Does this neighborhood exist? ~$500K family-friendly, newer construction, neo-traditional, NW burbs (Chicago: townhome, neighborhoods)

[Linh1978]

Local advice needed! Family of 4 relocating to NW Chicago suburbs from out of state. I will be working in Mettawa; unclear where spouse will be working, but will search in NW burbs. 2 elementary school-aged kids. Our price range is $450-500k, could stretch to $550k for the perfect find. Here's what we're looking for:

Must-have's:
-4+BR, 2+bath, basement
-Friendly, social neighborhood with kids close in age to ours.
-Good public schools, doesn't have to be TOP TOP ranked, but good to really good.
-Access to good park district, library, etc. (We are not country club, nor elite travel sports team types)
-25min or less to my office in Mettawa
-35min or less to the grandparents in south Mt. Prospect

Love-to-have's:
-Newer construction
-New-urban/neo-traditional neighborhood - i.e. smaller, non-fenced lots, walking trails, people out and about

Based on these criteria we've found online a few listings that look promising in Hawthorn Woods, Vernon Hills, Long Grove, Barrington, Lake Zurich. Also open to Libertyville, Buffalo Grove, northern part of Arlington Heights, Glenview, Northbrook. Where else should we be looking? Any specific neighborhoods you'd recommend? With school starting next month we're under tight timing to nail something down quickly so kids don't have to start over twice. So we want to be as focused as possible when we are in town next week looking at houses, and right now the list of possible suburbs above feels too long. THANK YOU for any and all advice!!!

[chet everett]

I'd add the core of Mt. Prospect to your list and probably Deerfield,

btw I'd drop the "neo" and just stick with "traditional" as the record of such development is not good -- for some that means places with "fake" gathering places / transplated "native plants" / artificially anti-car policies. From all indications you really want a traditional town that have spots for kids and adults to gather that have developed over time. For a variety of reason (many related to the fundamentals of the railroads and grid of surface streets...) such towns are more common in west Cook & Dupage Co., but you get get to work in Mettewa in 25 minutes without helicopter support...

[holl1ngsworth]

Throw a dart at a map! They're all good. Maybe stay away from Mundelein and Wauconda.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by Linh1978

Local advice needed! Family of 4 relocating to NW Chicago suburbs from out of state. I will be working in Mettawa; unclear where spouse will be working, but will search in NW burbs. 2 elementary school-aged kids. Our price range is $450-500k, could stretch to $550k for the perfect find. Here's what we're looking for:

Must-have's:
-4+BR, 2+bath, basement
-Friendly, social neighborhood with kids close in age to ours.
-Good public schools, doesn't have to be TOP TOP ranked, but good to really good.
-Access to good park district, library, etc. (We are not country club, nor elite travel sports team types)
-25min or less to my office in Mettawa
-35min or less to the grandparents in south Mt. Prospect

Love-to-have's:
-Newer construction
-New-urban/neo-traditional neighborhood - i.e. smaller, non-fenced lots, walking trails, people out and about

Based on these criteria we've found online a few listings that look promising in Hawthorn Woods, Vernon Hills, Long Grove, Barrington, Lake Zurich. Also open to Libertyville, Buffalo Grove, northern part of Arlington Heights, Glenview, Northbrook. Where else should we be looking? Any specific neighborhoods you'd recommend? With school starting next month we're under tight timing to nail something down quickly so kids don't have to start over twice. So we want to be as focused as possible when we are in town next week looking at houses, and right now the list of possible suburbs above feels too long. THANK YOU for any and all advice!!!

Assuming the commute to work is during rush hour and the trip to grandparents is weekends.....

Hawthrorn Woods...Maybe work depending on where in HW you are, probably no to grandparents
Vernon Hills...Yes
Long Grove...Depends - eastern LG yes, western, no (note that there are almost no Park District activities in LG. They use Buffalo Grove programs but are on the bottom of the list, so for sports, elite travel teams might be the only option).
Barrington...No
Lake Zurich...Maybe to work, iffy to grandparents
Libertyville...Yes to work, probably not to grandparents
Buffalo Grove...Yes if Lake county side
Northern AH...Maybe, but why get into BGHS district when going across Lake Cook Road gets you into Stevenson?
Glenview...Yes for work, maybe for grandparents
Northbrook... Same as Glenview

Traffic going east/west can be a nightmare during rush hours. North/ south is not as bad coming from the north.

Not sure that any of these meet your second "love to have". Libertyville might meet some criteria but not all at your price point.

