libertyville? barrington area? (Chicago, Buffalo Grove, Highland Park: house, school district, subdivisions)

[jrsygrl]

Hi-
My husband was just offered a job in Buffalo Grove and we will be relocating from New Jersey within the next few months. We have two elementary school aged kids and are looking for a great downtown, Metra service, good schools all within a decent commute to Buffalo Grove. Our price range is in the 600K-800K.

I've done some preliminary research and really like Barrington as well as Libertyville. Any and all thoughts will be helpful and much appreciated!

TIA!

[Flatlander]

I think I'd have to choose Libertyville; the downtown is much cuter and has more to offer and this would not be a bad communte to Buffalo Grove. In your price range you could find a pretty nice house in Libertyville while in Barrington that price range is on the low end of the scale. I also think Libertyville folks might be more down to earth.

Libertyville sort of has its own vibe...while Barrington is just a sprawling suburb surrounded by sprawling suburbs hovering around the highway.

At night on the weekends, Libertyville reminds me of a quaint little mountain town (think Flagstaff AZ). JMO...minus the mountains of course!!

[Steve-o]

600-800K is on the lower end of Barrington's price scale, Im sure you can find better in Libertyville. Barrington is quiet and all, but Libertyville offers more. Have you looked into Long Grove at all? It might be a bit out of the way, but it has a really cute downtown (with a covered bridge or two) and neat shopping that is unique to the town.

[jrsygrl]

Thanks for the info-

What about any of the other areas...if you had to choose where to live in close proximity (w/i 30 min drive) to Buffalo Grove, where would you live, keeping in mind good schools, nice downtown (we love good restaurants), Metra line? Also, someone suggested looking at Glen Ellyn-what do you think?

Again, thanks for the help-it's overwhelming to even know where to start!

[nanannie]

Look at both by all means.I never thought of a "mountain village" when in Libertyville.I would categorize parts as typical urban sprawl with the exception of the "downtown" area. I lived in the Barrington area and my kids went thru the schools there.I would pick it again.I dont see urban sprawl at all,as it has a downtown and village with older homes.But like ALL the 'burbs here,they have subdivisions plopped down here and there.There is lots of BIG BIG $$ in the Barrington area. Barrington Hills is 5 acre minimum so lots of horse people and very very pretty rolling land.Thats why we picked it.We always felt like we were in the country.You could still get a wonderful home for that price,I sure would not say "low end",but it aint cheap.. You can get more bang for the buck in L'ville.They are two very different towns.but nice ones and both have good schools and lots of activities for kids.The train is great for Chicago trips..You will have to see them and look at homes there.See what "feels" like home to you,as none of us can tell you that.I'm sure you will find your"hometown"..welcome to Illinois---------go bears

[domergurl]

How About Lake Zurich??

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by jrsygrl

Thanks for the info-

What about any of the other areas...if you had to choose where to live in close proximity (w/i 30 min drive) to Buffalo Grove, where would you live, keeping in mind good schools, nice downtown (we love good restaurants), Metra line? Also, someone suggested looking at Glen Ellyn-what do you think?

Again, thanks for the help-it's overwhelming to even know where to start!

Glen Ellyn is also a lovely town. Not too sure about the commute though, Id expect it to be horrible though, unfortunately.

[jettsetter]

A couple of other towns you could look at are Mettawa, Lincolnshire, and Riverwoods. All three of these towns are in the vincinity of Buffalo Grove so you shouldn't have any problems with commute times. All three towns are in/around forest preserves so it is very green and private. Large wooded lots are the norm. Actually in my opinion these three towns kinda resemble northern New Jersey suburbs. Mettawa is a very small village and years ago was ranked as the most affluent suburb of Chicago surpassing Kenilworth, but it property prices seemed to have been outshined by the neighboring North Shore villages and I don't think you will have a problem finding something in your price range. The same goes for Lincolnshire and Riverwoods. Very Quiet villages that is also home to Adlai Stevenson High School district which is ranked the second best in the state after New Trier in Winnetka. If Barrington is more your speed, you should also try the villages of Deer Park, Kildeer, and Inverness. These towns are what we consider to be apart of the Barrington family- they just don't have the same namesake. People tend to overlook them because they don't have the same name but believe me these towns are on par with the Barringtons and are all closer to Buffalo Grove then Barrington. The analogy I could give you-which I read somewhere- in describing these towns is...Just like Jakie O isn't a Kennedy but we only know her as one..The same applies to the aforementioned towns- There not Barringtons but we only know them as such!

[cdrobert]

600-800K Isnt low end in barrington proper. Maybe out in bumble stick like inverness, south barrington, barrington hills etc. but definatly not barrington proper. My mother owns a 730,000 dollar house in barrington that sits on almost an acre. You can get many split level starter homes in the older part of town for as low as 400,000!

[Paige65]

I would look at Deerfield, Riverwoods, Lincolnshire. All are close to Buffalo Grove. Riverwoods doesn't really have a downtown, nor does Lincolnshire that I'm aware. The best downtown in the area is in Highland Park. It's pedestrian friendly with decent shopping/restaurants. The commute to and from Buffalo Grove wouldn't be bad. You could certainly find a home in Highland Park or Lake Forest, for that matter, in your price range. You won't get a giant house on a big piece of property, but you'll get a nice home in a good community with great schools (not that you wouldn't get that in any of the suburbs mentioned). All of the schools in these towns are very good.