Moving from Uk. Husband to be based Itasca. Need excellent school. Advice appreciated (Chicago: rentals, condos)

[Finp06]

Hi there
I have been doing my best to understand Chicago suburbs but until I visit I am finding it difficult to get a good understanding on areas.
We are looking at re-locating next Spring from the Uk but we need to visit in the next 6 weeks to get a handle on areas to live and schools to visit.
My kids are 7 and 5. Both above average in school.
We need an excellent school either private or state.
We live in the suburbs in the UK in a very safe neighbourhood and looking for same.
We would be looking to rent a property as we will be coming back to the UK eventually.
We are not Church goers although our children go to a Christian school.

Husband will be working in Itasca with occasional visit downtown.

Names thrown up so far: winnetka, northfield, glenview, wilmette

Any help on areas much appreciated and if anyone has any other areas to suggest we visit that would be great.
Thanks in advance from a very excited but scared Mummy (who is putting herself under incredible pressure to get this move perfect from the outset!)

[ToriaT]

Winnetka, northfield, glenview and wilmette are all very nice and either upper class or upper middle class but quite a drive in my opinion from Itasca. I was in Itasca a few days ago, its kind of a quaint picturesque little suburb that comes off like a small town. I do not know about the schools there I am sure they are not as good as the ones on the north shore but those may be quite far away and out of budget. Some nicer suburbs that are closer to Itasca are Bloomingdale, Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, even Wheaton and Glen Ellyn would not be too far away from Itasca. Roselle is also a neighboring town. You might want to start by visiting the core town area of Itasca which is around Irving Park Rd and Walnut st. There are some nice homes and condos there. Branch out by looking at the others I have mentioned. Traffic is really a nightmare in Chicago at times so I do not recommend a far away commute such as the north shore (the towns recommended). Hint: if you want to travel quickly into Chicago via car, its usually a breeze on Sunday mornings.

[TempesT68]

It all depends on what kind of budget you are working with and how much house you want.

[chet everett]

Glen Ellyn is probably the fairest compromise between distance and school quality. You might get similar school quality and acceptable commute times in Elmhurst, though it is a larger town with a wider range of housing.

Better quality schools can be found in Oak Brook which is a bit further or Hinsdsle which is further still...

[Finp06]

Budget will be decent. Education more important than husbands time in the car! He has commuted for around an hour his whole life. I guess if we drive around in rush hour one day we will get a handle on it.

[Finp06]

Originally Posted by TempesT68

It all depends on what kind of budget you are working with and how much house you want.

4 bedroom with good space. Decent budget, no idea what figure as the house prices to buy in the U.S are cheap in comparison to here (money to sq ft) but the rentals are expensive compared to the UK

[ToriaT]

I agree with Chet. Check out Glen Ellyn, I think you will like it and very good schools. Don't forget to visit the quaint city core. Its easy to get to Itasca from there. You will find many houses in GLen Ellyn with four bedrooms....starting price is around 500k and up although you might find a few cheaper.

[chet everett]

Glen Ellyn schools do vary by neighborhood. If school quality trumps all then the longer drive to Hinsdale or the part of Clarendon Hills served by D181 is probably worth the trade-off if commuting, even at that the trip to work is likely under 30 minutes and the trip home only about ten minutes longer (traffic sometimes backs-up on southbound Rt 83, but overall is not terrible). Oak Brooks's D53 is also top notch, though Oak Brook tends to have stereotypical suburban developments of twisted cul de sac subdivisions while Hinsdale & CH have more of suburban village style development with sidewalks linking things together. The distinction is not just "visual", it means that kids in Oak Brook are far more dependent on having a parent drive them everywhere while kids in most parts of D181 can walk themselves to school, playgrounds, soccer practices. As they get older one will see middle schoolers clustered at the ice cream shop in CH's tiny but well liked downtown or the snack shops in downtown Hinsdale. Kids in Oak Brook have no similar options...



Housing costs in D181 are among the highest in the region, as one would expect from a top tier school. D53 is a wee bit lower on a per square foot basis but since lots are often significantly larger the total spend is similar. To be blunt if you don't have more tha $550k the only houses in any of the three towns that are currently on market are being sold for "land value" and I doubt that a family relocating from abroad will be eager to contract with a builder for new construction on a tear down site. There are some homes in ready-to-move-in condition under $1M but not many. There is frankly a shortsge of inventory even above $1M, thiugh it is worth shopping with a local agent to understand the value. I've a few friends that would be happy to assist in finding a suitable home...

[Finp06]

We will be renting for sure. I get the impression that you can't get much for under $4000 a month. I have got in touch with a realtor recommended to me by someone I met on holiday who lives in Winnetka.
If husband only has half an hour commute he'll be thrilled but he'd be happy for it to be longer if necessary.
I walk my kids to school and we have great local shops that we walk to. The main town is only 5 mins to walk to as well. Because of this I shop daily for our meals at the butcher and baker and supermarket. I wonder if this type of life can be found in Chicago?

[chet everett]

It certainly can.

There are spots in Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale, or Western Springs that would be under 40 minutes from Itasca and you can make a daily walk to the local purveyors of meat & produce after you walk the kids to school.

A budget of $4k/ month is not unrealistic for renting a single family home that might sell for around $800k in these towns, the trick will be finding a place that has the kind of space you want and is appropriately modernized. Some rental houses are rather dated...

I would not recommend driving to Itasca from Winnetka or other North Shore communities. It will really not add anything to your stay -- even proximity to Lake Michigan is not really going to be a factor in your price range...