Please help us to choose (Libertyville, Vernon Hills: for sale, real estate, appliances)

[FINCHCMS]

We are now considering to buy a house around 400k in Libertyville/Vernon Hills area.

One choice is in the Grand Point area. The houses are in early 90s. The school district is 76 (Diamond lake elementary) 125 (Stevenson High).

Another choice is in Deerpath subdivision. The houses are in late 70s. The school district is 73 (Hawthorn elementary) 128 (Vernon hills High).

We are not sure which aspect is more important? Year or school?

If we are going to change the house 5-6 years later, which house will be easier to sell?

[JustJulia]

Is one of those pair of schools much better than the other? Higher test scores, better graduation rates, more awards, that kind of thing? I think good schools are a major draw for buyers. I don't think the age of the house is as important, especially if it has had some upgrades.

It's hard to say from your summary of the two houses. There are a lot of other factors that buyers consider!

[FINCHCMS]

Thanks very much for your reply.

The older house is in Stevenson High district, which is the best high school in this area. The newer house has Libertyville and Vernon hills high schools, which are slightly lower than Stevenson. All these high schools are rated 10 on greatschools.net.

In terms of the elementary and middle schools, the older house is in Hawthorn 73, whose elementary school is rates as 6 and middle school is rated as 9. The newer house is in 76, both elementary and middle schools are rated as 6.

Our baby is just one year old. We probably will change our house when she reaches school age, no matter which house we will buy. So my major concern is which house will be easier to sell 5-6 years later? The older one or the newer one?

Thanks

[JustJulia]

You might take this to the Real Estate forum, because there are a lot of real estate agents and other experts over there. Several of them give excellent advice.

As recent home buyers, my husband I looked at many factors when comparing houses, and I think all these are pretty common.

Neighborhood: clean, quiet, well kept, attractive houses and yards, children playing outside, nearby parks, low traffic, convenient access, number of houses for sale in neighborhood

House: age of house, number of replacements/upgrades (roof, siding, windows, floors, carpet, paint, appliances, furnace, A/C, etc.), recent landscaping, classic style, what immediate expenses would be incurred

Think about your family and what attracts you the most to each house. Some people like newer homes and some like older homes. Our home is about 50 years old, which means our neighborhood is filled with huge, shady trees, while newer neighborhoods look more "naked" to us. Older houses do tend to have more problems as things wore out, but we found one that was in excellent condition with many upgrades. It was in an outstanding school district, which was a major point for us.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by FINCHCMS

Thanks very much for your reply.

The older house is in Stevenson High district, which is the best high school in this area. The newer house has Libertyville and Vernon hills high schools, which are slightly lower than Stevenson. All these high schools are rated 10 on greatschools.net.

In terms of the elementary and middle schools, the older house is in Hawthorn 73, whose elementary school is rates as 6 and middle school is rated as 9. The newer house is in 76, both elementary and middle schools are rated as 6.

Our baby is just one year old. We probably will change our house when she reaches school age, no matter which house we will buy. So my major concern is which house will be easier to sell 5-6 years later? The older one or the newer one?

Thanks

As a person on the market, when I think resale I assume there should be a decent # of people looking for homes like us, but one thing my wife always says is she needs a house that is "pretty" from the outside". So, which house is prettier? Curb appeal can be a big deal to some people.

Julia covered a lot of the other topics. The school districts (probably my #1 priority) seem to be a wash as I have heard good things about Stevenson & Vernon Hills, and we aren't even looking where you are.