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Hi, my husband and I are looking for our first home, or more specifically, we are narrowing down which suburb we prefer. We live in the city now in Hyde Park and have never really thought about the suburbs until we had our son.
I work from home as a paralegal and my husband is a business consultant. He travels to Atlanta a lot for work so ideally we would like to be closer to the airport. I feel uneasy about this whole process because we lack experience. My parents have passed away and my husband's family have always rented. Since our family/friends will still be living in the area we would like a suburb that has reasonable access to the south side. Also, when we started looking I was shocked at property taxes and so would like a suburb that has a mall or some type of business that makes them more reasonable. Schools are important to us for the property values, but I would like to send our son to catholic school.
The thing is we don't know how long we will be in the Chicago area. As previously stated my husband travels a lot to Atlanta and it would not be out of the question that we move within the next five years. On the flip side we may stay, so the desire for resale and and the desire for us loving our neighborhood needs to be equally considered.
After doing a lot of research we really liked Elmhurst. Upon further inspection we realized we could not afford Elmhurst. Also I didn't like the airplane noise. For this reason we thought that the Lombard/Glen Ellyn area would be a good fit. Then we started looking at houses. I am worried that I am not ready for that kind of suburbia. So then I went back to the drawing board and found Norridge/Harwood Heights. I really LOVE that it is surrounded by the city and all the amenities that come along with it. When I researched it on this forum I didn't feel the love but only got vague reasons as to why. Some said the schools were not good, but the schools come out to be 7/8/9s on greatschools so why are they so bad? Also there is a lot of talk about the architecture and the mcmansion new construction, but Elmhurst is full of that and people still love it so I am confused. My questions are: What do you see for the future of this suburb? Do you think it is on the rise, or on the way down? Is it safe? Is it family friendly? Another thing is a big requirement of mine is for our house to have a 2 car attached garage. This is very difficult to find in Norridge/Harwood Heights and when you do find it there is usually an ally behind the house for the neighbors' attached garages. Will this be bad for my property value. The reason I am weary of this suburb is because of the traffic and congestion. How bad is it?
Our son is only 3 months old, but I have a feeling that the Norridge/ Harwood heights area will be too urban for a child. How accurate is that for people who have raised children in the area? Why is it difficult to raise children in the city and why is a more suburban environment more appropriate?
I am asking those who have experience in the housing market, if you had a daughter and son in law who were looking for their starter home would it be a better bet to live/buy in the Glen Ellyn/Lombard area or the Norridge/Harwood heights area and why?
Also if the answer is Glen Ellyn/ Lombard area how much better is it to have a house in Glen Ellyn vs Lombard, because we were not seeing that much better of a deal as I would think by reading the other threads. All the houses we have seen have been in the incorporated areas, but for our budget the houses in Glen Ellyn have been south of Roosevelt. In this instance would it be a wash between the two areas? I ask this because obviously Lombard is closer to the airport and Chicago thus making it more convenient, but for resale would we be better off buying in Glen Ellyn? Why is Glen Ellyn so much more desirable? Is it just the schools?
My husband and I are both mixed (black/white). Would we not be welcomed in these suburbs and what are the different vibes of these neighborhoods in general that cannot be known on paper? I only ask this because as I have been researching suburbs I came across these types of questions a lot and it worries me. We are not ultra sensitive people and don't need the welcome wagon or anything, but I just want to make sure my son won't grow up with a complex or something. Hyde Park is so diverse that it never occurred to me that we may not be accepted based on our skin, but after reading some of these threads I got worried.
A final question: From the information I am giving you is there any other suburbs that you would recommend? Our budget is 450k but that would be a move in ready house. We would also like to spend less if able. We would like 3 to 4 bedrooms and 2 to 3 and 1/2 baths plus a finished/partially finished basement. We would also like the house to be on a quiet street, have a nice fenced in back yard, and as preciously noted have a 2 car attached garage.
Thank you in advance for reading this lengthy post, and for giving whatever insights you can
Glen Ellyn is a wonderful area. Better than any that you mentioned. If you can afford to live there, and find the right house, it would be the best. Nothing wrong with Lombard. Its fine. Norridge and Harwood Heights are very different from the western suburbs. I grew up close to there and have lost track of the area. Its not mentioned here much on these boards but might be a fine location if you want to be close to the city and to the airport.
