younger family suburb, good schools but fun (Chicago, Naperville: crime, houses)

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by smegmatite

not really, the taxes in OP are brutal so yeah you could get a 500k house but with a 15k+ tax bill, crime worse, schools are worse, not to mention the lunatic liberalness and nimbyism there, if you right of communist you won't fit in much there

Naperville is far safer and has much more to do for families

Oak Park is not a high crime area. The village has below average crime. The public schools are among the best in the country. Oak Park and River Forest High School has a national reputation for academics and diversity. Its struggles to bridge the achievement gap have been chronicled by a series that appeared on Starz called America To Me. It's educational system is generously funded, hence the higher residential taxes than some nearby communities. River Forest, next door and generally more upscale, has lower property tax rates that are more comparable to the northern suburbs and some other affluent western suburbs. Like most people in suburban Chicago, Oak Parkers are largely moderate-to-progressive mainstream Democrats.

Originally Posted by GeoIron

If you’d have left it at the facts, you’d be fine. The political commentary wasn’t additive.

Oak Park has fine schools, but I consider it a very dense, near urban environment, much more than a suburb. Smegmatite is correct that Oak Park taxes are insane, it’s one of the reasons I’m leaving the area. For the OP: Oak Park implied tax rates are around 3.4% of home value, that’ll put you at $17k-27k per year in property tax. It makes affordability of the same price point not comparable to other towns (like Naperville and Elmhurst) where rates range can be 2.0% or less. Do your own diligence on taxes, do not rely on the Zillow figure (can be a stale assessment) or anyone else’s off the cuff figure. I’d have included Oak Park in my recommendation alongside Elmhurst and La Grange, but I cannot recommend Oak Park to anyone in good conscience given the absurd taxes (and that’s by IL standards!!)

Your figures on Oak Park's effective rates are correct, 3.35% according to the last Tribune figures. However, Elmhurst at 2.51-2.54% isn't much better than River Forest at 2.89%. I think River Forest is a much nicer community than Elmhurst, but that's clearly entirely subjective. La Grange is around 2.7%. Naperville and Elmhurst are nowhere near below 2%. I'm not sure where you got that impression. Parts of Naperville are over 3%. Oak Park is a trendier area and its housing market is warmer. I'd be more comfortable investing there, at least over the short term.

OP, You haven't come back to clarify your criteria, so I'll name drop Evanston, where the schools are strong, crime is low, nightlife that is stellar for a suburb, lakefront, transit, and relatively low taxes at 2.66%.

[tml0701]

Yes he can wall to train station in Chicago to work. At least a 4 bedroom if not 5 bedroom house we both have cars and are used to driving since we have always lived in subarbs.we would love to walk places but again the schools are our top priority. I don't mind a bigger town but small town feel with a cool downtown area would be great

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by tml0701

Yes he can wall to train station in Chicago to work. At least a 4 bedroom if not 5 bedroom house we both have cars and are used to driving since we have always lived in subarbs.we would love to walk places but again the schools are our top priority. I don't mind a bigger town but small town feel with a cool downtown area would be great

$500-800k is a big range. Are you looking for 4-5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and 2 car garage? If you're looking for 4-5 bedrooms, 4 baths, and 3 car garage, your options are going to be very different.

[OKParker]

Originally Posted by tml0701

Yes he can wall to train station in Chicago to work. At least a 4 bedroom if not 5 bedroom house we both have cars and are used to driving since we have always lived in subarbs.we would love to walk places but again the schools are our top priority. I don't mind a bigger town but small town feel with a cool downtown area would be great

How long a commute are you okay with?
How much do you value being close to a walkable downtown?
How dense do you want the town to be?
How much value do you put on a school ranking? You'll have to think about the difference between a 6/10 or 8/10
Is diversity important?
Do you want a lot of land around your house?
Do you want the lake nearby?

These are some starting questions that can help you score a suburb, but honestly it is probably best to put 50% of your choice in going to the different suburbs and getting a feel for them. I like the La Grange suggestion if you're willing to be further from the city and want more space, and the Oak Park suggestion if you're willing to give up space and be closer to the city.

