Hometown Neighborhood Aurora (Naperville, Humboldt, Media: sales, 2015, foreclosures)

[Humboldt1]

People with options (money) will choose to live in areas other than Hometown. It is mostly lower working class poor there. I don't think you have alot of folks making much over $50K living there.

My girlfriends uncle, an out of work trucker with injury from work, is in the process of being foreclosed on. We don't spend much time with that family but not the most impressive people ever. Their neighbors routinely change the oil and do work on cars in the parking lot. Not a good area, even for poor people.

I feel bad for those who bought there over the past few years before real estate got bad. Most of those looking to sell are future short sales and foreclosures.

[gretchengoes]

I live in Hometown. We bought our home last summer -- less than a decade old, great price (this market was very tilted toward us as buyers, of course), everything we wanted and even more. Hometown is obviously not Naperville or whatever (if it were, the homes would be twice as expensive!), but it's also a far cry from being the "ghetto" that the bashers are claiming. Our neighbors are all perfectly good people and we've had no noteworthy problems after living here for a year; hate to say it, but I suspect some people see a few African-American youths walking down the street chatting audibly (which happens sometimes and doesn't bug me at all, as it never happens at night or anything) and automatically jump to the conclusion that it's the "ghetto" or the "wrong sort of folks" must live there. What a load of manure! Hometown is basically just a working-class sort of neighborhood with a diverse mix of people, which is totally fine by us (yes, we're caucasian).

FYI, we frequently walk all over this sprawling subdivision to get some exercise, even at night, and we've never had the least problem -- in fact, there's practically nobody out at night and it's generally quiet and peaceful (just like right now). I don't know about the assertion regarding Section 8 rentals, etc., but I can say that (a) if those are happening around here, they are clearly bringing in very few "troublemaker" types, and (b) any renting has to be approved by our HOA, which must be doing a decent job of making sure owners who wish to rent don't mess up the neighborhood in the process. Sure, there are some areas nearby that are a good bit more run-down, but that's not here -- and frankly, the mention of "Farnsworth and New York" is just way off base, as that intersection is at least half a mile north of here.

If you have kids, that's probably an issue for you (East Aurora school district), but we have no plans to be parents. If you're looking to buy a starter home and move up in just a few years, that's also something else, as there are quite a few foreclosures/short sales around here and there probably will be for a while yet. But, if (like us) you have no kids and want to buy a decent-quality newer home (and get quite a bit of home for a nice price) that you're perfectly happy to stay in for several years (allowing the real-estate market to recover so your home's value appreciates), then there's absolutely nothing wrong with Hometown Aurora.

I obviously can only speak for my own household, and I'm sure there are at least a few folks whose experience may be different from ours, but honestly, the idea that Hometown is somehow "ghetto" just doesn't pass the reality test, folks. If it's not the right place or situation for you, that's fine (Hometown won't be mistaken for "the OC," but if that's what you're looking for, feel free to pay the king's-ransom asking price for Naperville properties!), but I can assure you that this place most certainly isn't the hopeless dump that some are trying to make it out to be!

[McDougals]

I read all the posts in this thread. I have three of my friends living in Hometown hence I'm almost a weekly visitor to their houses. It's really a nice & quiet neighborhood and I would love to live there.

'Ghetto' comments about neighborhoods are usually due to african-americans presence, latino americans presence, handy-man trucks parked on the roads, etc. which are all absolutely non-sense to me. Just because non-white people are majority in a neighborhood does not mean it's a ghetto.

It's very easy to post comments with the speculated information. People don't realize until they experience the same treatment about their neighborhoods or their culture or their countries.

[MannheimMadman]

Oh man, I totally forgot about this thread.

I was just at my buddy's house in Hometown the other night. It appears the buildings behind the lofts are STILL concrete slabs. And if you poke around looking at what's in foreclosure there along with home values, you'll see that it is NOT looking good. When a 3BR house is 100K, I'm not sure I want to invest into the neighborhood long term.

[rfr69]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

Oh man, I totally forgot about this thread.