If you want good access to the south side your map is flipped upside down if you are looking at Harwood Heights / Norridge, heck Lombard & Glen Ellyn are not real good for access to the south side...
Why is Glen Ellyn pricier / more desirable than Lombard? Schools are a big part of it, but also the relative "charm" of the nicer street layout, more upscale shops / dining options in the core of town, nicer mix of residents (fewer rentals, more "professional class" office workers)...
When it comes to sites like "great schools" a "seven" is not very good. If you dig into the more thorough numbers at the site run by Illinios State Board of Education you will see that truly desirable towns often have schools where upwards of 85-90% of students meet/exceed standards. Towns like Harwood Heights / Norridge don't have those kind of numbers in the elementary schools, though there a hanful of homes that are part of Maine South, so that might be option, but hello jet / road noise! When it comes to high schools (which admittedly are a loooooong way off if you have a 3mo old!) the gap between desirable towns and those that do poorly are even more pronounced.
When it comes to taxes you are spot on in hoping for a town with larger mall / signficant commercial development to help ease property taxes. That would give the edge to a town like Lombard. If you continue with the same theme you might consider Orland Park, a budget or $450k ought to get a move-in ready home there, good access to Midway (less so to O'Hare...), very quiet, great access to south side, mostly quiet, decent sized yards, mostly good schools.
The incidence of mixed race families is still pretty low nationally. If you were to consider to Oak Park (which is certsinly a possibility for your budget) the fact is that it is probably among the highest percentage of mixed raced families but probably still way way down in the single digit percentage of households. {Sadly I have seen national opinion surveys that do show folks respond unfavorably to things like "It would be easy for my child to marry someone outside their race". This is a fact. OTOH most folks respond positively to things "Mixed raced families would be welcomed in my community". So things are improving...) Other towns with good history of integration like Evanston or Flossmoor will not be much different in percentage of mixed race families. (all those towns have taxes that range from "very high" to "insanely high" too...). That said, my experience is that the more "upscale" a community the less overt racism is likely. Now a budget of $450k is certainly a signficant chunk to spend on housing, but it won't go far in an affluent area. Honestly in many towns it won't buy a vacant lot, but I am not recommending the North Shore (too far for access to south side) and it would be like finding a needle in a haystack in towns like Hinsdale...
Finally, if you really think it is likely / possible you'll move in five years that really complicates things especially given your budget. In towns that are a little iffy (and even just based on things like O'Hare traffic patterns that shift I would call Norridge / Harwood Heights iffy for resale...) it makes the uncertainity factor a huge consideration. Renting very likely is the lower risk option.
That said, the reason folks continue to leave the city is pretty simple -- safety and school quality. Even in Hyde Park the folks that cannot afford private schools face a daunting choice of aiming for "selective admissions schools" that may be a very lengthy ride away, hoping for the best with "neighborhood schools" that are increasingly filled with kids "fleeing" more violence plagued areas, or waiting for the next round of crazy cuts / push for charter schools. That is too disruptive! Even lower income parents (and I would not consider a family with a $450k "lower income") understand that moving to a suburb that is at least run by local parents like themselves is more likely to be safer / more stable than the ridiculous neglect heaped on them while gangs run wild & schools suffer. The sad fact is I doubt even the "urbanophiles" that frequent the Chicago section of this board would tell someone with $450k budget that buying in even a north side neighborhood is the right move for this family. Increasinly the desirable parts of Chicago and the suburbs are getting more costly while the undesirable areas are seeing values remain flat / decline. That would be a devasting problem for anyone that wants / needs to move in five years.
Yes access to the south side is the problem here. See I am really not good with the commuting road ways and things because I don't commute right now period. We are a one car household right now and only use the car to go grocery shopping and take the dog to the vet.
The house we are living in right now is a multifamily that we bought before we were married. So we are comfortable with the house buying process, but its just all the different suburbs and schools that have thrown us for a loop. The reason we would like to buy instead of rent is because of our landlord status right now-it would just pain me to rent! I love the freedom of ownership and really want to give my son stability and roots. I really love the house we are living in right now but it is too loud, too small, and quite frankly I don't think we can do urban living anymore. I think the Norridge/Harwoods heights area was just my way of not wanting to give up the convenience of the city. But really crime is a problem, and so is congestion. We aren't considering the southern suburbs because we heard the schools were not good, the taxes are freakishly high, and the resale was low. We also heard there was a lot of crime there. We also heard we should closely inspect any suburbs we are considering because a lot of people are fleeing the city looking for low crime, not realizing they are apart of the crime they are trying to escape.
