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My husband and I will be driving out to Chicago at the end of the month to investigate areas we might be interested in moving to. We have two small children (PreK and Kindergarten) who are our primary concern (education, recreation- dance, karate). Another concern is the time my husband will be traveling to work in Chicago. We are willing to live about 45-60 minutes away (that would includ any traffic delays). I am unable to figure out property taxes... right now we have a 5yr old, 2000sqft home on 1/3 of an acre... our taxes are $7000 (home assessed at $190K)... any suggestions? Depending on the taxes we are looking to spend about $250K... Any help would be much appreciated.
The total property tax situation will be very similar to what you currently have. Most areas have property tax rates that vary by the kind of schools/parks they have -- because of sales tax from malls and car dealers funneling back the villages/cities have some leeway in setting rates. It is not uncommon for annual property taxes to be about 2.5% of market value, few areas are much less though some can be considerably greater.
The bigger concern I would have is that there are very few areas in the Chicago suburbs or the city itself where $250K will buy the kind of home you currently have.
Even with "falling real estate values" caused by the mortgage mess you really are going to have a rough time finding even older smaller fixer-uppers for $250k. In a wide arc around the metro area $250k would literally not even buy a shack suitable only for a teardown in towns with good schools.
Because you have school age children I will caution you that there are huge variations in the quality of schools even in districts that border one another. Frankly, in many towns where $250k would buy a larger newer home the schools are miserable.
You will also need to clarify what sort of job and what kind of commute your husband expects. Chicago and many of its suburbs are well served by commuter railroads, though if he will not be working in an office in/near downtown Chicago this may not be an option. In some cases a distance of less than 20 miles would require 60 minutes of driving time, while off-peak and/or commuter rail would enable one to travel almost 50 miles in less than an hour...
Given that real estate prices are in flux, some area are glutted (especially condos) and there are shifts happening daily it may be wise to firstly determine what sort of area you really want to live in. It may make sense to plan to rent an existing single family home in the area you are most fond of and re-asses the total affordability down the road...
I have sticker-shock... We were looking into NW Indiana because of the price we would like to stick with... some people were telling my husband Illinois was far more superior. I can understand why they might think so, but the cost of housing in and around Chicago is so insane. I don't think Illinois is for us...
You could look into Elburn. Its an exurb way far out on the fringes of suburbia, but its still relatively "cheap" compared to many other suburbs, and has direct Metra access into Chicago. Just an idea...
I have sticker-shock... We were looking into NW Indiana because of the price we would like to stick with... some people were telling my husband Illinois was far more superior. I can understand why they might think so, but the cost of housing in and around Chicago is so insane. I don't think Illinois is for us...
Quite a few downtown commuters live in NW Indiana. Towns like Hammond, Munster, Highland and Griffith are WAY WAY more affordable than places in IL. The big trade off is commute time -- even if you can walk to the train station there is not the same kind of express service. Expect something greater than 75 minutes... The good news is that with a laptop and a wireless card that commute time can be productive time and with a cooperative employer things can work out well. Again, this depends on the type of work your husband will be doing and the company's policies, but it is something to consider. Down the road, you might find employment in Indiana or relocate somewhere else...
Several of the NW Indiana towns are really quite nice. For high performing students headed to Purdue or Indiana the in-state tuition is a very good value too.
Obviously there are remnants of NW Indiana's failed past, with the rusting hulks of steel mills in Whiting and crime decimated Gary, but that is not where you'd look any more than you'd relocate to devastated sections of Illinois.
It is different state, in every sense of the world. There is not as much of the "trends/hipness" that spreads out from wealthy Chicago neighborhoods, but there are regional malls and all the regular national stores. Folks who live in NW Indiana tell me that it is much more of an "outpost" in the eyes of state government vs the big city of Indianapolis -- perhaps not unlike what you are accustomed to in Western NY, with its NYC focus...
I see once again the southern burbs are forgotten about. For $250K you can get a pretty nice house in Homewood to start with, also Crestwood, Midlothian, Worth, and even in Oak Forest. Those areas are ALL under an hour commute in and out on the Dan Ryan which was completely rebuilt over the past couple of years to accomodate more traffic and I have to say, it does! From Oak Forest or Crestwood you are looking at about 50 min during rushhour from the Madison Street entrance ramp to the 159th Street exit ramp. You may want to stay west of I-57 from Rte 30 north with the exception of Homewood as areas east of 57 can get dicey in spots and the schools are on the decline. Oak Forest High boasts some great athletics, and teachers.
I see once again the southern burbs are forgotten about. For $250K you can get a pretty nice house in Homewood to start with, also Crestwood, Midlothian, Worth, and even in Oak Forest. Those areas are ALL under an hour commute in and out on the Dan Ryan which was completely rebuilt over the past couple of years to accomodate more traffic and I have to say, it does! From Oak Forest or Crestwood you are looking at about 50 min during rushhour from the Madison Street entrance ramp to the 159th Street exit ramp. You may want to stay west of I-57 from Rte 30 north with the exception of Homewood as areas east of 57 can get dicey in spots and the schools are on the decline. Oak Forest High boasts some great athletics, and teachers.
