Moving to Chicago from Dallas (Plano ) Tx (Naperville, Evanston: rent, condo)

[Excited]

Hello Everybody, My husband accepted a job offer in downtown Chicago; I have a job in Dallas (in IT) and will have to find for something in Chicago. We are looking for condo/house in the range of 500 -550 K in Chicago suburbs. Safety and commute would be priority.Any help is appreciated!
-We don't any kids yet.

[nanannie]

Welcome to Chicago. You could start with Evanston and enjoy a close,vibrant, lakefront city with the lake to enjoy. You commute could be measured in minutes. Elmhurst is also an easy commute (less then 1/2 hour by metra train) A lovely town with a busy ''downtown'', great parks,library,shopping of all types close by. A bit further is Glen Ellyn, Wheaton,St Charles, and Geneva. All highly recommended on this site and very desirable places to live,so you normally would not get much bang for the buck,However, in these times, deals are to be had and prices have dropped. There is also the much talked about Naperville, the largest 'burb. Great downtown,shops,riverwalks, but a further metra commute and very very crowded. Please do a 'search' on any of these towns on this forum and you will find a plethora of info already discussed. Good Luck.

[Excited]

Thanks nanannie! I searched this forum extensively and found lot of wonderful information regarding housing. We will rent for couple of months to get more familiar with the areas mentioned.
Thanks for your time..

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by Excited;.
We will rent for couple of months to get more familiar with the areas mentioned.[/COLOR

Thanks for your time.

Very smart !

[Lookout Kid]

There's less heroin here. So, that's probably a good thing... unless you really like heroin.

Seriously, didn't Plano have a serious heroin issue a few years back? Or was that just trumped up by the media?

[Excited]

I don't have clue what you are talking about..reason can be I don't have kids going to school..

[studedude]

There is a Plano IL. Way far western suburb. No metra service so commute would be a nightmare. In the up side you would only have to change 2 letters on your address labels. Others have given you good advise.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Excited

Hello Everybody, My husband accepted a job offer in downtown Chicago; I have a job in Dallas (in IT) and will have to find for something in Chicago. We are looking for condo/house in the range of 500 -550 K in Chicago suburbs. Safety and commute would be priority.Any help is appreciated!
-We don't any kids yet.

I have TONS of suburb photos on this site (titled "some suburb pics"). Take a look around and see what suits your style. Most of my photos are of the Western burbs (which I think are the best), but there are other photos people have taken of some northern burbs, etc.

[mattywo85]

Originally Posted by studedude

There is a Plano IL. Way far western suburb. No metra service so commute would be a nightmare. In the up side you would only have to change 2 letters on your address labels. Others have given you good advise.

If you don't mind a 90 minute drive each way then Plano is for you lol.

[cubssoxfan]

Excited: Think about renting first. This gives you time to find a job and THEN buy a home that is geographically desirable for both of you. If you buy a home in Evanston and find work in Naperville, that's a killer commute for you. Worse than living in Rowlett and commuting to Fort Worth!!
Oh, and I hope you like COLD weather. November 1st to March 1st is COLD and COLDER. March 2nd through may 1st is Cold with an occasional spring teaser and the last 2 weeks of May are usually nice with occasional chilly relapses. June 1st-Oct 1st is wonderful, you will enjoy being able to be outdoors all-day during the summer. Our "hot" weather will seem wimpy by Texas standards.
However, if you are a hot weather person and do not like winter-beware, we average a good 4-5 months of cold to wintry weather.