Possible relocation from Pittsburgh (Chicago, Evanston: apartment, to rent, condos)

[JoJoPGH]

We are looking to possibly relocate to Chicago once my husband is done with graduate school. We currently live in the suburbs of Pittsburgh but we prefer older homes to new construction, neighborhoods that have stores within walking distance, and where we can afford to have a bit of space-meaning neighbors arent piled on top of each other.
Any recommendations? We like the city proper but we know the taxes are very high so what about older suburbs? Schools will be important as we plan on having a family within the next few years. Oh and my husband wants to make sure there is a steelers bar in the Chicago as well

[Drover]

Chicago is much denser than Pittsburgh; that goes for suburbs as well as city, so I don't know what you consider "not piled on top of each other." It would also help to know your price range; while $300K can get you a rather nice spread in the North Hills, here in the Chicago area that is the starting price on rather modest single-family homes in the inner suburbs.

Steeler bars: Durkin's in Lincoln Park; Joe's in the Warehouse District; Dark Horse in Wrigleyville. I know for a fact that Dark Horse serves Iron City, or at least they used to. They might still; I don't know.

[Magdeleine]

Given the housing market at the moment-- it's headed down, but people are still clinging to the idea that they'll still be able to sell at 2005 prices-- my advice would be to spend a few childless years wallowing in apartment living in the city near a Steeler's bar, letting your down-payment rack up interest, and scouting out the various 'burbs for their walkability, housing, and school systems. Give it a year, at least.

[untuchableface]

Originally Posted by Drover

Chicago is much denser than Pittsburgh; that goes for suburbs as well as city, so I don't know what you consider "not piled on top of each other." It would also help to know your price range; while $300K can get you a rather nice spread in the North Hills, here in the Chicago area that is the starting price on rather modest single-family homes in the inner suburbs.

Steeler bars: Durkin's in Lincoln Park; Joe's in the Warehouse District; Dark Horse in Wrigleyville. I know for a fact that Dark Horse serves Iron City, or at least they used to. They might still; I don't know.

I wouldn't recommend living in these neighborhoods if you are expecting children. These are 20 something areas with lots of partying and night life.

I moved from Pittsburgh a few years ago. You will be surprised at how large Chicago is in comparison. There are a lot of old homes here to rent, however if you're looking to buy a condo in the city it is likely to be brand new as there is a ton of construction going on, in most neighborhoods. Plus, it is rare for a home not to be "on top of another," in comparison to PGH.

I wish I could give you some info on the suburbs but I rarely stray from the city limits. I wouldn't expect most things to be within walkable distance though.

[Magdeleine]

It's worth noting that I have a lot of friends who bought houses/condos in the 'burbs, and precious few of them get to walk anywhere. I think that Oak Park and Evanston may be walkable, being former "streetcar suburbs", but my friends who live in Des Plaines, for example, DON'T EVEN HAVE SIDEWALKS. Granted, they're still about four miles from the nearest grocery store even if they did have sidewalks; 'burbs are designed for cars and not for pedestrians, in my experience.

So... check out Oak Park, or Evanston. But I still say spend a year in the city first, to get the feel of the place and let the market settle into lower prices; you could even have babies immediately and the school thing still won't matter for another six years, so you have TIME. Do not rush into buying a place around here, particularly if you don't know this town. Take your time!

[JoJoPGH]

Thanks for the great advice. I am a transplant to Pittsburgh from NYC so city living is not foreign to me at all. To give you a basis of comparison, we really like areas like Bellevue here in Pittsburgh which is an older suburb but has sidewalks, older homes, and a business corridor with stores & restaurants.
I think it would be a good idea to rent for a bit but we have two dogs and two cats, so that could be a huge issue to overcome.
As far as how much we can afford, well my husband is a lead software engineer and I work in student services at a local university. Any advice on the job market esp. for IT?

[untuchableface]

There are plenty of IT jobs... your husband should be just fine.

[Drover]

The Bellevue equivalent to Chicago would be Oak Park, albeit a more "upscale" version, but the same basic deal where you have residential areas built around a compact, walkable downtown business district. Single-family homes there start at about $600K. A larger version would be Evanston, home to Northwestern University. It also has a pretty walkable downtown business district, but it's quite a bit bigger. Expect a decent home to start at about 500K there. Another area to consider would be Blue Island. Its downtown business area is more similar to Bellevue in its overall vibe; a little more down-to-earth, a little more accessible and a little less "precious" than the other two. Housing prices are also a lot more reasonable in Blue Island. I don't know how good schools are there though...

[oakparkdude]

I agree with most of what Drover says. Is there anything about Chicago that he doesn't know? Just one quibble, SFH prices in Oak Park start in the $400s, not $600s. I know a few friends who recently bought a house under 400 in Oak Park. Granted, they'll be smaller, un-updated houses in the less desirable parts of Oak Park.

[Drover]

I guess that's another way in which Oak Park is like Bellevue -- close to the hood, only there is no "Brighton Heights" buffer zone between it and the 'hood.