[damba]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Parts of Naperville are over 3%.

Out of curiosity, which parts of Naperville are 3%(?). That surprises me a lot, since most of my friends who currently live there pay significantly less RE taxes than I do, on larger, newer homes.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by damba

Out of curiosity, which parts of Naperville are 3%(?). That surprises me a lot, since most of my friends who currently live there pay significantly less RE taxes than I do, on larger, newer homes.

Naperville within Valley View Community Unit School District 365U and Aurora, Naperville Township are over 3%. Otherwise, the range is between 2.42% and 2.76%. That's not any better than the North Shore.

[damba]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Naperville within Valley View Community Unit School District 365U and Aurora, Naperville Township are over 3%. Otherwise, the range is between 2.42% and 2.76%. That's not any better than the North Shore.

Interesting. I guess I didn’t realize that about that particular part of DuPage. Maybe their assessed values are simply lower? <shrug>.

Going beyond the people I know there, the Naperville listings I see are all 20-25% lower taxes on homes 1000+ sf larger than mine (most of these listings were around the 550-650k price point).

[GeoIron]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Your figures on Oak Park's effective rates are correct, 3.35% according to the last Tribune figures. However, Elmhurst at 2.51-2.54% isn't much better than River Forest at 2.89%.

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Naperville within Valley View Community Unit School District 365U and Aurora, Naperville Township are over 3%. Otherwise, the range is between 2.42% and 2.76%. That's not any better than the North Shore.

You're math is wrong here and on Elmhurst. The Tribune or whatever you're citing is wrong, don’t know what to tell you.

Great example of what I meant by do your own homework. I’ll walk through it for the benefit of OP and anyone else that is confused by the byzantine IL property tax calculation.

First, go to the DuPage county assessor and get the official rates by town/township. You can find that here: https://www.dupageco.org/CountyClerk...ts/2018/60612/ (You can get the same from any county assessor's office, all public online.) You’ll see Elmhurst is 6.1951. You multiply that by the adjusted EAV, and then divide the tax by the assessed value (in this case we’ll assume assessed = purchase price) to get to the figure we’re debating.

The math goes as follows:
OP’s avg price: $650,000
x EAV factor: 33%
= EAV: $216,666
- Homeowner Exp: $6,000
= Final EAV: $210,666
x Rate: 6.1951%
= Property Tax: $13,051
Tax as % of price: 2.01%

Same drill for Naperville, where the rate is ~6.5%, so just a touch higher, but it’ll be close to 2%. Yes, it will vary by township. Southern portion in Will County is much higher. I wouldn’t believe everything you read in the Tribune. OP, like I said, do your own homework. It’ll pay.

Originally Posted by damba

Interesting.
Going beyond the people I know there, the Naperville listings I see are all 20-25% lower taxes on homes 1000+ sf larger than mine (most of these listings were around the 550-650k price point).

Absolutely correct, damba. Naperville taxes well below Deerfield.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by GeoIron

First, go to the DuPage county assessor and get the official rates by town/township. You can find that here: https://www.dupageco.org/CountyClerk...ts/2018/60612/ (You can get the same from any county assessor's office, all public online.) You’ll see Elmhurst is 6.1951. You multiply that by the adjusted EAV, and then divide the tax by the assessed value (in this case we’ll assume assessed = purchase price) to get to the figure we’re debating.

The math goes as follows:
OP’s avg price: $650,000
x EAV factor: 33%
= EAV: $216,666
- Homeowner Exp: $6,000
= Final EAV: $210,666
x Rate: 6.1951%
= Property Tax: $13,051
Tax as % of price: 2.01%

Same drill for Naperville, where the rate is ~6.5%, so just a touch higher, but it’ll be close to 2%. Yes, it will vary by township. Southern portion in Will County is much higher. I wouldn’t believe everything you read in the Tribune. OP, like I said, do your own homework. It’ll pay.

You chose the absolute lowest rate in that tax book for Elmhurst instead of combining all of them into an effective average...I see one mill rate for Elmhurst as high 7.3807 right off the bat.

[damba]

I am glad people with more experience making the actual calculations are here- it is indeed on the byzantine side for me to follow.