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Looking to buy a house in Hinsdale and we've found several houses that would work for us however, they are all over town.
We have a 2yr old with another probably on the way.
I take the train downtown and would like to be within walking distance of either station but it doesn't really matter. I don't mind driving.
Are there pros and cons of different sections of town?
In some listings they highlight certain elementary schools and honestly, I think all the schools are good.
I'm looking for information regarding things like, "oh this section of town has lots of truck traffic" or this intersection is a nightmare.
Any input is appreciated.
To get this started any thoughts about the area south of chicago, north of the tracks and inbetween 83 and Garfield?
To get this started any thoughts about the area south of chicago, north of the tracks and inbetween 83 and Garfield?
That's a fairly narrow strip of real estate. The majority of the homes in that north/south boundry are east of 83 but west of Madison. You're looking at trains out of West Hinsdale (which run rush hour in the morning), more modesty (in terms of housing and, frankly, the people living there), the Monroe school district, and very quiet traffic-wise. The most traffic you'll see is on Chicago in the mornings during school dropoff and between 5 and 6.
We were in the same situation as you are -- moving to Hinsdale with 2 kids under 3. We moved in that same area about 9 months ago, and we love it. Lots of kids. Easy access to Ogden, 83, downtown, 55th, and west on Chicago. PM me if you need more information.
Historically the northern half of Hinsdale has always been a little more affordable than the southern portion, and the western portion has been more affordable than the eastern portion. No one really likes to live too close to 83 or Ogden (nor 294) but a separation of a block (or even a really deep back yard) can often be enough to offset things.
Over the past decade or so the relatively availability of larger lots in parts of town that were historically not as desirable (sometimes accomplished by a "tear down three build two" stratgey...) has done a lot to "mix up" the factors that tended to make the SE portion of Hinsdale the most desirable. The improvement of all three train stations and the the parks throughout town has also been accompanied by building improvements at the schools throughout town and in neighboring Clarendon Hills ( most of which is also in D181) which really does a lot to improve parity.
The net result is that there are now pricey homes in every section of both towns. Of course there are some streets that still have more cut through traffic or lots with limited outdoor space due to steep grades and such.
I completely disagree that there is any differences in "modesty" based of "geography" as there are some quite ostentatious homes in every section of town as well as many that, all things considered, represent quite a good value.
I have lived in this area for longer than I care to think about and honestly for everyone that lives a "showy" lifestyle now I can think of dozens more that work very hard to provide a nice balanced life for their family and THAT really has not changed much at all since the days that Kennedy was President...
No need to PM as I have nothing to hide, but if you feel more comfortable asking things in confidence I can understand that too.
The many lovely towns in the region all have pluses and minuses. For those fortunate enough to be able to choose a town in one of the most desirable areas it makes sense to wonder if there is some downside but the minor differences that often come down to taste really tend to be easy to overcome.
We also moved to Hinsdale recently (last spring) and we have a 2 year old with another on the way. It was quite a change from the city, but we really love it here. We are in the Lane school district and have wonderful neighbors. Our street is quiet and so pretty with the hills and big trees. There are tons of kids everywhere, although our particular street has more school aged children. We did look at a home that was on Garfield, (north of tracks, Lane district), and decided the street was a little too busy for us. The streets that run all the way through tend to be busiest, and we really wanted a quiet/low traffic street. Also, if you are too close to 83/294/ogden it's a bit noisier. Good luck! Spend the afternoon in the area- have lunch/coffee, and take your toddler for a walk around the area you're considering (or visit one of the playgrounds). I'm sure you'll find an area you like.
The Lane school is part of District 181. That school's attendance area is one of the larger in the district, encompassing the northeast corner of Hinsdale, from 294 to west of York Rd. Quite a few homes in that section are walking distance from the Whole Foods and Stsrbucks at Ogden & Countyline. The Highlands trainststation is also walking distance for many.
What about the "unincorporated" section of Hinsdale? I learned this is south of 55th street and although the high school is Central Hinsdale, the elementary and middle schools go to Maercker district (Clarendon Hills). I have an 18th month old and I'm concerned about the school district being different while the house is in Hinsdale and still pays the Hinsdale taxes.
I have read alot of your posts, and they are normally pretty right on, but not this one, considering you are from CH. As far as affordability, Hinsdale is divided into quadrants: the southeast (oak district) is most expensive, followed by the northwest ( Monroe district) then probably the southwest ( madison district) and then the Lane district ( notheast, particularly along Justina and roads near it). To say the north is less expensive than the south is not true at all; North Washington is more expensive than south, as is lincoln, grant, bruner etc., and Maple has a couple of 5 million or more listings right now. The one correct thing you said is that with teardowns, things have been evened out over time.
The area the OP is looking at is really the most affordable section in the Monroe district, with younger families living in for the most part more affordable homes, except for some nice teardowns. Great area for young kids.
As far as the "unicorporated" question, I would not go and buy there, since all the charm and convenience of in town is lost. If you can afford a house there, I would look at in town CH or WS before buying there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
Historically the northern half of Hinsdale has always been a little more affordable than the southern portion, and the western portion has been more affordable than the eastern portion. No one really likes to live too close to 83 or Ogden (nor 294) but a separation of a block (or even a really deep back yard) can often be enough to offset things.
