lake hills in St. John or white oak in Munster

[svillechris]

Originally Posted by windflower321

thanks a lot, all.

If you have the budget of 450,000, which subdivision you would choose ? Lake hills in St. John or West lakes in Munster ?

Impossible question to answer in my opinion without knowing all factors influencing your decision. Do you want to be closer to Chicago? For example, do you or your spouse work in the city and want less than an hour commmte or to be close to the south shore? If that's the case, you may want to consider West Lakes. Do you prefer a larger lot where there is rolling terrain? In that case, you may want to consider Lake Hills. There is no wrong answer here, both are very nice, but I would personally chose Lake Hills because I love how spread out it is with the rolling hills. It's a beautiful subdivision and probably my favorite in Northwest Indiana. I'd say that Lake Hills probably is considered the more prestigious of the two as well.

[windflower321]

thank you so much for your prompt response. sorry, but nobody in our family is working in Chicago. The reason I am considering west lakes is that, the house possibly can be easily to be sold in the future without lossing big money because Munster has the best school and is closer to Chicago, so many parents with little kids and chicagonans will choose this area. Personally, I like Lake hills, but I want to invest my money wisely, maybe I think too much.

[richb]

Originally Posted by windflower321

thank you so much for your prompt response. sorry, but nobody in our family is working in Chicago. The reason I am considering west lakes is that, the house possibly can be easily to be sold in the future without lossing big money because Munster has the best school and is closer to Chicago, so many parents with little kids and chicagonans will choose this area. Personally, I like Lake hills, but I want to invest my money wisely, maybe I think too much.

$450,000 would put you on the top end range in West Lakes. Recent sales in there have ranged from $321,500 to $428,000. Asking prices are currently between $354,500- $449,500. Homes in West Lakes are far more similar in price and character then Lake Hills. These prices are all existing homes.

$450,000 would put you towards the bottom range (for single family homes) in Lake Hills. Recent sales have been between $417,000 to $947,500. Current asking prices are currently between $425,900-$1,195,000. Lake Hills has a much larger range of house sizes and prices then West Lakes.

I did a quick survey, and Lake Hills is currently selling a little faster then West Lake (existing SFH homes). That of course can change pretty quickly. Typically, a more expensive house will take longer to sell, due to fewer buyers who can afford it so that is a strike against both subdivisions.

The old saying in real estate is that it is better to be the less expensive house in the more expensive neighborhood. That is a positive for Lake Hills. You will likely end up with a pretty similar house in either West Lakes and Lake Hills at $450,000. But you would have the best house in West Lakes, and one of the least expensive ones in Lake Hills. Even if it was the exact same house design.

On the other hand, if you like the idea of spending less then $450,000, its possible to spend less in West Lakes. You can build a smaller house in West Lakes, and build styles like Tri-Levels and Quads. Neither are allowed in Lake Hills. The reality is that you probably will not want to even spend $450,000 in West Lakes. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to build a house that would have a selling price over $400,000 if you think you will need to sell sooner rather then later.

Oh, on the subject of lot prices. They are going for less then the list prices. Don't pay list price unless it a super duper lot.

[richb]

Here is some of the minimum standards of Lake Hills for single family houses.

No bi, tri, or quad level houses.

Ranch 2,100 sq. ft. minimum (some lots 2,500)
story and a half 2,600 sq. ft. minimum
two story 2,600 sq. ft. minimum (some lots 3,500)

First floor and basement walk out areas must be brick, stone, stucco or any masonry. Not just the front, all sides and back.

Minimum roof pitch 6/12 or 7/12 (depends on lot location)

Most lots have a minimum of an attached three car garage. Required to be side loading (that means the garage doors do not face the street, and come out the side of the house). Some lots require at least a two car garage.

There is house design and exterior paint review. They also have a anti-monotony rule (so you can't have the same house design or colors that the neighbor has). They prefer homes with more architectural detail.

[windflower321]

thanks, now it is clear Lake hills is the better choice at least for us.

[smilar05]

We love living in West Lakes. We were "outsiders" leery of the reputation of Munster, and its supposedly closed society. But, we love it, people are just great. The housing is now pretty expensive, though. They are building in the PHase 3, and those homes are topping $1,000,000 from what I was told, and I believe it, or at least in the upper hundreds. Our home was in the $550, 000 range, but I am afraid to see where it is now, there have been some foreclosures and bad sales out there. It is booming with new construction, and people are wonderful about taking care of things. I have seem some snobbery coming out of the back end of the subdivision, but whatever. In all, I find it to be a nice community, very welcoming. The makeup seems to be of younger families, with alot of doctors, lawyers, self-employed businesspeople, etc. They will call the police if there is anything at all out of the ordinary, which I actually find to be good. The drawback we find is the church, traffic can be horrible and frustrating as they do not allow residents coming in to have any special privileges. It is a little secluded but you may like that. Hopefully, the trees will keep growing to give it a more mature look, but otherwise, it is a great place to live. The airport is not a factor; I would be more worried about the railroad tracks on the east side. Wait too much longer, and it may be too pricey to buy, unless you find a previously built home.

[scomu03]

If this is still an active post, you should know that WestLakes has really taken off. The last phase is filling up, and those homes are pushing the upper hundreds to one million range. Absolutely beautiful. As a newer resident, though, I am disappointed with having to send my child to Eads, which is about the furthest away. Frank Hammond is so close. but, Eads is a great school and I am blown away at the teaching my child received and the homework. He is really doing great in this environment, so I have to say that what I heard about these schools appears true. WestLakes is getting full but I understand they might open some space in the back, where the fields are now. Should probably act fast if you want to build there. Still only one way in/out and the church is not leaving, unfortunately. I do wish they would allow special privileges for residents. It is Munster PD out there directing traffic, and it would make sense to allow Munster taxpayers to get through that traffic. But, can't have it all.

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by scomu03

If this is still an active post, you should know that WestLakes has really taken off. The last phase is filling up, and those homes are pushing the upper hundreds to one million range. Absolutely beautiful. As a newer resident, though, I am disappointed with having to send my child to Eads, which is about the furthest away. Frank Hammond is so close. but, Eads is a great school and I am blown away at the teaching my child received and the homework. He is really doing great in this environment, so I have to say that what I heard about these schools appears true. WestLakes is getting full but I understand they might open some space in the back, where the fields are now. Should probably act fast if you want to build there. Still only one way in/out and the church is not leaving, unfortunately. I do wish they would allow special privileges for residents. It is Munster PD out there directing traffic, and it would make sense to allow Munster taxpayers to get through that traffic. But, can't have it all.

While the newest homes in the last phase are amongst the largest in the subdivison, I highly doubt they are anywhere nearing $1,000,000...I would say most are in the $450,000 - $650,000 range.