Moving to the Elmhurst area

[gearhead2003]

Is there section of Elmhurst that are cheaper than others? I have heard that North of North Ave. was "undesirable", but judging from what I saw of Elmhurst when I visited there, there are really no "bad" places, just that some places are better than others. Let's face it, given the choice, I would like to live in a Mansion in a really nice area, but we can't have everything. Just some place where the school is good, town is nice, and a house that the spouse will be satisfy and that I can afford.

[Prairie]

Hi gearhead, actually the least expensive are the homes off of West Avenue (near Rt. 83) closest to the stone quarry. The area has a more country feel to it and the homes are a bit older. Keep in mind that Salt Creek has flooded that area many times. That has been remedied by the quarry (overflow is pumped into the quarry).

The Northern section of Elmhurst (close to Grand Avenue) at one time was called Skunk Hollow. Evidently it was a poor section of town - that was many many years ago. Some newer homes mixed in with older, the area is very nice and you have a good chance of purchasing a home in your price range.

Yes, taxes are high in DuPage County/Elmhurst. We enjoyed extremely low taxes for most of our 30 years here in Elmhurst. Oh well...times change and it has been an expensive catch up.

Good luck to you.

[Prairie]

One more thing gearhead, if you want to see good value appreciation please consider looking around the downtown Elmhurst area. The homes appreciate and do quite well and if you are in for the long haul it will be beneficial. The added benefit is walking to town and the train that always increases potential buyers and plays a huge part in cost of the home.

I personally would buy less home for more money in that area. It stands to appreciate more over time and the pool of potential home buyers will be greater. Just my two cents for what it is worth.

[gearhead2003]

Sigh! House shopping is difficult. My spouse apparently wants a newer home. I was wondering where in Elmhurst these homes will be located and how much they will cost. I am trying to stay away from associations and townhouses and have 3 bedroom+.

[emmi605]

I can't imagine getting a "new" home in Elmhurst for 450K or under. You can get a 3-4 bedroom, well-built home from the early 70's, or even an older bungalow for that though. The new construction is mainly McMansion style and usually over 700K. You will definitely get more for your money North of North Ave. Just recently there were two identically styled 4-bedroom split-levels on the market. The North side home was 100k cheaper, yet nicer (more updated) with a bigger yard. There is nothing wrong with the north side at all, but you will deal with more airplane noise, more diversity(many cultures), and a bit of a "stigma" about living on the North end of town. It is safe, clean, and is served by District 205 schools. There are some lots for sale near West Avenue and Lake, maybe building could be an option. I think builders are willing to deal. Then you could have your "new" home. Best of luck.

[OakBrookMom]

We lived in Elmhurst for 5 years and my mother-in-law is still there. Anyone who moved there in the past 5-10 years has seen their taxes increase because of their sale price affected their assessed value and the city has built a new library, the new addition to York as well as multiple other municipal improvements like the 2 parking garages and work to their numerous elementary schools. Add to that the multitudes of teardowns pushing up the price of lots and assessed values.
If you buy an older home and do significant renovation you may qualify for a tax break through the county - if that home was owned by a long-time owner who also had the senior citizen exemption in place, your starting taxes will be lower and this will benefit you even more when the freeze is applied to the property. There are a number of very reputable builders in Elmhurst proper. I know one Elmhurst builder who is very busy with remodelling and addition work to older homes in Elmhurst right now - I'm sure if you drove around you would see many of his signs on large-scale renovation projects (just the kind that might qualify for that tax break). These builders also have connections to lenders which have kept their business afloat in this credit crunch. So if you would be willing to buy a smaller, older home in either Elmhurst or Glen Elynn (GE) and put in the work, you could be rewarded with a tax break and the break spans years so it is well worth investigating. You will probably find a better deal in GE that is walking distance to downtown, train and schools (I can think of 2 right now that are both under 300K located north of Roosevelt and south of St. Charles). GE is a community where an investment in an older home will eventually payoff - in many communities older home renovations don't pay, in this town they do if they are done right and add the right features while keeping the older charm.
If old and charming isn't your thing and you want the 4BR 2.1BA 2 story home that many people seek, you definitely have more choices in Glen Elynn than in Elmhurst although they will be predominantly in areas south of Roosevelt, not really in the walk-to-town area unless you get lucky which is very possible in this market but you won't have many choices. You would have more choices in Downers, Lisle and especially Wheaton where most every area is an easy bike ride into town, especially the areas with access to the Prairie Path (I lived in south Wheaton for many years too and we used to take the path into town on our bikes all the time). Most of Naperville would be pushing your commute to Elmhurst and especially your commute time to O'Hare.
You don't have to stay in DuPage. You could look into Cook County suburbs close to Elmhurst like LaGrange, the Harding Woods section of LaGrange Park and Western Springs which are both quick commutes to Elmhurst, with all homes close to nice downtowns - one quaint, one bustling and close to I-294 but again you will be looking at a 3 Bedroom as the closer you go to the city, the more expensive the suburbs that have the quaint downtowns with train access become. You won't see the outrageous taxes in these Cook County suburbs like you would in Oak Park or River Forest (even with Elmhurst's tax hikes they still aren't as high as OP/RF which is why despite our love for that area we chose Elmhurst over OP/RF many years ago).
For newer construction you will be much further out than you would ever expect in south Naperville and for brand new you will be looking at the Geneva area. Happy House Hunting !!