Kankakee County Riverfront property available (Chicago, Peoria: insurance, house, safe neighborhood)

[slangvel]

Daughter has a River Front property on the Kankakee River available, it is about 5 miles east of Kankakee. Home was built in 2001, has 5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, central air, forced gas heat and sits on 1.22 acres. Looking to downsize. Would be nice home for someone wanting to get out of Chicago. Excellent access to interstate 57, or you could use Amtrak from downtown Kankakee to the city. Nice quiet safe neighborhood. Pictures available on request.

[slangvel]

I can maybe attach a brochure with pictures of the place if interested.

[Curly Q. Bobalink]

All I can say about riverfront property, is "Buyer Beware". Speak to neighbors, your insurance company, FEMA, look at the historical river crests and find out if the property has ever been inundated. There is a National Weather Service site that will allow you to create your own "Make my river" page, see attached to start:
https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/rive...%5D=hydrograph

I speak from experience, buddy of mine bought a small house and garage on the Iroquois River maybe five miles outside the town of Ashkum, Illinois, in about the year 2000. (not all too far from the Kankakee, maybe fifteen or twenty miles). The property was probably at least fifteen feet above the river (I remember having to walk down a long flight of stairs to get to the water when he showed me the property after he bought it). In fact, it was so high above the water, he didn't bother to buy flood insurance for it. Big mistake - in 2003, I think, the Iroquois swelled to near-record levels, flooding both the town of Watseka and his property, I went to visit it with him and his brother, and we couldn't get within a quarter-mile of it in the car - we tied a rope between us and I "anchored" as they walked to the property through flowing water about a foot deep, the house was flooded to about 18" high on the inside. After the flood subsided, he and his brother replaced drywall, insulation, flooring, etc.. All was well until about 2016, when it happened again. This time, he had flood insurance, and demolished the place after collecting the insurance on it.

Again, "Buyer Beware", my friend was really bummed out about it, and would NOT have bought the property if he knew then what he knows now, the rivers in that area are subject to flooding, especially if jammed up by winter ice thaws.

[slangvel]

This property has never flooded. Iroquois county especially Watseka has a history of water problems.

[Jon998877]

The problem with this property is its in the Kankakee school district..

If wanting river property in the area, west of town along Rt 113 is where to go as its in the Herscher school district..

[Curly Q. Bobalink]

Originally Posted by slangvel

This property has never flooded. Iroquois county especially Watseka has a history of water problems.

Never said that yours did, I was only warning potential buyers of ANY river property to be VERY careful. My buddy had neighbors within a few hundred feet whose homes did not flood when his did, although they couldn't drive to their homes for days, until the crests dropped.

I've always thought of rivers and streams as "Nature's sewers". They are naturally in the low points of an area, because rainwater typically follows that "gravity" thing, and are subject to farmland (fertilizer and pesticide) runoff. One needs to be careful about what is going into a particular river upstream of whatever location they are considering. For instance, would you purchase riverfront property on the Des Plaines, south of Joliet, hoping to swim, boat, fish, etc., in it, after both the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Cal Sag Channel feed it? Not if you're smart, the Chicago Sanitary Canal is a repository for the largest sewage plant in the country, and although the sewage is treated, it certainly isn't "sterilized". I shudder to think of it.

[slangvel]

[slangvel]

[Liledgy]

The Kankakee is a beautiful river, especially west of I-55. That part of the river has some gorgeous homes. It also flows into the desplaines river and becomes the Illinois river. You can take it north east to Chicago or go southwest to Peoria, The Mississippi, etc. it’s pretty deep on that stretch too.

[Curly Q. Bobalink]

That's a darned pretty piece of property and home. Is there access to the river from it? (a dock or similar to tie up a boat).

What is the asking price, taxes, and utilities? Is it listed and viewable on Zillow? I'll pass it on to my friend, but I think he's looking at Tennessee in retirement for the better weather and taxes.