Oak Park question (Chicago, Forest Park, Madison: section 8, renters, condos)

[owlstosleep]

I was thinking of moving to Oak Park mostly due to it's easy access by train of downtown Chicago.

If I will be taking the L often to the loop (so I'll need to be within walking distance of an L stop) and want to be within walking distance of downtown Oak Park, what price range am I looking at for a home?

Thank you so much in advance!

[oakparkdude]

Probably at least 600k for a SFH at the very least, if you want to be within 4 blocks of DTOP.

[owlstosleep]

Thank you very much! Quite out of budget for me, but something to think about in the future if I can afford to. Thank you again!

[mendelman]

Or you could easily get a 2 bd condo for between $200,000-300,000 in the same area.

Or buy a house for $250,000-350,000 in north Forest Park (just on the west side of Harlem from DTOP)

[owlstosleep]

Thank you so much, mendelman! I will look into Forest Park! A condo is not for me (I need my space ) but Forest Park seems like a good option from what I know. Not sure why I didn't think of it.

[oakparkdude]

To be sure, Forest Park is quite a bit cheaper than Oak Park and (depending on where you live) can be an easy walk to both Green and Blue lines. Schools are somewhat problematic in FP, as its high school (Proviso East) is probably among the worst of the metro area.

[owlstosleep]

Thank you, sukwoo! Schools won't be an issue for me as I'm not interested in having kids.

Is Forest Park a good place to live for someone in their early 20s and early 50s? I'm just wondering about the general safety! I just looked and a home 1/2 mile from Barbara's Bookstore in DTOP is less than $400k and it's a nice house. That's quite a difference from over $600k so my skeptic mind must wonder if there is any sort of "catch" like not being as safe.

It would be wonderful if Forest Park worked out because it's still in the general location I'm looking for and so much more affordable!

[oakparkdude]

Is that house in FP or OP?

Historically, FP has been more blue-collarish than OP, althought that's changing as more people who would've historically bought in OP are priced out and moving to FP. Downtown FP (centered on Madison St) is quite nice with lots of bars, restaurants, and shops. There's a fair bit of new construction condos/townhouses and even a few SFH popping up around Madison St. Crime should be comparable or even a bit lower in FP than OP given the greater distance from the Chicago city limits. Property taxes will also be lower in FP than OP.

The downsides of FP include the atrocious high school (as mentioned before) and the high percentage of rental units (much higher than OP). There's some concern that there are lot of low-income/section 8 renters moving into town.

Its a nice town overall, especially if you are childless. No reason to pay expensive property taxes for schools you won't use.

[chet everett]

Some might argue that it is a far better thing to have schools that will foster a solid citizenry of people well prepared to earn wages in a global economy than merely warehouse most kids until they are put out into a world well they are ill equipped for any sort of employment.

Of course it is probably possible to get higher quality schools w/o significantly higher property taxes if all the residents are diligent in the seeing that the schools uses funds toward that end...

Uninvolved/uninterested citizens are the fastest way to allow politicians of all level to abuse their elected office and feather their own nest while allowing the broader population to suffer the long term effects of neglect.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Some might argue that it is a far better thing to have schools that will foster a solid citizenry of people well prepared to earn wages in a global economy than merely warehouse most kids until they are put out into a world well they are ill equipped for any sort of employment.

Of course it is probably possible to get higher quality schools w/o significantly higher property taxes if all the residents are diligent in the seeing that the schools uses funds toward that end...

Uninvolved/uninterested citizens are the fastest way to allow politicians of all level to abuse their elected office and feather their own nest while allowing the broader population to suffer the long term effects of neglect.

Of course you are absolutely right. That being said, I can't fault a non-parent for opting out of $10k+ annual property taxes. There are plenty of other ways that an individual can promote the welfare of future generations. One could argue that Proviso Township needs additional civic-minded citizens more than Oak Park Township.