New job taking us to N. Chicago sub. need help (Evanston: rent, how much)

[hollygirl]

Hi,
My husband just got a job based in Vernon Hills. We are moving from Ohio, though we did live in Chicago for five years. We now have two children, 3 and under 1 yrs old. So i think that Chicago city living is out. I need help figuring out a good place to live. I have been checking out Grayslake area and of course Vernon Hills. I would love to be able to afford Evanston (we lived there for a year and liked it a lot). My DH will be making about 140k so not sure what that could allow us to spend. I think we may rent for at least 6 months to figure out where we want to be. But my oldest child just started preschool, so I would like to find a nice place to get her settled back into a new good school. Good schools are a must. Thank you.

[nanannie]

Check out Vernon Hills to live,great schools,lots of shopping,lots of family activity,and a metra to the city.Also you might look at Buffalo Grove.Your husband would have an easy commute.Good Luck to you

[hollygirl]

Thank you nanannie. That is what i was thinking too. Do you know much about Grayslake area?

[nanannie]

Grayslake,Its a growing area,you may get more house for your money there,but it is further out/longer commute for you.The schools are not as good,but I am sure they are not "bad" .I might also suggest Libertyville.Very good schools there , a nice downtown area and again,on the metra line.

[Paige65]

I think you could look most anywhere on the salary your husband will make, including the communities on the north shore (which I mention because you say you liked Evanston). Contrary to popular opinion, there are families in these communities making less than $200,000, living in modest homes. I wouldn't recommend Evanston simply because the commute would not be good, but I don't think you should rule out Lake Bluff, Lake Forest or Highland Park. It all depends upon what you are looking for. If you want as much square feet and yard as you can get for your money, don't look at the aforementioned suburbs. However, if you like the feel of those communities, there is certainly housing to be had, especially in today's market. You'll most likely be getting a 3/1.5 with not much yard, but a good old fashioned tree lined street sort of neighborhood, very good schools, etc. The supply in Lake Forest or Lake Bluff won't be high, but there are a few smaller homes around Lake Forest downtown area and west Lake Bluff (and a very small few here and there in east Lake Bluff). In Highland Park, try the Sunset Park, Ravinia and Sherwood Forest areas.

If you'd like a bit bigger house and more land, then I'd look at Lincolnshire (which has great schools), Vernon Hills, and Libertyville.

I don't know enough about Grayslake to comment about the town or its school system.

Another community to check out would be Deerfield.

Good luck.

[4xxandnoxy]

We're looking in Lake Bluff and Lake Forest but we have 4 kids (7,6,4,2). Contrary to the message above, there's tons on the market right now. . . all depends on how much equity you bring to the table. . .

By the way, I grew up in Lincolnshire and it's a great place to raise a family as mentioned above. Schools are phenomenal.

Good luck.

[cag]

I would stay away from Grayslake for its high property taxes. We just sold our house to an out of state couple that did not research the surrounding areas for taxes and schools. Grayslake has one of the shortest school days in the state also. You don't get what you pay for here in Grayslake, this is why we sold our house and are moving.

[csewfava]

If you're considering Grayslake, I agree with cag. The property taxes are too high. We just moved to IL 4 months ago and we chose Lake Zurich. Our kids are 7 and 4, and I'm currently a stay at home mom with plans to return to teaching next year. Good luck!