new job in Winnetka, can't afford to live there! (Waukegan: upper-class, fit in)

[butterfly76]

I have accepted a job in Winnetka that will be in the 40-45K range a year. This is a big jump for me, but it's probably trailer park pay for that area. Where can I find 3 bedroom housing to rent that would be affordable to me and would allow me to still commute? I need something relatively safe because I have four younger children, and besides food and utilities and insurances, my only other payments would be a an auto payment and student loans because their father covers daycare for them.

Any help would be appreciated; I'm from Worth, IL and my knowledge of the northern suburbs is limited to it being affluent and upscale.

[Ophidian14]

You might look at Waukegan or some other places further up the lake. You could take the train down to Winnetka, saving you on gas, etc.

[foopfoop]

With that payscale and so many young ones, I think you'll be hard-pressed to find anything remotely approaching realistic. You could take a quick look in Highwood, though I don't know if you could find a 3 bedroom dwelling there for less than $1200-1500 p/month. The Waukegan idea sounds feasible...maybe look to live somewhere in Rogers Park, take the Red Line north.

If you don't mind driving, I guess you could look for something in the Elmwood/Melrose Park area, though you'd be looking at some pretty horrible routing for that. And you could always look for places out in McHenry County.

[outsider1]

Wheeling ~35-40 minutes commute.
Skokie ~20-25 minutes.
Unincorporated Glenview/Northbrook along Milwaukee ave ~20-30 minutes.

You might be delighted with housing cost in Waukegan, but most everything else is not pretty as of late. As the previous poster pointed out, commute can be convenient if you job is in the vicinity of downtown Winnetka, near Metra train stop.

[butterfly76]

I don't mind driving as long as it's not too excessive, so if there's a problem with one of the kids, I could get home within an hour. It seemed like I could afford some of the townhomes for rent in the Gurnee area, for example, but I don't know how heavy traffic would be on 94.

I could probably manage 1200-1400/ month if limit take-out and disposable income for clothing and extras. I wouldn't be buying at this point anyhow until I had tenure.

The job is in the field of elementary education, so there's some assurance there that income will increase each year. But the starting out is what is killing me in this field. Anything that pays a primary school teacher a decent wage is seems to be located in areas I cannot afford to live.

Thank you for the suggestions so far, by the way.

[Paige65]

You may want to try Highland Park. When our home was being remodeled a few years ago, we rented a two bedroom home for ten months for about $1200 (I don't remember the amount for certain). And now, because there are so many houses, and some townhomes, not selling right away, I know some people are considering renting homes as well, so you may find something. I would call a realty company in the area as they usually have knowledge of home-sellers willing to rent, or rental properties. It's worth a try. I think Highwood is also a good idea. There are smaller homes there that may be affordable to rent and your children would attend Highland Park schools, which are good.

The other option might be Evanston. Tons of rentals there, though I don't know about price range since I haven't lived there in a decade.

[chet everett]

Geez that is tough -- is the $45K your ONLY household income? With four kids you are going to have one heck of time...

My top priority would be GOOD SCHOOLS and as you'll be working in one of the best... TRY and live there. I am totally serious! Now there are not many rentals in Wilmetter/Winnetka/Glencoe but there are more than you'd guess. More than a few of the REAL ESTATE agents up that way do represent landlords and/or are landlords themselves. Start making the rounds. Print up some cards (like business card sized that you can get at OfficeMax and do in your own printer or one at school) and put you Name, phone number, FACT YOU ARE A TEACHER IN WINNETKA, your email and that you need a decent place for your KIDS on their. Believe it or not I'll bet you something comes through...

(btw Have you checked with the district? It is not unheard of that a fellow teacher might have an inside line on a "below market rate" rental. It happens for LOTS of reasons -- I know one guy who rented a place from a fellow teacher. It was the house the older teacher grew up in and this was his way of "helping out the newcomers"...)

Alternatively look due NORTH of Waukegan. The commute will be longish, but your kids would be better off in Beach Park or on the Cheese side of the state line...

[Anthera]

Chet is right - there are some below market rentals available if you are lucky. An older couple in winnetka on the Lake used to rent their three bedroom coach house out for peanuts to teachers from Faith Hope in return for keeping an eye of the place when they were in Florida.

There are rental apartments accross from New Trier(not so nice, but they feed into Joseph Sears/Kenilworth schools). Many of the older storefront buildings in downtown Winnetka have upper level apartments and there are few apartment buildings in downtown Winnetka(probably not three bedrooms though).

You should also look at Northfield, there are some rental townhomes and smaller, older houses.

You best bet is to pick up a Winnetka Talk paper on Thursdays and check out the rentals - you may be surprised a t what you find.


Good luck!!!

[Anthera]

Also keep in mind that most teachers in Winnetka can tutor for $75/hr. Four hours a week of tutoring adds $1200 to your housing budget.

[Nysee53]

You can find 1 bedroom rentals in Winnetka for around $850 and 2 bedrooms begin to press $1200. I would not recommend living in New Trier Township with your income. You and your kids really won't fit in and it will not be happy for you. I would recommend you to live in Highwood, so that you get Highland Park schools. Highland Park schools are also more accepting of families with lower incomes than New Trier. Highland Park also has some affordable housing developments, which require you to buy and it would be at less than $200,000. Northbrook is very nice and is just west of Glencoe. You might find something there, but again Northbrook is a typical upper-class suburb and you will not be accepted. Rogers Park would be a very good fit. A lot of teachers from Evanston, New Trier, Northfield, and Niles Townships live there. You would be closer to the average income in Rogers Park. Living near New Trier is not bad it is just noisy from 6AM until around 7PM. Evanston is the most expensive rental market on the North Shore so I would not even think about it.