Barrington? (Elgin, Arlington Heights, Palatine: for sale, real estate, apartment complex)

[Tibur86]

I have lived in Iowa all my life and just graduated from a 2 year school for interior design. I have been looking for jobs in the area but can't find ANYTHING! I've also tried looking on the coast at some places I'm interested in moving to but they all require 5+ years experience. I finally started looking for entry level positions anywhere in the us so I can get experience. I found a position with Kozak Architects in Barrington, IL. I've never been to IL so I'm wondering if this is a good area to live (is it easy to find somewhere to live, is there a lot to do at night/on weekends)? My bf works for Sherwin Williams and would like to transfer. I saw there is one in Lake Zurich, would that be a far drive? Do people boat on that lake? By bf likes to wakeboard and grew up on a lake so that may be a perfect area! Let me know your opinions/advice!
Thanks!

[ccjarider]

I think you will find area very nice but very pricey compared to IA. Good luck.

[Steve-o]

Barrington is very upscale, how much can you afford? Ive seen 15+ million dollar homes for sale up there.

Regarding lakes, Ive never been to Lake Zurich, so I cant comment there. You can head to relatively-nearby Chain O' Lakes for some wakeboarding.

[nanannie]

Barrington is a lovely burb and Lake Zurich is right next door. There are very nice apts in Barrington and many homes in "normal" price ranges besides the upscale steve-o mentioned. Also townhomes and alot also available in the Lake Zurich and surrounding areas. I would say all the surrounding burbs are nice, safe and probably less expensive then Barrington. Yes, there are small boats on Lake Zurich and a few little beaches, small lake,nice town. Steve o is right, the chain of lakes is close by as is the Fox River for boating. We much prefer Lake Michigan, either up in Wisconsin or Michigan. Reasonable drives. Also, about 3 1/2 hrs away is the Door county Penninsula in Wisc. Waters of Lake Michigan on one side and Green Bay on the other.

[Tibur86]

I was just looking at some place to live and I found an apartment complex, Arbors at Barrington, $999/mo, 1 bed, 1 bath. Anyone know if these are good apartments?

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by Tibur86

I was just looking at some place to live and I found an apartment complex, Arbors at Barrington, $999/mo, 1 bed, 1 bath. Anyone know if these are good apartments?

They are fine, walking distance to town,train etc. You might google them, there was a video of them and the town.

[openspace]

The Arbors was recently a "condo conversion" project that didn't work out (e.g, the housing bubble).
The good news is that most of the units were refurbished so they should be fresh inside; they previously had a '1970's' look.

The Arbors has nice gardens. The elevator building faces a cemetary on one side.

You might like Lake Barrington Shores which has a lake (for Pontoon boating only, I think), trails, rec center and other nice amenities.

Also, Lake Zurich is used for boating but other than one small boat rental place, I believe may only have access to residents on the lake.

Cary is a bit West of Barrington and you could probably get some good deals there.
Also Wacounda is North and has a large lake (Bangs Lake)
Palatine and Arlington Heights which are East of Barrington have nice downtown areas with many bars and restaurants so better for nightlife.

[Anthera]

Lake Barrington Shores is adorable. I wouldn't recommend it for a younger couple, but it really has everything - golf, boating, fishing, a restaurant, community activities. Its condo, but there are lots of rentals available.

[thehollos]

Hey there,
I'm from Barrington. It's very nice, cute, and expensive homes, and safe! The best way to find rental and homes is to go to Lake Barrington Homes for Sale in Lake Barrington, Lake County, Illinois from a Lake Barrington IL Realtor - Lake Barrington Realty Lake Barrington Real Estate
you have to register but it's worth it, they have house prices from all over IL and it doesn't take forever like Remax website. Also on the side of the listings is a city data tool it has income, population, and saftey of towns.
Some towns to consider is Cary(10 mins)housing prices are from 190K-300K, Fox River Grove (5 mins) 200K-300K, Crystal Lake (20 mins)190-300K, don't go live in Elgin, some parts are sketchy (like all the houses under 200K)

Good luck!

[cubssoxfan]

You can head to relatively-nearby Chain O' Lakes for some wakeboarding.

But beware, the Chain-O-Death is soooo crowded it will possibly be X-games, extreme style wake-boarding.