Moving to IL.. need some info about the area (Chicago: sales, insurance)

[flrunningmom]

Hi, my husband is being transfered to an office in elk grove village. So we will be relocating from florida. We have younger kids and are a couple in our late 20's early 30's. We would love to buy a house in a good neighborhood, with nice schools, and friendly people. I'd love to find a nice 3 bedroom 2 bath house in the $200,000 price range. We don't have to live in elk grove village and don't mind a commute. I don't know anything about Chicago, (other than we are in for a big change in weather ) Am I crazy to think I can find what I'm looking for? Can anyone recommend a good city to live in? Places to take the kids? Good ways get networked in a new city? I know I've asked a bunch of questions here. Thanks for any and all help!

[chet everett]

$200K is far below the median for all the areas within a reasonable distance of Elk Grove Village. Realistically if you could ratchet your budget up by about $50,000 you might find something in fixer up condition in a safe area, but perhaps plagued by the aircraft noise of O'Hare, which borders Elk Grove Village. Depending on how long a commute your husband is willing to have you might find some closer to $200K about 30-40 minutes near Elgin, schools may be an issue, and you need to be to careful about neighborhoods as there are some that are have some crime issues.

Many folks I know from Florida are pleasantly surprised to find that most public schools in the Chicago region are far superior to anything in FL -- of course the towns with the most desirable schools tend to be quite expensive.

The vast majority of people that work in EGV drive between 15 minutes and one hour to work. Depending on the exact location of where your husband will be working there may be some access to public transportation, but not a whole lot. I mention this because a) with gas prices expected to remain high it is smart to consider moving to an area wit good transit service b) the business leaders in EGV and the surrounding towns recognize the shortage of transit and may be working on recommendation that address this shortcoming in the next 5-10 years...

Generally the towns in the region that have done the best DO have good schools, good transportation and are NOT troubled. Unfortunately the median prices of the most desirable towns may be 3X or more than your budget.

You need to make some decisions about a) seeking out a house that needs some work vs one that is similar to it neighbors , b) choosing a town that may be a bit further out vs one close to where husband will be working , c) how important are the quality of the public schools vs affordable housing, d) towns that have a lot of activities for families vs a town than may not offer much.

[ChicagolandRon]

You may still be able to find a small house in Westmont in that price range. Chances are it will be a fixer upper like mentioned above.

[aragx6]

I agree that it won't be easy to find a home, but I am convinced it can be done.

If you can swing 225k or under that vastly improves your options. You will be looking at older homes with few updates to be sure. Chet is right that Elgin is probably your best option, but I don't know much about the area so I'll leave that to others who know far more on the subject.

Here are a couple homes just on a quick search that i thought you might be interested in:

In Woodridge about 20 miles up 355 to EGV: Single Family Home - 2553 FOREST GLEN PKWY, WOODRIDGE, IL, 60517 - Realtor.com (http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdetail.aspx?ctid=6968&mxp=21&typ=1&sid=aa5e e914c7f445c1a9a9065f17d7e2df&sdir=0&sby=3&lid=1098 726617&lsn=2&srcnt=27#Detail - broken link)

In Schaumburg: Single Family Home - 504 S BRAINTREE DR, SCHAUMBURG, IL, 60193 - Realtor.com (http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdetail.aspx?sby=3&ctid=8760&ml=3&mxp=21&bd= 4&bth=4&typ=1&sid=2e4f255f4f384ac1adb87b3c5e3ebd1a &lid=1097934281&lsn=1&srcnt=5#Detail - broken link)

[mommyjnny]

Check out Hampshire. It is about a 40 min frive to Elk Grove though. Nice homes. Nice people. Safe area. I live there and love it!

[mommyjnny]

Also I wouldn't look into Elgin unless you speak Spanish. Seriously. Also there are many bad area in Elgin unless you are looking into the far west side. There is also Pingree Grove which has a gorgeous subdivision. Check out this linkhttp://www.drhorton.com/corp/GetCommunity.do?dv=C4&pr=43844
Very nice area- this is right next to Hampshire- there are walking trails, they have a pool, parks, etc.

[flrunningmom]

You all have been very helpful. It's always hard to move to a new city, and it's nice to have locals who are willing to offer their input. We do have room to move on our budget for housing, and I know that it is more expensive to live in chicago than it is here in florida. I will take a look at all of your recommendations for housing as well as towns. Thank you! You all have been wonderful!

[Reckybose]

Good morning. I have lived in the Chicago suburbs my whole life. Anything in close proximity to Schaumburg is going to be out of your budget. For 200K - your options are likely going to be Elgin, Hampshire, Carpentersville, Cary, McHenry, Hampshire. You could possibly find something in Crystal Lake, Lake in the Hills or Algonquin. These are very nice communities with fantastic schools! (Try to stay out of D300 - unless the HS is Jacobs. Some parts of Carpentersville go to Barrington schools - BUT, C'Ville has a terrible reputation (unless you're on the west side of Randall). You may find a fixer-up in Streamwood, or a townhome.

That being said - Elgin CAN be iffy - BUT, Elgin has MANY, many nice neighborhoods and the schools are not that bad, really. Try to get as far west as you can for nicer neighborhoods - although, I lived on the SE side and it was very nice and clean. Elgin does have a LOT of ammenities for residents. I lived there for 11 years and never had a problem.

Commuting times will all be 45 minutes if you include traffic - which there is plenty of in Chicago. Taxes are exceptionally high in this area, although you won't need hurricane insurance! Sales taxes in Cook county are very high.

[mommyjnny]

Originally Posted by Reckybose

These are very nice communities with fantastic schools! (Try to stay out of D300 - unless the HS is Jacobs. Some parts of Carpentersville go to Barrington schools - BUT, C'Ville has a terrible reputation (unless you're on the west side of Randall). You may find a fixer-up in Streamwood, or a townhome.

Hey wait-regarding D300 Hampshire High School is nice as well- they open up the new school this fall.