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Gosh, she's already stated that she's looking to move to the burbs and is asking for advice on areas to focus on. Instead of repeatedly trying to talk her out of it (it sounds like she and her husband have thought through all of the pros and cons already), why not just answer the question without inserting your own opinions?
My suggestion given your price range and list of desires would be to look into the Hinsdale/Western Springs area. Both are filled with families, right along the BNSF for easy commute, and have excellent schools. Plus, Hinsdale Hospital is highly regarded for their birthing center. It's not like UofC is the only hospital in the entire Chicagoland area well equipped to deliver multiples. And I'd be MORE worried about tax increases in the city than in the burbs. There's lots of talk about massive property tax hikes coming down the pike for the residents of Chicago.
Nothing wrong with moving to the burbs but seriously don't stress yourself over it at this point in your pregnancy. Moving is difficult enough at any time, no need to put yourself at risk so you can have a nursery they won't even sleep in for the first 6 months.
It's also better to take your time and find a town and home you love, than rushing into it at such short notice and ending up really regretting it.
The info from the ISBE site is confusing at best...
...and the data from Chicago magazine is quite out of date. I would recommend that anyone looking for current data rely on the Ilinois Interactive Report Cards site hosted by NIU. The groupings done US News for high schools are accurate and if you rely on schools in the "silver" category you will be choosing towns that have a history of success.
As to how far one's money goes I stand by my statement that in top notch suburbs $850k will likely disappoint -- especially for someone facing a very different set of demands on their time due to big changes in their life I would very much hesitate to recommend making a hasty move. If the
OP is not used to evaluating the myriad options that exist I would be very about "buyer's remorse" setting in quick -- ranch or two story, older vs newer, high end options vs classic location, second floor laundry vs mud room, secluded vs in-town etc... Through in the very real "let down" (never mind ppd) that will be part of an new mum's experience and I would really not want a client that is too hasty to buy the first thing they can afford...
That said, if the OP takes some time to help flesh out the things that are important to them in moving to a 'burb I know myself and orders here will be happy to help out with decision making process and even make specific suggestions.
There certainly are some lovely homes available at $850k and less in many suburbs , and the depressed real estate market means many of these were far higher just a few years ago. The rates for jumbo mortgages never got as affordable as those for conforming loans, and current rate movements are not helping things.
First step in shopping for a new house is to prepare to market your existing home, meet with real estate agents that have local expertise and success to get going on that.
Similarly one should select a reliable and responsive lender ASAP. With the info from the lender you will have a rock solid idea of the price and terms that you will be facing.
From then on the process of winnowing through the options so that when you are ready to make offers on suitable properties it is done from a position of knowledge and calm, not some mad dash that will lead to regret.
There is no such thing as a "magical" place where everything is "just perfect". Every real estate decision involves trade-offs, once you have a solid grasp on areas that you will gladly accept the compromises for the benefits you are much closer to a good decision than you would be relying on what others find "ideal"...
As to how far one's money goes I stand by my statement that in top notch suburbs $850k will likely disappoint -- especially for someone facing a very different set of demands on their time due to big changes in their life I would very much hesitate to recommend making a hasty move.
Can you explain what you mean in this statement? Which are you considering "top notch suburbs," where $850K is not enough to buy a nice house in move-in condition?
In many towns, from the most desirable sections of Naperville all along the BNSF through Riverside, to the North Shore and even quite a few areas in pricier towns towns along the UP West line (like Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Elmhurst, Geneva and Oak Park) as well as western Cook Co or mid Lake Co (and I think I could even add some of the classic high dollar southern 'burbs) the compromises that come with even places priced around a million dollars are quite apparent to any discerning shopper, especially one that may be expecting a hard to find mix of updated or new construction, spacious layout, large lot for outdoor play, walk-to school locations, and other amenities that are commonly desired. The fact is the average selling price in desirable towns is very often depressed by condos, townhouse, properties adjacent to roads or other non-baby friendly features. In some towns you need to really get to a point that is several times more than the average selling price before the homes start to be "perfect" and EVEN THEN if one is dying for site that you can see the waves of Lake Michigan or wave to CEOs in their bathrooms when you scoop the WSJ off the drive there are only so many of those on market in any given time frame...
