SAFE Single Family Home under $250k in Chicago? (Hinsdale, Lincoln: rentals, houses)

[chet everett]

I like the format of the everyblock.com crime report. While this does not appear to be some hot spot of gang violence it is up the street from a public housing development: Simple battery: Domestic battery: simple | EveryBlock Chicago

I understand cabs are hard to hail near public housing...

BTW, aren't all of DePaul's MBA classes at its downtown campus? Is it worth buying near Lincoln Park if classes are downtown?

Originally Posted by Dressy

Check this adress. $230K
3857 N CENTRAL PARK Ave
CHICAGO, IL 60618
The park is right next there and some schools. Close to the blue line - so means easy to get to O'Hare.
No garage, but there is parking at the rear. Taxes are very low by Chicago standards. Do not guarantee pubs and bars all around within walking distance. But definitely you can find tons of them within a short cab ride.
And "old and small" houses have nothing to do with the price. Old small house in the location like you want will cost at least 300K. taxes will be huge too.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I like the format of the everyblock.com crime report. While this does not appear to be some hot spot of gang violence it is up the street from a public housing development: Simple battery: Domestic battery: simple | EveryBlock Chicago

I understand cabs are hard to hail near public housing...

BTW, aren't all of DePaul's MBA classes at its downtown campus? Is it worth buying near Lincoln Park if classes are downtown?

Its not a public housing development, its the scattershot CHA housing that is all over the city.

I live not too far from there - while you're right cabs aren't likely to be hailed as soon as you get to the street corner, that's more due to the quieter nature of the neighborhood than safety issues.

Its not Northcenter safe, but for the price and location, that address works out alright.

[Chicago76]

Something will definitely have to give here. If living in detached housing within the city is important to you, then the major "safe" areas between O'Hare and Lincoln Park are Jeff Park, Albany Park, and Portage Park in the far NW part of the city. None are readily cabbable locales, nor do they have particularly wonderful schools. Then again your kid isn't even 2 yet, which is why I personally would rent for a yr in a more proximate/bustling neighborhood. Then you can figure out what is important to you within the context of living here (if you decide to stay): yard, schools, 'burbs, more bustling area, etc.

[Dressy]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I like the format of the everyblock.com crime report. While this does not appear to be some hot spot of gang violence it is up the street from a public housing development: Simple battery: Domestic battery: simple | EveryBlock Chicago

I understand cabs are hard to hail near public housing...

BTW, aren't all of DePaul's MBA classes at its downtown campus? Is it worth buying near Lincoln Park if classes are downtown?

Simple battery! very funny. Show me the area where at least 5 houses were not burglarised during the last couple of weeks, close to the park, and for less then 250K. (do not forget some charm and character for the house as required).

[chicago103]

Hypothetically if the house I live in right now was for sale it would fit most of your criteria, in particular the price. I live near Midway Airport and assuming that your classes are at the downtown DePaul campus and not in Lincoln Park living near an Orange Line stop you can find relatively cheap single family housing with yards. Since you gave a preference to living near O'Hare, perhaps because you may need to fly somewhere to visit relatives or whatever but unless you are flying internationally you can reach most continental US destinations by flying out of Midway Airport. Now if you look at housing in the city closer to O'Hare it can also get fairly affordable but for whatever reason the area by Midway is a bit cheaper still.

[chet everett]

If one were to measure the commute from the Midway area (Archer Heights / Garfield Ridge neighborhoods) to DePaul's downtown campus I believe there are many places outside the City limits that compare favorably and likely represent a better value. Additionally these desirable suburbs have schools that far exceed all but the most selective of CPS.

Without knowing the specifics of what benefits a single mom working on an MBA would see in living inside Chicago I hesitate to recommend one situation over the other however I would caution that many folks that do earn MBAs at DePaul end up working far away from the Loop. It might not be smart to buy a home that would result in a terrible commute...

Originally Posted by chicago103

Hypothetically if the house I live in right now was for sale it would fit most of your criteria, in particular the price. I live near Midway Airport and assuming that your classes are at the downtown DePaul campus and not in Lincoln Park living near an Orange Line stop you can find relatively cheap single family housing with yards. Since you gave a preference to living near O'Hare, perhaps because you may need to fly somewhere to visit relatives or whatever but unless you are flying internationally you can reach most continental US destinations by flying out of Midway Airport. Now if you look at housing in the city closer to O'Hare it can also get fairly affordable but for whatever reason the area by Midway is a bit cheaper still.

[Dressy]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

Its not Northcenter safe, but for the price and location, that address works out alright.

Actually we rent in Northcenter now, a corner house, and last summer I recall there was some fights and yelling under my windows at night time every 2-3 days. At least once in a week I saw a police car coming to take care of it. Actually, reports of battery are not as bad. That means the police actually reacts and come. Much worse, if they just ignore it.
A guy in another area told me, that he saw that a bunch of guys were robbing cars one by one at night, and he called the police and nobody came. Now this is what I call bad.

[Dressy]

Funny I have just written the post above and half an hour later we have a pretty loud fight at the corner of Damen and Warner (Northcenter). Two police car came to stop it.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by Dressy

Funny I have just written the post above and half an hour later we have a pretty loud fight at the corner of Damen and Warner (Northcenter). Two police car came to stop it.

Interesting...wouldn't have guessed that would be a frequent issue around there.

[Runuova]

Originally Posted by Dressy

Actually, reports of battery are not as bad. That means the police actually reacts and come. Much worse, if they just ignore it.

My exact feelings about the new neighborhood i'm moving to.