Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thank you . This is so helpful. Are the public schools in DG and LG all pretty good?
Yes. The public schools in ALL of the communities mentioned so far are very well-regarded. You may have unique needs or desires that one district or school meets better. However, the schools in all of the Illinois communities are generally well-funded and high-performing by most standards.
I apologize for not coming back to this thread sooner. But, it is full of some solid guidance. I hope you have the opportunity to get on the ground and see what each community offers. Do you have any particular preferences when it comes to housing (size, style, age), for example? Also, is something like community diversity important? These are things that will help you narrow it down.
Really helpful info. Thank you. Where did you choose in the tier 2 northern suburbs? Happy there I’m assuming? Any preference with La Grange or Western Springs? We do like Elmhurst - any idea on what made it not as comfortable for you? One thing to add - I’d prefer the area not be too “uppity” or keeping up with the joneses... We make a good living and can afford more than our budget but we are very down to earth and that is important for me.
If I were to choose to the North, and want to avoid too posh/uppity or more white collar "neighborly" while planning for a family, I would say Glenview with very little hesitation (unless you prefer older homes and more established neighborhoods throughout, then i'd go Wilmette). Much like other suburbs closer to the city, it's a bastion of young families leaving the city. Your budget would get you a nice house in a nice neighborhood centrally located.. You would be very much the rule, rather than the exception with your budget and desires.
Northbrook and Glenview share a district, and operate more as sister communities. Glenview feels a bit more vibrant and youthful, Northbrook maybe a bit more generational and less transient. Glenview has the added bonus of The Glen - which acts as it's second downtown area + a lake/paths/sports fields and a almost ridiculous Recreation Center. Just provides a lot of conveniences that most communities don't have in the middle of town. Add to it that a few breweries and a couple of patio bars in the old downtown/Glenview Rd area.
As for LG vs. Western Springs, I would choose La Grange as it's downtown is more substantial and it's one train ride closer to the city. We really liked the downtown La Grange area. That said, the neighborhoods of LG and Western Springs integrate to the point you don't know which one you're in. I think Western Springs is probably considered slightly wealthier than LG because of the higher end luxury market, but neither are uppity. More similar to Glenview than they would be uniformly affluent towns like Winnetka on the Northshore or Hinsdale further west.
We have friends in Elmhurst.. It's a great area for sure. Maybe a bit less "hometown" in feel to us? A lot of cars everywhere, maybe feels a bit more "industrial" in certain areas? Even in the neighborhoods, there seem to be a peculiar amount of cars and cut throughs.. More similar, to some degree, to a far flung city neighborhood than a traditional suburb. The same can be said for Park Ridge, though we would have moved to Park Ridge if we had found the right house (so i'm kind of talking out of both sides of my mouth). A town like Glenview will have (more) dead end neighborhoods, parks/public pools built directly into the neighborhood (look at the first streetview/map in DT Glenview as a good example). It has more of a Leave it to Beaver, kick the can, Americana thing going on to us.. Nice public pools, fireworks and parades, craft beer and Octoberfest events, great rec center, great schools, seemingly always kids playing out front. And that's not to say many other communities - especially Elmhurst- don't have these things, but the feel has always been so noticeable in Glenview.
We ended up in NB. More house/nicer neighborhood for the buck (as of last year). Good luck on the hunt!
Do you have any particular preferences when it comes to housing (size, style, age), for example? Also, is something like community diversity important? These are things that will help you narrow it down.
This, and I might consider the sociopolitical element into your equation if you prefer to lean one way or the other. This thread can argue about this all day, but there is a certain level of progressiveness found in some suburbs/areas vs. conservatism in others. To me, and at the end of the day, it's all Chicagoland and would only be impactful if you're really passionate about it.
I don't know what "the data" would say, but I'd all but guarantee the Elmhurst-Glen Ellyn-Wheaton belt is more conservative than the Wilmette-Glenview-Northbrook belt.
Similarly, Lake Forest is going to be more conservative - both in policy and in practice- than some other North Shore towns.
Not sure how you'd really ever recognize it from a visit, but it's something to note.
Yes. The public schools in ALL of the communities mentioned so far are very well-regarded. You may have unique needs or desires that one district or school meets better. However, the schools in all of the Illinois communities are generally well-funded and high-performing by most standards.
I apologize for not coming back to this thread sooner. But, it is full of some solid guidance. I hope you have the opportunity to get on the ground and see what each community offers. Do you have any particular preferences when it comes to housing (size, style, age), for example? Also, is something like community diversity important? These are things that will help you narrow it down.
I am very grateful for all of this guidance! I would prefer an updated home, but we are open to updating it ourselves if it will help us lose less when we sell it in 5-10 years. Lol I have learned from you and this site and also from digging into homes for sale and looking at the price & tax history, that we should not consider this an investment at all. Coming from cities where real estate typically appreciates without doing much, this is eye opening and a little scary. Any advice to help us lose less is welcome! So far my key takeaways are below-
-I think we will try to find something near the core of the town which can make it more desirable.