Now I am not going to say that there are no options at the OP's price, but I stand by my comment that any one who thinks they have ANY AMOUNT of money to spend and can thus quickly find a "turn key" situation will almost certainly be disappointed.
You don't have to particularly "picky" or even a peevish to sort of wrinkle your nose at a tiny lot in otherwise great location or a crummy older kitchen or a tastelessly bland and overly McMansion-y home that has a other nice features. If one focuses on one particular town it may be a bit easier to say "well for Hinsdale I could settle with a smaller lot very close to a great school and terrific park" or "yeah, I wish there were some neighbors that I could walk over to talk with but for Burr Ridge/Deer Park/West Lake Forest this a lot of house and the trade-off is worth it"... However getting to such a point QUICKLY is rarely achieved and disappointment is the common side effect.
Sheesh, I see once again, there's the "oh no we can't loose anyone to the burbs hogwash" The OP wants to move to the burbs and I can't blame that person. The city is great if you are single, a yuppie, gay, a starving artist, etc. But if you're a family with apparently a decent income, the burbs are the route to go. Sorry city folk. IDK what exactly you are looking for (OP), but I can attest 850K will get you an enormous house in most burbs with a few exceptions. Folks are naming Oak Park, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, and towns like that. Ya, those are among the most expensive in the entire Chicago area. 850K will get you an ok (being key word there) house in those burbs. Maybe set your sights more on towns like Orland Park, Frankfort, Palos Park, Palos Heights, Floosmoor, and maybe Palos Hills if you are looking to be close to Hyde Park, yet have nice parks, good public schools, safe hoods, lots of shopping, etc. In any of those towns you can get an amazing house for 600K that is in perfect move in condition leaving you enough $$$ to do whatever you want with. Oh and each of the towns I listed all have Metra train stations you can catch a train right into the city with, not to mention all towns are within a 40 minute drive to Hyde Park... An hour at rush hour.
While I realize this is probably below what you are looking for, I just wanted to point out an example of what I think is a nice reasonable home (one that doesn't require a staff to clean it) at a reasonable price and one that in Hinsdale or Oak Brook would easily be 100K more. http://www.homes.com/listing/1165098..._PARK_IL_60462
I agree with NYrules on this one. 850K is a lot of money for Chicagoland. Now if you are talking L.A. burbs and New York, then we are talking a whole nother ballgame. The northshore and Hinsdale are not the only "desirable suburbs." Are they the most expensive area's, yes, but are there other area's that are very desirable, yes!
Good luck to the OP, with an 850K budget you are better off than 99.9% of people in this region and have an enormous amount of options.
My wife and I were in the same situation. We lived and worked in the City, had 2 kids under 2, and wanted a burb within 45 minutes of the city with great public schools and lots of green space. We just bought a 5-bedroom house 2 blocks from the train in Hinsdale (West Hinsdale stop) that is 3 blocks from the elementary school and 1 block from a great park for $85,000 less than the OP's budget. It's a really, really nice house that, 5 years ago, we wouldn't have been able to afford.
My point is, with that budget, you can look at houses with asking prices in the $900k to $1 million range, with the hope of getting it at $850k. You can get a GREAT house for that price in some of the more desirable suburbs. If that's your budget, and schools and parks are your thing, you can look at Western Springs, Hinsdale, and Clarendon Hills to the west, Deerfield, Wilmette, etc. to the north, and Arlington Heights to the northwest (although that's a little bit further out).
Hello Billings...850K is going to buy you a lot of house in almost any suburb. What is your definition of public transportation? Do want to walk to a bus line that comes frequently? or is a commuter train line enough? Do you want to be as close to the city as Oak Park is?
Metra, CTA trains, busses that commute at rush hours (as well as a few during the day because my job has odd hours, but my husband works a normal 8-5 type day) are all fine for public transportation. Neither of us want to worry about driving in traffic and such. A short walk to a station or bus stop is fine as well. (Short as in maybe 15 minutes or less?) We're fine with up to an hour out.
