Relocating to Illinois with family (Chicago, Peoria: sale, real estate, rentals)

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by dlbrnfn

1. Yes, I have a large family. Which I alone support.
2. I do work and plan to work once I relocate.
3. I have absolutely ZERO debt at this time. Everything I have is totally paid for. And no credit card debt either.
4. And if you must know, I am divorcing and want to move closer to my family after being away from them for many years.

Is there anything else I can fill you in on?? Please, just let me know.

Ignore some of them ok they are just being nosy. Honestly if you don't have any debt I would hesitate getting student loans either. Maybe get all the grants you can and limit your schooling to what those cover. That way when you graduate you don't have tons of debt waiting for you.
I have a son in law who is a professor at SIUEdwardsville and I attended there, very good school as well as those you mentioned.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by dlbrnfn

I have been looking at Pittsfield, it seems to be a nice little town. I was also looking around Alton or Godfrey but it seems to be pretty close to St. Louis. It seems there may be more housing available but not sure about being that close to a large city.

St Louis is another state and NOT Illinois and it is a good 30+ miles from Alton, Godfrey or Jerseyville. If you do not cross the river you do not go into Missouri.

Parts of Alton have gotten really bad recently as far as crime goes though so you need to watch those areas. Jerseyville can be very cliquey. Pittsfield but too far out for my tastes. Litchfield would be ok, that is where the Bear Den is and it has a lot of what you need as far as shopping goes.

[dlbrnfn]

I am leaning toward Litchfield. It seems to have many of the things we need. And I can take many of the prerequisites there. I also know a couple people that work in the area. But they have a much different family structure than I do so they weren't able to answer all of my questions.

My biggest issue right now is finding a house. I tried calling the local housing authority to see if they had a list of local landlords(the PHA's that I have worked in have anyway) , but I would have to actually go into the office and pick it up, they wouldn't mail it to me. I guess I will be calling the realtors next. Seems like 4 bedroom houses are rare, unless they are rented out by the room to college kids.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Ok, so Quincy, springfield-jacksonville and Jacksonville.
Have not been to Quincy in many years, cannot comment. Jacksonville seems decent, a little sleepy. Hopefully the re-do of the downtown square brings in some local shops and livens things up a bit. I like Springfield and some of the nearby suburbs. More options with grabbing a quick bite on hectic days than J-ville.

Do some research on quality of local schools for your kids. Then see what housing costs are in those districts and then see which college has best program and then factor proximity to family and the vibe of the towns.

Alton is OK, a bit too industrial for me. Edwardsville is more my taste.

I would move to Quincy in a heartbeat. Easy to get around, everything you need for shopping is pretty much on Broadway, the KROC Center is fabulous, schools are good (friend of mine is a 5th grade teacher in Quincy), people are great overall, cost of living is reasonable and it is a college town as well.

[linicx]

June 15 - Aug 15 is when the rental and real estate market is most active. It is very unlikely you will find a 4-bd house in isolated rural areas because they were not that common after families began to downsize in the 20th century. You sometimes find 4 bedroom in the Victorian era home. Fair warning: most are drafty. It is not unusual to discover expensive heat, electrical, and plumbing issues.

The option is the more popular 3bd 2 bath with garage and basement. If the basement has fully concrete walls and concrete floor and not partially finished (half concrete and half dirt), it is very easy to convert the basement to one or more bedrooms. My sister in law's 3/2 is configured to sleep 10 comfortably. You do not want a basement with exposed dirt due to mold spore issues.

If my memory serves me correctly, Litchfield is not terribly big and it also has a District State Police Headquarters. My cousin lives in Quincy and loves it. Collinsville is very nice area, too.

Originally Posted by dlbrnfn

I am leaning toward Litchfield. It seems to have many of the things we need. And I can take many of the prerequisites there. I also know a couple people that work in the area. But they have a much different family structure than I do so they weren't able to answer all of my questions.

My biggest issue right now is finding a house. I tried calling the local housing authority to see if they had a list of local landlords(the PHA's that I have worked in have anyway) , but I would have to actually go into the office and pick it up, they wouldn't mail it to me. I guess I will be calling the realtors next. Seems like 4 bedroom houses are rare, unless they are rented out by the room to college kids.

[dlbrnfn]

I had thought about the 3/2 thing since that is what we have now and are sort of making it work. Does Illinois have requirements for egress windows?

[linicx]

Illinois has laws for everything. I've not heard of it because I own, but generally I think one window in each bedroom should be large enough - and in good working condition - that an adult can use it to escape. If you are going to use a basement as a bedroom it should have an exterior door because most basement windows are casement windows which means they are very small and do not open fully.

With a large family, if you rent, it would probably be wise to have the furnace checked for leaks, and the dryer vent checked for blockage. You would be surprised at how many house fires are caused by lint in a dryer vent.

Originally Posted by dlbrnfn

I had thought about the 3/2 thing since that is what we have now and are sort of making it work. Does Illinois have requirements for egress windows?

[dlbrnfn]

I always make sure there has been a very recent furnace inspection before I sign a lease. My aunt almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

What is the most common type of heat in that area? Gas, propane, fuel oil, or electric?

[mdand3boys]

dlbrnfn - What type of job will you get in any of these smaller towns that can pay the rent on a larger home and support your family? I certainly understand going to college to further your future income potential, but....

[linicx]

It depends upon where you live. In the Peoria area is is FA gas or electric. In the county it is usuallly propane or electric. Heating Oil is used a lot on the East Coast. I've never heard of it in central Illinois, and I've never been in a house that used it. I have a cousing in NJ that does.

What I do know is propane and heating oil leaves a slightly greasy film on hard surfaces. My mother built an all electric home. The builder traded good heat flow for summer air by placing the heat register by the ceiling. It was the the colest house I ever lived in. My elecric house was zoned. It did not have a central unit. Each room had a independent unit built in at floor.level. I did not heat rooms I did not use. The bedroom temperature was around 60 or lower during the day. I was able to control the cost of heat. With an open floor plan I wa able to control tne A/C too.