where to buy? Elgin/Barrington/Crystal Lake or other? (Chicago: credit, house)

[peanut24]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

One of the problem in living in places like Crystal Lake and Woodstock is that newcomers will encounter an attitude of resentment of new people moving into the area. Those people are generally people who had no problems moving from Wheeling or Mt Prospect 20 years ago and want to keep the place the same way it was twenty years ago. (Of course, they don't mind benefiting from the new schools and all the other benefits of a growing area.)

Realize that when you move into these communities that it will take longer to get accepted in a church or even a service organization.

I do NOT agree either!!! I moved to Cary from Skokie 2 years ago and have never had nicer Neighbors or found it SO EASY to get involved in the community.

as for the original question, you can do A LOT right now with the 500k for a house in Cary, houses are WAY WAY down and sitting. Great schools and town!! Good Luck!

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by peanut24

I do NOT agree either!!! I moved to Cary from Skokie 2 years ago and have never had nicer Neighbors or found it SO EASY to get involved in the community.

as for the original question, you can do A LOT right now with the 500k for a house in Cary, houses are WAY WAY down and sitting. Great schools and town!! Good Luck!

Good post. Now what could one do with $350K and putting $150K away for retirement?

[efb]

We are considering moving to Barrington, but are originally from teh East Coast (and have lived overseas as well) -- do you think it will be hard for us to fit in? Are people from "away" viewed as exotics or is it easy to get settled and make friends?

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by efb

We are considering moving to Barrington, but are originally from teh East Coast (and have lived overseas as well) -- do you think it will be hard for us to fit in? Are people from "away" viewed as exotics or is it easy to get settled and make friends?

I can assure you in all these communities you will not be "exotics". Many if not most are from some place else. Making friends is like anywhere else. What you give, you get back.

[efb]

Good news. We plan to be friendly! LOL

[MP RES]

We are trying to get more house for our money with a move. My husband works downtown and would ideally like to have easy access to the I-90. We currently live in Mt. Prospect but can not obtain much house for our money here. Our oldest is also in the Special Needs classes at our school. With an approximate $400 range for a 4 bdrm house, would Sleepy Hollow be a good bet? The strength of the Special Ed department is important to us. Do you think there are other areas to look into with these stipulations that we'd hope to meet? Any advice is very much appreciated!!!

[knitgirl]

If you are happy with the Special Ed where you live now, why don't you talk to someone at that school and see if they have any knowledge of the areas you are considering? They probably would be able to give you a good start.

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by MP RES

We are trying to get more house for our money with a move. My husband works downtown and would ideally like to have easy access to the I-90. We currently live in Mt. Prospect but can not obtain much house for our money here. Our oldest is also in the Special Needs classes at our school. With an approximate $400 range for a 4 bdrm house, would Sleepy Hollow be a good bet? The strength of the Special Ed department is important to us. Do you think there are other areas to look into with these stipulations that we'd hope to meet? Any advice is very much appreciated!!!

Best bet for value right now is Algonquin, specifically the Jacobs HS district. For $350-375 you can get a fabulous home...4-5 br, 3.1 baths, smashing kitchen with all the bells and whistles, finished basements and 3 car garages with easy proximity to shopping on Randall Road.

Only you, however can judge the quality of their special education programs versus the known quality in your town.

[MP RES]

What can anyone tell me about Sleepy Hollow? Pleasant area to live? Close to shopping? How are the schools?

[IRV007]

Originally Posted by MP RES

What can anyone tell me about Sleepy Hollow? Pleasant area to live? Close to shopping? How are the schools?

Sleepy Hollow is nice.Decent sized lots, many old trees, somewhat hilly for this area. Shopping is good....Jewel Grocery and regional mall right across the highway. Schools are in District 300. This district is 5th largest in Illinois and is often considered under funded. You want good schools? Become an advocate for your kids education and they will succeed in getting a good education.

I've heard that taxes in Sleepy Hollow are somewhat high....but have no concrete knowledge.