Bartlett-Hoffman Estates (Chicago, Elgin, Schaumburg: to rent, buying a home, transfer)

[kellyl]

Hello

My husband has just been offered a job with Sears in Hoffman Estates so we will be relocating from Ohio. We are interested in a newer home, good school system, and easy access to Hoffman and Metra for my job downtown. I really like the homes I am seeing in Bartlett and the schools there seem to be good. We have a 3 year old so we want to live in a good school district now and not have to move again in 2 years.

Can anyone tell me how the commute would be from HE to Bartlett and back?

Also, how is train access to downtown Chicago?

Finally, is O'Hare easily accessible. Do trains run there from the burbs or is it necessary to drive there?

Thanks so much for any information!

[Steve-o]

Some folks in Bartlett get shipped to Elgin schools, which you want to avoid at all costs. Elgin is a dump in most areas, and has a gang problem. Bartlett is a nice town, particularly the southern end (near Stearns Rd). Ive heard good things about the new high school in Bartlett, but Ive never known anyone who has attended it.

The commute from Bartlett to Hoffman Estates might be brutal, depending on the route you take. Plan on 20-45 minutes (rough estimate).

Train access can be found in "downtown" Bartlett (Metra).

O' Hare is a decent drive from Bartlett on I-90. I took it from Bartlett to O' Hare last Friday and made it there in 45 minutes. In bad traffic it has taken me almost 2 hours.

[WLUTZ]

Avoid school district U-46. That's about all I can offer on that.

I disagree that Elgin is a dump in most places. There are many nice places to live in Elgin but I would recommend Bartlett.

The commute is far from brutal. 20-30 minutes depending on.......

I don't believe a train runs from the burbs to O'hare.

[DonkeyTeeth]

The Elgin issue will probably not rear its head until your kid reaches high-school age. There should at least be a more local elementary school that feeds Bartlett neighborhoods, but you should probably check the U46 website against any potential address to be sure.

[nanannie]

Can you post a price range? Maybe there are other areas you could check out as well.

[kellyl]

Hi Everyone

Thanks for all the info. Someone had asked for a price range, we would like a home in the 325-350 range, preferably newer, which is why I mentioned Bartlett. I saw newer construction there in the mid to high 300 range.

Would everyone suggest renting for awhile until we get accustomed to the area? My husband is originally from South Chicago, so we know that area well, but Northwest is all new to us.

[jsagil]

Most all of Bartlett is in U46 district (the 2nd largest district in Illinois), a small section of it is in Streamwood school dist. You probably would want to check the dist. out first, I would look at individual schools vs. the district as a whole. A school is usually reflective of the people and community that it serves. I have many clients and friends that live in Bartlett and LOVE it!! It's less than 10 miles to Sears corporate office in Hoffman Estates. 15-30 minute commute depending on the time of day and where in Bartlett. Train to city is a 50 min commute....not bad. Ohare about 35-45 minute drive, And no there are no trains to OHare from the western suburbs. Don't let everyone scare you about traffic. You'll learn what times and roads to avoid. An occasional snow storm or accident may add some time, but that would be the case in any city.

Carol Stream, just south east from Bartlett may be another option....good schools, maybe a bit older home than what you would find in Bartlett for the $$ but about the same commute. It's between two metra lines, both about 10 minutes away. One in Hanover Park, the other one in Winfield. Maybe add 5-10 minutes to the commute to HE.
I worked with many of the Kmart transferrees from the detroit area to Sears a couple of years ago and most ended up in the far west suburbs (mainly because of cost). Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, Huntley, etc. (personally I think too far if you need to commute to the city daily) Some went to the St. Charles area as well....which is very nice but maybe a bit over your budget, but definatly worth checking out. As well as homes in South Elgin in St. Charles school dist. Elgin also has alot of new construction going on west of Randall Rd. in the Burlington school dist. which I've heard is good, but again you are getting "out there" for a commute to down town.

This is a great time to find a real bargin....especially if you don't have to sell anything or have a "buy out" with the relocation package. I would diffently recommend buying vs. renting if you find an area that you like.

Good Luck!!

[kellyl]

Thanks again for the info. Unfortunately we have a townhouse here in Cleveland to sell, so we may need to rent for a bit until we can sell that and buy in the HE area.

[racerx68]

I think you are going to be shocked at the prices here compared to OH. Bartlett borders Hanover Park to the east, and do not make a mistake of buying a home anywhere near that town. Elgin is a dump too, no matter who here tries to stick up for it, stay away.
I would buy in Schaumburg if you could. Schaumburg is a nice city, with a train station with access to Chicago, the highway system is very close too. Driving from Schaumburg to Sears corp (west) will be easy because the majority of traffic will be heading the opposite way (east). Probably about a 15 minute ride at best. Schaumburg homes will hold their resale much better than Hoffman Estates and Streamwood or even Bartlett.
I grew up in the Bartlett area and would never consider living there again, and never would try to raise a family out that way.

[sbd78]

Bartlett is a very nice town, it's one problem is most of it is in the U-46 (Elgin) school district which is not the greatest. I know Bartlett has it's own high school, and I would imagine the schools the kids from Bartlett go to are the best of U-46, but still U-46. you can check GreatSchools.net to check the specific rating that the Bartlett schools get. The commute from Bartlett to Hoffman would be easy, probably under a 1/2 hour. Bartlett does have a train to get downtown. Hope this helps :-)