Moving to Naperville/ St Charles in the spring (Chicago, Elgin: real estate market, houses)

[missinggreen]

We will be moving in the spring, and have so far, researched and narrowed our search to St. Charles/Naperville/Geneva/ Batavia areas. We have two school age children, so good schools are a must. Any suggestions/opinions about the above towns. One point to add, is that we have horses, so need good boarding barns in the area incase we do not buy with a little acreage.

Anyone have any info they would share about the real estate market in those areas. Did they drop considerably, or have they stablized.

Any comments/info appreciated.

[chet everett]

If you are serious about wanting a place with acreage for horse you are going to have a hard time in any of those towns. About as close you can get to that area that MIGHT have some stuff that is appropriate for horses and not crazy expensive /incredibly hostile to zoning for horses is Wayne.


I have no direct experience with the stables that board horses, but I have seen a dozen or so places within about a 30 minute circle around Fermi lab in Batavia. If you are like the horse owners I've know you'll want to do first hand research: stables loc: Naperville, IL - Google Maps

[Mr. Whips]

In Oswego there are horses. The house behind me have a couple of horses.They have over 3 acres. Acres run about 120k or more in Oswego. Check out Plainfield also that border line Oswego township. Yorkville also have horse property.

[Steve-o]

If you can afford it, look into Wayne, IL. Thats a HUGE horse community, and a lovely small town. Its expensive, but the areas premier horsing community.

[missinggreen]

We are seeing some houses around 550,000 on line with a couple maybe three acres. They look nice, maybe a little older - built around 1990 time.

Thanks I will look into Wayne. We need around a 45/60 minute max commute to Broadview.

[knitgirl]

Wayne is an excellent option for you. If you don't buy enough acreage for your horses, there are boarding barns in the area, depending on what style of riding you do, it could add significantly to your expenses. A friend is paying $450 for her OTTB at a barn in Elgin west of Randall where they do primarily dressage and eventing. There are people who just trail ride who board there who trailer their horses to trails. There is a very nice facility in Wayne for trail riding that is used for the American Eventing Championships and the Maui Jim. It's right across from Lamplight, I don't know if they board at Lamplight, but they have shows going on almost every weekend, so I wouldn't consider it a good choice if you just want to ride your horse. I know there is at least 1 boarding facility in Wayne and others in St. Chas, etc, but I am not familiar with any of them.

[missinggreen]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

Wayne is an excellent option for you. If you don't buy enough acreage for your horses, there are boarding barns in the area, depending on what style of riding you do, it could add significantly to your expenses. A friend is paying $450 for her OTTB at a barn in Elgin west of Randall where they do primarily dressage and eventing. There are people who just trail ride who board there who trailer their horses to trails. There is a very nice facility in Wayne for trail riding that is used for the American Eventing Championships and the Maui Jim. It's right across from Lamplight, I don't know if they board at Lamplight, but they have shows going on almost every weekend, so I wouldn't consider it a good choice if you just want to ride your horse. I know there is at least 1 boarding facility in Wayne and others in St. Chas, etc, but I am not familiar with any of them.

Yes, the board adds up and I have two mares and a mini, so buying with acreage would definately work better for us.

We will visiting soon and working out the details, checking the areas etc. The job transfer is a good move for us, so we will have to adapt. I am not looking forward to the cold, but being from England originally, I am used to the cold and rain.

Thanks again.

[knitgirl]

yes, you would definitely want the acreage! Being from England, unless you're from the North may not fully prepare you for a Chicago winter, but if you bundle up, you'll be able to deal with it. We got lucky the beginning of the decade and had some fairly mild and not very snowy winters. Last year was a bear, and this winter is starting off colder and snowier than usual. I ride indoors in winter and did miss out on a bunch of rides due to cold. Toe heaters (the chemical packets you put in your boots) help some. I don't know if you hunt, but there is a Wayne-DuPage hunt. Years ago I met a lovely couple who live in Wayne. The wife got riding lessons as a gift from her husband. She said it was the most expensive birthday present ever. They now own several horses and a farm in Wayne! If you miss green, I think you'll be very happy here. I once worked with a woman from Arizona who got freaked out by all the green!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

I once worked with a woman from Arizona who got freaked out by all the green!

Thats normal, they get freaked out about everything (ie water, snow, green foilage, temps below 30 degrees, etc, etc).

[crbcrbrgv]

What about that unincorporated neighborhood on Hobson Rd. between Wehrli/Yackley and Route 53? I believe they are called Brentwood Estates and Donruss. They are in Naperville school district (Naperville North High I think Kennedy Middle and elementary I'm unsure) and are not too far away from everything Naperville has to offer.