Is Wauconda and Island Lake going Up or Down? (Schaumburg: section 8, real estate)

[LeavingHoffman]

So I've been going through this site for better than a year now and am finally posting. I've lived in Hoffman Estates / Schaumburg for 14 years now and due to a divorce I've got to go. I have a six year old son that I want in good schools and good neighborhoods for him to play and grow up in. For his sake I want to move areas once and not have to put him through any more than possible.

I'm in the $150k range on a purchase or $1750 range on rentals to get started. I will be looking to move up to the $300k to $400k range in 5 years or so, preferably something with some land.

The massive influx of section 8 and illegal's into the Schaumburg / Hoffman Estates area has had me hunting around as far out as Johnsburg and all the way in to Buffalo Grove where I work. The best I have found would seem to be Island Lake and Wauconda. Decent school scores and funding, strong community, good bang for the buck real estate wise and room to step up to some day without taking kids out of the community they know.

Does anybody have any advice on the general condition of the areas? I need to try and time my move over summer break for an easier school transition so I'm running thin on time.

Jeff

[purplesky]

I'm in the same boat you are. I live in Schaumburg, just got divorced, and want to move out of here as well. I got the house in the divorce and my mortgage payment went up quite a bit due to refinancing and absorbing the home equity loan and paying PMI. I'm looking to move in the next year or two.

I have been looking for a cheaper area with decent schools and Gurnee seems to fit the bill. The taxes are a bit higher, but the housing is so much newer and nicer than in Schaumburg for the same price range. I found some nice 3 br townhomes in the 150k price range.

I have a co-worker who lives in Grayslake and his taxes went up about 2,000 in 5 years. He says that Wildwood is nice, older homes,, but Grayslake or Gurnee schools without the high taxes of Grayslake.

You could probably rent a nice townhome in Grayslake, but I wouldn't buy there due to the absurdly high taxes.

Vernon Hills has also great schools if you could find a fixer upper. The townhomes there seem to have high assessments and high taxes.

[purplesky]

I was looking into the new townhomes in Volo (would use Wauconda schools), but I haven't heard much positive about the Wauconda schools. Someone else could probably give you more info who actually lives in the area.

[LeavingHoffman]

I know Wauconda the schools are not ranked the highest. The Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates systems are supposed to be ranked pretty high but I think there is some skewing of numbers happening. My son's school is ranked high but I know first hand the reality of the situation. All the money is being thrown into dual language classes that are not evenly supported in the tax base. This along with some other issues is keeping kids like my son from getting a fair shake, he really needs the extra support at school and unless you are Hispanic it is very difficult to get it.

My first choice was to get into the Barrington school system and just bite the bullet that I wouldn't be able to grow until he is out of school. After talking with several people, including a couple that pulled their kids out and went to Wauconda, I changed my mind. I want my son to be competitive but some of the stuff that goes on even at the elementary level is too much. I don't have the money or want for keeping up with the status quo. There are a lot of very good kids, parents and teachers in the system but I got a bad feeling about it.

Cary was another that was high on the list, but money problems and a similar influx like in Hoffman scared me away.

Jeff

[purplesky]

I agree with you about the Schaumburg schools. I think they are overrated. Too much money being spent on ESL and touchy-feely politically correct stuff, but I think it's happening everywhere.

I actually do some extra stuff with my son at home, especially math, since every school district seems to be using the sub-par "Everyday Math." If you aren't familiar with this, it's a spiraling math program.
To give you an example, after my son did his mulitplicatin tables, they went on to decimals!!! You would think they would go onto 2 digit mulitplication, then division, etc. He's advanced in math, but he had a hard time understanding the concept of 3 digit decimals. I got the Saxon Math homeschool supplements as well some other free ones on the internet and went on to 2 digit mulitplication and division at home with him.

I would make appts with the school districts you are interested in and tour the schools.

I agree with you about Barrington, some of the home prices are cheaper there than in Schaumburg, but I don't want my kids being ostracized because they don't have the designer wardrobe.

What did the people say about the Wauconda school district after having been in Barrington?

[LeavingHoffman]

Two people actually work in the Barrington Schools. One lived in Barrington but moved to Wauconda to because the schools were better for her special needs kids. She has had at least 25 foster kids as well so her experience ranges over the last 30 years. The other could have bought in district but chose Wauconda for here kids instead. Lots of new teachers coming in, very attentive to getting kids extra help and I'm told a good AP program.

The down side that I've heard is that there used to be some racial tension with the illegal Hispanic population growth and using a lot of the local resources. The area has settled out quite a bit and now things are supposed to be getting better every year rather than declining.

From what I've seen first hand and heard it would appear that the area is being rejuvenated slowly which should help with tax dollars to schools and local community programs. This can also help to keep down the number of section 8 types moving in. Those that can will be more likely the families trying to get ahead and give themselves a new start.

I'm hoping somebody closer to situation up there can weigh in and maybe give another point of view. I can't afford to live in the communities the people I know do so I'd like to know about the rest of the area.

[cubssoxfan]

Have you considered Lake Zurich?

[LeavingHoffman]

I really liked the schools and the area in ok but overbuilt with smaller lakehouses or larger homes on very little land. My hope is to move up to a relatively normal house on an acre or two in four to five years. I would hate to move my son from school to school like that.

[pvande55]

Definitely Wauconda and Island Lake have been overbuilt in the last few years. It may take a while to work off. But the government purchase of certain property in nearby Williams Park may help.

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by purplesky

I agree with you about Barrington, some of the home prices are cheaper there than in Schaumburg, but I don't want my kids being ostracized because they don't have the designer wardrobe.

I think that is an unfair and ridiculous statement.... BTW, I have lived in both Schaumburg and Barrington...