Medical professional working at Loyola hosp. needs advice regarding loctation and purchase vs. renting (Chicago: top neighborhood, for sale)

[DandiDay]

Good day, All!

I posted a similar thread in the Illinois forum, but wondered what the responders to this thread do in the 'burbs on weekends?

In each of your respective neighborhoods, are there any special activities, festivals, or unique things to do? What's your favorite or "top 3"? What about ongoing yearly events we shouldn't miss?

You already know that I want to get back to my art after a long absence...I've noticed that Wheaton and several other towns have active art leagues, which is VERY exciting for me. (In fact, I picked up the brush recently...it's a simple floral watercolor study posted in the fine arts thread.)

I can't wait to get settled in Chicago, and immerse myself in both my art, as well as be involved in any art league, scene or festivals.

Also, do any of you know about good fishing areas (besides the big Lake, of course!). I just wondered about the group of lakes up the far NW side of the Chicago 'burbs.

What about drives/activities further afield from the Chicago area? Any favorites? Beautiful areas? Camping and fishing? (my interpretation of camping, btw, is a comfy cabin with full amenities! )

As always, I appreciate your comments and time...thanks in advance for your responses!

take care,

Dandiday

[DandiDay]

Originally Posted by BRU67

Yea, Oak Park would be a comically bad fit in this case. The recommendation of Berwyn was pretty funny also, LOL! I think the OP's on the right track with Wheaton. DuPage County has changed a bit over the past couple decades but is still going to be a lot more conservative in general than suburbs in Cook County, and Wheaton's a nice town (but those taxes...ouch!).

Of the Cook County suburbs, I think La Grange would probably be the best, or even Western Springs or La Grange Park, which I don't think were mentioned.

I wouldn't recommend Dandiday go further east than that. Riverside is great but taxes are even worse than Wheaton and it has no retail, restaurants or shopping. That means you become a defacto resident of its neighboring communities. She might want to do some research on the North Riverside Park Mall and the Berwyn Buffalo Wild Wings before going that route, haha!

Hello, BRU67!

I didn't see your post - we must have crossed-posted. OK - great info and points. Is La Grange Park different from La Grange? I didn't know of that area, nor Western Springs. So, I'll take another look.

As far as taxes go, is there a link you could post (or recommend) for reliable/comparative tax data for the towns?
Wheaton did seem to have pretty high taxes...but in our slow-going search, we observed that taxes "inched up" as we looked at Elmhurst and closer to Chicago...is that the case?

I also wondered how the houses were assessed...yearly? Based on purchase price? There was just such a difference as I looked at similarly-priced homes in Wheaton. In fact, there was a home listed for 400K, but had an assessment in the 100+K. I'll have to delve further into that disparity.

Oh, and one more question, if you don't mind. When looking at listings, if a house has a fini!shed basement, is the square footage of the basement usually included in the overall square footage or not?

Thanks so much for your post and advice! Always open for more info and different viewpoints/experiences!!! Even regarding political leanings . I'm all over the spectrum, depending on the issue! As I mentioned before, I can fit in with most groups.

Cheers,

Dandiday

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by DandiDay

Is La Grange Park different from La Grange? I didn't know of that area, nor Western Springs. So, I'll take another look.

Yes, they are two different towns. La Grange Park is situated north of La Grange and west of Brookfield. It's a nice community. Smaller. Good schools. Not very diverse.

Originally Posted by DandiDay

As far as taxes go, is there a link you could post (or recommend) for reliable/comparative tax data for the towns?
Wheaton did seem to have pretty high taxes...but in our slow-going search, we observed that taxes "inched up" as we looked at Elmhurst and closer to Chicago...is that the case?

I'm not aware of any convenient summary. Property taxes depend on a lot of variables, from various factors which could impact the home itself, to the equalized assessed values of the properties in the community, to the amount of retail taxes the municipal government brings in, to the taxing bodies taxing the particular home (which might be different in the same town), to the priorities the community places on different things like police protection and schools.

Generally speaking, the expensive suburbs with good schools are going to have high taxes around here. That's how they stay that way, LOL! But that's not always the case. Oak Brook, for example, has a low tax rate because it brings a lot of retail revenue due to its mall, so the cheaper homes there (not that there are many) might have reasonable tax bills.

Conversely, some low income municipalities will have high tax rates, because their EAV (equalized assessed value) is so low that their taxing bodies need high tax rates to bring in enough revenue to provide basic services. Harvey and East St. Louis, for example, have very high tax rates, and they seldom make the "recommended suburb" lists on here, hehe. I doubt you'll be looking at communities in this unfortunate situation but it's something to bear in mind.

The best way to tell is go to Zillow.com and start looking at the tax bills on various properties around the one you're interested in to get a feel of what taxes might be like. You have to be careful when looking at MLS listing sheets. Taxes might be low, for example, due to a senior exemption or preservation tax freeze. Or high because the property is not owner occupied and thus not receiving the homeowner exemption.

Originally Posted by DandiDay

I also wondered how the houses were assessed...yearly? Based on purchase price? There was just such a difference as I looked at similarly-priced homes in Wheaton. In fact, there was a home listed for 400K, but had an assessment in the 100+K. I'll have to delve further into that disparity.

