moving from a north Chicago burb to Indy burb..help. (Indianapolis: for sale, houses)

[neatz]

Hi,
We are looking at Fishers, Carmel and Zionsville. Now it is time to work with a realtor, but, I feel I need more direction...does anyone have knowledge of specific subdivisions in those areas.

We are really wanting to know what neighborhoods are very family friendly. Younger families, interactive, we are moving from a subdivision that I am sure at one time was that way..now it is an older community and although wonderful, we are hoping to find a more "young family area". Any ideas? We are hoping to find a 4 Bedroom/3 bedroom home in a price range of around 350,000-375,000.

Any ideas of subdivisions to consider? Thanks you to any repliers!

[rrah]

Just an FYI--an agent, any agent, will not be able to tell you which neighborhoods have younger families due to Fair Housing laws. What I used to suggest to my clients is to look in the backyards and any open garages while driving through neighborhoods. At least when I lived in a neighborhood like you describe the backyards were full of playsets, etc. and garages had small bikes and strollers.

Can't help you with neighborhoods except to say that all 3 of those areas will be family friendly. I would consider how long you plan to live in the area and if you want your kids to eventually go to a high school of 5000 students. That's always been a huge drawback for me personally when people talk about Carmel.

[weskania]

There are a lot of great subdivisions in those areas, so I'm not sure if just getting some ideas of subdivisions on here will help you narrow it down. Ideally, you're going to want to just start looking at what's currently listed for sale in those areas, find the houses you like, then see if you like the neighborhood. Home inventory has been low all summer, and some neighborhoods will only have one or two homes listed for sale (or sometimes none), so narrowing it down to specific neighborhoods early on could really limit your search. One way to start your search if you want is to look at a proximity to schools that your kids would be attending.

[ischyros]

Originally Posted by neatz

Hi,
We are looking at Fishers, Carmel and Zionsville. Now it is time to work with a realtor, but, I feel I need more direction...does anyone have knowledge of specific subdivisions in those areas.

We are really wanting to know what neighborhoods are very family friendly. Younger families, interactive, we are moving from a subdivision that I am sure at one time was that way..now it is an older community and although wonderful, we are hoping to find a more "young family area". Any ideas? We are hoping to find a 4 Bedroom/3 bedroom home in a price range of around 350,000-375,000.

Any ideas of subdivisions to consider? Thanks you to any repliers!

You should be able to find houses in that price range in all three areas you mentioned. Carmel tends to be a little older, Fishers a bit younger. That said the median age in all three cities is well under 40. Carmel seems to have had an explosion of retirement homes which could partly explain why its median age skews older. It's also a more expensive place to live. Still all three areas are very family friendly. Proximity to schools, job, certain parts of Indianapolis may be the biggest factor and could help narrow things down.

[masters1]

Check out Saxony neighborhood in Fishers. Homes in your price range and lots of kids. Newer development, near Hamilton Town Center.

[Humboldt1]

Also keep in mind that taxes will be half or a third of what you are used to paying moving from northern Chicago burbs to places like Carmel, Fishers or Zionsville. Good help the rest of us saps living in Lake, Cook, and Dupage counties. If not for work, I would move back to Indy in a heartbeat.

[gobucks30a]

I moved from Zionsville last year after being there almost 8 years. We loved it and would move back in a heart beat. If you have any questions regarding specific neighborhoods please feel free to private message me. Good luck!

[ndindy]

Neighborhoods in eastern Carmel tend to have a warm, welcoming feel and have a lot of younger families with children. I would avoid Fishers if you or your spouse will have to do a daily commute. Western Carmel tends to be expensive and your budget will not go far if you are looking under 400k, however, a lot of it is recently built, well planned and landscaped and looks beautiful. Zionsville is nice but pricey but has a very friendly reputation and a wonderful downtown. I would start in Eastern Carmel. If you want a home in an established neighborhood look in:

Avian Glen
Woodgate
Kingswood
Stonemill
Smoky Knoll

[ruascott]

Specific subdivisions are hard to nail down...basically all the areas are going to have something along those lines.
Z'ville likely has the least amount in your price range....Carmel and Fishers will have a lot. Most homes in Carmel in that range will be a bit older than comparable prices in Fishers.

I find it best to setup auto email with detailed screens with clients, and let them see if anything catches their eye first.