Is Elmwood Park worth moving to? (Chicago, Des Plaines: crime rates, employment, catholic schools)

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by allen2323

No offense to realtors. The same goes for stock brokers. Great advice, and certainly great opinions and investment ideas. Bottom line is, it's your money. Do your own homework always. If you do your own homework and are well informed, and the realtor is also an informed realtor. Then your realtor will probably appreciate you as a client and enjoy your repeat business. Maybe earlier on when purchasing my fist property, but normally now I do more of the identifying properties that I want be shown, along with any other properties that the realtor might have in mind. Usually, we end up coming to the same conclusions after seeing the properties in person anyway. And, I normally end up choosing the properties that I identified on my own as being the best deal. When I am in the market for a property, I spend alot of time comparing and going over everything. Very few realtors would be as picky and thorough selecting a particular property for a client as I am with my own money.

There is a huge difference between clients looking to purchase their own home and an investor purchasing property.

What you are describing above is how an inexperienced buyer searches for a home not what an experienced investor does. There is a difference. A big difference.

[allen2323]

Originally Posted by Chuckity

There is a huge difference between clients looking to purchase their own home and an investor purchasing property.

What you are describing above is how an inexperienced buyer searches for a home not what an experienced investor does. There is a difference. A big difference.

I find that inexperienced investors, homebuyers, usually make there decision based solely on the information and advice that they are presented with. Unless you are a large investor and have a realtor that is personally employed by you or your company, your best interest will be served by doing your own homework.

[ajolotl]

Any investor who comes to city-data for strategy has bigger problems than allen2323.

[ajolotl]

Also, allen deserves credit for keeping things in balance. Even though he exaggerates, so do people on the other side of the "declining neighborhood" debates.

[allen2323]

Originally Posted by ajolotl

Also, allen deserves credit for keeping things in balance. Even though he exaggerates, so do people on the other side of the "declining neighborhood" debates.

I will of course continue to post my own honest opinions. There is nothing wrong with having opposing opinions or points of views. Nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone most of the time, but it should end there. It doesn't mean the other person has less correct judgement or is of bad character because you disagree with them.

And as far as the back and forth with chuckity is concerned. It's done, we have both already stated our own opinions about certain topics and our personal opinions are complete polar opposites from one another. No room for compromise at all. It's better to agree to disagree and move on. Or else personal attacks will ruin the discussion and keep things going completely off topic.

[Peer79]

Keep in mind that all of the viewpoints posted in this thread are simply opinions. I think that the people who are most knowledgeable about a given area are in fact local realtors/investors. Specializations are also of note,for example, a local real estate agent who sells primarily single family homes, may not know so much about multi-family housing.

I am an Elmwood Park-based Realtor/local investor/homeowner, which is why I feel confident speaking in regards to Elmwood Park. As a realtor, and specifically someone who has worked primarily with investment properties, I feel I know more about many suburbs than the average citizen, who does not spend much time thinking about real estate. However, those are not my areas of expertise, so I refrain from offering insight. My comments on Homewood Flossmoor would not be the most informed.

Also of importance is personal bias. Experts in any field are still subject to injecting personal bias into any discourse. Any evaluation should be done objectively, and keep in mind that personal bias may creep into any opinion which has been offered. I am sure that some of the posters have read an appraisal report, which states "Opinion of Value". Even an expert opinion, is qualified as such.

I felt the need to offer my insight into Elmwood Park due to previous threads on this website, which seemed only to focus on negative aspects. If anyone were to only read some of those threads, he/she would get the impression that EP was well on the way to becoming Englewood. I do agree with some posters that the western suburbs probably offer the best single family home value. However, this value is not drastically superior to a place like EP. Some people prefer living in an inner ring suburb for a wide variety of reasons as opposed to a further-out locale.

My point would be to take everything on the Internet with a grain of salt. As for me, I am biased towards inner-ring suburbs, specifically EP.

