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Old 01-22-2013, 09:26 AM
 
624 posts, read 1,068,034 times
Reputation: 203

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Hi All,

To make a long story short, we have lived in the Berwyn, IL area since the early 1990's and in the North Riverside, IL since 2002. I have worked in Northbrook since 1998.

Overall, we are happy with the area, but due to our house being only 2BR, and due to having 2 kids (a boy and a girl) we are considering a move that would be relatively close to Northbrook and yet, not too far from the Berwyn/North Riverside area.

Our budget is around 350K maximum for a house.

I have looked at the areas in between Northbrook and Berwyn and found that the most bang for the buck would be in Lake Zurich. Schools are also very important for us and Lake Zurich seems to have very good schools. One potential issue, however, is with the well water and septic tanks. I would rather have city water and public sewage and thankfully Lake Zurich has ample supply of homes having city water.

But I am curious about the drawbacks of Lake Zurich. There have not been many discussions about that suburb. So, I'm wondering, if we move there, what would be the drawback?

Thanks all.
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Old 01-22-2013, 10:25 AM
 
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Lake Zurich is mostly nice, it does also have mostly decent schools. I think the relative desirability of towns near to Lake Zurich that are a little bit newer and served by schools that are more highly rated are two factors that keep it "out of the highlights" but the relative value factor is another -- it is not so much that it has septic & wells instead of municipal sewers and water but that the overall "value proposition" -- Lake Co taxes tend to be on on the higher side, many homes in Lake Zurich are over 25-30 yrs old and need maybe some "rethinking" of floor plans that existed before kitchen-as-entertaining-area was high on people's list of "must haves", buyer sorta shy away from that kind of expense unless it is a bargain priced home or a town that has extremely high desirability...

If the homes in Lake Zurich are appealing to you and will make your commute acceptable it is certainly an area worth exploring further, no hidden downsides!
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Old 01-22-2013, 10:28 AM
 
Location: Chicago
3,339 posts, read 5,959,205 times
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I don't think there is anything wrong with Lake Zurich at all.

For me, I've never considered moving there because of the distance from Chicago and the lack of a metra station. If my job was out that way, it probably is an area I would consider.

I don't know what day to day life is like there, but in the times I've driven through I've always thought it was a nice place.
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Old 01-22-2013, 11:02 AM
 
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We live in the town just north of Lake Zurich, and LZ is a nice town...drawbacks if you can count these....its main town "center" isn't really one at all....Main street in downtown Lake Zurich needs a facelift, and a bunch of new businesses...another....nearby sit down restaurants are limited, but "fast food" types (everything you can think of really) are abundant and nearby...

Pluses...schools are good, shopping (despite no downtown) is abundant and convenient (everything you could possibly want in a 3-5 mile stretch of road), park district is excellent with a TON of programs as well as management over the actual lakes in Lake Zurich, sports options for kids (extra curricular soccer, baseball, football) is available, sports facilities and gyms are nearby and excellent. The local YMCA (again not officially IN Lake Zurich, but close enough to sneeze on) is amazing.....great children's programs, summer camp for the kids, swimming program.

All in all....it's not a bad place to place roots.
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Old 01-23-2013, 08:21 AM
 
Location: Lake Arlington Heights, IL
5,479 posts, read 12,200,734 times
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The problem here is that it is not very convenient to Northbrook or Berwyn/North Riverside. The east/west roads, like Rte 22, Lake-Cook and Palatine/Willow get very clogged during rush hour. Heinously bad commute? No. Annoyingly long some days-certainly.

I would look at Arlington Heights, Mt. Prospect with good access to River Rd. and 294 for trips to Berwyn. Both will keep you 15-25 minutes from Northbrook. Buy within Hersey or Prospect HS and you are not taking a step back(or only a fraction back) in school quality compared with Northbrook schools.
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Old 01-23-2013, 07:57 PM
 
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There actually is a town center, right by the lake. It is off the beaten path since Rt 12 and Rt 22, which used to run right through it, were realligned. It is a rough ride to Northbrook for sure, starting the minute you get on Rt 12, but many do it.
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Old 01-25-2013, 10:29 AM
 
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Update: we are now looking in the Buffalo Grove, since many homes there are within 350K range +/- 10%
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Old 01-25-2013, 03:38 PM
 
Location: Lake Arlington Heights, IL
5,479 posts, read 12,200,734 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigV View Post
Update: we are now looking in the Buffalo Grove, since many homes there are within 350K range +/- 10%
Be careful with property taxes north of Lake Cook Rd. You are paying a lot more but also getting Stevenson HS. South of LAke Cook and you are in Buffalo Grove HS (decent) and D21 (depends on which school) but taxes are a lot lower.
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Old 02-05-2013, 01:26 PM
 
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I know you are now looking in BG but wanted to chime in in case LZ is a consideration still. We moved here almost 2 yrs ago from the city and we love it. My mother in law actually lives in Northbrook and it is a straight shot down Lake Cook and takes her no more than 20 mins, if that. She is here at least twice a week.

I think the area as a whole is nice, tranquil. We are in the very s/e portion of LZ and our backyard backs to Kildeer. Lots of open space, great schools, and 4 out of 5 of our neighbors are city transplants as well so we have made great friends. I think a lot of the neighborhoods in LZ (at least in mine) are experiencing a turn over. The kids in our neighborhood are either high school aged or very young. Chet was right, most of the housing stock is older (ours is 20 yrs old). We did have to re-model our house but was glad to do so. There are a few new construction developments but not at your price point.

My husband and I both work downtown (off hours) and most days, if we time it right, can get to the north side of the city in 35-40 mins. In traffic it is an hour.

Great place to live......
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Old 02-05-2013, 05:00 PM
 
Location: Lake Arlington Heights, IL
5,479 posts, read 12,200,734 times
Reputation: 2847
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagoRE View Post
I know you are now looking in BG but wanted to chime in in case LZ is a consideration still. We moved here almost 2 yrs ago from the city and we love it. My mother in law actually lives in Northbrook and it is a straight shot down Lake Cook and takes her no more than 20 mins, if that. She is here at least twice a week.

I think the area as a whole is nice, tranquil. We are in the very s/e portion of LZ and our backyard backs to Kildeer. Lots of open space, great schools, and 4 out of 5 of our neighbors are city transplants as well so we have made great friends. I think a lot of the neighborhoods in LZ (at least in mine) are experiencing a turn over. The kids in our neighborhood are either high school aged or very young. Chet was right, most of the housing stock is older (ours is 20 yrs old). We did have to re-model our house but was glad to do so. There are a few new construction developments but not at your price point.

My husband and I both work downtown (off hours) and most days, if we time it right, can get to the north side of the city in 35-40 mins. In traffic it is an hour.

Great place to live......
It IS a nice area BUT, would your MIL make it in 20 minutes IF she was heading FROM LZ to NB in morning rush OR FROM NB to LZ in evening rush? I remember one night during rush hour on Rte 22 it took 20 minutes just to get from Buffalo Grove Rd. to Old Mc Henry Rd. a distance of maybe 3 miles
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