First Time Home Buyers Moving to Chicago Area (Northbrook, Gurnee: job, townhomes)

[cocomezzy]

Hi, my husband and I are moving to the Chicago area this upcoming summer and are looking at buying our first house. We are both from the Virginia area and don't really know a lot about the Chicago suburbs. He will be working in Great Lakes and I am trying to get a job in Chicago. Any suggestions on towns where you can get a 3 bedroom house in the $300k price range? We would like to live somewhere between Chicago and Great Lakes so one of use won't have a lot longer commute than the other. A town with a train/metro stop that heads into Chicago would be great. As far as our likes, we both like older established communities with big trees; not really a lot of new construction. Safety and good school systems are also a concern of ours. Any suggestions would be great! Thanks.

[Manigault]

Vernon Hills, Deerfield and Northbrook come to mind. You're from the Virginia area? That's a broad statement!

[Windy City John]

Gurnee, Lake Villa, Deerfield

[ahava]

Gurnee and Lake Villa are both north of Great Lakes, so they're not in between Great Lakes and Chicago. Also, Gurnee doesn't have a train station. In Deerfield and Northbrook in your price range you'd be looking at townhomes, not single-family homes - I'm not sure if that matters to you.

[Windy City John]

That is why I mentioned Gurnee and Lake Villa-- the OP said " 3 br house for under $300k." I realize they are not between Great Lakes and the city but one of their criteria must be reconsidered. I find location usually loses out to type of housing desired. It's up to them to come out and explore. I was merely offering a suggestion.....

[lakecountylifer]

Your not going to find much for your money to the south of Great Lakes to be honest with you, although those villages like Deerfield and Northbrook are great towns to live in. If you can fit into a town home, these two towns would be my first choice because of the affluence, life style and the AAA rated school systems.

If you need a house, there are plenty of nice homes that are relatively new (15-20 years old) in Gurnee and Grayslake. Schools are very good in the area, with the Woodland school district being one of the better districts in the area. Grayslake has a train station and is real close to Great Lakes. Although Gurnee does not have a train station, there is a train station within a 10 minute drive of Gurnee--- Prairie Crossing---- which my neighbors use to commute into the city.

As a general rule, Gurnee taxes are a little lower than the surrounding villages because of all the tax revenue generated-----Gurnee does not require a village vehicle sticker and the village of Gurnee eliminated its portion of the property tax several years ago.

[cocomezzy]

Thanks for your help guy's. We're looking into Grayslake and Gurnee more. Grayslake looks like a cute town with lots of outdoor activities. Gurnee looks like its near a lot more shopping areas. My original posting should have said that we're from the Virginia Beach area.