I was just at my buddy's house in Hometown the other night. It appears the buildings behind the lofts are STILL concrete slabs. And if you poke around looking at what's in foreclosure there along with home values, you'll see that it is NOT looking good. When a 3BR house is 100K, I'm not sure I want to invest into the neighborhood long term.

Shoot 100k on a good day. I routinely see short sales in there for as low as 70k for a 3 bed house.

I'm constantly seeing short sales and foreclosures in there as well. On craigslist half the properties listed in aurora are foreclosures in that neighborhood from this guy from keller williams on craigslist who does these $100 down deals or chase realty.

I would venture a guess that 50% of the neighborhood is short sale or foreclosure.

[Humboldt1]

Does it make sense to buy these 3 bedroom row homes for $25-30K in cash?

What are the association dues? I assume dues are going up with all the foreclosures.

At some point it might make sense to buy 5-6 of these cheap houses and convert them to section 8 rentals.

[yousah]

I'm a local appraiser and I'll often talk about Hometown being one of the first subdivisions where I saw a massive and quick decline in home values long before the financial crisis hit everywhere else.

Virtually no land with the property and a huge parking problem and ugly box designs will do that. And yes, the surrounding areas including Moecherville have had some of the worst reputations in the area for many years.

[VEH]

I have lived in Hometown Aurora for over 5 yrs.

Yes, the neighborhood was a whole lot different 5 years ago. And yes, it did have a decline, we did have a lot of foreclosed homes, just like other communities. Some walked away because of job loss, others because the decline in value was so great they were upset.

In the older section of the neighbor, which is just under 600 homes, we now have 5-6 foreclosures. The newer section, has more but many have to do with increased property taxes, due to them no longer being considered new construction.

I myself was ready to leave when I noticed the changes, housing values, have made this not an option for me at this point. And that's when myself and others decided it was time as a community to come together, and take it back. We have security patrols, as well as stepped up police, and park dist police patrols.

Just this morning a stranger who lives in my neighborhood, found my dog's tags that fell off his collar, while we were on our nightly walk. He took time out of his day to call me and make arrangements to return them before leaving for work today.

AND if you didn't notice I said Nightly, I walk my dog at night and have not ever felt threaten by anyone. In fact, this is how I meet other dog owners in the neighbor, and know the COP officers assigned to Aurora Area 3.

As a community, we have events and neighbors make a effort to do things to know each other, look out for each other and each others property.

I have NEVER seen a car on cinder blocks and if there was at one point it would have been removed.

Yes, there are a few Section 8 families in the neighborhood, and the one that I know of takes more pride in their home than some of the owners. Exception to the rule, I'm sure, but since you don't live there it's not up to you to judge.

Most of the problems that have occurred in past years involve people from the surrounding apartment complexes.

Over the last two summers the board has been working with the Aurora police and the crime in Hometown has dramatically decreased. The message that Hometown residences WILL call the police because we have a relationship with the officers has gotten out.

Aurora Police stats were given out but officers walking the neighborhood clearly showed that for neighborhoods in the area Hometown was the lowest.


All entry level communities are experiencing these problems, as housing becomes more affordable to lower income people that have the ability to pool resources and get into a home. My friend with a condo in Naperville has noticed the same issues.

[VEH]

Your comments about income level is incorrect also, we have many business owners, and professional white collar workers, police officers, medical professionals, writers, school principles, as well as blue collar trade workers in the area. It's not high dollar but it's not the ghetto either. Humboldt1, you live in Humboldt Park so I would think you are a witness in a neighborhood in transition. And I'm not understanding how you think know so much about a neighborhood that you live nowhere near.

[jamaicabound60565]

i think the concept of hometown isn't a bad one but the area its in is in east aurora school district noone who can afford not to sends their kids to east aurora schools. its also pretty far out of the way not really near ogden or 59 or expressways. its also not in a really sketchy area but near sum undesirable areas. i notice alot of the short sales and foreclosures tend to have bad mold problems as well not sure if they were really trashed or poorly built to begin with