Chicago's North Shore: Buyer Beware? (Evanston, Skokie: foreclosure, rental, new home)

[Anthera]

LOL, but not all of its awful. Certain cities are really the victims of when they were developed. Homes built in the 70's all have flat roofs and weird windows because of the energy crisis, houses in the 80 seem to all have faux palladian windows, etc. Buffalo Grove was developed when snout garages were at their zenith.

[emmie3g]

There are very nice houses in Buffalo Grove. Maybe not architectural delights worth millions but many that a family can be proud of. Seems like this question is loaded. Want to pretend to be rich or live the way you can.
Emmie

[Anthera]

You are right. And you know what, people from Greenwich could mock Winnetka if they chose. So its all relative.

[fredn]

Originally Posted by lakecountylifer

Egads..........lol Wise people with money also choose to stay away from the north shore. It can be a pressure cooker, look at Laurie Dann---proud New Trier graduate class of '75.

Don't forget David Biro from New Trier 1991...

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by lakecountylifer

Whats everyone's opinion of the North Shore Suburbs and how they have changed over the years? Does the hype match the value? Is your life Truly better in Winnetka vs. Buffalo Grove?

Should a family sacrifice every penny for a huge mortgage in Highland Park (at the expense of little to no contribution to a 401K for example) because the school system is supposedly better and your neighbor will be your banker?

My own thought is no, having grown up on the north shore and moved away, all I see in the north shore is a change of attitude to ultra snobbishness and self proclaimed better lifestyle.

Seems to me that the north shore lifestyle is less to do with being happy vs. keeping up with the Jones'......

I think you may have bad memories that are clouding the way you feel now. I have met very few people who are sacrificing it all to live on the North Shore. Most people you meet don't care much about money because mostly everybody has enough or more than enough of it, so what's the point. Most people can afford a BMW or a Mercedes or several vacations a year or a condo in Beaver Creek or a house in WI or MI, etc. so there's no real setting you apart if you have one. It just doesn't seem like it's a big deal to me. People have what they have and don't have what they don't.

I didn't grow up here. I grew up in a town that was the county seat in farm country. I've never felt excluded.

What I like about the North Shore is the feel of the communities. Generally, they are smallish (except for Highland Park, which isn't large by any means) and they feel friendly. People seem to know one another (and not just because they went to high school here, though there's some of that for sure). The architecture is classic and the natural beauty is astounding. The ravines and beaches are what set it apart. Only a few towns in the Chicago suburbs can boast public and private lakefront/beaches. That's the difference. There are great, pretty towns with schools that are as good as North Shore schools (Hinsdale, for example) but they don't have Lake Michigan as their eastern border.

To answer your question, IMHO, I think the hype does match the value, or I wouldn't have a 2,100 square foot house on the North Shore when I could have one twice that size, on twice as much property in Naperville, where the schools are arguably just as good. I like the feel of things here. You can find ultra-snobs everywhere, but I'll argue that you'll find just as many, if not more, in communities where people are trying to show that they are "the most wealthy" on the block, or in the neighborhood, or in town, or whatever. On the North Shore, that's pretty futile. There's always going to be someone with just as much or more than you, unless you're a Pritzker or of that ilk. I don't think people think too much about it, it's just a way of life that includes having money at your disposal. For some there's more money to "throw around" and for others, there's less, but most people have their fair share of it.

But I agree that no one should sacrifice adequate saving to buy into any community.

[Nysee53]

Back when I moved to New Trier Township, the Glenbrooks were not what they were now. I would still live in a tent, given what my children have experienced at New Trier and how grateful they are that we were able to afford to give them the education and the lifestyle of New Trier Township. If the Glenbrooks were what they are now back then, I might have had to reconsider.

[lakecountylifer]

if you grew up on the north shore you would have the vantage point to make the comparison. And I bet you there are a ton of house poor people on the NS including seniors who paid off there mortgages but can't afford the taxes. The NS has changed dramatically over the last 20 years and my memories are great on how it used to be.

[Nysee53]

Thank you for your concern. My oldest is working on an MBA so he can be CEO of the family business. I would pay for my grandchildren to live in the township. New Trier kids tend to live up to their expectations, they don't have a choice.

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by lakecountylifer

if you grew up on the north shore you would have the vantage point to make the comparison And I bet you there are a ton of house poor people on the NS including seniors who paid off there mortgages but can't afford the taxes. The NS has changed dramatically over the last 20 years and my memories are great on how it used to be.

And I could say that since you don't actually live on the NS now, you don't have the vantage point to make the comparison either. Although I didn't grow up here, I have lived on the NS since 1992, enough to make a statement about how it has or has not changed and probably from a more objective standpoint since I'm not remembering it as it was in my youth. In any event, what I was discussing is the portion of your post in which you stated that it's materialistic and keep up with the Joneses on the NS. I don't see it, but I'll give you that perhaps you have now seen the light, and I've yet to be enlightened.

I don't believe there are any more house poor people on the NS than anywhere else unless your definition of house poor is larger mortgages than some other places. Yes, that's probably true in many cases, but I would suspect that most of those people have the income to support a larger mortgage, and/or the ability to pay it off if necessary. Yes, there are NS seniors without mortgages that are having difficulty paying their RE taxes, but that's not what we were discussing. It's not as though those NS seniors just moved here. They've lived here for years.

I'm glad you're happy where you are now. That's how it should be for everyone!

[Calidreemer]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

No. A family should never sacrifice 401K contributions to buy a home. If you have to do that, you can't afford the home. But if you have enough money to buy a place in the North Shore, like the atmosphere up there, and still have enough to take care of your other financial obligations, more power to you! If you're just trying to live some fantasy life beyond your means, look for housing elsewhere!

I've said this before: It's ridiculous to derive feelings of self worth based on the relative prosperity of the town you live in! If you like the North Shore, live there because you like it--not because you feel that it is THE PLACE for someone of importance.

Absolutely! If you are not secure in who you are no material possession will make you who you want to be. Be where you are happy, do what makes you happy and you will be happy. Life's too short to spend it in bondage to economic insecurities by breaking the bank to impress others. Start working on your own personal development and you will find that some of those things you thought mattered so much really don't.

So if you love the NS communities (not because you feel it will make you seem impressive if you can say "I live in Kenilworth"), can comfortably afford housing by all means enjoy. If it's not for you, go live where you will be happy regardless of what anyone else thinks. It's your life and those who feel it's their business to judge - well, they might really want to look at why they are judging someone else and hopefully will want to do something about it .