Arlington Hts Vs Bolingbrook (Aurora, Arlington Heights: loan, home, neighborhood)

[19782009]

Thank you all so much.

So far I am also 90% sure we'll end up in AH. However I will know the final decision once I ask few remodellers of how much they will charge to fix the bathroom and the crawl space. According to Chat's post it looks like fixing the bathroom will cost a lot. I forgot to mention that it is only 1/2 bathroom now, so the shower needs to be installed and some of the fixtures will be replaced (toilet, sink and washer/dryer will be removed from their original location so plumbing will be needed, gas pipe needs to be converted too) in order to better use the space and we also want to expand it a bit (foot or so, as there is some space for that). I am not an expert, but I think 4-5 days will not be enough. From top of my head, I think this project will cost me not less than $6-7k (all included) and will require around 10 days. If someone has good recommendation or know some remodellers please let me know ASAP as I will be calling the remodelers in the next few days.
Thank you

[chet everett]

I'd say that is fair ball park, but you are going to have a hard time getting solid figures for a project like that without OWNING the place. Not too sure how a seller would feel if you told them you are looking to do that major a reno. I mean the strategy is not to get them to 'underwrite' a whole different bathroom/laundry set-up, but make the house compare more favorably to some of the others in the area that may have freshened baths with more modest changes...

Good Luck!

[suzie9998]

To me, choosing between a commute to Rosemont from AH vs. from Bolingbrook is a no-brainer.

[19782009]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I'd say that is fair ball park, but you are going to have a hard time getting solid figures for a project like that without OWNING the place. Not too sure how a seller would feel if you told them you are looking to do that major a reno. I mean the strategy is not to get them to 'underwrite' a whole different bathroom/laundry set-up, but make the house compare more favorably to some of the others in the area that may have freshened baths with more modest changes...

Good Luck!

No, I am not going to throw in the remodeling into the price negotiation. I just want to know how much will it be before I purchase the house. I am going to be first time homeowner and really need to prepare good. I do have a budget for remodeling and do not want to go above it. I will check on the house tomorrow and have asked one remodeler already (found it in newspaper just now) to come with me. Agent said there is no problem if someone come over to give the quote.
I will know better tomorrow.
And BTW, there are certain things from the report that I can try to negotiate with the seller, but I am not going to include the bathroom remodeling there.
Thanks again.

[chet everett]

Ah OK -- that is reasonable. If the remodeler is honest he'll understand that too. If makes a "too good to be true" kind of bid it won't hold up down the road...

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by 19782009

Ok, my work is in downtown and my wife works in Rosemont. I like the tree lined street in Arlington Heights especially in that neighborhood (Arlington Vista). It is beatifull and I cannot compare that to what we saw landscape wise in BB. House is not with the view on the lake, but is very close to it, less than 1/4 mile. So everything is leaning toward AH, besides that the house in BB looks better and my wife fell in love with that house in BB because everything was almost brand new inside out.
I still haven't compared the SD's. You mentioned SD 23 in Prospect Hts. Is that SD equally good as AH SD? I heard that AH has good SD, but have no info at all about Prospect Heights and SD 23 in particular.
Thanks for all the help.

Prospect Heights SD 23 is on par with Arlington Heights SD 25. The high schools are excellent as well. Did you see the new park at Lake Arlington? Walking distance and it is geared to 2-5 year olds. 4 other parks within walking distance. Pool within walking distance Arlington Vista is a great location.
So I'm guessing BB- newer house. AH- better location, better schools, better recreational opportunities (due to proximity), better library, better downtown, better access to downtown Chicago (via Metra) all with what sounds like a nice house and better trees and surroundings.

[19782009]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Prospect Heights SD 23 is on par with Arlington Heights SD 25. The high schools are excellent as well. Did you see the new park at Lake Arlington? Walking distance and it is geared to 2-5 year olds. 4 other parks within walking distance. Pool within walking distance Arlington Vista is a great location.
So I'm guessing BB- newer house. AH- better location, better schools, better recreational opportunities (due to proximity), better library, better downtown, better access to downtown Chicago (via Metra) all with what sounds like a nice house and better trees and surroundings.

I looked at the school reports and yes, they are on par. SD23 has slightly higher diversity (ethnical), but the scores are high too, so overall I am happy about it. Do you know if there are good daycare facilities around? That is more important for me now as we have 1 year old.
Thanks

[ofcjim40]

Well, let me start by saying I am a Police Officer on Bolingbrook, and I would say go with the AH house. The neighborhood you are looking at is declining with a fair amount of trouble. I also have been in plenty of houses in that subdivision and the construction, fit and finish is on the low end. The houses were pretty much "thrown" up. Also, the H.S. is not viewed in high regards.

[TinaMcG]

Originally Posted by 19782009

My real estate agent keeps favoring AH big time. She keeps saying even if it is older, the house in AH has much more potential for appreciation as the AH is highly rated suburb. These are her words.
And I liked the area in AH more.
For some reason I belive her, she seems like fine lady, so we will ses what happens in the next week or so.
We will check the houses once more before we decide. In the meantime I will welcome every input, every bit of help.
Thanks for you help. I really appreciated it.

I would definitely go with Arlington Heights before Bolingbrook because AH is an older more established suburb with good public transportation to downtown Chicago, and a very nice redeveloped downtown area of its own. We used to live in Palatine, which had nothing in the way of a downtown area, and we often went shopping, to dinner and to the movies in Arlington Heights. It has a very modern cosmopolitan feel to it that we liked a lot.

[19782009]

Thanks for all the posts. They were very helpfull.
At the end we decided to go with Arlington Hts and already have an offer accepted. The house is smaller and needs some work (remodeling) but we listened to all of you and have a feeling that this is the right move for us.
Again thank you all so much.