Company relocating to Schaumburg - where is an affordable place near Schaumburg with good schools? (Chicago: affordable house, neighborhood)

[croessler17799]

My company is relocating to Schaumburg from Detroit. I have 3 small children under 5 and am looking for an affordable house in a good school district. Our current house will only sell for about $200,000 so looking for a house no more than $250,000 in Chicago. Is there an area near Schaumburg that has good schools and housing that I can afford?

[chitown85]

$250K can put you in Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, and Palatine. You will be able to get an older single family home or newer townhome. The further west and northwest you go, the cheaper homes will get. If you are willing to go out into McHenry County, see the villages of Cary, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, and Algonquin, you will be able to get a newer house for that price.

[gramirez2012]

I'd look into the parts of Hoffman Estates that are North of I-90. West of Huntington Blvd will feed into Barrington's Dist. 220 schools - some of the best in the area.

[cubssoxfan]

There are Brand new townhomes being built just east of downtown Arlington Heights at the corner of Dryden and Kensington. Looks like they will be 3 story with garages underneath. Prices advertised were low 200's. 1/2 block from a large park with pool so lack of backyard is less of a drawback. Across the street is grocery store and Walgreens and you are 1/2 a block from downtown AH. You are in a walkable area within easy distance of library and farmers market when the weather cooperates. About 15-25 minutes from Schaumburg. Good schools as well.

[eastsiders]

It depends on what you want most: bigger house or better schools. If you want the best schools with low taxes and a reasonable commute to Schaumburg, I would choose the village of Barrington or Tower Lakes. Take a look at 309 Warwick Road, Tower Lakes. If you want more house for your money, look at Cary. Take a look at 945 Ridgewood Dr, Cary. I've been in this house and it is gorgeous. But beware. Cary's elementary and middle school district is in extreme financial trouble. If you want better but not the best schools and more bang for your buck AND are willing to extend your commute, try Lake in the Hills. Take a look at 9 Spring Garden Court, Lake in the Hills. We chose Barrington and we are glad that we did. We have friends in Lake in the Hills that love their neighborhood of Boulder Ridge and we have friends in Cary in Trout Valley that are sad and angry at their towns Board of Education. Good Luck. It's a good time to buy. Even in Barrington.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by eastsiders

It depends on what you want most: bigger house or better schools. If you want the best schools with low taxes and a reasonable commute to Schaumburg, I would choose the village of Barrington or Tower Lakes. Take a look at 309 Warwick Road, Tower Lakes. If you want more house for your money, look at Cary. Take a look at 945 Ridgewood Dr, Cary. I've been in this house and it is gorgeous. But beware. Cary's elementary and middle school district is in extreme financial trouble. If you want better but not the best schools and more bang for your buck AND are willing to extend your commute, try Lake in the Hills. Take a look at 9 Spring Garden Court, Lake in the Hills. We chose Barrington and we are glad that we did. We have friends in Lake in the Hills that love their neighborhood of Boulder Ridge and we have friends in Cary in Trout Valley that are sad and angry at their towns Board of Education. Good Luck. It's a good time to buy. Even in Barrington.

I agree with Barrington. Disagree with Cary and LITH. My priority is better schools over bigger, swankier house. Arlington Heights (25,23,Hersey, Prospect) or Mt. prospect (57, Prospect) would be my choice and would be a much better commute than LITH. The intersection of rte 62 and rte 31 is still a huge time suck during rush hour. LITH is very average school district. If it comes down to going that far out, I'm more comfortable with Crystal Lake schools.

[eastsiders]

Cubsoxfan has an excellent point. Let me clarify. The only part of LITH that I would recommend is the part which feeds into Crystal Lake Schools. The portion of LITH that feeds into Dist. 300 should be avoided for the same reason that I would avoid Cary: Financial collapse which is leading to real cuts in the quality of education. I also agree that the commute to LITH is a killer unless you have a flexible schedule. Clearly, some people are willing to sacrifice quality of life for quantity of house. I just thought I'd point out a few options to the OP.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by eastsiders

Cubsoxfan has an excellent point. Let me clarify. The only part of LITH that I would recommend is the part which feeds into Crystal Lake Schools. The portion of LITH that feeds into Dist. 300 should be avoided for the same reason that I would avoid Cary: Financial collapse which is leading to real cuts in the quality of education. I also agree that the commute to LITH is a killer unless you have a flexible schedule. Clearly, some people are willing to sacrifice quality of life for quantity of house. I just thought I'd point out a few options to the OP.

Good clarification, I did not know part of LITH goes to Crystal Lake. They may like what 200-250K buys out there more than the Barrington, AH, Mt Prospect alternatives. But many people do forget to factor in the extra time and cost of commuting, compare property tax rates and sometimes do not really investigate differences in schools, libraries and park districts. LITH may be a slam dunk when looking at ALL the items I just mentioned but sometimes I get the impression that some just look at the cost and snazziness of the house and do not adequately look at all factors.

[pvande55]

You will find that homes near the Metra stations run $10-20K more than similar homes in comparable school districts. That may come as a shock to someone from Detroit, where all they have is buses. But it can save you money if you don't plan on riding the train.

[dhammerman2003]

I'd personally look in Lake County as well as we have cheaper taxes than Cook County (7% vs 10/10.5%). Lake Zurich is also good for schools and education.