Looking at a house in Wheaton (Naperville, Downers Grove: new home, transfer, neighborhood)

[ToriaT]

There are some really nice houses posted on this thread. The houses are very clean and nicely decorated for the most part. In some ways you should be picky but if you are buying your first house you will have to compromise. My first home had blue wall to wall carpeting, a Danish modern type railing on the stairs, orange wall paper in the powder room, and gold foil wall paper in the foyer. Still the house itself was nice, a side staircase Georgian, and over time we changed all those things as money permitted.

I love an attached two car garage so that would be something I would look for, and also I would look for sidewalks especially if I had children. Most places in Wheaton do have sidewalks but a few don't. I would also look for locational drawbacks such as backing up to commercial spaces, or parking lots, or being too near the train (noise).

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

There are some really nice houses posted on this thread. The houses are very clean and nicely decorated for the most part. In some ways you should be picky but if you are buying your first house you will have to compromise. My first home had blue wall to wall carpeting, a Danish modern type railing on the stairs, orange wall paper in the powder room, and gold foil wall paper in the foyer. Still the house itself was nice, a side staircase Georgian, and over time we changed all those things as money permitted.

I love an attached two car garage so that would be something I would look for, and also I would look for sidewalks especially if I had children. Most places in Wheaton do have sidewalks but a few don't. I would also look for locational drawbacks such as backing up to commercial spaces, or parking lots, or being too near the train (noise).

Looking back through some of the houses posted, I think the one that would have been the best bang for our buck, assuming we could have gotten them down in price a little, that we both probably would have liked is 1220 E. Willow Ave. I'll be interested to see what it sells for. Walk to train, good schools, appropriate number of bed and baths, good kitchen, finished basement, 2+ car garage etc. That was contingent before we started looking at Wheaton, unfortunately.

[RJA29]

Originally Posted by fusillirob1983

Looking back through some of the houses posted, I think the one that would have been the best bang for our buck, assuming we could have gotten them down in price a little, that we both probably would have liked is 1220 E. Willow Ave. I'll be interested to see what it sells for. Walk to train, good schools, appropriate number of bed and baths, good kitchen, finished basement, 2+ car garage etc. That was contingent before we started looking at Wheaton, unfortunately.

If they listed that and staged it well enough, it could have been multiple offers; will be interesting to see.

This also went quickly: 1909 Curtiss St, Downers Grove, IL 60515 | MLS #09185376 | Zillow

There are certainly houses in the 370-400 range, that's going to be the sweet spot. Sub 350 is going to be very tough with how stretched thin the market is. I keep hearing stories about people losing bids and also not being able to negotiate during inspections.

[fusillirob1983]

Is anyone familiar with the area just west of Briar Patch Park? I noticed that a few of the houses in that area that recently sold were only occupied 1-3 years before they were put back on the market. They could have all sold for different reasons. A couple look like they took advantage of the hot market. Another looks like they sold just above what they paid for it. I found that interesting and am wondering if I'm missing any red flags. It seems like a nice area on the surface.

[Lud Kissel]

Casa Solana dr. and the few cul de sacs off off it are nice and in a great spot for shopping in Danada, Heritage Lakes is town houses that have a mix of people in them. Casa Solana is a nice quite street.

[ToriaT]

I don't see any red flags in that area. I used to live near it. Maybe because its kind of a starter home area and people move up to larger homes in Wheaton if they can afford it.

[fusillirob1983]

Just to revisit this thread, we closed on a house in Naperville in the past few weeks within a mile and a half of downtown. We lucked out and didn't have to compromise at all on the number of beds or baths, garage spaces, whether or not there were sidewalks, or the amount of updating the house required (minimal)!

[Lud Kissel]

Congrats, Naperville is probally a better bet than Wheaton overall.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Lud Kissel

Congrats, Naperville is probally a better bet than Wheaton overall.

While I too extend a hearty congrats to anyone that got the home they wanted near the core of Naperville the reality is that Wheaton is probably on par in most ways. Of course the prices reflect this, but for folks that don't do their own research they may be mistaken by the baseless generalizations others make...

[ToriaT]

I looked in Naperville and while its very nice, I've owned three homes now in Wheaton and I love it there. I probably live closer to downtown Naperville than some Napervillians, and I am so glad I live in Wheaton. I prefer it. Naperville is too big for its own good its huge. We have everything and more that Naperville has except our downtown is smaller and we don't have the Riverwalk. Yes I agree that is a baseless generalization.