Which Suburb to Move To? (Chicago, Naperville: for sale, real estate market, apartment complex)

[Lonely Raven]

So, long story short. I grew up in Downers Grove and have been in an apartment in Wheaton for the past 10 years. The apartment complex was just bought out, and we were informed the rent is going up about $400 more a month!

So my fiance and I have about six weeks to find a house!

Ignoring the Time issue (we can put everything in storage and crash at my parents for a month, maybe two if need be), right now our biggest issue is that we don't have much in the bank for a house. We were planning on moving Spring of '09, which would give us plenty of time to save up. But now we have six weeks and only $2500 in the bank!

We are pre-approved for $200k. I work in Schaumburg and sometimes in the Lisle/Oakbrook area (IT Manager for hotels), so we are looking for sub $200k homes up and down I355 and I88. Since we don't have children, our requirements are pretty simple. *Need* two car garage and basement, decent yard, and easy access to highways so I don't have more then an hours commute to Schaumburg. No Condo's, no townhomes...we want a proper house with basement and two car garage...we need our space and privacy.

We looked at Lockport since the i355 extension makes that a more attractive location, but everything was 60+ years old and rough looking. Once place even had a 200+ year old hand laid stone cellar with a "newer" 50 year old house on it! Yikes!

We are currently checking out Bolingbrook, and are considering Plainfield and Romeoville. We aren't really finding anything in the sub-$200k range in the nicer towns like Lisle, Wheaton, Warrenville.

Any suggestions of towns we maybe didn't think of, or anyone know of houses in the area that fit our needs?

Thanks in Advance.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by Lonely Raven

So, long story short. I grew up in Downers Grove and have been in an apartment in Wheaton for the past 10 years. The apartment complex was just bought out, and we were informed the rent is going up about $400 more a month!

So my fiance and I have about six weeks to find a house!

Ignoring the Time issue (we can put everything in storage and crash at my parents for a month, maybe two if need be), right now our biggest issue is that we don't have much in the bank for a house. We were planning on moving Spring of '09, which would give us plenty of time to save up. But now we have six weeks and only $2500 in the bank!

We are pre-approved for $200k. I work in Schaumburg and sometimes in the Lisle/Oakbrook area (IT Manager for hotels), so we are looking for sub $200k homes up and down I355 and I88. Since we don't have children, our requirements are pretty simple. *Need* two car garage and basement, decent yard, and easy access to highways so I don't have more then an hours commute to Schaumburg. No Condo's, no townhomes...we want a proper house with basement and two car garage...we need our space and privacy.

We looked at Lockport since the i355 extension makes that a more attractive location, but everything was 60+ years old and rough looking. Once place even had a 200+ year old hand laid stone cellar with a "newer" 50 year old house on it! Yikes!

We are currently checking out Bolingbrook, and are considering Plainfield and Romeoville. We aren't really finding anything in the sub-$200k range in the nicer towns like Lisle, Wheaton, Warrenville.

Any suggestions of towns we maybe didn't think of, or anyone know of houses in the area that fit our needs?

Thanks in Advance.

Not to put down your efforts in Lockport, but you couldn't have looked too hard if that is all you found. There are a ton of homes throughout the town that are very close to your price range. One area I know of where you can get a nice little home with a yard and a 2 car detached garage is just west of Farrell Road on the north side of 159th Street across from the little strip mall with the K-Mart in it. There is a street where friends of mine moved a year or two ago. It was on a street named Highland Ave. about 2 blocks west of Farrell and they got into a nice 3 bed, 1 bath house, with 2 car garage and nice sized yard for about $150K. No it didn't have a basement, but there are homes in there that have them. Just drive though the neighborhood. It is about the best thing you can do.

[sgresident]

if you don't want a townhome, i think your price range will really hamper your ability to find a "proper house". I live in sugar grove and there are townhomes in the 190's and 200's, but not even the older, small homes are that low. you might look into some of these foreclosure sales that we are heaing about. you could try to find a realtor who could help you with a more targeted search.

[aragx6]

I agree that you should be able to find something that works for you in Lockport. What about this place?: Single Family Home - 16840 MOREL ST, LOCKPORT, IL, 60441 - Realtor.com
it's a newer 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath with a two car garage and full basement.

