Can't afford Oak Park! Brookfield? Berwyn? (Westchester, La Grange: real estate, house, buying)

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by lisak64

Speaking of places to live, if you like Italian Beef and want a good laugh, check this out:


YouTube - Sam Loves Beef!

Yea, but Berwyn has Novis
Home

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by cmoscinski

Being that you are first time home buyers, I would not focus on entering a neighborhood based on schools if you have no kids right now. You will more than likely sell within 5-6 years to get a bigger better home anyway after you realize you need more room (for the kids).

I totally agree with you in that people sometimes put a little too much stock in the schools. It's very important but realistically, if you don't have kids yet, it may not make much sense for the first time buyers to pay high taxes on the starter home that's likely to be sold before the unborn kids hit school age. Not only will the taxes be high in most top-rated school districts, the housing prices will be too, so unless you've got 400k+, you'll get a tiny house and will have to move if you have a family. So why incur the hefty property tax bills in the interim?

But in a place like Berwyn, where the schools are improving, you may get the added bonus of good schools by the time you're ready. Most of the "starter homes" in Berwyn are 1920s era Chicago Bungalows, which you can grow into. If all three levels are finished, they typically end up in the 2,800 - 3,000 square foot range, which is more than large enough for a family (after all, they've housed several generations of Chicago families before us with little difficulty). That's why many young residents here are working towards improving the schools -- so they don't have to do the 5-and-out plan. Our Bungalow was our first home and we’d like to stay here awhile.

If you do move here, definitely get involved in Berwyn C.A.R.E.S.! It's concerned and active people who can shape the future. And this logic applies to all communities in the inner-ring. I’d just love to see the automatic “westward migration,” which has been the unquestioned norm since the ‘60s, come to an end. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy that doesn’t have to be. I think that as people realize what they’re giving up by moving further out -- a vintage house with history and character that can’t be replicated anywhere, walkability, parks, public transit, a 15 minute drive to the Loop, the view of the Chicago skyline from your attic window, etc. – attitudes will change.

And Via, where is the Buena Beef love man Novi's is great, don’t get me wrong, but I still have to say Buena on Roosevelt takes the prize.

[cmoscinski]

If you'd like, you can email me (I need your email address) and I will send you homes in the area today within your price range.

[cmoscinski]

Contact me and I will send you the homes on the market (need email).

There are literally hundreds to choose from!

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by BRU67

And Via, where is the Buena Beef love man Novi's is great, don’t get me wrong, but I still have to say Buena on Roosevelt takes the prize.

I grew up a block away from Novis, so its practically in my blood. I get to Buona every now and then, and they are great as well. But I have a special place for Novis.

[cmoscinski]

Novi's is still there and rockin' !

[bookfrustrated]

Hi,
We moved from Oak Park to Brookfield and have been very happy. We were concerned with the grade schools not being as good as Oak Park but have been very very happy. Both High schools RB and LTHS are very good and housing is very affordable. We live on the south side and my children will attend LTHS and My son goes to Park Jr high. We love Park Jr High and are looking forward to LTHS. The advantage to living on the north side of town is you may be in walking distance to a small downtown area.
We are close enough to walk to the La Grange area. I think like any area there are areas that are more desirable. We have never had any issues with our neighborhood and have lovely neighbors.

[cmoscinski]

Great schools and homes are very affordable right now, low taxes. And you're lucky to have found something so close to La Grange - there is sooo much to do there! Congrats!

[chet everett]

I strongly disagree. Even this month's "Money" magazine says that it is wise to get into a town that has limited inventory, constraints on growth and the best school district own can afford, even if you don't have kids -- the reason is that the such towns have seen smaller price declines than those areas with vast inventory, acres of new homes and schools that people are running from.

Affordability is relative, and the entire Chicago region is far less affordable then many other areas.

There are a surprisingly wide range of homes that one COULD afford $270K is some pretty desirable area. It is a bit sad to realize that in many towns this is BELOW the value of any buildable lot, but it also would pretty much guarantees that you WON'T lose money.

Brookfield is FAR AND AWAY the most desirable of the towns that you are considering, if one is lucky enough to find a home in your price range in the Hollywood section, that shared elementary schools with Riverside this would be a slam dunk.

Will I do agree that some first time buyers do "move up" after a number of years I have to caution that even if one does not have kids and worries about transfering schools, the shear level of comfort that one has in your "starter" community means that one is very likely to look primarily within the town. Thus locating an acceptable home in a desirable town is about the BEST plan one can have.



Conversely if one to buy in a town with declining desirability it is much harder to say that one could "lock in" value.

My "recipe for success" is pretty much always to find a home that needs some elbow grease / cosmetic improvements, but if one shops an area with declining desirability such efforts are much less likely to attract buyers that will pay more...

[ihynes]

We moved to Brookfield for the exact reasons you describe; we couldn't afford Oak Park and when we looked seriously at Berwyn, we were not impressed with the schools. Since we have kids in grade school right NOW, we can't afford to wait for Berwyn "CARES" to turn things around, and in fact, with the state budgets getting squeezed, I wouldn't count on any school districts making vast improvements for when you need them maybe in 5 years, not anymore. We are very happy with Brookfield. We live on the north side of town, near 31st St. Our kids are still in grade school, which we're happy with, and our district high school, RB, is one of the best in Illinois. We live close to the Salt Creek Bike Trail, it's easy to get to downtown Chicago by Metra, there's a Trader Joe's in LaGrange; all in all it's a very easy place to live! The one minus is there are very few daycares to choose from, if you need one, but there are a lot of stay-at-home moms who provide childcare.