On the move and SOOOO lost!! (Chicago, Aurora: apartments, rentals, townhouse)

[coolmamma73]

I would love to speak personally with someone.....we are a family of 5 moving to the Chicago area. I would like to stay as close to the city as possible. We are looking to rent for a year. We dont want any apartment, we would like a townhome with some type of yard.

We have looked at areas like Schaumburg, Arlington heights, etc. I would like info on the closer suburbs of downtown like park ridge and areas within a 15 min drive.

I am very frustrated becuase when i am looking at ads for rentals, there are all these different little suburbs and i dont know one from the other....sooo.....

IF you know chicago and its nearby areas like the back of your hand, and maybe know about schools, i would love to chat and get a good idea where to start. It is so hard to text back and forth and wait for replies

I appreciate any help!! Please send me a private message and I can call you or you could call me.

Frustrated in Florida,

Jennifer

[ngrome]

Just curious, where are you at in Florida, and why did you decide to move to the Chicago area? Are you from there originally?

[coolmamma73]

Hi, I am in South Florida. I am 35 and have lived here my whole life. I have friends in Chicago and it is central to both our sets of parents. Mine are in TN and his are in OH.

We are just ready for a change. I know it gets cold, but I think the kids will love it and the snow. I think Chicago and surrounding areas have a lot to offer families.

My husband has secured a job, he is in Auto Finance. We are looking at this as an adventure!! And renting for a year to be sure this is where we would like to settle down.

Thanks for the reply. I see you are in Orlando. We will miss Micky and Minnie

[oakparkdude]

The most important consideration is the location of employment. Without that knowledge, any advice we give may be of questionable value. (Chicagoland is huge and traffic/commute times can be MISERABLE if large distances are involved.)

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by coolmamma73

I would love to speak personally with someone.....we are a family of 5 moving to the Chicago area. I would like to stay as close to the city as possible. We are looking to rent for a year. We dont want any apartment, we would like a townhome with some type of yard.

We have looked at areas like Schaumburg, Arlington heights, etc. I would like info on the closer suburbs of downtown like park ridge and areas within a 15 min drive.

I am very frustrated becuase when i am looking at ads for rentals, there are all these different little suburbs and i dont know one from the other....sooo.....

IF you know chicago and its nearby areas like the back of your hand, and maybe know about schools, i would love to chat and get a good idea where to start. It is so hard to text back and forth and wait for replies

I appreciate any help!! Please send me a private message and I can call you or you could call me.

Frustrated in Florida,

Jennifer

15 min drive into the Loop? Ummm, unless you live in the city, I'm not sure that is possible.

Anyhow, Park Ridge is a nice little burb check it out, also look into Norridge, Skokie, Niles, Morton Grove, and basically any burb along Touhy or Dempster from about Skokie Blvd west out to 294. Also I would strongly consider places like Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn, Burbank (in parts), Berwyn, Forest Park, Central Stickney (Archer Ave. at about Central) and the cluster of burbs around about 87th and Harlem as this area is perfectly safe as well and in many cases your dollar will go further than the more desireable northern burbs.

Here is an example of a Central Stickney neighborhood. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...59.998932&z=20 Not bad eyhh? I'm sure if you look you can find rental HOUSES in this area and I'm sure you would prefer a single family house instead of a townhouse as a house will usually be larger and you can have the privilage of having your own yard and your own privacy.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by NYrules

15 min drive into the Loop? Ummm, unless you live in the city, I'm not sure that is possible.

The only suburbs where this is even a possibility are Oak Park and Cicero, and only if you live right by the expressway (I-290).

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

The only suburbs where this is even a possibility are Oak Park and Cicero, and only if you live right by the expressway (I-290).

At night it is possible, but you really have to break alot of laws to do it. 75MPH no problem lol that is until officer Fife pulls you over.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by NYrules

At night it is possible, but you really have to break alot of laws to do it. 75MPH no problem lol that is until officer Fife pulls you over.

I've driven from the Austin on-ramp to the Loop in 15 minutes frequently. You can't do it during rush hour, but evenings and mid-day are pretty straight shot to the Post Office. (Its only about 7 miles.)

[MTUCache]

Having just moved to Chicago from Detroit, I can understand the overwhelming feeling...

My wife and I are both in our early 30s, and we have a young son (not school age yet), and we were looking for something similar. We're not "city" people, and definitely need at least some grass around us. We weren't comfortable looking for apartments, so we went looking for newer townhomes outside of the city.

I'm not sure how the market is in Orlando, but I can tell you that sticker-shock was a MAJOR hurdle to get over when looking at places in Chicago. Coming from Detroit you could pretty much double your commute time and double your price to get something similar in terms of comfort and space.

Being from the yuppie generation, and being used to a place where urban sprawl and brand new subdivisions are the rule, we opted for looking in the Naperville/Aurora area. We eventually found something in our price range (which was significantly higher than we were used to), and we're just now starting to move our stuff.

But, all that being said.... my commute is not easy. People say Naperville is only 30 minutes from downtown, but that's if you're right on the freeway and there's no traffic. I don't even want to think about how long it would take in rush hour. I'm driving 15 minutes to get to the Metra 59 station, then riding 40 minutes into Union Station, then walking halfway across the loop to get to my office. All told it's a 1:15 commute door to door, each way. I'm not looking forward to the winter.

I hate to say it, but in a town this big and this established, you're not going to find exactly what you're looking for (unless you're willing to pay HUGE dollars for it). If you're fixed on price first (like most people), you're going to have to be flexible on commuting times or flexible about the type of place you're willing to live in. There's great schools and nice places all over, but none of them are going to be close to downtown.

If you're like us, which I'm guessing you are, and you are looking for a similar type place (interior-wise) $1400 is a minimum in the city. You can get as low as $1100 FAR outside the city, with plenty of open space around you, but then your commute will be 1.5hrs+. Somewhere in the middle is where we ended up.

You're in the right frame of mind.... it's an adventure. And it's only a year. Pick something that fits most of your ideals and your husband will have to deal with the commute. That's what I'm doing for my family right now. It's not easy, and not fun, but it's the way things get done around here.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

I've driven from the Austin on-ramp to the Loop in 15 minutes frequently. You can't do it during rush hour, but evenings and mid-day are pretty straight shot to the Post Office. (Its only about 7 miles.)

I've done it too... TRUUUUEEEE I may have been exceeding the speed limit by a bit, but with no construction and people actually knowing how to drive for a day and not play bumper cars with eachother out there, then yes it can be done late in the evening or at night mostly from what I've seen.