Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Are BGHS/Stevenson so significantly better than Grayslake/Warren that it's worth going into a home you're not really happy with to get into them? Bearing in mind that we have a 1st grader and a newborn? Our income isn't going to change significantly in the near future, so I'm not sure what sitting tight will really achieve. I don't feel that prices will drop that much lower in the next year or two, at least not on the kinds of homes we're looking at, and in the meantime interest rates are likely to go up right?
We lived in Arlington Heights previously and liked it but the elementary schools weren't really to our liking which was how we ended up in Lake Bluff. I understand that high school is really where it matters but for me elementary and middle school are where the foundation for high school is set in. What district would we need to consider for elementary if we went back to BGHS/Stevenson territory?
What elementary district did you reside in? Dist 25 & 23 are excellent school districts. And now 2 moves because schools are not to your liking, so perhaps you would be wise to put the quality of schools FIRST and compromise on the home. I do know there is a (hopefully perfect for you) balance that sometimes occurs here. Also, although I like HS Dist 214, Stevenson is a notch or two above. If you're moving to BG for schools, go Stevenson. I'm also not a fan of Elem Dist 21 that feeds many kids from BG into BGHS.
I'm so glad to see this thread as we are in the process of selling our home in Gurnee and are on don't know what we should do. We will be able to buy a home upto 500K...
We currently have a infant and may have another child in the future. Here are what we are struggling with:
1) We love the lake bluff, lake forest, some of highland park, and libertyville. Don't 'LOVE' Buffalo Grove but don't hate it either. However, as everyone knows while those areas have awsome schools but what you can buy isn't as far as home isn't that great (especially in Lake Bluff and Lake Forest).
2) We can buy a much cheaper house in Gurnee and Grayslake that is larger, updated, finished basement, upgraded kitchens, large, etc and that type of house would only cost us $350K (most likely less) We haven't heard great things about the schools so we would use St. Joseph's (Libertyville) and Carmel for HS.
-We do like some of the homes in Prairie Crossing but hate the taxes and are worried that with waste mangement owning lots of homes it might be hard for that area to ever appreciate.
What are your thoughts on big homes (gurnee or grayslake) vs. more vintage areas with great schools but smaller house.
Also, does anyone know if the mall on the old fairgrounds will ever be built? I was hoping that would help increase some of the property values in the area.
Thanks in advance.
Always, more vintage with great schools but smaller house.
What elementary district did you reside in? Dist 25 & 23 are excellent school districts. And now 2 moves because schools are not to your liking, so perhaps you would be wise to put the quality of schools FIRST and compromise on the home. I do know there is a (hopefully perfect for you) balance that sometimes occurs here. Also, although I like HS Dist 214, Stevenson is a notch or two above. If you're moving to BG for schools, go Stevenson. I'm also not a fan of Elem Dist 21 that feeds many kids from BG into BGHS.
We were zoned for Poe but lived a block from Longfellow. I didn't like Poe because they had an unusually high proportion of non-English speaking kids in the kindergarten class and I didn't want my daughter to suffer. I also had a very bad experience with the staff there when I went to sign up my daughter. I just didn't want her going there. We also couldn't stay long term in our rental there, and the location wasn't really the bonus it once was (my job moved).
Lake Bluff Elementary is an excellent school for most of the kids there, they just don't have enough/any resources for kids who could use a little more attention. And ultimately, like the other poster we would never be able to afford the kind of home we want in Lake Bluff. Lake Bluff is/was a perfect location for us in many ways but if we want to stay here long term we'd have to compromise a lot on standard of living and that to us is too much of a compromise. I'd also prefer for my kids to go to a school where we are in the 'average' income bracket, rather than us being the paupers from the wrong side of town if you know what I mean! (Not that 100K is a shabby income but it is lower end in Lake Bluff).
As you said we are looking for the perfect balance. I thought it was Grayslake but maybe it isn't.
The data supports the decision to choose an area that is more established...