I see you mentioned Oak Park. I think it is a bit too urban and a bit too liberal. No offense but I find the hipsters with the beards and the chicken coop in the backyard really annoying. We are not political people, but we are fiscal conservatives. This is why we really liked Dupage county. I also like that it is a separate county from the city. What are the differences/implications of living in Dupage vs Cook county as far as services, taxes etc? Are there any western suburbs you would recommend that have better access to the south side and are not devastatingly far from the airport? We would like to be as close to the airport as possible without having to hear them all the time
Its funny you mentioned Hinsdale because earlier today we toured two foreclosures there. The one we are considering is a fixer upper in our budget. How difficult is it to get to the south side from there? How is access to downtown, the airport, and the shore? Another question, for property values in Hinsdale does it matter if your house is in cook vs dupage county. Also why are there so many foreclosures in Hinsdale vs say Glen Ellyn or even Elmhurst? We can't find a decent foreclosure to save our lives in Elmhurst.
Why is Hinsdale traditionally considered so much better than the other suburbs. As previously stated I never really heard much about the Chicago suburbs and yet knew about Hinsdale. I have always heard that it was "the north shore of the west side." For this reason I didn't even consider it an option. Is it going down?
Last edited by bmollhag; 07-19-2014 at 03:09 PM..
Reason: wrong word
It is super convenient to the Loop with express trains under 30 minutes and even slower trains not all that much longer, great access to both Midway & O'Hare without being so close to have any plane noise. Great access to pretty much every part of city including south side. Fantastic "charm" of varied homes from smaller capes, historic mansions, and whole lot of options for newer construction IF you have deeeeep pockets. Once upon a time homes north of BNSF and in Cook Co were served by Western Springs schools, which meant hassles with buses. Several years ago that changed and now those neighborhoods are served by school they can walk to. Not many other important differences in that neighborhood when crossing the county line. South of BNSF & east of County Line Rd has always been an exceedingly desirable part of town, that no offense, is WAY above your budget. Anywhere in town schools are top tier, though this is largely a function of the exceeding affluent parents. Safety is unusually good with essentially no violent crime and even few incidents of theft. Nice options for shopping include local shops, national chains like Whole Foods & Starbucks, great access to high end retailers at Oakbrook Center.
Biggest downside is initial purchase price, somewhat offset by lower than average tax rate which helps folks shopping for things like foreclosures in your budget... There are very few AA / mixed race families but given your preference for a more conservative setting that ought not be a problem as most folks will share your views and are generally very accepting of folks of different backgrounds.
If you do find a needle in a haystack that fits your budget it ought to retain value BUT I have to warn that if you need to sink a whole pallet of cash into fixing up a foreclosure and decide to move the builders that might have been interested in the unimproved home won't be eager to pay extra for your improvements if you need to sell. Similarly some of the foreclosures in Hinsdale that have lingered back up to 294 or Rt 83 and builders are skittish about embarking on 7 figure spec house that has "road noise" for potential buyers...
All in all, if you understand both the pluses and minuses it might very well be wise to think about Hinsdale. Personally I have found living in adjacent Clarendon Hills to be a great decision. I raised my kids here and have no regrets. Fears of "keeping up" with far more affluent neighbors are mostly overblown and don't really match the reality of having far more neighbors with mostly traditional values of "hard work and thrift". I was out cutting my own lawn earlier today, saw the neighbor playing with their children while son is on leave from military service, other neighbor out tending to their veggies patch came by with squash. Hardly the sort "Gucci clad one-upsmanship" that some envision...
Last edited by chet everett; 07-19-2014 at 03:11 PM..
Yes I think we are going to go with the house we saw today I had a great feeling about it thank you for your help.
