Relocating for Job in Westchester, IL (Chicago, Wheaton: renting, house, safe neighborhood)

[paigemadison]

May be relocating for a job in Westchester, IL. Suggestions on places to live under an hour commute, affordable, good schools, safe, reasonable property taxes? Budget $350K for house. (Would be renting first.) Thank you!

[3Series]

Why don't you just live in Westchester? It's a decent middle class town with everything you need nearby. It's close to the airports, highways, downtown Chicago. If your income supports a $350k house you'll fit right in. There's nothing spectacular about Westchester, but that's a blanket statment that covers most of suburbia.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by 3Series

Why don't you just live in Westchester? It's a decent middle class town with everything you need nearby. It's close to the airports, highways, downtown Chicago. If your income supports a $350k house you'll fit right in. There's nothing spectacular about Westchester, but that's a blanket statment that covers most of suburbia.

The reason that there are a large number of homes available at $350K or less in Westchester is precisely becuase it is NOT desirable in comparison to other surrounding towns.

Anyone that has knowledge of the Chicago region would know that we are fortunate to have many very desirable suburbs that have excellent schools, top notch rail transit, charming walkable traditional town centers with wonderful resturants, nice shops and a superior level of ammenities. Unfortunately Westchester is not in that category. The largest negative is the very poor quality of the high school district, Proviso West, a very large negative for anyone with kids.

While $350K won't go far in a really desirable suburb like Western Springs or LaGrange there may be some homes that are older / not updated in this range. Realistically the more affordable parts of LaGrange Park ight be an option, as would be Brookfield. These are all towns that do have FAR better schools than Westchester as well as much better access to commuter rail and nice shopping / recreational options.

Blanket statements generally reveal the lack of knowledge more than anything else...

[3Series]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The reason that there are a large number of homes available at $350K or less in Westchester is precisely becuase it is NOT desirable in comparison to other surrounding towns.

Anyone that has knowledge of the Chicago region would know that we are fortunate to have many very desirable suburbs that have excellent schools, top notch rail transit, charming walkable traditional town centers with wonderful resturants, nice shops and a superior level of ammenities. Unfortunately Westchester is not in that category. The largest negative is the very poor quality of the high school district, Proviso West, a very large negative for anyone with kids.

While $350K won't go far in a really desirable suburb like Western Springs or LaGrange there may be some homes that are older / not updated in this range. Realistically the more affordable parts of LaGrange Park ight be an option, as would be Brookfield. These are all towns that do have FAR better schools than Westchester as well as much better access to commuter rail and nice shopping / recreational options.

Blanket statements generally reveal the lack of knowledge more than anything else...

The person is renting. My advice is to "live" in Westchester close to work. He/She/They have time to figure out where to buy property.

[chet everett]

OP specifically asked about SCHOOL and PROPERTY TAXES as well as SAFETY, all areas that Westchester does not compare favorably with its more desirable neighbors but of course I would not expect any fool that believes suburbs to uniformly unspectacular to understand that...

[paigemadison]

We are considering leaving the NYC metro area. Chicago area is not really one of my first picks, but circumstances may lead us there. We are willing to commute up to an hour for good schools, affordable housing in a nice suburb with young families. So far, at a very short initial look, not encouraged by cost of living, it's not THAT much better then what we have here! Just was hoping there are some great more affordable suburbs a little further out if we are willing to make the commute!

[paigemadison]

Is it crazy to live in Wisconsin to save on housing & property taxes and commute? Do people do that?

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by paigemadison

Is it crazy to live in Wisconsin to save on housing & property taxes and commute? Do people do that?

Not to Westchester, traffic would be insane. Passing all the offices in Lake Co, Northern Cook Co, the O'Hare Airport, eastern DuPage Co and then back again every night is just not feasible.

If you don't mind driving you can manage to head south from Westchester, as there is a whole lot less developement in that direction and the traffic is not nearly as bad.

If you really want to look out on the fringes you can can a big cookie cutter house in a tract development in your budget -- 9078 Charrington Dr, FRANKFORT, IL 60423 | MLS# 08615701 | Redfin Taxes are a much larger percentage (about 3% of asking price...) becuase the infrastructure is carried almost exclusively by homeowners that moved out that way during the "boom" and all the schools / roads / municipal staff needed to be built all at once...

You should be able to drive to an office in Westchester in about 45 minutes.

It would not be my top choice but it you are hankering for a three car garage and all the other trappings of generic subdisions living there are worse places...

[paigemadison]

It would not be my top choice but it you are hankering for a three car garage and all the other trappings of generic subdisions living there are worse places...

Ha! I would love a 4 bedroom, 2 car garage in a nice safe neighborhood with other young families. My husband is not so picky and shares your sentiment above. Thanks for the info!

[Lookout Kid]

If a suburb is desirable and has good schools, there will be young families. Alternatively, new subdivisions tend to attract young families. Westchester is exactly the kind of suburb you DON'T want to live in. The housing stock is aging as is the population, and parts of the town feel frozen in the 1950's. The schools are declining, and the public high school is one of the worst.

People give some ridiculous advice on here sometimes. One poster said that Glen Ellyn wouldn't have young families because the housing and taxes were too expensive. Yet I fully expect to have no less than ten children running around my yard in a pack when I get home from work tonight. Our neighborhood is PACKED with little kids--and more are moving in every day. Your $350,000-$400,000 price range isn't going to buy your dream home in the heart of a town like Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, or Downers Grove. But there are many options further out on the edges of these towns in your price range. Or if you want more house, you can always look in suburbs a bit more to the south, like Frankfort, Mokena, or Plainfield.