The numbers for both appreciation of real estate and value from the public schools both show that areas with a track record of affluent residents and high performing schools go together. In your budget you really could choose to go for either the "entry level" in really upscale towns or the higher end of less desirable towns, and from a numbers perspective the better town wins. Of course if you want to "fit in" socially maybe you should factor that into your decision.
In my experience there are lots of people that shop both above and below where their income would suggest they "be part of the pack". It is hard to generalize as to which group ends up "happier" but in terms of both the real estate investment and the that results from the schools it is easy to generalize that those that stretch end up doing better, other factors being similar.
Anybody that does not think that there are "Jones" to keep up with in a midrange town probably is not paying attention. The consumerist drive to have new cars, boats/ water toys, fancy clothes is just as prevalent if not more so in a midrange town than an upper brackets kind of town. I mean seriously, the worn out Jeep Wagonners that one sees in an Ralph Laren or Tommy Hilfeger ad are not just cool looking props, in towns from Lake Forest to Barrington they are ways for folks to not spend money on shiny cars (so they can spend it on horses...).
The numbers suggest that towns with better schools really are worth choosing an older smaller house. You automatically get a lower tax bill, you lock in your floor value with the demand for tear downs. Your kids will benefit from signficantly better schools at every level, if their work habits and abilities are fostered they will ulitmately get a better shot at a better college...
Downside? You have less space. How sad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpm55
I'm so glad to see this thread as we are in the process of selling our home in Gurnee and are on don't know what we should do. We will be able to buy a home upto 500K...
We currently have a infant and may have another child in the future. Here are what we are struggling with:
1) We love the lake bluff, lake forest, some of highland park, and libertyville. Don't 'LOVE' Buffalo Grove but don't hate it either. However, as everyone knows while those areas have awsome schools but what you can buy isn't as far as home isn't that great (especially in Lake Bluff and Lake Forest).
2) We can buy a much cheaper house in Gurnee and Grayslake that is larger, updated, finished basement, upgraded kitchens, large, etc and that type of house would only cost us $350K (most likely less) We haven't heard great things about the schools so we would use St. Joseph's (Libertyville) and Carmel for HS.
-We do like some of the homes in Prairie Crossing but hate the taxes and are worried that with waste mangement owning lots of homes it might be hard for that area to ever appreciate.
What are your thoughts on big homes (gurnee or grayslake) vs. more vintage areas with great schools but smaller house.
Also, does anyone know if the mall on the old fairgrounds will ever be built? I was hoping that would help increase some of the property values in the area.
I'm in the same boat as you, ChicagoJLo. Currently want to move out of Schaumburg and find something cheaper than my mortgage I'm now paying. I've also been looking also at Gurnee and Grayslake, but am now also looking at Vernon Hills and the parts of Mundelein that feed into Vernon Hills schools.
I noticed that Vernon Hills High School is silver medal school along with Adlai Stevenson, Deerfield, Williams Fremd, Libertyville, and a few others. The problems with townhomes in these districts seems to be that the assessments are high (many in excess of 250). A SFH in need of updating would probably be a better option.
We were zoned for Poe but lived a block from Longfellow. I didn't like Poe because they had an unusually high proportion of non-English speaking kids in the kindergarten class and I didn't want my daughter to suffer. I also had a very bad experience with the staff there when I went to sign up my daughter. I just didn't want her going there. We also couldn't stay long term in our rental there, and the location wasn't really the bonus it once was (my job moved).
Lake Bluff Elementary is an excellent school for most of the kids there, they just don't have enough/any resources for kids who could use a little more attention. And ultimately, like the other poster we would never be able to afford the kind of home we want in Lake Bluff. Lake Bluff is/was a perfect location for us in many ways but if we want to stay here long term we'd have to compromise a lot on standard of living and that to us is too much of a compromise. I'd also prefer for my kids to go to a school where we are in the 'average' income bracket, rather than us being the paupers from the wrong side of town if you know what I mean! (Not that 100K is a shabby income but it is lower end in Lake Bluff).