-Not sure which town but thinking we should focus on DuPage County rather than Cook County (or Lake) because I have learned Cook County taxes will likely be higher over time due to the moratorium on taxes this past year because of the pandemic, thinking they would try to make up for it quickly in the next couple of years.
-Also considering lowering our budget to make resale easier - $1 million home will likely be harder to sell than a lower priced home. Try to widen the pool of future buyers by lowering the price.
-Unsure if we should remove new construction homes completely from our search for resale purposes. Or if in some ways it’s not the worst idea to buy new construction because eventually, Naperville for instance, will run out of space for new developments and there will always be buyers looking for “new”, our new construction from 2021 would be the best option. Of course there’s always tear downs as well. Probably wrong but I’m a woman and I like new so hoping this isn’t the worst idea.
Last edited by citytosuburbs0; 03-12-2021 at 03:04 PM..
This, and I might consider the sociopolitical element into your equation if you prefer to lean one way or the other. This thread can argue about this all day, but there is a certain level of progressiveness found in some suburbs/areas vs. conservatism in others. To me, and at the end of the day, it's all Chicagoland and would only be impactful if you're really passionate about it.
I don't know what "the data" would say, but I'd all but guarantee the Elmhurst-Glen Ellyn-Wheaton belt is more conservative than the Wilmette-Glenview-Northbrook belt.
Similarly, Lake Forest is going to be more conservative - both in policy and in practice- than some other North Shore towns.
Not sure how you'd really ever recognize it from a visit, but it's something to note.
Politics: We are “moderate” and very tolerant / not passionate about it.
Religion: Neither of us are very religious. I am Catholic and my husband is Jewish. Our children will be Catholic but we plan on being inclusive and observing Jewish holidays as well.
Not sure if any of that matters too much but open to your honest insights.
I am very grateful for all of this guidance! I would prefer an updated home, but we are open to updating it ourselves if it will help us lose less when we sell it in 5-10 years. Lol I have learned from you and this site and also from digging into homes for sale and looking at the price & tax history, that we should not consider this an investment at all. Coming from cities where real estate typically appreciates without doing much, this is eye opening and a little scary. Any advice to help us lose less is welcome! So far my key takeaways are below-
-I think we will try to find something near the core of the town which can make it more desirable.
-Not sure which town but thinking we should focus on DuPage County rather than Cook County (or Lake) because I have learned Cook County taxes will likely be higher over time due to the moratorium on taxes this past year because of the pandemic, thinking they would try to make up for it quickly in the next couple of years.
-Also considering lowering our budget to make resale easier - $1 million home will likely be harder to sell than a lower priced home. Try to widen the pool of future buyers by lowering the price.
-Unsure if we should remove new construction homes completely from our search for resale purposes. Or if in some ways it’s not the worst idea to buy new construction because eventually, Naperville for instance, will run out of space for new developments and there will always be buyers looking for “new”, our new construction from 2021 would be the best option. Of course there’s always tear downs as well. Probably wrong but I’m a woman and I like new so hoping this isn’t the worst idea.
New never-occupied homes command a premium over existing homes. Obviously, structures age and improvements usually depreciate over time. Buying new construction in established neighborhoods lessens the downside potential that exists in neighborhoods that are actively under construction (less competition when you go to sell down the road).
I don't think avoiding Cook County has any merit, especially if you're looking at it vis-a-vis DuPage. Most of your tax dollars go to your school districts and municipality. The county government is pretty far down the list—a little over 6% on the last Cook County tax bill I looked at.
Naperville is a significant drive to Chicago. If you're interested in going to the city for Bulls games or date nights, for example, it could be significantly more inconvenient versus living in some of the inner-ring and closer-in suburbs that have been mentioned. Even so, I do think that they have Metra express trains there, and that adds to Naperville's popularity among Loop commuters.
Thank you again, Hiruko. Going to keep an eye on new construction near the core of the communities mentioned. Let me know if you have any other words of wisdom. I have taken away a lot from this site!
Thank you again, Hiruko. Going to keep an eye on new construction near the core of the communities mentioned. Let me know if you have any other words of wisdom. I have taken away a lot from this site!
You can look for new construction or newer construction. Keep in mind that you are looking at neighborhoods that started to be built out in the late 19th century, so anything built in the last 20 years or so is probably going to have an appeal to a lot of buyers who don’t want to have to worry about the weird stuff that comes with old homes. There is a market for the older homes too. I have always wanted an older home, but my sister got her older (but newer than my) home in 2018 so I was prepared for what to expect.
Another thing to consider is that some areas that appear to be near downtown may actually be much farther than they appear due to the distance between train crossings. You definitely want to drive around and get an idea of how far you will be from a crossing before deciding if it is really walkable. I read something about Downers Grove that said that some people have to go as far as 3 miles round trip just to cross the tracks. I am guessing that is just NW of the station as there is no way to cross the train tracks on Warren from Forest (a block from Main) to Belmont. There is about 1.5 miles between stations. I think Westmont and Clarendon hills have just one crossing each at the station.
