Scared out of my wits to move to Chicago (Schaumburg: for sale by owner, house prices)

[luauelvis]

Let's see if I can make this good so I can get some good responses. This site is so great with people and their feedback. My wife and I are really wanting to move from Seattle Washington. I am a middle school teacher, and my wife is a registered nurse. We have 3 children age 10, 5, and 2 months
Concerns:
1.Teaching jobs are difficult to find right now, what is the job market down there in the suburbs (schaumburg, St. Charles, Oak Park etc.)
2. My wife is a registered nurse and makes around 30$ an hour(with night shift pay) WHat can a registered nurse look to make in Illinios(roughly, I know it depends on the hospital etc.I am hoping someone can just give me a ballpark figure.
3. The property taxes over there are insane, like 3 times what we pay here.
4. We do not have state income taxes here in Wa. Is it a shock to people who have never paid it before? or not that big of a deal.
We spent a week in Lincoln Park , and a few days in St. Charles and really fell in love with everyting about Illinios. There is so much to do and see and the people are great. I grew up in Minnesota so I mis the midwest.

Besides the questions above, the main question is, Can a family make it in Schaumburg, St. Charles, Oak Park etc, o n a teachers & a RN's salary comfortably? or are we better off staying here in Seattle?
We are not huge spenders with fancy cars, but we do love to travel so we need to have money for that. I almost forgot, house, 300-350 max

[peanut24]

Well you are looking at a great time with the house prices! I would consider the NW suburbs if you want some extra cash and lower sales tax ...some areas like Cary/Crystal Lake/Lake in the hills are seeing houses down from the 300's to mid-low $200...example, 5 yrs ago the victorian houses in my neighborhood were going for mid 300's now they are SITTING at $260!!! this area is great because the train is close to get you downtown and the commute really is not that bad if you just looking to go to the city for fun. Even better your close to Wisconsin and Lake Geneva for a nice "get away" there are lots of hospitals out here that are new/newer because of the population increase in the past few years. I am sorry I can't answer to many of your questions and I hope someone with more knowledge of the other suburbs you mention will help you out.

[studedude]

This is the salary schedule for teachers in the school dist in my town. Hope this helps you.
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=school+dist...oswego308.org/
As for your wife, my wife retired from her job as a Long Term care administrator last Dec. She tells me that $30 is not out of the question. Depending on her experience it can be higher.
If your looking at houses here's mine. Tell me when you want me to move out
fsbo home in Oswego IL @ For Sale By Owner.com

[New2SouthernIL]

My family and I recently moved from the Schaumburg area (specifically Hoffman Estates) and I think you can find a comfortable home in that area within your price range however...having said that, if I went back to the Northern part of IL, I'd stay out of Cook County only because of the cost of living being a bit higher than the surrounding counties such as Dupage or Lake Counties.
Good luck in your move!

[tcs1366]

>>4. We do not have state income taxes here in Wa. Is it a shock to people who have never paid it before? or not that big of a deal.

Our income tax is 3%
Property tax, expect to pay 2% [give or take] of the purchase price of the home

Every village is different, but i have been from 1.5 - 2.3 % in the areas i've checked [though that was some time ago] I have also found that areas where they homes are more expensive, the percentage is a bit lower, and where they homes are less, the percentage is a tad higher. That is why i say 2% give or take.

But -- i do think, so matter where you go in Illinois, you are taxed every which way.

[luauelvis]

Thanks so much for the replies, the only questions that persists is : is Illinios worth the extra money? what makes it so special?

[pittsteelerfan]

Originally Posted by luauelvis

Thanks so much for the replies, the only questions that persists is : is Illinios worth the extra money? what makes it so special?

What "extra money" are you talking about? If you're refering to the 'state income' tax, most states have one. Look at the two states that sit below Wa. Oregon's state income tax (I'm aware they don't have a sales tax there) is 9%! California's is like 9.6 % (it'll be lower for people who hardly make any money).

Illinois, outside of Chicagoland, is a boring midwest state. Not much to look at, or do, when you venture outside of the area (unless you consider St. Louis). There's nothing "special" about the state of Illinois. You WILL miss the lush scenery of Wa. and the snow capped mountians, that I know.

Where you live right now, is some of the most beautiful and scenic areas of America. You won't find that in Chicago, other than the lakefront. But the housing prices are much lower around Chicago than the Seattle area, so that will offset the state income tax.

There's pros and cons to both places, like everywhere. Chicago is definitely a much larger and faster paced metro than Seattle. I guess it all depends on what you're looking for.

[peanut24]

well you said you fell in love with it here, what makes it special to you? I see you said you want to save money for travel? I think Chicago is IDEAL for that, you are in the middle of the USA, so to fly to each coast is shorter and cheaper then having to go from Seattle to lets say NYC. Not only do we have 2 airports its not a bad drive to Milwaukee WI for cheaper airfare. I personally love all the sports around here, tons of concert venues, TONS of museums (even out here in Mchenry County we took school field trips to the city to the museums) Navy pier, there is just always something to do.

[Lookout Kid]

I moved to Chicago from Milwaukee, so the taxes actually seemed like quite a break in Illinois. Income and property taxes are higher in Wisconsin--yet there were fewer government services I actually used there.

[luauelvis]

Steelerfan you are not the first person to tell me that I will miss the scenery in Washington, but Illinios is not exactly ugly is it?