Over the past decade or so the relatively availability of larger lots in parts of town that were historically not as desirable (sometimes accomplished by a "tear down three build two" stratgey...) has done a lot to "mix up" the factors that tended to make the SE portion of Hinsdale the most desirable. The improvement of all three train stations and the the parks throughout town has also been accompanied by building improvements at the schools throughout town and in neighboring Clarendon Hills ( most of which is also in D181) which really does a lot to improve parity.
The net result is that there are now pricey homes in every section of both towns. Of course there are some streets that still have more cut through traffic or lots with limited outdoor space due to steep grades and such.
I completely disagree that there is any differences in "modesty" based of "geography" as there are some quite ostentatious homes in every section of town as well as many that, all things considered, represent quite a good value.
I have lived in this area for longer than I care to think about and honestly for everyone that lives a "showy" lifestyle now I can think of dozens more that work very hard to provide a nice balanced life for their family and THAT really has not changed much at all since the days that Kennedy was President...
No need to PM as I have nothing to hide, but if you feel more comfortable asking things in confidence I can understand that too.
The many lovely towns in the region all have pluses and minuses. For those fortunate enough to be able to choose a town in one of the most desirable areas it makes sense to wonder if there is some downside but the minor differences that often come down to taste really tend to be easy to overcome.
Look, you are calling the various schools "attendance boundaries" by a term NO ONE involved in either education or real estate in the area would EVER use -- "districts". It is one DISTRICT and that is D181.
Further, if one were to look at data from the most recent census the information for household income would show that the wealthiest portion of D181 is that which is served by Elm school. This includes the portions of Burr Ridge in D181 and the portions of Hinsdale south of 55th / east of 294. The average selling price in this portion of Hinsdale is significantly lowered by the relatively large number of attached townhomes, most of which are older and not desirable to families. The selling price for single family in this part of D181 is quite high when one looks at the homes inside Burr Ridge and the small number of large homes in Hinsdale that abut Ruth Lake CC. Taking into account ONLY single family inside Hinsdale itself the average selling price is highest inside the portion of Hinsdale that is part of the Oak attendance boundary, how ever that also has the largest lot size and thus the largest homes. If one were to go to the trouble of breaking out sales on a per sq ft basis the mostly smaller lots in then Lane has the highest selling price per sq ft, though the differences between any of the schools (including Walker, and Prospect in CH) is very minor. There is nothing to really debate about the relative cost / desirability of SE Hinsdale, historically it has the greatest percentage of impressive homes (both architecturally and shear scale), though from a "market demand" perspective I would rather have 5 listing in the portion of Hinsdale that is walking distance from the main train station than 1 or 2 that have the same potential for commission in the Highlands / Woodlands...
Historically the western half of Hinsdale has had a wider range of lot sizes and home prices. The desirability of homes was once driven by the relative size of lots / homes but in all honestly there are a significant number of buyers that specifically do not want a particularly "enormous" home even if they could afford one and do prefer to have a more compact house / lot -- they rightly associate the "big house / big lot" with Oak Brook or Burr Ridge. If you want to quibble that the compact nature of the lots on the SW portion of Hinsdale has not seen as many tear downs as the larger lots in NW and claim that is evidence of some "desirability" factor I would point out that when homes that are new / updated do become available in the SW portion they do tend to sell far more quickly and at a greater percentage of asking price than behemoths that sit on the "tear down three build two" lots in the NW portion, and require a whole lot less expensive advertising than even the desirable homes in the SE...
Really I find this to be quite silly -- like something that debutants might chatter about at some ancient cotillion.
The mission of the D181 Board of Ed, for literally as long as I have been alive, has been to deliver the highest quality to each of the students regardless of which school they attend. Toward this end all of the District schools has been signficiantly modernized / rebuilt over the past several years, uniform goals have been worked on cooperatively with the district administration / staff, expenditures are weighed to evaluate district wide needs before building level spending and the result is what is almost unquestionably the best performing district of its size in the whole state. That is what matters to 99% of home buyers, not whose great great great ancestors first built the biggest house on the prettiest street...
As to the question of buying a home that lies in the portion of Clarendon Hills south of 55th St (which is still incorporated CH down to about 59th St, so police / fire is from CH, parks are part of CH Park District) to be part of Maerecker District and then go on to Hinsdale Central my answer would be that yes these homes are more attractively priced, though the educational environment of Maerecker does encompass a different student population than D181. One has to decide how important those things are.
In local terms "unincorporated Hinsdale" almost always refers to the area south of Plainfield Rd and east of Argonne that is part of Hinsdale South attendance area. South serves primarily Darien and Willowbrook with portions of southern Westmont being in the "option" area where families can opt either for Central or South.
The overall performance of Lyons Township is generally a bit better than Hinsdale South, but the trade offs of living in say downtown Western Springs /LaGrange might mean better access to commuting for dad/ mom, walk to library / parks for kids and very different kind of feel to the mostly "cul de sac subdivisions"...
I will be happy to provide more clarification on any of these points.
The meat of my post remains solid -- no one in their right mind will be able to truly "regret" the educational opportunities at any of the D181 schools. If you are the kind of person that needs to setup playdates with some one that whose family has lived in Hinsdale since before the town had electricity I suppose you might be heart broken to find out they all live a few blocks away, but that is an extreme fringe situation...
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Unincorporated Hinsdale