[NUman]

Romeoville is a nicer community. It is located on the I-55 Corridor. It has decent shopping and it has easy access to the established communities of Bolingbrook and Naperville. Homes in Romeoville are either newer or from the 1950's. Many of the homes under $200,000 have either cheap finishes or need updating. Romeoville is only 27 minutes from Oak Brook, but it is 46 minutes from Schaumburg.

Here are some homes:
Single Family Home - 39 TAHOE LN, ROMEOVILLE, IL, 60446 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 1490 CALENDULA CT, ROMEOVILLE, IL, 60446 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 205 FREMONT AVE, ROMEOVILLE, IL, 60446 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 45 FREESIA CT, ROMEOVILLE, IL, 60446 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 57 HARMONY LN, ROMEOVILLE, IL, 60446 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 239 SIERRA TRL, ROMEOVILLE, IL, 60446 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - ROMEOVILLE, IL, 60446 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 1530 ALISHA LN, ROMEOVILLE, IL, 60446 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 711 ASHTON AVE, ROMEOVILLE, IL, 60446 - Realtor.com

Lockport is also a nice town. It is near I-355 whcih gave the area a large boost. When the real estate market turns around you should see a sure turnaround. Lockport does have an older infrastructure and the schools are not highly acclaimed, whcih makes it difficult for middle-income people to consider it. This could improve though. The commute time to Oak Brook is around 30 minuteas and it is 50 minutes to Schaumburg. Homes in Lockport come cheap, even cheaper than Romeoville.

Homes:
Currently there are no homes that fall in the newer category. You could find some in nearby Joliet.

Plainfield is a great new and fresh town. It is all up to the town planners to how all this new development should be distributed. Many people are calling Plainfield, "The New Naperville". I believe that it is possible that it could be the next Naperville, if Plainfield gets more upscale development instead of just plain middle-income housing. Plainfield has some good schools so families are considering the area. Palinfield is 31 mins from oak Brook and 51 mins from Schaumburg.

Homes:
Plainfield, IL, Real Estate Listings and Plainfield, IL Single Family Home for Sale - Realtor.com

See all the newer homes in Plainfield by clicking the link above.

Good Luck!!!!!

[Lonely Raven]

Thanks NUman,

We checked out Romeoville...found a house we liked, but Weber and I55 were pretty harsh during the hours I need to get to and from work. I did a dry run last night, driving out to one of the houses (I think one you listed in fact), and it took 1 hour 45 minutes from Schaumburg!

So my fiance and I are hoping something comes up in Bolingbrook. Just taking 8-10 miles off my drive saves me 20 minutes or so.

Now I just need to find a place....

[355express]

A good real estate web site that you can play around with and not have to sign up for is Chicago IL Real Estate - Koenig & Strey GMAC Real Estate (http://www.ksgmac.com - broken link) it seems to be very up to date and it can help you to see what you are looking at as far as your price range in any town you plug in your search.

[acdevane]

Looking at the MLS there are approx 7 homes that are listed under 200K that meet your requirements (basement/2 car garage) in Bolingbrook. However, most of these are foreclosures or short sales and would be subject to bank approval (requiring time, and solid credit). Something else to consider is that the majority of these homes would be in "AS IS" condition, and in these particular cases it usually indicates that there is a substantial amount of work/elbow grease and some additional cost required. (Floors, roof, etc.) But, they do exist.

[Lonely Raven]

Originally Posted by acdevane

Looking at the MLS there are approx 7 homes that are listed under 200K that meet your requirements (basement/2 car garage) in Bolingbrook. However, most of these are foreclosures or short sales and would be subject to bank approval (requiring time, and solid credit). Something else to consider is that the majority of these homes would be in "AS IS" condition, and in these particular cases it usually indicates that there is a substantial amount of work/elbow grease and some additional cost required. (Floors, roof, etc.) But, they do exist.

Thanks, I just found one in fact. We put in an offer today. I hope they don't take forever to decide, as I have 5 weeks left on my lease at my apartment.

Send your good vibes my way!

[aragx6]

Good luck, let us know what happens!