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I have been looking at houses since we are planning on buying soon and it doesn't seem like the prices in Berwyn are all the resonable. I can find comparable houses in Oak Park for similar or lower prices. I know the taxes are more in Oak Park but the schools are much better. I rather pay a few thousand more in taxes a year and get good schools. I have heard a lot of buzz about Berwyn so I really hope they are able to turn their schools around.
I have a question for the people talking about "East Oak Park" and how the crime is focused around there... When people say "East Oak Park" what exactly does that mean? Are they talking about "everything" east of Ridgeland (north and south)? The parts closer to Madison or Lake? The first few streets over from Austin, i.e. Humphrey and Taylor? All the way up to Harvey and Cuyler towards the south, center and/or north?
I truly am interested in what people are referring to, and I'm not knocking anyone. I think it would be helpful if people could be more specific in regards to what they mean by "East Oak Park", as I'm guessing it depends on the section?
The bath and kitchen on this make any yucky tract home from the 1970s look stunning by comparison. Toss in the fact that there are really THREE bedroom on one level (so it lives like a crowded ranch) and then the MASTER is in the attic while the "second bath" is in the BASEMENT and this just has all the worst features of a poorly thought out addition...
Oh come on. This isn’t a “typical example.” This is a pretty rough example. A lot of surface cheese. The paneling in the bathroom (wtf?), the exterior stair railings, the lovely wallpaper above the kitchen cabs, the “welcome to me casa!” style kitchen floor (though there’s probably maple underneath that), the hideous carpet upstairs, the Bohemian style “summer kitchen” in the basement, carpet in the main level bedroom, terrible paint colors, etc.
Those blemishes are fixable and wouldn’t bother me too much. However, this one has more fundamental issues. They removed the original radiators and went forced air, they removed the original leaded and stained glass windows, the original built-in fireplace is gone, and, worst of all, they knocked down the wall and archway between the living room and dining room What were they thinking?? I'd personally try to find one with these elements intact. There are enough out there where you could pick and choose like that. Berwyn bungalows, in general, tend to be less butchered than those you find in most Chicago bungalow neighborhoods.
But if you could get past these issues, you could refinish the floors, remove all the wallpaper, take out the front porch stair railings, paint all the walls and kitchen cabinets some good colors ,and re-carpet the attic and it would look 10,000 times better for not that much money. Or better yet, get it for 150k and put 25% of that back into it (about 35k depending on where it assesses at) and you’d get the 12 year historic property tax assessment freeze. That would recoup a lot of that expenditure over time. Assuming it has no major structural issues (bungalows usually don’t), 35k could take it to a pretty decent level, and you'd still be under 200k.
Any house that’s older than, say, 2000 is going to have things you have to correct. Lime green toilets, questionable kitchens, naggly bathrooms, etc. Most people who buy a bungalow understand that they’re going to have to do some upgrading. And when you’re talking prices in the 150-170k range, it’s realistic to do that.
I mostly agree that the property on Wisconsin is pretty awful, and I would agree that AT A BIGGER DISCOUNT it might be possible to "put all the pieces back in place" and have it make economic sense, but as princessa points out, if you want better schools and a nice address OP still wins.
I also appreciate where chitownperson's question comes from -- there are certainly variations in not just crime but also economic strata and general "livability" of OP that varies not just east-to-west but also north-to-south and in a few parts of town, block-by-block. In truth, except in towns that are quite small (say under 20,000 souls for most burbs...) the variation is ALWAYS going to be a factor. The tough thing with Oak Park is that there are areas that have been "neglected" for quite a long time just a block or two away from sections where it is obvious that residents really do want to maintain / improve their town. To a large extent this a strenght of OP, and another area that I find sorta lacking in Berwyn. While I suspect there are SOME Berwyn residents that do get involved in trying to maintain / improve the schools AS WELL AS some that maintain / improve some of the really lovely older home my sense is there are FAR FEWER folks that DO BOTH. In contrast, among Oak Parkers the committment to BOTH improving their own home AND THE BROADER community gives more "bang for the buck" (though those taxes....)
Safety wise I do wonder if the sorts of folks that "settle" for a home that has been "de-charmed" are also going to tolerate those things that Rudy Guiliana realized lead to bigger problems -- graffiti, disregard for trafffic laws, zoning violations, loud music are pretty much the first signs of a declining area. If Berwyn can remain strict with regards to these things the upside is much better...
East Oak Park is defined as the first few blocks west of Austin.
Ridgeland is an easy marker but things really begin to change at Lombard.
Taylor and Humphrey are only decent south of Adams, where you have the benefit of Columbus Park shielding Oak Park from Austin. This is what many refer to as Art District. South of the expressway there is no park but the area seems pretty solidly blue collar. Not my favorite part of Oak Park but okay.
The real problematic parts of Oak Park are between adams and north avenue the first few blocks west of Austin.
For example, Chicago or Augusta and say humphrey is not that great. However, only a block east of austin on chicago it is a borderline war zone filled with vagrants with liquor stores, store front churches and funeral parlors.
I drive this several times a week and it never fails to amaze me how the area changes block by block from ridgeland before becoming ghetto at austin.
There are actually a few streets in austin that look decent (central) but I would not live there given the vagrants that only hang out a few blocks away.
