UK to Chicago (Naperville, Evanston, Skokie: apartments, rentals, waterparks)

[uktous19]

Hello!

I would be very grateful for any help that you could give me..

We are contemplating a move to Chicago early next year (family with 2 children aged 6 and 7 and pets). We would be renting and my husband would be commuting in to N Canal St in the city.

We will be in Chicago for at least 3 years and would ideally be able to walk to a train station that would get my husband into the city (and mean we could have one car) and have access to a good public elementary school. I'm spending hours looking at areas online as its a chicken and egg situation where we need to have an idea of cost to rent a minimum 3 bed house near a good school in order to work out whether its finacially viable.

Sorry for war and peace length intro - my issue is that I'm getting hung up on the northern suburbs as want to be near the lake/beaches yet still be able to get into the city. Is this totally naive? Do people actually go to the beach/access the water? There seems to be a lot more positivity online & from Chicago colleagues about suburbs such as Downers Grove and others to the west.

Please help me! Failing that, does anyone know of a helpful Chicago relocation person/realtor who could help?!

[personone]

Originally Posted by uktous19

Hello!

I would be very grateful for any help that you could give me..

We are contemplating a move to Chicago early next year (family with 2 children aged 6 and 7 and pets). We would be renting and my husband would be commuting in to N Canal St in the city.

We will be in Chicago for at least 3 years and would ideally be able to walk to a train station that would get my husband into the city (and mean we could have one car) and have access to a good public elementary school. I'm spending hours looking at areas online as its a chicken and egg situation where we need to have an idea of cost to rent a minimum 3 bed house near a good school in order to work out whether its finacially viable.

Sorry for war and peace length intro - my issue is that I'm getting hung up on the northern suburbs as want to be near the lake/beaches yet still be able to get into the city. Is this totally naive? Do people actually go to the beach/access the water? There seems to be a lot more positivity online & from Chicago colleagues about suburbs such as Downers Grove and others to the west.

Please help me! Failing that, does anyone know of a helpful Chicago relocation person/realtor who could help?!

Unfortunately, I cannot help much since I am not familiar with the suburbs. Although, you are correct to be looking at the northern suburbs if you want to be closer to the water and have good transportation access to the city. Downer’s Grove is a great suburb, but it is not close to the water. The NorthShore suburbs seem to fit all of your preferences, but some of them can be pricey. You may want to look at Evanston and Skokie. Good luck.

[olive03]

To be near the water and for excellent schools, I'd recommend the North Shore (Highland Park, Glencoe, etc.).

[Ditto97]

I second the recommendation for the North Shore if you're looking to be close to the water and train access. Yes, people do go to the beach! Obviously only during 4/5 months of the year as winter doesn't really allow for such activities.

Good luck on your impending move, and welcome to the Chicago area!

[BOBNCHI]

Help us a bit, what will be your estimated budget?

Along with the other suggestions add Glenview and Northbrook to the mix as they are along the rail line, have a fair amount of rentals, have great schools and accessible to the lake.

Here is a link showing some of the current Glenview listings. While it show apartments in the link, I filtered to show single family homes. You can use it to search other areas too.

https://www.realtor.com/apartments/6...e/dog-friendly

[damba]

There are so many great suburban options with good schools/nearby amenities that ultimately it’s going to boil down to housing budget and personal taste. I would caution you to overly-focus on beach access since our beach weather is somewhat limited. Luckily, Many suburbs have popular public pools w/ great waterparks that would satisfy your kids at that age.

What *is* your rental budget and have you poked around yet online in any north suburban home rental listing sites(?).

If I were focusing on water nearby for the kids, see if any good rental options pop up in Highland Park. Easy Metra access with a total of five different stops to choose from. Rosewood Beach there is really nice after a recent remodel. Hidden Creek aquapark is very accessible, plus just 5-10 min west in Deerfield you have two more public pools with kids areas.

Since your husband will be working close to the two major downtown Chicago metra stations, you guys arguably have more wiggle room on how far you might want to reside from a suburban train stop.

[847mom]

I don't know your budget, however there seems to be a fair amount of British expats I have encountered in Winnetka and Kenilworth. However, I would also look into Wilmette, Northfield and Glenview. The above have a relatively more diverse housing stock and pricing while offering great schools. Obviously, it is cheaper the further you are from the lake. It would depend on what you are looking for. Some of the above are short drives away from the beach. I have lived in the Western Suburbs although it was a very long time ago. They have a different feel to them. I am not too knowledgeable regarding them presently. Athough Naperville is really nice it is very far from the lake. Same with Downers Grove, that is where I once lived. Good luck to you and your family.

[uktous19]

Thanks so much everyone - I really appreciate it.

Budget is difficult - the irritating thing is I can't say until I know what all the costs involved are. If I could wave a magic wand, my question is how much does one person need to earn to rent a 3 bed house in a good elementary school district and commute to Ogilvie or the other station every day? I'm trying to figure our utilities, rent, car and all the every day things to be able to check the salary offered won't leave us worse off.

[damba]

Originally Posted by uktous19

Thanks so much everyone - I really appreciate it.

Budget is difficult - the irritating thing is I can't say until I know what all the costs involved are. If I could wave a magic wand, my question is how much does one person need to earn to rent a 3 bed house in a good elementary school district and commute to Ogilvie or the other station every day? I'm trying to figure our utilities, rent, car and all the every day things to be able to check the salary offered won't leave us worse off.

It will definite be necessary to line up all your expenses starting with gross pay per month to see what baseline you could afford in rent (and more importantly, be approved for). Figure no more than 30% of gross towards rent. YMMV

OTOH, spacious single family home rentals tend to be on the pricey side. Use some of the online sites to get that baseline of what the housing you need will cost. For example, a small 3BR/2BA in the ravinia section of HP is around $2500. Figure gross income to be approved is ~$4500. YMMV

[uktous19]

Thank you. Is this a standard % for rental approval? I.e. if I work at rent as 25% of gross salary I should be safe?

Are there any other costs/taxes I should be aware of when renting? I.e once all the fees have been paid to the realtor etc is the only monthly house outgoing the rent (obvs bar utilities etc)