[chet everett]

There is more and more live data that pretty clearly shows there is often little difference for "inbound" or "reverse commutes" in our region/

Don't take my word for it or anybody else's, test it out: https://www.waze.com/livemap

You can input any combination of destination and departure point and see folks transmit data from their smart phones to the live map.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by Linh1978

Local advice needed! Family of 4 relocating to NW Chicago suburbs from out of state. I will be working in Mettawa; unclear where spouse will be working, but will search in NW burbs. 2 elementary school-aged kids. Our price range is $450-500k, could stretch to $550k for the perfect find. Here's what we're looking for:

Must-have's:
-4+BR, 2+bath, basement
-Friendly, social neighborhood with kids close in age to ours.
-Good public schools, doesn't have to be TOP TOP ranked, but good to really good.
-Access to good park district, library, etc. (We are not country club, nor elite travel sports team types)
-25min or less to my office in Mettawa
-35min or less to the grandparents in south Mt. Prospect

Love-to-have's:
-Newer construction
-New-urban/neo-traditional neighborhood - i.e. smaller, non-fenced lots, walking trails, people out and about

Based on these criteria we've found online a few listings that look promising in Hawthorn Woods, Vernon Hills, Long Grove, Barrington, Lake Zurich. Also open to Libertyville, Buffalo Grove, northern part of Arlington Heights, Glenview, Northbrook. Where else should we be looking? Any specific neighborhoods you'd recommend? With school starting next month we're under tight timing to nail something down quickly so kids don't have to start over twice. So we want to be as focused as possible when we are in town next week looking at houses, and right now the list of possible suburbs above feels too long. THANK YOU for any and all advice!!!

The Glen in Glenview comes to mind, but I think its over your budget.
Our neighborhood, Lake Arlington Towne, fits the people out & about criteria and has 2 mile path around Lake Arlington. But homes are no longer newer, having been built late '80's. Many have been nicely renovated. K-8 schools are very good, but Wheeling HS is a mixed bag. Homes in your size and price range and you are 25-35 minutes to work and about 20 minutes, or less, to grand parents. Master Planned community, but you own the property. $380/year gives you access to indoor/outdoor pool, workout facilities, tennis courts and goes to upkeep of common areas. Not snooty at all. Mix of young adults in the townhome sections (well kept-no riff raff!) to families, to empty nesters to retirees. I like it because it is clean, well kept but isn't too cookie cutter for me.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by chet everett

There is more and more live data that pretty clearly shows there is often little difference for "inbound" or "reverse commutes" in our region/

Don't take my word for it or anybody else's, test it out: https://www.waze.com/livemap

You can input any combination of destination and departure point and see folks transmit data from their smart phones to the live map.

I use Waze and think it is the best of the bunch. But their times are not that accurate in congested areas. No matter where in the US. Always understate the real time. Sometimes by a lot. I always add time to their estimate except when on more or less open roads where they are pretty good.

[middle-aged mom]

Many properties in your price range can carry a $9-12,000 a year property tax bill in NW Cook and Lake Counties. Have you factored this into what you can afford?

Next challenge is newer construction. Unless you are interested in a town home, you are not going to find it at your price point unless you are willing to significantly increase your commute time and distance from your family.

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

The Glen in Glenview comes to mind, but I think its over your budget.
Our neighborhood, Lake Arlington Towne, fits the people out & about criteria and has 2 mile path around Lake Arlington. But homes are no longer newer, having been built late '80's. Many have been nicely renovated. K-8 schools are very good, but Wheeling HS is a mixed bag. Homes in your size and price range and you are 25-35 minutes to work and about 20 minutes, or less, to grand parents. Master Planned community, but you own the property. $380/year gives you access to indoor/outdoor pool, workout facilities, tennis courts and goes to upkeep of common areas. Not snooty at all. Mix of young adults in the townhome sections (well kept-no riff raff!) to families, to empty nesters to retirees. I like it because it is clean, well kept but isn't too cookie cutter for me.

Current listings in The Glen in Glenview range from $849,000-$1,349,000. Property taxes are in the $15-17,000 range. Lot sizes are relatively small.

Lake Arlington has attached and detached housing. The current listings for detached housing range from$439-569,000. Taxes range $9-11,000. Most homes are pushing 30 years old and the more affordable will need updating. Most of the attached housing is substantially smaller than the 4 br the Op wants.

Many inbound relocating families are shocked at the property taxes in the greater Chicago area, unless they are coming from the East coast. Even those returning after many years cannot believe that most taxes have doubled in the past decade.

[MPowering1]

I would take Lake Zurich off the list. During rush hour, that's going to be tough. Take Arlington Hts off the list for the same commuting issue but also because I agree with wjj about schools.

Please describe what you mean by 'newer construction'. That's open to interpretation.