Berwyn YES or NO... fill me in!!! (Chicago, Chatham: hotels, big house)

[CityToBurbs75]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

I agree. I get the Redfin feeds about every day for Berwyn and the prices are amazing buys. The houses and two flats are really reasonable. The nice ones are a little more expensive or the ones that are fixer uppers are incredibly cheap. I've gone to the neighborhood too and it does not at all seem too bad. I think more people are going to be moving there. Who in the world can afford the northside prices which are not that cheap even now. And there is crime too in Logan Square and other places as well.

P.S. I love the depot district.

I also predict that more people will be moving to Berwyn, there's just too many positives for it to remain off people's radar for long. That's part of why we bought there. There's crime in Berwyn too, but it's a town of 50,000, so some parts are better than others. As you might expect, more gang activity in the north and east. This site may give you an idea of where most crimes are being committed, Berwyn Police Blotter - Berwyn, IL - Berwyn Life .

If you know where in Berwyn you want to buy, I would recommend sticking to your guns on location. Then be ready to pull the trigger when you find the right one. We found some houses just outside of the Proksa Park area, then one opened up right by the park, and we jumped on it 3 days after it went on the market.

[Runuova]

Tried to get the wife to move to Berwyn. Had been doing my homework, and even took her for a spin around the neighborhood. We settled in Chicago and got a good deal none the less. I hope once the market comes back around, i'm not kicking myself for not buying there. Trends seem to be pointed that way big time!

[kbchitown]

Originally Posted by darklord

Hey ZombieJuicer,
My recommendation would be a NO. While Berwyn has beautiful houses and is close to the Loop via the Metra, I wouldn't want to raise a family there anymore because of the gangs, which of course has increased big time because of the Hispanics. Yeah, it's not as bad as the west side or Cicero, but it's headed in that direction.

I lived in Berwyn for a majority of my life, but it has gone downhill, and I got out of there years ago, just in time. I take it you're a white guy, and yes, there is a lot of tension between the Hispanics and what remains of whites. If you absolutely had to go there, be sure to move into the Irving School district. That's the biggest concentration of whites left. Of course, by the time you have kids and they're of school age, that school will probably be 90% Hispanic. Maybe you're fine living in 'diversity', but I'd take a pass on it.
.

Personally I'll live next door to anyone...just as long as they're not white trash...

[west336]

Which is worse, crime-wise: Berwyn or Berkely? My mom's side of the family moved to Berkely from Chicago and lived there until the late 80's and left when "things got bad", but I always confuse Berkely with Berwyn and don't know much about Berwyn.

[ToriaT]

I don't know about the crime but I think they are very different communities. I don't think Berkeley has the kind of housing stock that could attract people that want to restore the homes and fix them up. Berwyn has some very unique and solidly built housing stock...typical Chicago bungaloes, octagon two and three flats that are built like a brick you know what. INteriors with stained glass and wood trim, hardwood floors, etc. that are ripe for redevelopment that you can buy very cheaply.

[moonkus]

Just bought a place in Berwyn and love it! Can't say enough good things about the area. We are near the depot district. Great community, comfortable, safe and affordable.

[Runuova]

Originally Posted by moonkus

Just bought a place in Berwyn and love it! Can't say enough good things about the area. We are near the depot district. Great community, comfortable, safe and affordable.

You're just rubbing it in! LOL

[Freedom Rings]

What's wrong with Berkeley? Nice town. Good vibe, man.

[Runuova]

Originally Posted by BRU67

The condo market is a bloodbath, here and everywhere. The examples you cite are substantially below the condo market averages (FP is 119k and Berwyn is 102k) but yes, it is bad. Berwyn didn't have a ton of condo conversions. The apartments are smaller and less attractive for conversion than Oak Park (which saw a ton of them).

I looked at lofts in the South Loop in 2002-03 before deciding to modernize a bungalow instead (back then the cheaper option). Almost every unit I looked at had been purchased 3-5 years before for substantially less money than the current asking price (sometimes an 80-100k difference!). That led me to believe that the whole thing was being driven by people expecting to stay a short amount of time and then flip for a huge profit. That made me nervous, which turned out to be the correct reaction.

Condos are in a Catch-22 in that banks won't write mortgages on them if they're over a certain % renter occupied or under a certain % occupied. An increasingly difficult problem with the condo glut and the number of foreclosures. And if a unit is empty guess who takes up the slack for property taxes and repairs? A lot of people whose lives fit into a small space are just deciding to rent.

The good news is the rental market is improving so if you only paid 100k, you may be alright if rental demand continues to rise, which it should. Look at the bright side -- at least you didn't pay $250k for a 900 square foot space in an overbuilt flavor of the month area. Instead of a $200 gap (actually not bad for a 15 year mortgage) you could be looking at $1,200 gap or worse.

Be careful on the SD. A lot of people think that's an easy answer but banks are getting reluctant to do short sales and "deeds in lieu" which waive their right to a deficiency judgment. And who knows how they might change bankruptcy laws after the dust of this housing debacle settles.

Hey BRU,

You said you modernized your bungalow, so I was wondering what type of upgrades did you do? Are most of your neighbors upgrading theirs also? Any pics you don't mind sharing?

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Runuova

Hey BRU,

You said you modernized your bungalow, so I was wondering what type of upgrades did you do? Are most of your neighbors upgrading theirs also? Any pics you don't mind sharing?

The major updates were central A/C, cable TV, updated electrical service, new kitchen and bathrooms, and I remodeled the basement and attic. I also renovated the garage. And, of course, paint colors and decor. Beyond that, I tried to keep everything as original as possible, including the original windows, doors, flooring, etc.

Galleries « Berwyn: City of Homes

Mine is on slides 11-18 of the interior photos. They wouldn't put exterior photos of it on there because it has block glass windows in the basement. I'm working on fixing this so I too can be worthy of the purists' admiration This site also shows what others are doing to theirs.

It's also depicted here:

http://www.berwyninformer.com/Images...our/viewer.swf

These pictures are a few years old. You can compare the new IKEA kitchen to the old '50s retro kitchen, as well as the living room before my ex-wife decided to re-upholster our couches in silver and I had to repaint everything.