You can look for new construction or newer construction. Keep in mind that you are looking at neighborhoods that started to be built out in the late 19th century, so anything built in the last 20 years or so is probably going to have an appeal to a lot of buyers who don’t want to have to worry about the weird stuff that comes with old homes. There is a market for the older homes too. I have always wanted an older home, but my sister got her older (but newer than my) home in 2018 so I was prepared for what to expect.
Another thing to consider is that some areas that appear to be near downtown may actually be much farther than they appear due to the distance between train crossings. You definitely want to drive around and get an idea of how far you will be from a crossing before deciding if it is really walkable. I read something about Downers Grove that said that some people have to go as far as 3 miles round trip just to cross the tracks. I am guessing that is just NW of the station as there is no way to cross the train tracks on Warren from Forest (a block from Main) to Belmont. There is about 1.5 miles between stations. I think Westmont and Clarendon hills have just one crossing each at the station.
Thank you! In your opinion, is a buying a brand new construction home not a good idea as far as resale in 5-10 years?
A little confused on what you mean about crossing the tracks?
New never-occupied homes command a premium over existing homes. Obviously, structures age and improvements usually depreciate over time. Buying new construction in established neighborhoods lessens the downside potential that exists in neighborhoods that are actively under construction (less competition when you go to sell down the road).
I don't think avoiding Cook County has any merit, especially if you're looking at it vis-a-vis DuPage. Most of your tax dollars go to your school districts and municipality. The county government is pretty far down the list—a little over 6% on the last Cook County tax bill I looked at.
Naperville is a significant drive to Chicago. If you're interested in going to the city for Bulls games or date nights, for example, it could be significantly more inconvenient versus living in some of the inner-ring and closer-in suburbs that have been mentioned. Even so, I do think that they have Metra express trains there, and that adds to Naperville's popularity among Loop commuters.
The difference between counties in Chicagoland is largely "political", Cook County has a long history of corruption, cronyism, nepotism, deference to public service unions, and currently, pandering to criminal elements. Then there is their history of "unique" taxes - for example, if you're a firearms enthusiast, Cook County places a nickel-per-round tax on ammunition, which really adds up if you shoot a lot. A few years ago, they instituted a per-ounce tax on soft drinks, but had to repeal it due to public outcry (I drove to DuPage to purchase Diet Coke out of principal; I believe Cook grocers were losing money (and tax revenue, because so many people did so). They tax gasoline at the highest rate in the U.S., I believe, and their history of kow-towing to labor unions is legendary, McCormick Place lost a LOT of business in the 1990's and 2000's because of it (Vendors were not allowed to plug in an extension cord to a 115V wall outlet, for instance). As such, Cook County just leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth, especially if you are not hardline Democratic Party. In fact, the collar counties used to be strong Republican, but have turned purple or blue in the past decade or so, DuPage perhaps being the best example of this. Some northern counties have seen their real estate bills go WAY up in recent years; while some lower-income South Suburbs have seen their "actual" real estate taxes go up to six or eight percent annually, which is unsustainable in anyone's book. Illinois currently has a very regressive tax system that is punitive for lower-income earners. But they are looking more and more at shifting that burden to higher earners, and a progressive income tax (or even a "millionaire's tax") is all but inevitable, it's just a matter of time IMHO. Wealthier folks are starting to be seen as "cash cows", so be open to the possibility of a more aggressive milking schedule going forward, especially if you reside in Cook County. This is primarily why there are so many advocates for living in Indiana and commuting, although that would not exempt you from income tax, only sales and property.
I checked yesterday, and saw between four-and-five hundred homes listed between 900K and 1.1M in an area bounded by 355 to the west, Arlington Heights to the North, and Homer Glen to the south. There was a really nice-looking place in Indiana with 14 acres just on the other side of the border - personally, I'd want a home with acreage at that price point, and this was a nice example - because they quit making new land years ago. But, it does come with added upkeep, you'll have to own a tractor to mow that much acreage (and plow that much driveway, look up "lake-effect snow") unless you pay someone to do it. But with 14 acres, you set up your OWN walking path, you're not obligated to mingle with others unless you want to. I'd be planting a stand of Walnuts and/or Oaks, myself, to add future value to the property, along with a pond, especially if the lay of the land supported it. Bottom line, I wouldn't be all that worried that you are purchasing a "white elephant" in that price range, people who make above-average incomes are always going to want to live in above-average houses, and Chicagoland is pretty much guaranteed to generate above-average incomes for the foreseeable future. To me, having excess land is the advantage to living further out, and as an area grows, it won't be that much "further out" forever.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. This is so helpful. Are the public schools in DG and LG all pretty good?
