Round Lake - Any good? (Waukegan, Wheeling: 2014, apartments, rental)

[brian571]

I've heard mixed reviews on the Round Lake area and heard some areas of it are not so good. What are the areas to avoid? Which of the Round Lake communities are better than others? We're looking to rent a townhome or condo for now. Thanks in advance.

[chet everett]

First I would warn that unless your timeline is quite long indeed (like ten years or more...) many of the folks in townhomes or condominimums with higher association fees have realized they'd do better renting.

The worst parts of Round Lake are probably better than anything in Waukegan in terms of schools and overall commercial activity. The best parts though probably don't compare all that favorably to other "value priced" suburbs like Wheeling or DesPlaines in terms of school performance and access to employment.

[cubssoxfan]

If schools are important. make sure you are NOT in the Round Lake Schools attendance boundaries!

[brian571]

Thanks guys. I work in Waukegan, so I'm looking for something somewhat close to there. We're not opposed to apartments but it looks like many of them are about what it would cost to rent a townhouse or condo, so we're considering them as well. Schools aren't a concern at this point. We'll have a newborn a few months after we move, but no other kids (or pets). We'll be there for at least 13-14 months, but it could be longer depending on if/where my wife gets a job. She's a high school science teacher and will be taking a year off, returning to work in 2014. Any recommendations elsewhere?

[chet everett]

Libertyville.

[brian571]

I'd love to find something in Libertyville, but I think it's going to be out of our price range. We're trying to keep it under $1200 / month for a two bedroom with laundry in unit.

[chet everett]

Gurnee?

[brian571]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Gurnee?

That's what I was thinking, but I wanted to learn more about the alternatives as well.

[TTTenor]

I have lived in Round Lake for many years. While the town will never be considered a rich yuppy haven, the area I live in is pleasant.

There is a newish rental community called Coventry Glen that is near my house. The web site indicates the units do have a washer and dryer. I don't know if the rents indicated on the web site are current, but it said that two-bedroom units started at $1170.

[chet everett]

For a 2 br that with in unit laundry that is not a bad price. The sad reality is that with SKY HIGH property taxes (I have seen lots of townhomes under $100k in Round Lake that carry property tax bills of OVER 5%...) and steep HOA fees (figure another $2k a year...) it does not take much to see why you gotta have pretty definite longer terms needs even with interest rates under 4%...