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Old 02-19-2021, 10:28 AM
 
8 posts, read 10,606 times
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Musician here who needs their own property in order to not bother others. I would like to live somewhere that would give me a realistic option of commuting downtown into work if I wanted to, so I would say a <1 hr public transport commute with the shorter the better. I'm looking to buy a house for <$200k. Parents live in the NW suburbs (around Barrington) so areas in that general direction would also be preferred. I have been looking at Des Plaines. I seem to really prefer some of the areas in the south suburbs, especially when you get into less developed unincorporated areas that are more spread out with lower taxes. The north west suburbs seem harder to find these types of areas without going out quite far. I don't mind higher than average crime rates, so long as I would be comfortable sitting outside my house at night.

In the city I have also looked at Galewood, Brighton Park, and throughout parts of the South Side (south shore, calumet heights).. Any suggestions on places to look? I'm pretty open to any suggestions. Again the primary concern is just having my own building that is sturdy for living in and recording music, and has a lower chance of being robbed, lol.
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Old 02-19-2021, 02:53 PM
 
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Galewood is nice, but it really is a pain to get downtown from there by public transit or in a car even since it's not super close to either the Eisenhower or the Kennedy. If you want to get to downtown in less than an hour, I would rule it out.

For places in the city, I would recommend places on the southwest side along the orange line. Neighborhoods like Archer Heights, West Elsdon, or Garfield Ridge might be good for you. I'm leaving out Brighton Park since you're already looking there. You would most likely be able to find something in Back of the Yards, but it's quite rough around the edges. Also, check out Blue Island and Evergreen Park near the Rock Island line for Metra.
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Old 02-19-2021, 03:10 PM
 
4,842 posts, read 2,952,227 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twentyfive_fiftynine View Post
Musician here who needs their own property in order to not bother others. I would like to live somewhere that would give me a realistic option of commuting downtown into work if I wanted to, so I would say a <1 hr public transport commute with the shorter the better. I'm looking to buy a house for <$200k.

Under 200K is challenging, might try east or south parts of Elgin; close to Barrington and still an hour commute.
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Old 02-19-2021, 07:21 PM
 
9,952 posts, read 6,571,496 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nap1313 View Post
Galewood is nice, but it really is a pain to get downtown from there by public transit or in a car even since it's not super close to either the Eisenhower or the Kennedy. If you want to get to downtown in less than an hour, I would rule it out.

For places in the city, I would recommend places on the southwest side along the orange line. Neighborhoods like Archer Heights, West Elsdon, or Garfield Ridge might be good for you. I'm leaving out Brighton Park since you're already looking there. You would most likely be able to find something in Back of the Yards, but it's quite rough around the edges. Also, check out Blue Island and Evergreen Park near the Rock Island line for Metra.
I think the Rock Island line towns are a good choice. Evergreen Park (to Beverly for Metra), Blue Island, Oak Forest, and Tinley Park could all have options for the OP. Even from Tinley Park, it is under 50 minutes on the Metra. Some people prefer the Electric since it comes out on Millennium Station- Homewood could be a choice there. I think Flossmoor/Olympia Fields are probably too far and the taxes are too high. Oak Lawn might also have something, but the Southwest Service isn’t as frequent.

I work in the Southwest Suburbs and have coworkers living in most of these areas. It’s not uncommon for people to drive from Southwest Service suburbs to the Rock Island line and for people who are on the Rock Island line to drive to the Electric to save time.
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Old 02-20-2021, 08:51 AM
 
Location: Lake County, IL
712 posts, read 463,569 times
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Hey 25, just a heads up, a quick look on zillow found a bunch of houses in fox river grove, algonquin, cary...basically near barrington. Some need work, some don't, but all in your budget.
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Old 02-21-2021, 05:11 PM
 
9,881 posts, read 9,483,141 times
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Hi - here is a suggestion - rent or buy a mobile home (manufactured home.) I was looking in a couple of suburbs and those are the very least expensive kinds of rent. You might want to check out some that are in the suburbs as they might be nicest.
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Old 02-22-2021, 11:59 AM
 
Location: Southwest Suburbs
4,593 posts, read 9,144,008 times
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Blue Island- SFH generally under 200k. No truly rough areas, but north of the river is better than what's south. It is serviced by three metra stations on the Rock Island line and few stops heading towards LaSalle St(downtown).

Riverdale- Above average crime rates, but the section centered around Pacesetter projects is the worst and the rest of the village is not all that bad. Most blocks in the center are well kept. Service by the Metra's Electric line( more stops, but still under 1hr commute to all of the downtown stops, plus access to Hyde Park and Kenwood)

Harvey- Above average crime rates. Stick to far east near 159th and Halsted(the area directly east is better than the area west of it) and the west edge near Mcdonalds in the subdivision( however, I didn't find any available on Zillow.). Most homes are valued 150k or under (majority are under 100k). Serviced by two Metras on the Electric line (more stops, but under 1hr commute to downtown).

Homewood- No iffy areas and plenty of amenities, but I think it would be ideal to find a place in the downtown area for walkable commute to Metra. Also, there's the Amtrak for bonus. Commute to downtown by train may be just over 1hr. I see a 2 bd and 2 br condo in downtown going for 110k. There is also a 2bd and 1ba bungalow going for just under 110k, though this would be a little further south.
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Old 02-22-2021, 03:42 PM
 
2,558 posts, read 2,146,011 times
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Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park and Burbank are all very safe where you can "sit outside your house at night" without worry and can get you downtown within an hour either by car or by train.
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Old 03-11-2021, 11:10 AM
 
4,152 posts, read 7,871,213 times
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Occasionally, you can find a house in Berwyn for 200 k or so.

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Berwyn/650.../home/12562431

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Berwyn/372.../home/14135832

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Berwyn/241.../home/14142204

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Berwyn/282.../home/14141386

Its a multicultural community, near the city and has some artist and musician types that live there. It has several music venues such as Fitzgeralds.
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Old 05-06-2021, 04:38 PM
 
Location: Chicago
29 posts, read 105,819 times
Reputation: 23
No one mentioned Park Forest. Tons of stuff under $100k there, let alone $200k. Not far from Metra that will take you downtown in less than an hour. Crime is low-to-moderate. Real estate taxes appear to be very high though--you might want to check into that.
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