looking for homes south of chicago (Orland Park, Calumet City: low crime, houses, safe neighborhoods)

[k3mama]

My husband will be getting a job near Riverdale and Dolton, and we are looking for a safe family neighborhood with decent 3 BR homes under $150K. Any suggestions? Thank you so much!!!!

[nanannie]

If you can go back some pages or do a "Search" on here,there was a post about Blue Island not long ago and how everyone seemed to like it.Thats the best I can do for you till someone else chimes in.

[ahava]

$150k doesn't leave you with many options in safe neighborhoods. Try Glenwood, Burnham, Oak Forest, and Flossmoor. These towns all have a relatively low crime rate and 3 br homes for under $150k.

[trinity7774]

Definitely try LANSING..... Still a nice area (not sure on their schools tho). I think they have great home prices still!

[k3mama]

Thank you so much. There's just so much to choose from!! Being from Ohio we aren't familiar with any of these areas.

[MacScotsman]

Originally Posted by k3mama

Thank you so much. There's just so much to choose from!! Being from Ohio we aren't familiar with any of these areas.

Yeah, I'd recommend Lansing.. it depends on how large or a house you want, but there are some really nice neighborhoods around the down town area and the village.. They tend to be older homes, but if you look around, you'll see a large number of them started as small homes that were "added-on-to", which is an indication of people who like their neighborhood. The taxes seem to have jumped high on me over the last 5 years, but I think that applies to just about anywhere.

[MacScotsman]

Oh, and Lansing is located right near I-80 and I-94... makes it easy to get anywhere easily (when it's not under construction).

[oldhousegirl]

Hi, Lansing can be an option. One thing to keep in mind regarding many of the south suburbs including Lansing is the water issue. As in water in your basement. That is a real problem in several areas. Lansing is one of the known "wet" neighborhoods.

[MacScotsman]

Yeah, that is true about the water thing... I know some of the newer neighborhoods by the airport have some real issues... but up around me (near Ridge Road) it's not really an issue. The area around me is basically high ground.

Even in the terrible downpours we had recently that flooded a lot of area houses in NWI and south suburbs, my neighbors and I were just peachy...

You can always tell the homes that have had water problems by how they finished their basement. Dry wall that is several years old is a good sign.

[Manigault]

South Holland and Calumet City may also be options for someone wanting access to the Riverdale/Dolton area. I'm not familiar with home prices in those areas, though. Check Orland Park, too.