, yeah.
You get a good amount of light in here.
[Carley] Yeah, that is good.
One minute in, I'm already starting to feel
a little allergies kicking in.
-[Tammy] Yeah, it's a little musty -[Carley] Mmm-hmm.
- But you have to remember it's a garden apartment, so... - Yeah.
How do you get rid of that smell?
- You have to have a dehumidifier. - Okay.
Even though it's a bargain in Carley's eyes,
I think she'd put so much money into it
that she'd be sorry at the end.
Right is going to be the bedroom.
[Vickie] Well, this is a good size.
-You could fit a king size bed in here, -[Carley] Oh, yeah, this is...
couldn't you?
- Wink, wink. - Yeah.
- [laughs] - Okay, Mother.
- What's your mom winking about here? - I know.
- She's jonesing to get some grandkids out of me. - [both laugh]
Oh, that's the light.
[Vickie] The only thing is you are right there where people are walking
- and this is your bedroom. - Yeah, it is the end of the street though
- so I don't think it'll be that busy. - [Tammy] Yeah.
- We go down this nice little hallway. - Right.
Bathroom's right in the middle.
- [Carley] I mean, this is a good sized bathroom. - [Tammy] It is.
[Carley] I like that, you know,
- that the tub and the shower are separate. - [Vickie] Yeah.
- [Carley] It's nice. - [Vickie] I do like the tile, it just needs to be cleaned.
So, this is the bonus room.
-There is no closet -[Carley] Yeah.
So that's kind of what makes it a bonus room.
This could potentially be a really good
- Great office. - Like, audition room.
So, what makes an audition room an audition room?
There's so many auditions that are filmed...
- Online, yeah. - Well, from home.
- Oh, okay. - Now there are so many auditions
that are submitted from home.
So that would be good to kind of, like, you know, practice some stuff.
[Tammy] The kitchen dining area.
- Oh, this is just big enough, really. - Yeah, I mean... Mmm.
- [Tammy] Oh, for sure. - [Vickie] Yeah.
- [Carley] This is nice. - [Vickie] Put a couple of stools,
- and I love the little breakfast bar. - [Carley] Me too, that's nice.
- [Vickie] That's cute. - [Tammy] Yeah.
- There is some work to do. - Oh.
- Yeah, so, yeah. - Oh.
-I guess if it does leak -Yeah.
Maybe there's a drain down there?
- [Tammy laughs] - [Vickie] Yeah.
You would definitely have to do some renovation in here
- to make it... - [Carley] Yeah, so that's the debate then.
It has a lot of potential.
Do you want to buy a used car with a lot of potential?
- The price makes it kind of worth it. - Mmm-hmm.
Again, I don't know always where my next paycheck is gonna come from.
I'm more willing to compromise with a lot for the price
than I know that my mom will be,
but at the end of the day it's my decision.
I'm the one who has to live here.
I love the price of this spot. I do like the location.
- I love the size of it. - [Vickie] Mmm-hmm.
- [Carley] The fireplace is cool. - [Vickie] Mmm-hmm.
[Carley] It would be great for Denise.
[Vickie] And that kitchen was cute, just needed some updates.
-[Carley] Yeah, there are a lot of updates -[Vickie] Lots of up...
- [Vickie] Yeah. - That need to be done.
- [Tammy] Yes, there is. - Yeah, and you'd still have that musty smell.
- I'm leaving tomorrow, and... - We have to make a decision tonight.
- [both] Yeah. - Tonight is the night, yeah.
I mean, I can stay another couple of days
- if you want me to? - Yeah, I don't, no.
I do not have the luxury of waiting.
[narrator] With her rent going up,
Carly wants to buy instead.
Now, she's ready to make a decision on her first home.
[Carley] We saw the one bedroom in Andersonville.
[Vickie] That was cute.
Price point. It's sort of right in the middle.
- It's 150. - Yeah.
- [Carley] It had a huge balcony. - I loved that.
- [Carley] The appliances were up to date. - Mmm.
[Carley] It's, yeah, it's clean.
- [Vickie] Its been well taken care of. - It's so tiny.
It's tiny. There's no place to eat.
- You know... - And it's so close to the neighbors.
Yeah.
- [Carley] So, I like the two bedroom. - I do, too.
- [Carley] I can rent out the other room. - Mmm-hmm.
[Carlee] It was on the third floor.
- [Vickie] It was big. The living room was nice. - What else? Oh.
But it was in Evanston. It's too far.
- It had no outdoor element to it. - [Vickie] No, not to your own.
And it's a little bit more than I want to spend
because that would really wipe out my savings.
[Vickie] So, what about the bargain basement?
- The 130? - Mmm-hmm.
I love the location, the price,
and that place has a lot of potential.
[Vickie] And it did have a pretty courtyard.
[Carley] It's so big. It was, like, 1,100 square feet,
- [Vickie] Oh, I know. - And Denise could, you know, run around.
- [Vickie] Right. - But it's a garden unit
and it needs a lot of renovation.
[doorbell rings]
- Oh, hi. - You did not,
how did you carry this all the way up there?
I'm just you didn't buy a place on the third floor.
- Okay, Mom. Hi. [kisses] - Hello.
I decided to put in an offer for the one bedroom in Andersonville.
It's in such a prime location.
The price was perfect for me.
This unit has a huge balcony, I love the brick wall.
It was move-in ready so I feel like I'm already making it a home.
Denise loves it.
- Have you had anybody over yet? - No, you're the first person.
- Yay. Well, good. - As you should be.
[chuckles]
It was listed for 150,
and I got it for 150.
Tammy really suggested that I, you know, don't try to go under.
Gave him what he was asking for and he took it.
I've already started putting up, you know, planters and things,
and then I'm gonna install some sort of, like, kitchen table
here on the wall.
- Oh, my gosh, Mom. - I'm so proud of you.
Thank you.
One challenge that Carley's gonna have
is to learn to live in a small place,
but you can get creative with different design techniques
to make the most out of it.
-Not a bad first meal -Mmm-mm.
For my first home.
I really think that I'm gonna look back
on this decision,
and [sighs] just be so proud of myself.
It represents just a whole new phase of my life.
Are you happy? Can I have a kiss?
Hey. Thank you. Oh, thank you.