Relocation from Naperville to Chicago (Lincoln, Roscoe: real estate, apartments, rentals)

[Kmanshouse]

So we are looking to downsize and move from Naperville into Chicago during 2019. We will be renting.

At this time, we will have two sons either wrapping up college or doing the super senior year. Of the two, guessing 1 will boomerang for a bit and the other won't. Neither takes up a ton of space - we are viewing this home as a crash pad for them just during certain parts of the year, or on a temporary basis. Still, we'd like them to be reasonably comfortable. They would share a bedroom when living with us.

In addition, our daughter will be 19 at the time of the proposed move, a college kid. Permanently residing with us on breaks.

I have worked in the city for a long time, am quite familiar with it, but have always lived in the suburbs. My wife spent some of her childhood living on the West Side, but since then has also been suburban. Our young adult offspring are all quite suburban and aren't thrilled with this situation, but are generally accepting it. All 5 of us are very close - we want them comfortable but also see this as a bit of a nudge to transition into full on adulthood.

Looking for a 3 BR, 2BA place for $2500-$3000/month. Could potentially stretch a little past that if we absolutely had to. Would like to be in a residential area, not a high rise. A smaller multifamily building is fine, maybe up to 4-5 stories. A place with some green nearby. At the same time, I don't want my commute to the loop to exceed 45 minutes, door to door. I'm sick of this long commute and that's a big reason for the move.

Our favorite neighborhood is Lincoln Square/Ravenswood, staying east of Western and west of the Metra line. South of Lawrence. Expanding south, also like North Center, West Lakeview, Roscoe Village. Also like Bucktown, but am hoping not to land in Wicker Park (too young) or West Town (not quite there yet for us).

We also like Old Town.

As we peruse the internet for apartments to give us an idea of what we can find next year, I'm just wondering if we are missing another neighborhood or two that would be suitable. I would like to stay away from Uptown, Andersonville feels too far north, DePaul area way too young, Lincoln Park is a maybe but also feels young. Would like not to be smack dab in Wrigleyville (too Cubbie, too drunk, and I'm a Sox fan). Nothing in our budget/size comes up in Fulton or West Loop.

Any other ideas I may be missing? I do not know enough about the South Loop or Logan/Palmer Square area to feel comfortable with them. What about near Little Italy/UIC?

Anyway, would love to hear thoughts from this group on possible other ideas. The search, while early, is giving us a few possible options but not as many as I'd hoped.

Thanks,

[Vlajos]

Andersonville is fantastic and has more or less the same train commute time downtown as Lincoln Square. I wouldn't exclude Uptown as most of it is very nice going west all the way to Ravenswood from Montrose to Foster. I think you will find what you are looking for in Lincoln Square though.

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Andersonville is fantastic and has more or less the same train commute time downtown as Lincoln Square. I wouldn't exclude Uptown as most of it is very nice going west all the way to Ravenswood from Montrose to Foster. I think you will find what you are looking for in Lincoln Square though.

Thanks, the issue is that that boundary I described in LS has almost no inventory that suits us whenever we look. We'd love to be within 2-3 blocks of Giddings, but not much there.

Edit: I have 666 posts and 666 reputation. Yikes!!

[Vlajos]

Post again quick!

Going west of Western in Lincoln Square is worth a look, Ravenswood Gardens is beautiful. Roscoe Village is worth checking out too.

[damba]

I would look around in Ravenswood as well. My gut says you could find a really nice condo to rent there meeting those parameters. May be tough to find ‘the perfect fit’ in LS now due to crazy popularity.

[personone]

The only place I’d add is east Lincoln Park. As you move away from DePaul area it’s definitely less young, and you’re right next to the park, so there is endless greenery. Lots of great shops and restaurants in the area up Clark street and on Diversey.

Ravenswood sounds like a good option for you too.

[prhill]

I would stay away from Uptown as well. Everyone keeps telling me it is much better than it was when I lived there in the early 90s yet there has been a lot of violence there recently like rapes and shootings.

Roscoe Village and Lincoln Square are real nice though as is Andersonville

[fusillirob1983]

It sounds like you're looking in the right areas for your situation. I know you said south of Lawrence, but is there any reason you wouldn't look up to say Argyle in LS? That would still put you pretty close to the square still.


I would imagine you'll enjoy the north side neighborhoods more than Little Italy/UIC. You can most likely find something down there in your price range within a block of Taylor Street, though.

[chet everett]

I'd include some of the older buildings in the Illinois Center / "new east side" area and maybe the greater Gold Coast / Old Town area, but those older building might have a reputation for very modestly sized rooms. The trend of larger rooms is much easier to find in single family detached homes than any sort of multi-family. Even older three flats and such are likely to trigger an "OMG my DORM is bigger' reaction from your kids as colleges have upgraded their offerings...

I have seen some larger lofts that I suspect are a better transition from suburban sized homes, rentals are not widely advertised but the sort of space you can expect with a 4br or larger in River North or other hip areas can be appealing -- https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/42.../home/12576775 . My gut says that if you find a well connected real estate broker that handles rentals for folks who own such units they'd be happy to work out an agreement with tenants like you, especially if somebody has been burned by AirBnB or packs of kids fresh out of college trying to "house hack" with unauthorized sub-lessors... Whole different level of care with a legitimate family of adult kids. Will somebody accept "just" $3k for that peace of mind ? Depends on many factors.

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by fusillirob1983

It sounds like you're looking in the right areas for your situation. I know you said south of Lawrence, but is there any reason you wouldn't look up to say Argyle in LS? That would still put you pretty close to the square still.


I would imagine you'll enjoy the north side neighborhoods more than Little Italy/UIC. You can most likely find something down there in your price range within a block of Taylor Street, though.

Part of it is that I will need to get to either the EL or Metra. I work in the Sears Tower. North of Lawrence starts to become a hike to the Brown line, unless it's east enough to catch the Metra at Ravenswood/Lawrence. And I haven't yet explored Wolcott Gardens, maybe it's okay.

Being east of Western and west of Ravenswood, but south of Lawrence, would be nice. This is also why I've expanded down into North Center or Roscoe Village. I don't want to move to the city and have almost an hour commute.