Moving from FL to Illinois (Chicago, Waukegan: rental, condos, crime)

[chelelee83]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to post a thread here as I've read many other posts and there seems to be lots of knowledgeable, helpful people on this site!

My husband and I will be relocating for work in the next few months. I'm trying to do some research ahead of time on where we want to live when we move up there. We will be working in Lincolnshire and I've heard the traffic is terrible! I've heard Lincolnshire is probably not a town/city we'd be interested in living in, so we're trying to find another town to make home. We'd like to keep the commute between work and home at less than 45 minutes if possible.

We're also looking to buy a house (first time...we currently rent in FL). We don't have any children now, but plan to within the next couple of years, so we're looking for an area that is safe, good schools, friendly neighbors. We're both in our mid-20s. Unfortunately, our budget is quite small....I'm hoping to be able to find a 2 bed/2 bath home with a small yard (for the dog) for $175k or less.

Is there any place near Lincolnshire that meets this criteria, or am I living in a fantasy world?! Any advise/info/links/opinions would be GREATLY appreciated as neither one of us is familiar with the area at all. If anybody wants to know any additional information in order to give us some advice, please feel free to ask! I am looking forward to hearing from as many people as possible.

[Steve-o]

Welcome to Chicagoland!

First off, Lincolnshire is, from what Ive seen, a great town. It appeared very wealthy from what I saw, so I dont know why you were told to stay away? There might be some bad parts of town that I didnt see? Anyways, Lake County is very wealthy, I dont spend too much time up there so Im not really qualified to answer your question. Most of the homes I see up in that area are monsters, and in fact one in Lake Bluff just sold for 25 million last month, if that gives you any idea. Finding a house for 175K might be tricky. Im sure someone who knows that area more will come along and help you out, so hang in there.

[chelelee83]

Hi Steve-O,

Thanks for the reply....hopefully I'll hear back from more people who are familiar with the area.

A quick search of realtor.com reveals many homes in my price range in Waukegan....makes me a little leary, not sure this is a bad area to live or what. Lots of 2/2s available for well under $175k....anybody have an explanation for this??? Seems too good to be true, which means it probably is!

[Steve-o]

Yeah, Waukegan has sadly gone down hill. Its not a horrible place to live, but there are lots of illegals moving in and crime is going up. There are still some nice spots in town, but if you have kids, I wouldnt put them in schools there.

Also, those homes are probably really old and in a not-so-desirable neighborhood, hence the price. You cant touch decent homes for under 250K these days, and even those arent that nice. If you want to live in a nice town with good schools around here, you better bring serious cash to the table. Thats why I rent. LOL

[nanannie]

Lincolnshire is nice,I dont know any "bad" parts.I'm afraid Steveo is right about the area being expensive. You can check out Mundelien,Prairie View,Diamond lake,Buffalo Grove or Waucanda.All nice areas,resonable commute,but again,may not have alot under 250-300.Have you thought of a townhome? And again,Waukegan has some real problams,there is revitalization of the downtown area,and it is on the lake,but you really have to be careful where you buy.That being said,there are some nice neighborhoods,,but not compared to the above 'burbs.There is a large hispanic population there and also some gang problams.

[chelelee83]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm starting to think a condo or townhouse like you mentioned might be our best bet. My husband wouldn't be happy about that, but I need to live in an area where I'm not afraid of going for a walk in the evening after dinner!

Lincolnshire was described to me as a very commercial area (lots of hotels, shopping, office spaces, etc). Basically not very residential. Ideally we want an area with sidewalks and quiet streets and we were hoping for at least a small yard (although that hope is starting to dwindle).

Thanks again!

[ahava]

You'll have many more options looking for a condo or townhouse. One note about Waukegan - people like to generalize it without spending any time there. Most of the town is rundown with lots of crime, but the area north of Grand Ave and east of Jackson is fine. It's like night and day from the rest of Waukegan. I have a friend who lives there, she has two young kids, and they've lived there for years without a problem. The public schools in Waukegan should definitely be avoided though. Also, Lincolnshire is not at all commercial. It's completely residential except for along Milwaukee Ave and west of that street. It's a great town for families but it's very much out of your price range. I'd suggest looking in Vernon Hills (there are tons of condos there), Gurnee, and Lake Villa/Lindenhurst (with school district 24 not 41).

[nanannie]

I do spend time there,I have relatives in Wauk. who have lived there over 40 years,very active in their Catholic church and own rental properties as well.They would LOVE to sell EVERYTHING and get out.I was not generalizing and have spent more time there then I cared to

[nanannie]

Chelelee,you can START with a townhome,condo,at least you will be a homeowner,and work up to a larger home when needed.That way,you can get to know the areas and what will feel like "home".Good luck to you,its a big change from Florida,,remember to dress in layers

[Steve-o]

Bah, you dont need to dress in layers, I never have in this state.... The key is to buy one thing thats really warm. In my case, I bought a snowboarding jacket from American Eagle. Man, that sucker is HOT in the winter, I often need to unzip it. And dont be all fashion-conscious when it comes to gloves either. Make sure theyre thick and not these prissy little silk ones I see some women wear, just because they think they look fashionable. LOL Socks? Get some nice wool ones and youll be completely fine. I admit, coming from Florida, youre going to be in for one heck of a surprise from November until early March. LOL The rest of the year is nice, especially summers. But hey, we get a few weeks of super high humidity which should make you feel right at home again. haha Anyways, good luck with the move.