Family with young children possibly relocating to work in Woodridge (Chicago: real estate, for sale)

[KathleenB]

Our family has an opportunity to possible relocate from Dearborn, MI (a suburb of Detroit) to the Chicago area. If we decide to move, my husband will be working in Woodridge near I-355 and I-55. We went out last weekend to look at several houses with an agent and came out of the experience depressed and a little overwhelmed.

Can anyone recommend neighborhoods within a 30 minute (45 minutes max) drive of the I-355/I-55 area in Woodridge? We have 3 young children (the oldest will be entering 2nd grade this fall). We're looking for a 4 bedroom home in a nice neighborhood, good schools, low crime, parks and recreation activities for the kids. 1800-2000 sq. ft. min. We can afford up to $400K ... which doesn't appear to be very much for the areas we looked in :-)

Initially the agent recommended many homes in Bolingbrook and Romeoville, but the school information I read online concerned me a little, so we crossed those off the list.

Based on what we saw last weekend in Downers Grove, Lisle and Westmont, we're thinking we have to look further out. Out of the 12 houses we saw, we would only consider living in two of them. Most were too small and several did not seem to be in areas where the homes are kept up ... but is was a rainy day ... We really don't know much about the communities as a whole. We won't have family to help with updating, so we'd like something that doesn't need to be totally redone.

On our way home we drove down a few streets in La Grange and La Grange Park. It looks similar to what we're use to at home - actually it's just like the neighborhood next to ours - a step up from where we are now, but not too much. When we pulled a sheet from a house that is for sale, it was over $550K. The house is similar home to what we have at home, but this one has a larger yard. We were so excited to finally see an area that felt like home, but then depressed to realize that there's no way we can afford that :-( In the expensive part of Dearborn, that same home would probably list for $300-$350K at the most. Where we live, it'd probably list between $250 and $300. We're suffering from a little sticker shock :-)

How far a drive would it be to get from either Batavia, Geneva or Saint Charles to Woodridge? They seem to be favorable towns based on previous posts and I've seen some interesting homes on realtor.com. Do you think it would be worth further looking into Downers Grove and the other areas we looked at last weekend? Or did we see pretty much what we can afford there (small homes on streets with unkept lawns and homes in need of repair). Naperville was okay, but the homes we saw were at the top of our price range and only 3 bedrooms ... and a little too open for our taste (all were newer construction).

Thank you so much for any insight/advice you can give to us!

[Misia]

You were right to cross off Romeoville and Bolingbrook from your list. I've lived in Romeoville for the last five years and would highly recommed avoiding those areas. I also agree with the cities you mentioned being way too expensive. Of those, I would say Lisle is not as bad. I'm moving to Lisle next week and our new neighbors say only good things about that area. I looked at some listings in your price range and there seemed to be a few interesting ones. So I'd say give Lisle another look, there's a few really nice communities. Good luck with your search.

[KathleenB]

Thank you for your input :-)
We will definitly give Lisle another look. It was my favorite before we went out for our visit and one of the homes we liked was there. I really don't know much about the area, but I had high hopes for the Green Trails area. We only saw one house there and it wasn't what we are looking for and it needed a lot of updating that we wouldn't be able to do if we bough the house :-( The house I saw online that I was sure was "it" was off the market by the time we got out there.

Thank you again and good luck with your move!

[Chicago Chef]

You need to look at Plainfield. Plenty of new homes reasonably priced, good schools and a nice quaint downtown that features some great restaurants. Go eat some Tex-Mex at Front Street Cafe, take your kids across the street to the huge park and flip through the real estate books. Lisle and Westmont are not bad but I've been to Dearborn and I think you would like Plainfield more. Check it out!

[gardener34]

Keep looking in Downers Grove, Lisle and Westmont for the right house in your price range, those are really good areas. Also maybe the parts of naperville that are closer in to the 355.

[KathleenB]

Thank you for the input sent last week. I was without a computer for a week while on vacation. We'll be coming back out to the Chicago area for another weekend in July to check things out. We'll be checking out Plainfield and other neighborhoods of Downers Grove and Lisle .. at least I think that's the plan for now :-)
Thank you again!

[FromTheOP]

I read your post and had to join this site because I wanted to help. I read someone on here saying how 355 is being extended down to I-80 about a week ago and that the area is a gold mine. I couldn't agree more. The town of Homer Glen or Lockport lie right in the path of I-355 and most of this area is still rural. The land is still relatively cheap and homes are very nice and new. I hope this link helps you Maps OR this one might be better

Image:Interstate 355 Southern Extension Large.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Anywhere near these interchanges would be a wise investment and the area is very clean and nice.

Happy house hunting.

[M TYPE X]

The 355 extension is said to be complete this Fall, do you believe that?
That would be great!

[KathleenB]

Thank you very much for the suggestion and the info on I-355. I checked on homes for sale in the area and the schools and will definitely add Lockport/Homer Glen to our list of possiblilities.

We hadn't considered that area mostly because we weren't sure of the commute time, but the I-355 extension pretty much addresses that.

Thank you again!

[Deidra1973]

I read your posting and wanted to comment about the suggested areas you are considering. I agree with the others about avoiding Romeoville and Bolingbrook. I myself recently relocated to the Lockport/Homer Glen area one year ago and have been very happy wih my decision. I do commute greatly and the I-355 extension is (hopefully) going to be the answer to my prayers. If your husband entered on I355 in Lockport, it would only take him 5/10 minutes (if that) to get to I-55. There is a great deal of new communities being built due to this highway extension and the prices are definately going up around here. Lockport/Homer Glen is quiet, peaceful and clean. There's going to be many shopping areas built off 159th street which will be up and running within the next year. I understand the local schools are very good. However, they are addressing overcrowding issues, due to the new homes and families coming into the area. I previously lived two hours north of here and did not know what to expect. I would definately recommend the area.