As you said we are looking for the perfect balance. I thought it was Grayslake but maybe it isn't.
You were in District 21 which serves northern AH and Cook Co parts of Buffalo Grove. IMO, It is not as good as district 25 or 23. If you liked AH otherwise, why not re-consider and find a place that is in Dist 25 or 23 and Hersey or Prospect attendance boundaries?
Where are jobs located? This is possibly 2nd most important criteria- ideally you are no more than 20-30 minutes from home or school.
Does work change often? If so, maybe continuing to rent is not a bad idea.
Last edited by cubssoxfan; 09-28-2010 at 08:50 AM..
No, the job is in Lake Forest and will stay there. The drive in winter was quite a trek, another reason why Lake Bluff worked so well. We don't want to move to the other side of AH but I've seen a couple homes that might be in our reach this side of BG.
We considered Mundelein briefly but it has a questionable reputation. Having driven through it a few times to drop off donations at Goodwill, it's not for us.
I'm glad we aren't in a hurry to get in and buy right now. This is such a complicated process! Where we live now is fine, small for the cost but we manage. But my son will be 1 by the time our lease expires and a 2 bed townhome isn't going to cut it.
No, the job is in Lake Forest and will stay there. The drive in winter was quite a trek, another reason why Lake Bluff worked so well. We don't want to move to the other side of AH but I've seen a couple homes that might be in our reach this side of BG.
We considered Mundelein briefly but it has a questionable reputation. Having driven through it a few times to drop off donations at Goodwill, it's not for us.
I'm glad we aren't in a hurry to get in and buy right now. This is such a complicated process! Where we live now is fine, small for the cost but we manage. But my son will be 1 by the time our lease expires and a 2 bed townhome isn't going to cut it.
Focus on the quality of schools. It sounds like that is your source of anxiety. Look into Deerfield, Lincolnshire, Lake Forest, Buffalo Grove, Libertyville, Highland Park and maybe Northbrook to see if the schools offer what your daughter needs. This will be your third move, seemingly driven primarily by dissatisfaction with the local schools and secondarily by location and desire to own vs. rent. Choose carefully, because re-selling a home is not as easy as it used to be. A good choice will make re-selling easier and eliminate need to relocate due to dissatisfaction with schools.
Good luck with your "homework". And be careful, much of the Cook Co. side of BG goes to district 21, the one you dis-liked. Stay north of Lake Cook Rd.
No, the job is in Lake Forest and will stay there. The drive in winter was quite a trek, another reason why Lake Bluff worked so well. We don't want to move to the other side of AH but I've seen a couple homes that might be in our reach this side of BG.
We considered Mundelein briefly but it has a questionable reputation. Having driven through it a few times to drop off donations at Goodwill, it's not for us.
I'm glad we aren't in a hurry to get in and buy right now. This is such a complicated process! Where we live now is fine, small for the cost but we manage. But my son will be 1 by the time our lease expires and a 2 bed townhome isn't going to cut it.
You might try looking at Vernon Hills, I think you can get more for your money there than in neighboring towns like Libertyville and Lake Forest. It's a shopping mall town so traffic can get busy during rush hour, but I think the schools are probably better than neighboring Mundelein. Once you narrow down some areas, see if you can go on tours of the schools your children will be attending so you can ask more specific questions than test score ratings which don't always paint a full picture. You can also look on the school's websites while you're still in the browsing stage to get a better idea of the different programs they offer. Also, try greatschools.net or schooldigger.com to get test score ratings, ethnicity, and reviews from parents, former and current students, and teachers.
Last edited by misschicagoland; 09-28-2010 at 12:17 PM..
Greatschools has been one of my top resources so far, along with school websites.
We are cautious about resale, another reason to buy something we can stay in longer in my opinion. We bought in a bubble overseas and it took us 8 years of waiting to break even (no short sales and loan mods over there, you take responsibility for your choices). It has taken us a long time to even consider buying again.
I really appreciate all the input. It's very helpful. Thanks!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The data supports the decision to choose an area that is more established...
