N. Princeton Ave in Villa Park (Naperville, Wheaton: apartment complexes, to rent, appliances)

[LookingInIllinois]

Hey Everyone,


I'm looking at the N. Princeton Ave area in Villa Park and was hoping someone could let me know if it is a quiet, safe, family friendly location? The specific area is around Division St.


For context, I'll be moving with my older mother (70's), who enjoys walks throughout the day. I also enjoy walking my dog early around 5, and late around 10pm. Yes, I know that anything can happen in any neighborhood, especially at those hours.

I just don't want to end up somewhere that isn't quiet or safe. I would appreciate thoughts from anyone who has fairly recent experience in this area.


Thank you so much!

[wase4711]

lower end houses and apartment complexes there, so its not the best area of Villa Park, thats for sure..

[chet everett]

Villa Park is bit of an odd community in that the section that used to have the EJ&E railroad, and is now the Prairie Path still has more of "central" feel to it than the more northerly section that does have train service via the UP-W line.



The nicest parts of town are probably closer to Lufkin Park & Jackson Middle School but there are some positive trends nearer the UP-W line station too -- so long as you are paying a fair price you should do fine. I know that some of the older brick Georgians in that areas are getting fixed up and selling to buyers who like their charm -- https://www.redfin.com/IL/Villa-Park.../home/18110099 Homes like that would sell for considerably more in Elmhurst, though Elmhurst schools generally have the perception of being more desirable than those serving Villa Park. While this home is overpriced for its current condition that should give you an idea of what sorts of premium Elmhurst sellers try to get -- https://www.redfin.com/IL/Elmhurst/4...home/145292967

[doodlemagic]

Most of Villa Park is decent and safe and nice. The areas there are a little less nice are Brandywine and some areas over by North Avenue.

Most people I know who live in Villa Park tend to think of the area near Roosevelt to be more desirable than over near North Avenue or the train tracks. Ideally youd want to be between Roosevelt and St Charles. I've heard the city is trying to knock down some apartments and put in SFH near the train station.

You definitely get a bit more value on North Princeton as opposed to South Princeton. I wouldn't say VP is dangerous by any means but the area your talking about is just not quite as desirable, alot of rundown strip malls, laundromats, etc

[doodlemagic]

Originally Posted by wase4711

lower end houses and apartment complexes there, so its not the best area of Villa Park, thats for sure..

I was gonna say the same. Ideally be between St Charles and Roosevelt. I wouldn't say that area OP is asking about is dangerous by any means but not the nicer side of town.

[wase4711]

i lived on West Washington, in the exact area you are talking about for over 20 years; very nice and safe there, and now, I think the RE values have gone up big time there..

[LookingInIllinois]

Thank you to everyone who responded. Unfortunately I viewed the property and it wasn't right for me. Still looking!

[doodlemagic]

Originally Posted by LookingInIllinois

Thank you to everyone who responded. Unfortunately I viewed the property and it wasn't right for me. Still looking!

Alot of the housing stock in VP is really old which is very cool in the sense its ineresting and unique but many properties need a lot of plumbing and/or electrical work which could get expensive quick. Alot of homes in VP have flooding issues as well.

None the less I would still consider the area, great access to highways, best bargain in dupage county, I think the area is sorta on the upswing as well, its not gonna be the next Naperville but they have a really popularnew brewery downtown and hopefully they continue to add more interesting businesses there.

I also think the area around the train station will appreciate alot over the comming years as they clean it up

[chet everett]

I mostly agree. My experience with Villa Park, as a landlord, was mostly positive. The schools are a notch down from Elmhurst but still more than acceptable, so families were happy to rent homes for many years. The relative access to pretty much any employment centers in the whole region is outstanding -- a 30 min radius drive probably covers 75% of the region and 45 min probably expands that 90%...

Housing stock in many parts of town is extremely solid -- many of the same builders that were active in Elmhurst during the Post WWII era and into the 1980s constructed very desirable ranches, capes, and Georgians. While the original wiring in those might not have anticipated all the appliances that are standard today the effort to upgrade such things is minimal. So too is the plumbing mostly very solid -- these areas are not like ancient farm houses that may have been haphazardly connected to cess pools for indoor plumbing but essentially the first generation of "mass built" homes with plumbing that almost always used very standard lay-outs and materials. In cases where there is galvanized pipe instead of copper it is easy enough to upgrade just the main feeds and have excellent pressure / volume.

I agree that folks who are looking for a more affordable alternative to Elmhurst are moving into Villa Park and that should result in fairly solid opportunity for price appreciation, but for folks who really want the nice amenities already in place there are reasons why towns like Elmhurst, Wheaton, and even Westmont may be a better alternative -- historically when downturns hit the areas that are less well developed see worse setbacks. The very solid tax base of towns that have not just higher median home values but a more complete mix of commercial development will be more resilient...

[doodlemagic]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I mostly agree. My experience with Villa Park, as a landlord, was mostly positive. The schools are a notch down from Elmhurst but still more than acceptable, so families were happy to rent homes for many years. The relative access to pretty much any employment centers in the whole region is outstanding -- a 30 min radius drive probably covers 75% of the region and 45 min probably expands that 90%...

Housing stock in many parts of town is extremely solid -- many of the same builders that were active in Elmhurst during the Post WWII era and into the 1980s constructed very desirable ranches, capes, and Georgians. While the original wiring in those might not have anticipated all the appliances that are standard today the effort to upgrade such things is minimal. So too is the plumbing mostly very solid -- these areas are not like ancient farm houses that may have been haphazardly connected to cess pools for indoor plumbing but essentially the first generation of "mass built" homes with plumbing that almost always used very standard lay-outs and materials. In cases where there is galvanized pipe instead of copper it is easy enough to upgrade just the main feeds and have excellent pressure / volume.

I agree that folks who are looking for a more affordable alternative to Elmhurst are moving into Villa Park and that should result in fairly solid opportunity for price appreciation, but for folks who really want the nice amenities already in place there are reasons why towns like Elmhurst, Wheaton, and even Westmont may be a better alternative -- historically when downturns hit the areas that are less well developed see worse setbacks. The very solid tax base of towns that have not just higher median home values but a more complete mix of commercial development will be more resilient...

Chet, you have any inside knowledge of the goings on, regarding the area near the train station in Villa Park? There's some less than desirable apartment complexes and I know for years they've talked about either remodeling or turning them into SFH. Its kind of funny how in a lot of burbs the area near train stations is the most desirable ie Naperville but in VP that's kind of the less desirable area of town.