Arlington Hts Vs Bolingbrook (Chicago, Arlington Heights: real estate, 2009, houses)

[19782009]

Hello,

First time here. I have a selection/moving dilemma.
We are planning to buy a house in either Arlington Hts or Bolingbrook.
I am leaning toward Arlington Hts, my wife toward Bolingbrook.
House in Arlington Hts is near Lake Arlington (Jonquil Ter) and the one in Bolingbrook is on Rebecca Lane.
Now, they are both listed around $250k, but the one in AH is older (1960 I think) and Bolingbrook one is newer (I think 2000) and they are both 3BD/2BT.
I must say that the one in Bolingbrook looks much better, but still I have some doubts over it.
We have been living in Chicagoland for little over a year now and I personally like northern suburbs more even though the houses are older.
We have a one year old, so I am not sure what will be better area to rise the kids.
I am working downtown, and my wife is working near O'hare.
What will you recommend in this case?
Going for newer and better looking or ...
We really want to hear more thoughts and opinions for these two places as we already spent some time looking for houses and these two are the only ones that we liked.

Thank you all very much.

[linicx]

The BB house should be better insulated. The wiring and plumbing will be up to code. The roof and furnace will not have to be replaced for another 15 years. The windows should have double pane insulated glass. Older windows have an all aluminum frame, that sweats, freezes and leaks air like a sieve leaks water. It costs approximately $350 per window to exchange them today. New aluminum siding is better than old wood siding and requires not painting. All brick is better is warmer/cooler than no brick.

The BB should cost less to update than the AH house.

Before you buy I urge any house I urge you to pay for an independent house inspection - this is not the same as the bank appraisal.

Mold spores causes serious health issues. Mold spores are in the ground and in the air. It is not uncommon for a vacant house to have mold issues. They are expensive to mitigate -30-50K per room. I paid for mold tests in four vacant houses before I found a house that passed a mold tests.
Mold is not always visible. Bleach does not kill the source as it frequently hides behind paneling, walls and under flooring. The mold test is sperate from the house inspection. Only a licensed Illinois mold tester - my guy has an environmental degree - can legally test for mold and approve a house. Both inspections should cost less than $1000. Its a good investment.

You find a smoke detector no closer than 15' from the nearest bedroom, and a Radon detector in the house, too.

[19782009]

Originally Posted by linicx

The BB house should be better insulated. The wiring and plumbing will be up to code. The roof and furnace will not have to be replaced for another 15 years. The windows should have double pane insulated glass. Older windows have an all aluminum frame, that sweats, freezes and leaks air like a sieve leaks water. It costs approximately $350 per window to exchange them today. New aluminum siding is better than old wood siding and requires not painting. All brick is better is warmer/cooler than no brick.

The BB should cost less to update than the AH house.

Before you buy I urge any house I urge you to pay for an independent house inspection - this is not the same as the bank appraisal.

Mold spores causes serious health issues. Mold spores are in the ground and in the air. It is not uncommon for a vacant house to have mold issues. They are expensive to mitigate -30-50K per room. I paid for mold tests in four vacant houses before I found a house that passed a mold tests.
Mold is not always visible. Bleach does not kill the source as it frequently hides behind paneling, walls and under flooring. The mold test is sperate from the house inspection. Only a licensed Illinois mold tester - my guy has an environmental degree - can legally test for mold and approve a house. Both inspections should cost less than $1000. Its a good investment.

You find a smoke detector no closer than 15' from the nearest bedroom, and a Radon detector in the house, too.

As a matter of fact, I had the inspector to the AH house, and he found no mold and radon test was excelent. The roof has a good 7-8 years left and all the windows and doors have been replaced. Furnace is newer (5-6 year) and there is newer aluminum siding. There is no strange smell either and the house is not vacant. Everything seems to be in fine order. That is why we are interested. Anyway, I am just curious why so much newer and updated house in BB costs the same or even less than much older house in AH.

[ccjarider]

There are costs associated with owning homes -that just has be taken into account. For me the question is - Which is better inevestment over time? Can anyone offer you advise on which has most potential for appreciation. I cannot. Live in AH, like it but no nothing about BB.

[19782009]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

There are costs associated with owning homes -that just has be taken into account. For me the question is - Which is better inevestment over time? Can anyone offer you advise on which has most potential for appreciation. I cannot. Live in AH, like it but no nothing about BB.

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.

[nanannie]

As far as investments go, definitly AH. BB has alot of very iffy areas and some troubled schools.
AH is a far more desirable burb IMHO. Has been for years. Easy jaunt to Ohare and metra to the city.
Vibrant,active and desirable Downtown in AH, far more charming.

[cubssoxfan]

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.

Your agent is right on target. Schools are better in AH. It is closer to Chicago with Metra and you are close to O'Hare. Location is a big factor. Plus your proximity to Lake Arlington adds to the value. I don't know if you checked it out, but it is a big plus. Library, park district are also excellent. AND since you are in Prospect Heights Elementary School Dist. 23, you get resident rates at their park district and you get resident treatment at their library as well. How lush is the landscape in Bolingbrook? In AH you have mature trees all around becasue the neighborhoods are older, the BB house & neighborhood may be skimpier on trees and landscaping.
Now-big factor-where is work? If BB is 15 minutes from work and AH is 90, then I would tell you to choose BB or a neighboring community with better schools.

[chet everett]

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.

You'd be buying far below the median value in AH, and pretty close to median in Bolingbrook:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Arling...-Illinois.html
http://www.city-data.com/city/Bolingbrook-Illinois.html

With MUCH better access to O'hare from AH this is kind of a slam dunk...

I have to say that I think making assumption is coming from left field when talking about a home built in AH which has pretty uniformly high building codes. Newer is far LESS important than LOCATION in the price range you considering.

[SJaye]

I think we have all witnessed the danger in treating our houses as investments rather than what they are; a place to live- not a means in which to build wealth. I would favor the Arlington Heights home because it closer to your wife's work, and it appears to be a good value based on it's location and what you said about the building inspection. However, aside from housing market la-la land from 1992 through 2006, home values generally track alongside with inflation, with housing prices generally staying at roughly 3.5 times income. If a house is in a good school district, or near other public amenities, that is already factored into the price you are paying for the house, and not necessarily a reason for your house to increase in value any faster than the rate of inflation. It will only increase faster if the neighborhood improves, or gains something that it did not have before. By all means, pick a house that you are going to enjoy living in, and chose a location that will provide for you the means for which for you to pursue happiness, but I would advise against making this decision based on trying to build wealth with a home.

[linicx]

Location is everything. Investment is another issue. A house well built in the 60s is a better risk than a newer one that is not. You cannot tell by looking. Updating an older house is not a cheap project. If AH was uodated in the last 5-8 years and it passed inspections, call your realtor.