Chicago Fire defender Rafael Czichos paid $785,000 in April for a 2,480-square-foot, four-bedroom contemporary home in Indian Head Park.
Raised in Germany, Czichos, 32, played center back for several years for a soccer team in Cologne, Germany. The Fire acquired Czichos in January and signed a contract with the club through the 2024 season.
When he started looking for a home in the Chicago area earlier this year, Czichos had a good idea of what he wanted, said Oana Sirbu of Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, who represented Czichos and has also represented other Fire players.
“When I first met Rafael, he made it perfectly clear to me that (he wanted) to be in the suburbs, to have a backyard so he could play soccer with his son, and to be close to the training facility (at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview)” Sirbu told Elite Street. “He was also looking for a modern house with a European feel. When we found (the house he bought), we knew immediately that this was the one. The white kitchen, the backyard, the basement, everything was exactly what he was looking for. It took us a while to find him, but I think it was worth it and he is very happy with the choice of him”.
Built in 1976, the two-story Czichos home was completely remodeled in 2020 with many interior and exterior upgrades added in 2021. It has two and a half baths, hardwood floors, a dining room with skylights and vaulted ceiling, a loft with a view to the dining room, a family room with a new fireplace, a mud room, a fully finished partial basement, and an eat-in kitchen with stainless steel appliances and quartz countertops. Outside on the 0.26-acre property is professional landscaping, a new porcelain paver patio, a custom gas fire pit, and a garden wall.
The house sold for over its asking price of $749,000. He had a property tax bill of $10,531 in tax year 2020.
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance writer.
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