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Originally Posted by CindyStrahota
Some other factors to consider: The location of family members and the distance to travel to their homes? What other hobbies are important (biking? antiquing? water? ) What about the size of the yard? ..or the "feel" of the neighborhood? Do you want a community that is established and traditional or "newer" with lots of young families and easy access to shopping? 2-3 months is a quick time frame. Lots to think about. Your friends here are more than willing to help.
We've got family all around the area. Some up in Arlington Heights, Oak Park, Naperville, Evanston, and then some in Wisconsin, so pretty much where ever we go we'll be close to someone. As for hobbies, we both bike, do a lot of walking, etc. We're very outdoorsy people. Plus, we both play some pick-up hockey here and there (well, I haven't since I found out I was pregnant). We also have three corgis so a nearby dog park would be nice. Size of the yard is relative to the quality of the parks in the area. If the parks are nice and close, a small one to let our dogs out and a little bit of playing would be alright. For the feel, we'd both like something where the kids will one day be able to walk with their friends to school and play in the streets and yards and such. We're not too picky about established or not in neighborhoods. We know it's pretty quick, so we're thinking about finding a suburb we like and renting for a year or two until we decide if we like it our not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whatyousay
My suggestion given your price range and list of desires would be to look into the Hinsdale/Western Springs area. Both are filled with families, right along the BNSF for easy commute, and have excellent schools. Plus, Hinsdale Hospital is highly regarded for their birthing center. It's not like UofC is the only hospital in the entire Chicagoland area well equipped to deliver multiples. And I'd be MORE worried about tax increases in the city than in the burbs. There's lots of talk about massive property tax hikes coming down the pike for the residents of Chicago.
We'll look into the area! Thanks for the advice. I really hadn't though much about the hospitals, so thanks for bringing that to my attention as well!
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYrules
Sheesh, I see once again, there's the "oh no we can't loose anyone to the burbs hogwash" The OP wants to move to the burbs and I can't blame that person. The city is great if you are single, a yuppie, gay, a starving artist, etc. But if you're a family with apparently a decent income, the burbs are the route to go. Sorry city folk. IDK what exactly you are looking for (OP), but I can attest 850K will get you an enormous house in most burbs with a few exceptions. Folks are naming Oak Park, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, and towns like that. Ya, those are among the most expensive in the entire Chicago area. 850K will get you an ok (being key word there) house in those burbs. Maybe set your sights more on towns like Orland Park, Frankfort, Palos Park, Palos Heights, Floosmoor, and maybe Palos Hills if you are looking to be close to Hyde Park, yet have nice parks, good public schools, safe hoods, lots of shopping, etc. In any of those towns you can get an amazing house for 600K that is in perfect move in condition leaving you enough $$$ to do whatever you want with. Oh and each of the towns I listed all have Metra train stations you can catch a train right into the city with, not to mention all towns are within a 40 minute drive to Hyde Park... An hour at rush hour.
While I realize this is probably below what you are looking for, I just wanted to point out an example of what I think is a nice reasonable home (one that doesn't require a staff to clean it) at a reasonable price and one that in Hinsdale or Oak Brook would easily be 100K more. 13550 84th Ave, Orland Park IL 60462 | Homes.com
Thanks for the advice! I think we're looking mainly towards the North shore area right now because my husband accepted a job at Northwestern a few months ago and I'm working in the loop, so it might be more convenient for him at least.
The North Shore is only convenient for Northwestern if you are driving. The Metra still goes into Ogilvie or Union. Unless he is going to transfer to Northwestern Lake Forest of course!
Don't forget also that Lake County taxes are a lot higher than Dupage.
I assume that you have factored childcare into your commute times and budget? Another consideration once you have kids is that when they start school their day becomes a lot shorter and they have a lot more days off. So you should be thinking about how you are going to manage that when deciding how much of a monthly commitment you want to get yourself into.
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The info from the ISBE site is confusing at best...
Oh and each of the towns I listed all have Metra train stations you can catch a train right into the city with, not to mention all towns are within a 40 minute drive to Hyde Park... An hour at rush hour.