It does need some work but it is all cosmetic. Like refinish the hardwood and put new tile and counter tops in kitchen etc. I am not saying it is going to be cheap but like I said I can't even believe we are able to afford this area. Also its not like its so bad that we can't live in it and fix it up as we go. It has an amazing floor plan because the kitchen opens to the family room and that is so rare in older homes.
It is close to route 86 but it is across the street from the houses that back up to route 86. Do you think it would be bad for resale? Would there be a lot of road noise? Again this house doesn't back up to route 86 but our potential neighbors across the street do.
We were there today around 1:30 and and didn't even notice the highway but that is not commuting time so I am not sure. I think we will go there around 4 tomorrow and wait to see if the 5'oclock rush makes it unbearable because we honestly didn't hear it.
If we do think the noise is too much can you tell me about Clarendon Hills and the other adjacent areas? What are they like? Are they a bit more affordable and are the taxes as reasonable?
Depending on the configuration of the lot / neighboring homes it is generally not too bad a choice to be on Stough or Jackson close to Rt 83, the noise is really never a "huge" thing especially if you're coming from the city where the general "background hum" is way louder. I actually know some very affluent folks that likely live very the near home your are considering, one family in particular is headed by a surgeon, he put a little putting green in his backyard. There is no appreciable noise from Rt 83.
If you do want to shop the portion of Clarendon Hills served by the D181 schools (which I would recommend) the value is likely to be pretty similar. The challenge will be finding a home in your budget that does not have similar negatives. The same issues of lower priced homes backing up to Rt 83 or Ogden or 55th St does tamp down those prices. On average CH taxes are a wee bit higher that Hinsdale. Range of houses is the biggest factor; inventory is quite constrained right now.
Last edited by chet everett; 07-19-2014 at 06:39 PM..
If we do think the noise is too much can you tell me about Clarendon Hills and the other adjacent areas? What are they like? Are they a bit more affordable and are the taxes as reasonable?
Given your list of must-haves, I can't see Hinsdale making much sense. The disadvantages of immediately putting your growing family into a constrained 3 bed, 2 bath home in need of updating, in an undesirable nook of town that may or may not be affected by road noise and/or traffic issues, I think far outweighs any marginal advantage the schools there offer over those in Glen Ellyn. Sure you can plan on updating or expanding the home at a later date, when the size of your family demands it, but do you really want that financial burden looming in the future? You could get a newer, larger, more "interior" home in Glen Ellyn for the same price and quite frankly not have to worry about making changes.
The extra 10-15 minutes from Glen Ellyn to Hyde Park/ORD is neither here nor there IMO.
On race: Chet was right that affluent towns like Hinsdale tend to be the least prejudiced (talking near-zero), having more simple merit-based expectations than say an urban, working-class white enclave like Harwood Heights might have. However, when the new kid on the block (you) looks different than everyone else, often that new kid will unwittingly skew their behavior towards something more introverted, compounding their ability to connect with the surrounding community. It's not that Hinsdale will see you as an outsider, but more that you might be in the uncomfortable situation of feeling like one. There just aren't many AAs in Hinsdale. Add to that the fact that you will undoubtably have one of the smallest houses in a "status" town, in an undesirable nook, and I think you are setting yourself up to perhaps feel a little out-of-place. You're gonna be the family with a $450k home in a town where the median price exceeds $1mil. Again, this would have nothing to do with Hinsdale people, who are among the friendliest anywhere, but instead would stem from an internal conflict you may find yourself facing. If you understand this and know it won't be an issue, great! Hinsdale is a beautiful town and if you can get in at a low entry price, you should be quite proud.
To summarize: A town like Glen Ellyn offers everything you want, and doesn't require you making any sacrifices. It's got immense charm, A+ schools, solid resale value, adequate access to HP/ORD, a little more diversity, and you can get more bang for your buck. An all-around better "fit" -- after all, you might feel more comfortable at the top of the demographic "bell curve" rather than the shallow end of the left-side.
One question: What "amenities" does Harwood Heights offer over Hinsdale or Glen Ellyn? You've mentioned the "city amenities" you would retain in HH vs H/GE a couple times, but I think you'd have far more amenities in an affluent suburb than a working-class city-type neighborhood loosely defined as "suburb."
Last edited by holl1ngsworth; 07-20-2014 at 01:03 PM..
Hinsdale and Glen Ellyn are way better than Harwood Hts or Norridge.
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