One of those vagrants (a well-dressed one) hit me up to buy his meal after telling me he was a homeless man from austin while I was standing in line at chipotle in oak park (harlem and lake). This was Wednesday night. He ended up getting the hispanic couple in front of me to buy his meal.
I mostly agree that the property on Wisconsin is pretty awful, and I would agree that AT A BIGGER DISCOUNT it might be possible to "put all the pieces back in place" and have it make economic sense, but as princessa points out, if you want better schools and a nice address OP still wins.
I also appreciate where chitownperson's question comes from -- there are certainly variations in not just crime but also economic strata and general "livability" of OP that varies not just east-to-west but also north-to-south and in a few parts of town, block-by-block. In truth, except in towns that are quite small (say under 20,000 souls for most burbs...) the variation is ALWAYS going to be a factor. The tough thing with Oak Park is that there are areas that have been "neglected" for quite a long time just a block or two away from sections where it is obvious that residents really do want to maintain / improve their town. To a large extent this a strenght of OP, and another area that I find sorta lacking in Berwyn. While I suspect there are SOME Berwyn residents that do get involved in trying to maintain / improve the schools AS WELL AS some that maintain / improve some of the really lovely older home my sense is there are FAR FEWER folks that DO BOTH. In contrast, among Oak Parkers the committment to BOTH improving their own home AND THE BROADER community gives more "bang for the buck" (though those taxes....)
Safety wise I do wonder if the sorts of folks that "settle" for a home that has been "de-charmed" are also going to tolerate those things that Rudy Guiliana realized lead to bigger problems -- graffiti, disregard for trafffic laws, zoning violations, loud music are pretty much the first signs of a declining area. If Berwyn can remain strict with regards to these things the upside is much better...
I don't dispute that OP's schools are better on the whole but be careful where you recommend in Oak Park for those inclined to choose one of the cheaper OP houses on the market as an alternative to Berwyn because of the schools. Some Berwyn elementary schools have outscored some Oak Park elementary schools in recent years, so you could end up paying "those taxes" for a lower quality K-5 education if you're not careful, which would kind of suck. OP's schools have an edge at the middle school level and a huge advantage at the HS level, no doubt about that.
But if Quinn gets his way and creates county school districts, or regional megadistricts where OP ends up being consolidated with Berwyn and Cicero, well... In short, I'd be leery about choosing solely because of schools. Eventually, there is going to be some sort of drastic change which alters that equation.
Agree on your other points. Communities have to be vigilent in enforcing the little things, and residents have to be vigilent about reporting them.
Absent from my post is any notion that this is a good idea (though I'd love to see Berwyn get its own unit district and away from Cicero-controlled D201). It would be a nightmare that would make no one happy and probably would cause more suburban sprawl. But just that they came up with it is disconcerting, and in the right political climate, something like this could occur.
Thanks for being specific, Humbolt1. So what do you think about Division, Between Ridgeland and Lombard?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Humboldt1
East Oak Park is defined as the first few blocks west of Austin.
Ridgeland is an easy marker but things really begin to change at Lombard.
Taylor and Humphrey are only decent south of Adams, where you have the benefit of Columbus Park shielding Oak Park from Austin. This is what many refer to as Art District. South of the expressway there is no park but the area seems pretty solidly blue collar. Not my favorite part of Oak Park but okay.
The real problematic parts of Oak Park are between adams and north avenue the first few blocks west of Austin.
For example, Chicago or Augusta and say humphrey is not that great. However, only a block east of austin on chicago it is a borderline war zone filled with vagrants with liquor stores, store front churches and funeral parlors.
I drive this several times a week and it never fails to amaze me how the area changes block by block from ridgeland before becoming ghetto at austin.
There are actually a few streets in austin that look decent (central) but I would not live there given the vagrants that only hang out a few blocks away.
One of those vagrants (a well-dressed one) hit me up to buy his meal after telling me he was a homeless man from austin while I was standing in line at chipotle in oak park (harlem and lake). This was Wednesday night. He ended up getting the hispanic couple in front of me to buy his meal.
I'm curious if someone can give me a synopsis of the major neighborhoods in Berwyn, I've been lurking here for a while. My wife and I are moving to Chicago in a few months and Berwyn seems to have a lot of cute places in our likely price range. I'm also curious if anyone can point me towards a Realtor or Agency they like in the area...and while we're at it, any child care recommendations?
While I doubt anyone wonkier than me or Bru knows it Berwyn is segmented into "wards" sorta like the City of Chicago. Those wards are smaller than in Chicago and are a bit like "neighborhoods" but not nearly as distinct as the neighborhoods of Chicago -- http://www.berwyn-il.gov/pdf/Maps/Ward%20Map.jpg (broken link)
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This isn’t a “typical example.” This is a pretty rough example. A lot of surface cheese. The paneling in the bathroom (wtf?), the exterior stair railings, the lovely wallpaper above the kitchen cabs, the “welcome to me casa!” style kitchen floor (though there’s probably maple underneath that), the hideous carpet upstairs, the Bohemian style “summer kitchen” in the basement, carpet in the main level bedroom, terrible paint colors, etc.
What were they thinking?? I'd personally try to find one with these elements intact. There are enough out there where you could pick and choose like that. Berwyn bungalows, in general, tend to be less butchered than those you find in most Chicago bungalow neighborhoods. 
Berwyn Neighborhoods
