Relocating - Need info on Crown Point (Gary, Hammond: bank owned, sale)

[Chuckity]

Btw, when searching for properties, make sure you use: www.gniarmls.com. It's the public portal for our local Realtor's Association MLS. You see most everything (save for private agent only remarks) an agent sees.

[QueenB2912]

Yes, I much prefer a living husband

[QueenB2912]

Thanks Chuckity! I appreciate the info!

[svillechris]

If your husband commuting into Chicago is set in stone, I think a few other questions should be considered before picking the ideal town:

Does he prefer to drive or would the train be his preference?
What is the max commute time he's willing to have?
Does his employer offer parking?
If he drove, would he be willing to pay $15+/day in parking? How about $8/day in tolls on top of that?
Where in Chicago (intersection, not address) will he work?
Will you be working? If so, where?

In my opinion, all of these questions are important before I would give a recommendation of which town you may like. If you are able to answer those, I can get more into the details of why I'm asking each.

However, Northwest Indiana's description of Crown Point is excellent. Crown Point overall is a nice town. My image of it is that it's standard middle class town, but I feel it's turning for the better with some of the newer construction and people being attracted to the town for good school system, yet reasonable housing prices.

[QueenB2912]

Svillechris- My husband will be working near Soldier Field - don't have exact intersection but it's within a few blocks I know. He won't be taking the train as his job requires a work car - tolls & parking will be paid for by the employer. Ideally he wouldn't like his commute to be more than 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes. I won't be working right away, but when I do I'll be looking for something close to wherever we live. Hope this helps Thanks!

[knighthood82]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

1) Crown Point itself is split in between two townships - Ross & Center. If schools are important, make sure you are in CENTER township so that you will be in the Crown Point school district. The Ross township area ( a section northern Crown Point) is zoned for Merrillville schools (not so hot but not the worst).

Make sure to stay south of 101st Ave. if you're insterested in Crown Point. That's the border of Ross & Center townships. You'll definitely notice the difference in the prices of homes on the opposite sides of 101st but being in the Crown Point school system will be a worth the extra investment.

[knighthood82]

Here is another website that may help you: Lake IN Silverlight GIS Website It's the Lake County Surveyor's site. You can search by a certain address and it will show you where the exact lot lines are for any home you may be interested in (just make sure to leave out "street", "drive" or "ave" ect when searching). Just use the street number and name. If you scroll down to the bottom of the "results" box on the right side to the "links" portion you can link directly to the Lake County assessors website to find the assessed value of the property and fom there you can link directly to the Treasurer's website to find out the taxes.

[QueenB2912]

Thank you knighthood82!

[svillechris]

Originally Posted by QueenB2912

Svillechris- My husband will be working near Soldier Field - don't have exact intersection but it's within a few blocks I know. He won't be taking the train as his job requires a work car - tolls & parking will be paid for by the employer. Ideally he wouldn't like his commute to be more than 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes. I won't be working right away, but when I do I'll be looking for something close to wherever we live. Hope this helps Thanks!

Well, with the employer paying for tolls and parking, your husband is in quite the enviable position. Also working just south of the loop near Soldier Field will save some time as well as opposed to working right downtown, so travel-wise that's a plus too. Basically, knowing all of that, your options for good towns are wide open, there are plenty to choose from. But it sounds like you like what you've seen researching Crown Point, and that would be a solid choice. Chesterton is another as already suggested.

I believe that they're comparable towns in terms of real estate prices, and the drive for your husband will be about an hour (to hour 15) from both. From Crown Point taking the skyway (toll road) to Chicago, I'd recommend hopping on 65, right to the toll road all the way up. Be aware, though, that depending where in Crown Point you're starting from, and with a little nasty weather, coupled with the always-frustrating traffic on the Dan Ryan nearing the city, his commute may push an hour 15 - hour 30 on some days.

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by knighthood82

Make sure to stay south of 101st Ave. if you're insterested in Crown Point. That's the border of Ross & Center townships. You'll definitely notice the difference in the prices of homes on the opposite sides of 101st but being in the Crown Point school system will be a worth the extra investment.

I have always wondered, does the 101st boundary affect White Hawk Country Club as well? I heard that most of that subdivision was zoned to Merrillville schools and the other part Crown Point schools, but I am not 100% sure. I couldn't imagine paying that much to live there and being zoned to Merrillville schools!