Need Help Finding a Good Suburb (Chicago, Park Forest: house, neighborhood, school)

[kimkim6887]

I currently live in Southeast Michigan, but my children are all growing up and I am considering moving back to the Chicago area to be closer to my extended family. I currently live in a very nice home in a somewhat diverse, decently affluent community (majority white, larger asian population and a decent amount of African Americans). My family members all live in the South Suburbs. I lived in both Park Forest and Flossmoor as an adult and we ran from Flossmoor in the early 2000's because my son was getting chased home from school by bully thugs.

I have no interest in living in the South Suburbs proper (Homewood, Flossmoor, Matteson, etc.). I am an African American woman, so I do not want to try and intergrate a neighborhood and cause a stampede out. I want a nice newer house that is somewhat affordable ($400,000 max) and around 2500 sq. feet. Obviously, I would like to be close enough that I can visit my family regularly. Some have suggested Frankfort, but I am not convinced that is a good fit. Any suggestions?

Thanks for any help!

[chet everett]

I cannot recommend Illinois for your situation.

You could easily be facing property taxes of $12,000 for no real benefit.

If you want to be closer to Illinois than Michigan I would consider Indiana.

[kimkim6887]

That is disappointing to hear. Can you expand a little. Is it primarily because of taxes, housing budget, or because I don't want to live in the South Suburbs?

[chet everett]

Taxes are the biggest factor.

Illinois has really painted itself into a terrible corner -- taxes are so high that they discourage investment.

In many areas there are a lack of any jobs that would allow for comfortable lifestyle, especially on salary that would be considered "good" in adjacent states and thus because of tax situation.

[drss01]

I think Tinley park would be a good place for your criteria

[kimkim6887]

Thanks to both of you for your input!

[whakru]

If you are definitely set on coming to Illinois I would also look at Lemont and Palos Park/Palos Heights. Close enough to the south suburbs and very nice areas to live in.

Otherwise, the tax benefits of living in Indiana are hard to ignore. There are some great communities that will also be close to the south suburbs.

I guess that you need to find some specific homes in these areas (IL and IN) and then to a compare and contrast to see what makes the most sense for you.

Good luck!

[4122]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I cannot recommend Illinois for your situation.

You could easily be facing property taxes of $12,000 for no real benefit.

If you want to be closer to Illinois than Michigan I would consider Indiana.

I totally agree. You're better off in Indiana. There are a lot of nice towns close to the south suburbs that you could live in without dealing with ridiculous Illinois property taxes.

[kimkim6887]

I am not familiar at all with the communities in Indiana. Any suggestions? Thanks so much!

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I cannot recommend Illinois for your situation.

You could easily be facing property taxes of $12,000 for no real benefit.

If you want to be closer to Illinois than Michigan I would consider Indiana.

Seriously dude, you need to just give up on this forum. You might think that telling everyone to avoid Illinois is a helpful stance to take, but I think it makes a lot more sense to be up front about the potential costs and let people evaluate their own situations. And even if we are truly in a "sky is falling" situation in Illinois as you and some others believe, I still believe we are in a better position than much of Michigan and other parts of the Midwest.

Kimkim6887: Property taxes are high in Illinois, and they may be going up depending on how our government deals with the pension crisis. I personally think we are more likely to see other state-wide taxes jump, and believe that income tax increases are the most likely outcome. But be aware that Illinois has become a "high tax state" particularly over the last ten years (we used to be in the middle of the pack), and it seems unlikely that this will improve. It could be a significant drain on the economy--which as it stands now is still in much better shape than the Detroit region's economy.