[SamA]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The demographics of the Oak Park workforce is quite a bit different than other close in burbs -- the reason has a lot to do with schools and jobs too. Back before Chicago required city workers to live inside the city EP was favorite alternative, but over the years the people "grandfathered in" have all retired or died. They never really took education all that seriously because with clout it didn't mater if you lessened anything in school. As the alternatives for folks without a good education got slimmer and slimmer EP's crummy schools represent a worse and worse trade off. Blue color types just do not appeal to professional office types. Shot and a beer EP is not like white ine Oak Park. Nothing. While OP's "housing advocates" were steering racial diversity EP was a bastion of homogenous near segregrarion...
Why would some wanna drive considerably further to a crummier town from a good job at Loyola if they could do better Brookfield?

Gotltlieb? No comparison to Looyola -- teaching hospitals have better work environments as well as much more attractive perks for staff with families, not the least of which is tuition

FYI - Gottlieb and Loyola have merged. Gottlieb is now "Loyola's Gottlieb Campus". For whatever that's worth...

[Pebbs78]

CityToBurbs75:

It took me a few days to respond, because I want to give you the best advice I can. I was in your very same situation a couple of years ago. I lived in Chicago for many years, in different areas, (Tri-Taylor, Pilsen, West Town, Andersonville). I made a move to Elmwood Park in 2008. I currently live near Harlem, within the area that I’ve read some posters consider 'risky.'

Honestly, I nearly laugh at some of these comments made regarding the area – I think a lot of it is opinionated without experience. Many areas are in decline right now due to the slagging economy and I think people like to take this idea, skew it, and run with it. I walk my dog every night, I see the neighborhood around me with a close eye. I talk to people. This is a safe area to me – I have never had anything or anyone made me feel unsafe here, and I am a woman. This area is a community and the neighbors look out for each other. When the two feet of snow fell, we all helped each other shovel. Even people that live in the flats across the street came out to help, and they did not have to. Kids play here.

Myself, I am white. My street consists of polish, greek, white, a few Spanish families – it’s a mix, and it’s great and I like the diversity. I am 2 blocks in from Harlem – you can look out my window and see the metra. There is no graffiti on garage doors, which, you know, is very common in the city. You do not see people on the corners. People are generally quite here and respect each other’s property. I have never seen any fights or heard gunshots – the most noise I ever hear is the sound of trains, or kids lighting fireworks on the 4th.

Compared to the city, you will feel like you are in the suburbs here – it is low key, (although it’s not quite suburban) You can get a fantastic brick home right now for your budget – perhaps even one that has been updated, (I’ve seen a few around your price range with all the updates). And I applaud you for living within a budget – I myself could afford to live in a far-flung suburb, but I choose not to. I once looked at moving to Elmhurst or Oak Brook, but they are both too far out for me, and also feel even more suburban than ep. I like it here because it’s the best of both worlds – not quite suburban, but not quite city either.

There is the blue/green line that runs through Oak Park, if you want the EL. This is not within walking distance though. The Metra is and runs through EP, so you can get downtown in about 25 minutes. There are CTA busses at Harlem, and on the east/west main streets. The drive is not bad into the city in the AM, just take Fullerton in and cut south at Clyborne, (about 45 min door to door in rush hour). Oak Park is another very nice area, but it is more pricey than EP. Plus, may of the homes are frame & siding in my price range. I was looking at OP before here, and I could not find a home with a good basement that did not need work. Taxes are higher also in oak park.

The bad of EP vs the city: a wide-variety restaurants are no longer in walking distance. Neither is a gym. There are select restaurants on North Avenue, but I live more near Grand, so it is not convenient to walk. I really like the North Ave area better –and I may make a move more south in the next few years for that very reason. Not too much on Grand ave – you would think there would be due to the Metra train….

It is also very quite here at night, unlike the city. If you are used to a lot of noise, this will be a change. I miss the sound of the EL, believe it or not. I do miss the nose and the ‘rattling’ of the city streets at night. Anyhow, I wish you luck and hope you find a home that you and your family will enjoy for many years.

[CityToBurbs75]

FYI to everyone who provided feedback, we ended up buying in Berwyn. We got a nice 1500 sq. ft. bungalow on a tree-lined street near Proksa Park and we're very happy with our purchase. Thanks.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by CityToBurbs75

FYI to everyone who provided feedback, we ended up buying in Berwyn. We got a nice 1500 sq. ft. bungalow on a tree-lined street near Proksa Park and we're very happy with our purchase. Thanks.

Cool, welcome to the 'hood!