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Old 11-11-2009, 09:41 AM
 
545 posts, read 1,485,038 times
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Hi All-

We will be relocating from WI within the next few months. I do have some familiarity with the area, but not really on good places to live. I will be working in downtown Waukegan, so I think that pretty much limits our options to Lake County. My wife will eventually be a school teacher, but not sure where that's going to be yet. Looking to rent for a year then buy. Our budget for a house will probably be around $350K. We're recently married in our late 20s. No kids yet, but eventually we will so we'd be looking for somewhere with decent schools. We live a relatively quiet life - not much nightlife for us anymore! But we would like to be somewhat close to the action in case we decide to do something on the weekends. We did some initial looking around and really liked Libertyville. I know Gurnee is cheaper, but it doesn't really do much for me personally, at least not the parts that I saw. I was also wondering about Grayslake, but heard the taxes are high and there's lots of traffic. What about Lincolnshire? The parts that I saw appear to be out of our budget, but not sure. Which communities have lower property taxes in comparison to others? Any input you can provide is appreciated!
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Old 11-11-2009, 12:20 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 85,370,617 times
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If you shop hard you can probably get a place in Libertville. Even if needs some work that is almost certainly the better value. This is also ties in with property taxes as the towns that are more fully developed and have more high end homes tend to have better tax RATES -- of course if you are comparing a moderately priced place in Libertyville to a far less expensive place in another town you are not making apples-to-apples comparison.
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Old 11-11-2009, 04:51 PM
 
Location: Gurnee, IL
63 posts, read 208,259 times
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Sorry I wrote something before, but wasn't satisfied with it. Where in WI will you be moving from? Do you like where you live now? The only reason I ask is because I am from WI and live in Lake County Illinois, so I am hoping I can direct you to some good options. Otherwise, Chet always has good advice.
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Old 11-11-2009, 05:31 PM
 
545 posts, read 1,485,038 times
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Thank you both for the quick replies! We live just north of Milwaukee right now in Glendale. We like the area and the communities close by (Whitefish Bay, Fox Point, Shorewood). Obviously, those are some of the more established upscale communities in Milwaukee, so there's not much not to like Like I said, we don't want to be too far away from the action, but don't want to be right in the middle of it either. I think we'd trend to a more established community even if it meant having a smaller/fixxer-upper house. We really like the character of the North Shore in Milwaukee and other places like Wauwatosa and Elm Grove. Hope this helps and again thank you both for your input!

Last edited by brian571; 11-11-2009 at 05:40 PM..
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Old 11-11-2009, 10:23 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,262,628 times
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I am no expert, but I have heard some very nice things about Cherry Valeey that is not too farm from Rockford. I know nothing about the area.
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Old 11-11-2009, 10:27 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 85,370,617 times
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You would be better off commuting to Waukegan from Milwaukee than from Cherry Valley...

from:Cherry Valley, IL to:Waukegan IL to:Milwaukee WI - Google Maps
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Old 11-11-2009, 10:46 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,262,628 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
You would be better off commuting to Waukegan from Milwaukee than from Cherry Valley...

from:Cherry Valley, IL to:Waukegan IL to:Milwaukee WI - Google Maps
I will accept your assement as correct. It was a thought as one of our members does or did have a house for sale there a few months ago. He speaks very highly of the area. I just looked at the map. I wouldn't either. Thanks.
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Old 11-12-2009, 07:30 AM
 
Location: Lake Arlington Heights, IL
5,479 posts, read 12,263,285 times
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If there are advantages to staying in WI, perhaps Pleasant Prairie or Kenosha?
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Old 11-12-2009, 07:42 AM
 
Location: Gurnee, IL
63 posts, read 208,259 times
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I grew up in Brookfield, WI, so I can see where Elm Grove would be attractive to you. Good schools, large lots, etc. I live in Gurnee right now. I wouldn't say it would have been my first choice, but we did get a nice house in a nice neighborhood for a good price. Unfortunately, I am not as pleased with the school rankings as I am with nearby Libertyville, Lake Forest, etc. We have a young daughter and another child on the way, so we think we will eventually move so we can send them to good public schools instead of expensive private schools. I went to Elmbrook schools in WI and was very pleased with my public school education.

Some of the neighborhoods you mentioned are more expensive than Gurnee, but then again most of the schools are better in those areas. If you can get into a nice home that may need some fixing up, I think that would be the route I would go. Wish I had done that 3 years ago. Libertyville is nice with a cute downtown. I don't know much about Lincolnshire. I do like Long Grove though. It sort of reminds me of Cedarburg. And of course all the north shore suburbs are pretty, but of course a lot higher price tag. I hope this helps.
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Old 11-12-2009, 09:05 AM
 
28,455 posts, read 85,370,617 times
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Default Yep, the tradeoff thing...

Super post!

I wish I could have bronzed something like this back when I was working full time in an residential real estate office.

So many young families would come in and want a nicer house in a less well rated school district because they thought their money would go farther and maybe the schools were not that different. Then when they were dissatisfied with the school they would want to shop for a new house in the better area and it was VERY DIFFICULT to tell them that they might even be in worse shape as they'd be looking to move their bigger household / furnishings into a smaller house or having to come up with a HUGE increase in mortgage payments.

Much better to buy the smaller house in the better area and rely on ability to fix up for more resale in better district if you decide to move up or just expand and stay put...


Quote:
Originally Posted by MomtoMal View Post
I grew up in Brookfield, WI, so I can see where Elm Grove would be attractive to you. Good schools, large lots, etc. I live in Gurnee right now. I wouldn't say it would have been my first choice, but we did get a nice house in a nice neighborhood for a good price. Unfortunately, I am not as pleased with the school rankings as I am with nearby Libertyville, Lake Forest, etc. We have a young daughter and another child on the way, so we think we will eventually move so we can send them to good public schools instead of expensive private schools. I went to Elmbrook schools in WI and was very pleased with my public school education.

Some of the neighborhoods you mentioned are more expensive than Gurnee, but then again most of the schools are better in those areas. If you can get into a nice home that may need some fixing up, I think that would be the route I would go. Wish I had done that 3 years ago. Libertyville is nice with a cute downtown. I don't know much about Lincolnshire. I do like Long Grove though. It sort of reminds me of Cedarburg. And of course all the north shore suburbs are pretty, but of course a lot higher price tag. I hope this helps.
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