YES, I'll second you on that.. Why does everyone seem to forget about the southern suburbs????? Maybe because many people still have this ridiculous thought that the south suburbs are as crime ridden as parts of the south east side of the city of Chicago. This seems to be a vision that is stuck in the heads of those people that live in the Northern and Western suburbs. Or maybe because the south suburbs are more racially diverse and people would never suggest to someone to move into an area that is racially mixed. I always get this kind of vibe from those more "Ta-ta" kind of people from the wealthier Northern Suburbs. Where now their million dolllar homes are crashing in this housing crisis.
I grew up in Oak Lawn and I am white, I have lived in Oak Lawn for 20 years, and then have lived in Country Club Hills, Markham, and now Homewood all in the south suburbs, in all my years living in these areas, I have NEVER been a victim of any kind of crime personally or my home, I have never had to deal with any kind of vandalism or ever be afraid to walk the streets at night in my neighborhood. My father was a police officer in Oak Lawn for 30 years and never once had to fire his weapon in the line of duty. The South suburbs are safe and affordable places to live.
I lived near Midway airport for 4 years off of 63rd and Pulaski and in just the short time I was there my car was seriously vandalized 2 times within a 3 month period by gang members. I did not stay long at that location.
There are many south suburbs that are safe, clean, and affordable places to raise families, with excellent schools, excellent police departments, park programs, libraries, and many have a very homey feel to them. No we are not filthy rich like many of those people living in those fancy Northern and Western suburbs who pay ridiculous prices for their homes and have a house so big that they probably do not even use half of the rooms.. But we are middle and upper middle class decent families that work hard for our homes and work hard to keep our neighborhoods decent places to live and raise our families.
There are also many south suburbs that I would not live in because of the high crime, gang and drug problems, but this is not what the entire south suburbs are all about. I get the very distinct feeling that many that live in the Northern suburbs that have never stepped foot in some of our towns probably think all our neighborhoods are like Robbins, Harvey and Markham. Well they are not,,
YES, I'll second you on that.. Why does everyone seem to forget about the southern suburbs????? Maybe because many people still have this ridiculous thought that the south suburbs are as crime ridden as parts of the south east side of the city of Chicago. This seems to be a vision that is stuck in the heads of those people that live in the Northern and Western suburbs. Or maybe because the south suburbs are more racially diverse and people would never suggest to someone to move into an area that is racially mixed. I always get this kind of vibe from those more "Ta-ta" kind of people from the wealthier Northern Suburbs. Where now their million dolllar homes are crashing in this housing crisis.
I grew up in Oak Lawn and I am white, I have lived in Oak Lawn for 20 years, and then have lived in Country Club Hills, Markham, and now Homewood all in the south suburbs, in all my years living in these areas, I have NEVER been a victim of any kind of crime personally or my home, I have never had to deal with any kind of vandalism or ever be afraid to walk the streets at night in my neighborhood. My father was a police officer in Oak Lawn for 30 years and never once had to fire his weapon in the line of duty. The South suburbs are safe and affordable places to live.
I lived near Midway airport for 4 years off of 63rd and Pulaski and in just the short time I was there my car was seriously vandalized 2 times within a 3 month period by gang members. I did not stay long at that location.
There are many south suburbs that are safe, clean, and affordable places to raise families, with excellent schools, excellent police departments, park programs, libraries, and many have a very homey feel to them. No we are not filthy rich like many of those people living in those fancy Northern and Western suburbs who pay ridiculous prices for their homes and have a house so big that they probably do not even use half of the rooms.. But we are middle and upper middle class decent families that work hard for our homes and work hard to keep our neighborhoods decent places to live and raise our families.
There are also many south suburbs that I would not live in because of the high crime, gang and drug problems, but this is not what the entire south suburbs are all about. I get the very distinct feeling that many that live in the Northern suburbs that have never stepped foot in some of our towns probably think all our neighborhoods are like Robbins, Harvey and Markham. Well they are not,,
Just my 2 cents..
Uhhhh we aren't filthy rich? LOL! Ever been to Silo Ridge in Orland Park or Castleview in Frankfort? Or Evergreen View in Homer Glen? Or Palos Park for that matter? Those areas would put many of the northern and western burbs to shame because you actually get a yard WITH your house instead of a house that takes up all of your land. Take that northern burbs lol! j/k
I see once again the southern burbs are forgotten about. For $250K you can get a pretty nice house in Homewood to start with, also Crestwood, Midlothian, Worth, and even in Oak Forest. Those areas are ALL under an hour commute in and out on the Dan Ryan ...
I have friends that live in the southern and near-in SW burbs (specifically Oak Lawn and Olympia Fields), the housing prices are probably inline with other older burbs, from Harwood Heights, Northlake ,Berkley,and Berwyn.
While these areas offer some good values I think it is fair to say that they are not traditional 'commuter towns' with a large percentage of people headed to downtown offices. Many of the folks who live in these areas work nearby, perhaps at hospitals, or drive to areas other than downtown Chicago -- frankly driving into the central Loop and surrounding areas is prohibitively expensive because of the parking costs.
If one were to look at the pattern of employment in the north/northwest it is striking how much more commuting is geared toward the trains OR people driving to suburban office campuses. There is a lot less of this in the south/southwest.
I don't think it's that people forget, but there isn't such a strong south suburban presence on this board, and people tend to suggest what they know (if they suggested places they knew nothing about they'd hardly be a respected member of this forum)
So suggest away guys- we're counting on you!
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NW Indiana can be a great alternative...
Take that northern burbs lol! j/k
