Where do tree hugging, vegetarian liberals belong in north Chicago? (Evanston: condo, rental)

[Anthera]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

Another very good point Chet. Evanston it is! On a side note, why does everything close so early here? We went to eat at Foodstuffs, but they closed at 5 pm! We had better luck finding a place to eat in the sleepy town of the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland!!

Thanks for the info on Evanston Nysee. Again, if anyone knows of a month to month rental, please let me know. I know we have very tough criteria, but we also have A+ credit and that might count for something.

We don't want to feel pressure to buy right now because we can't find a rental. We need to make sure we can handle the winters here first. So all of you have my permission to remind me of this when I start talking about putting an offer in on something. I know there is a distinct possibility of that since I am not fond of our current living situation (hotel) and day by day I am feeling a stronger urge to make my nest for my little ones.

Jay,

If you want to wait until after winter anyway, just get a regular rental with an early termination fee built in. A month-to-month rental can work both ways. Your landlord can suddenly decide to increase your rent, they can decide to sell it, or just any of a multitude of things can happen. Then you're looking for another rental.

[cohdane]

Hello Jay-- Not to be totally contrary here, but I wouldn't give up on month-to-month or short term right out of the gate.

When we moved out here in January, we found a sublet with little difficulty (there were 4 other short-term choices, too). Now that the sublet is expiring, I hopped on Craigslist, sent a few emails and am ready to go with another month-to-month.

The slow market is turning a lot of "for sales" into "for rents"-- and they're even having trouble renting them all. Monthly money is monthly money. A lot of these people are happy to get it, especially after having their homes sit vacant while they carry mortgages for months and months and months.

That said, Evanston will probably be a bit different because of the university students. But perhaps if you scope out Wilmette instead or (if you can) wait until September when everyone who hasn't rented realizes they missed the boat on students is suddenly open to short term leases.

Lastly, you may even have a slight advantage in some owners' minds. You're a family who up until recently owned your own home. So you'll have less of a "trash it" reputation than students do for people who ultimately hope to sell. And also, for people who ultimately hope to sell, a chance to rent to someone who could help pay for things until the next spring market (and then move out for selling season) could be VERY appealing.

Good luck.

[Nysee53]

Do you know if the Park Evanston or Evanston Place offer short term rentals? I am sure you can work out something with the managment companies. Also, The Reserve @ Evanston might be good. Give Judy Newton of Coldwell Banker Evanston a call, she knows everything. She could probably find something for you.

[Anthera]

Jay,

When renting in Evanston, you should absolutley stay away from buildings that cater to students. The family/student mix is never good. I love university towns and would live in one if it were practical for me, but would never want to live next door to a bunch of college students.

[Calidreemer]

Judy Newton (formerly London) was my 6th grade teacher! I also saw her on an episode of HGTV's House Hunters. She is an excellent Realtor, but doesn't she focus on really high end properties?

[Nysee53]

No actually she doesn't. She is not the high-end property broker in Evanston. Typically Claire Sucsy is and now many homes in Evanston are listed with brokerages in Wilmette and Winnetka. Judy Newton helps buyers in the under $1,000,000 range. She lists houses higher than that though, like she has a $2,100,000 listed now. She even helps those in the $200,000 price point. I did see her on HGTV, she is an excellent agent.

Two Great Agents:

Glencoe Highland Park & North Shore Illinois Real Estate
JudyNewton.com

[jaynetarzana]

We found a really great month to month rental today. The price is a little high and it is a little smaller than we wanted, but it is really nice and we are so excited and happy. We'll most likely get to move in next week!

We went to Lincoln Park today and LOVED IT!!!! I wish it were a reasonable distance for my husband to go to work because it has a the urban hip vibe we are looking for down there. I can see us living there. How are the schools in that area anyway?

I'm feeling much more positive about things today now that we found a rental. Thanks for all of your help everyone and I will continue to keep you updated.

[Anthera]

Congrats! I hope you are able to unpack and relax a bit before you start house hunting.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

We found a really great month to month rental today. The price is a little high and it is a little smaller than we wanted, but it is really nice and we are so excited and happy. We'll most likely get to move in next week!

We went to Lincoln Park today and LOVED IT!!!! I wish it were a reasonable distance for my husband to go to work because it has a the urban hip vibe we are looking for down there. I can see us living there. How are the schools in that area anyway?

I'm feeling much more positive about things today now that we found a rental. Thanks for all of your help everyone and I will continue to keep you updated.

ENJOY your rental! Big Congrats. That should give you the peace of mind to focus on what you really want for the longer term.

That said, I am going to surprise some folks and say that given how young your kids are it MIGHT be worth exploring Lincoln Park. You have like 3 years till kindergarten. If you are hanging with your new vegan pals you should get the scoop on how the stay at home moms angle their kids into the best schools. Lot of work, but it might fit your situation. Commute to hubby job in northern Cook not the best, but quite a few do it.

I have found lots of "urban" folks to be a lot less than hard core green when it comes to "working green" -- I guess they figure that supporting the coop farmers and being a localvore helps to offset the extra time/resources they use getting to jobs that are lucrative enough to support their exotic lifestyle...

[Calidreemer]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

We found a really great month to month rental today. The price is a little high and it is a little smaller than we wanted, but it is really nice and we are so excited and happy. We'll most likely get to move in next week!

We went to Lincoln Park today and LOVED IT!!!! I wish it were a reasonable distance for my husband to go to work because it has a the urban hip vibe we are looking for down there. I can see us living there.

That's awesome! Where did you find the month to month rental? That didn't take you too long!

I told you I could see you in Lincoln Park too. I have a friend I work with who lives in Logan Sqaure with her husband and commutes up to Northbrook, she used to go to Lake Forest (not Mettawa, but still pretty far North). They are both Vegan and are part of a group that is setting up a Co-Op in their neighborhood. They are really nice, in their late 20's no kids. We often discussed the whole vegan lifestyle - where to get shoes, tofurkey, cornstarch cups, Farm Sanctuary etc. She's really nice and if you are thinking about the city I am sure I could get you in touch with her.

I am very happy for you. You must be doing your happy dance!