Properties are re-assessed every three years in Cook and, I think, every year in the collar counties. I'm not sure what you mean by "assessment" but assessed value is different than market value. AV is generally 10% of the assessor's estimated market value, and the various tax rates are applied to that number. Assuming you're talking an assessor's estimated market value of 100k, that could be because the house was dilapidated and then rehabbed or even a teardown situation.

If that's the case, you can expect that market value to jump at next reassessment, and along with it your tax bill! And it's really hard to lower your assessment below what you paid. The assessor will use your purchase price to determine market value if you appeal your taxes. You might be able to shift to comparables the assessment cycle after your purchase but that's going to only help you if property values around you dropped (you don't want this).

It could also be subject to a historic preservation tax freeze. A developer can get an 8 year tax freeze in Illinois if it designates a rehab as a landmark and then puts 20% of the assessed market value into improvements. This happened a lot with loft buildings in Chicago before the bust. At the end of the 8 years, the taxes will skyrocket. It's a nice thing for developers to market but someone's going to get busted right in the chops down the line. That's why you need to ask questions re taxes on an individualized basis! If they seem low or high, ask why.

Originally Posted by DandiDay

Oh, and one more question, if you don't mind. When looking at listings, if a house has a fini!shed basement, is the square footage of the basement usually included in the overall square footage or not?

I don't mind. Not if it's below grade no.

Originally Posted by DandiDay

Thanks so much for your post and advice! Always open for more info and different viewpoints/experiences!!! Even regarding political leanings . I'm all over the spectrum, depending on the issue! As I mentioned before, I can fit in with most groups.

Cheers,

Dandiday

No problem! You have your tolerances and beliefs. I'm not judging. I urge you not to move to a place to prove a point or that you can fit in. Accept your values and move somewhere where there are people who share them. Otherwise you will not enjoy where you live. Good luck!

[Lookout Kid]

I think our weekends are pretty typical for parents of school-age kids. We usually have some kids' sporting event on Saturdays. We will often go over to friends' houses or have people over at ours. Or we will go out to dinner. I feel like social activities have taken over most of our free time on weekends.

However, we also have a ton of festivals and activities in Glen Ellyn. Last week was the Glen Ellyn Backyard BBQ, which was a huge rib contest with judging and bands. We have live Jazz downtown, festivals with carnival rides, etc. There is a silly "cardboard boat regatta" every year where people mock up these crazy cardboard boats and paddle them across Lake Ellyn (
Glen Ellyn Cardboard Boat Regatta 2014 - YouTube). We have an art house theater downtown, and a nice grouping of restaurants and bars. We have also been enjoying high school football games this year for the first time since I was in high school myself.

Or we head in to the city or to another suburb to visit friends. We are lucky to know a lot of people in both.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by BRU67

Properties are re-assessed every three years in Cook and, I think, every year in the collar counties.

We were last assessed in 2011, and in 2007 before that. So it seems that DuPage County adjusts assessments every four years.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

We were last assessed in 2011, and in 2007 before that. So it seems that DuPage County adjusts assessments every four years.

Could be. I'm no expert on this. I just know Cook for sure.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by BRU67

Yes, they are two different towns. La Grange Park is situated north of La Grange and west of Brookfield. It's a nice community. Smaller. Good schools. Not very diverse.

Like a lot of suburbs with large white majorities, the demographics of school-age kids tell a different story these days. For example, here is the racial/ethnic mix of the two elementary schools located within La Grange Park:

Forest Road Elementary:
White: 67.4%
Black: 11.6%
Hispanic: 15.9%
Asian: 2.8%
Multi-racial: 2.4%

Brook Park Elementary:
White: 65.3%
Black: 2.3%
Hispanic: 27.9%
Asian: 1.3%
Multi-racial: 3%

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by BRU67

No problem! You have your tolerances and beliefs. I'm not judging. I urge you not to move to a place to prove a point or that you can fit in. Accept your values and move somewhere where there are people who share them. Otherwise you will not enjoy where you live. Good luck!

I think we'd all be better off if there was less segregation by political beliefs, but unfortunately that does seem to be the general trend these days.

Anyway, most of us in Oak Park are fairly polite and not rabidly, in your face partisan. One of my neighbors had Romney yard signs up and we still talked to him at our block party.

[BRU67]

Why do you hate Chicagoland? We are segregated based on pretty much everything here, haha! Sad but unless you want to embark on crusade to change the world, it is what it is.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Like a lot of suburbs with large white majorities, the demographics of school-age kids tell a different story these days. For example, here is the racial/ethnic mix of the two elementary schools located within La Grange Park:

Forest Road Elementary:
White: 67.4%
Black: 11.6%
Hispanic: 15.9%
Asian: 2.8%
Multi-racial: 2.4%

Brook Park Elementary:
White: 65.3%
Black: 2.3%
Hispanic: 27.9%
Asian: 1.3%
Multi-racial: 3%

Wow, fascinating numbers! Per the 2010 Census, La Grange Park is 86% white and only 4% African American and 7% Hispanic. Do you know what towns they share these schools with?