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Look, Hinsdale is lovely and idyllic. It's one of my favorite towns. Anyone who could afford it would love to live there, I'm sure. But the prices are VERY high. I consider Hinsdale more like a North Shore suburb. Those places are charming, have wonderful schools, are very close to Chicago (many are much closer than Hinsdale) but very few can afford to live there.
Naperville is far, yes. Some areas of Naperville are REALLY far. For those that use the city a lot, it's not great. Can't imagine what a $400K house in Hinsdale looks like though.
Surprisingly a $400k in Hinsdale can be fairly decent -- https://www.redfin.com/IL/Hinsdale/4.../home/14059933 Taxes are quite low. Granted it is not right in the center of town but still has decent access to Whole Foods & Starbucks as well as walkable access to elementary school and Highlands BNSF Metra service...
If you were to include homes in Naperville that are located for one to take maximum advantage of the features of downtown you'd likely have higher taxes and a home that is not really any more livable -- https://www.redfin.com/IL/Naperville.../home/18050643
For what is worth here is a home in Wilmette that not that much more costly, has perhaps a bit nicer updating, but also has significantly higher taxes -- https://www.redfin.com/IL/Wilmette/8.../home/13778940 Decent access to Eden's Plaza, walkable to Wilmette Jr High / Hillcrest Middle School
I was last there about 4 years ago. My kids wrestled there every year. I was shocked at how bad shape the school was in. My good friend went to school there and goes back from time to time and calls it a dump.
Obviously, the academics there are not part of this. Just a facilities issue.
I remember my wife and I went to the downtown to check it out downtown Hinsdale. Other than a handful of cool places, it was pretty sleepy. Lots of boutiques geared toward an older demographic. Have you been to downtown Naperville? It's constantly teeming with people - it's 5X what Hinsdale's downtown is. High end restaurants of every cuisine, cocktail lounges, shopping, riverwalk, now a hotel. It's incredible.
Look, Hinsdale is lovely and idyllic. It's one of my favorite towns. Anyone who could afford it would love to live there, I'm sure. But the prices are VERY high. I consider Hinsdale more like a North Shore suburb. Those places are charming, have wonderful schools, are very close to Chicago (many are much closer than Hinsdale) but very few can afford to live there.
Naperville is far, yes. Some areas of Naperville are REALLY far. For those that use the city a lot, it's not great. Can't imagine what a $400K house in Hinsdale looks like though.
Downtown Naperville is awesome. Best in the Chicago burbs without question. But the reality is that it is not walkable for most Naperville residents. I would venture to guess that close to 99% of Naperville residents are unable to walk to downtown Naperville (at a reasonable distance of 1 mile or less). At that point you are getting in your car to drive there, park, etc. and does it really matter if you live in Naperville with a 15 minute drive to downtown or in Hinsdale with a 25 minute drive to downtown since you still have to get in your car, park, etc. either way? The appeal is when the downtown area is walkable and the walkable parts of Naperville are NOT cheap. Maybe not Hinsdale expensive but you aren’t getting much for $400k. The nice thing about Hinsdale is that it is compact and basically centered around its downtown area, which results in a very walkable downtown for most residents.
Downtown Naperville is awesome. Best in the Chicago burbs without question. But the reality is that it is not walkable for most Naperville residents. I would venture to guess that close to 99% of Naperville residents are unable to walk to downtown Naperville (at a reasonable distance of 1 mile or less). At that point you are getting in your car to drive there, park, etc. and does it really matter if you live in Naperville with a 15 minute drive to downtown or in Hinsdale with a 25 minute drive to downtown since you still have to get in your car, park, etc. either way? The appeal is when the downtown area is walkable and the walkable parts of Naperville are NOT cheap. Maybe not Hinsdale expensive but you aren’t getting much for $400k. The nice thing about Hinsdale is that it is compact and basically centered around its downtown area, which results in a very walkable downtown for most residents.
The links I posted illustrate this. Comparing homes that are going to allow one to be close enough to get to any of the amenities in Naperville pretty much pushes one right into the price category of towns like Hinsdale or the North Shore with arguably worse "value" factoring total tax burden, school quality and general access to Chicago / the airports...
Don't get me wrong there are valid reasons to cross shop Naperville with pretty much any town in the region and for many folks they will be more than happy with the total value, but it is not a "bargain" when comparing similar features / location.
The last comment from the original thread included some useful info that helps put the "housing meltdown" in context:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justabystander
...
Hinsdale, all in all, is beautiful, and is blessed with hills and big trees, and looks like it was lifted from Connecticut. Add to the fact that all 5 of its elementary schoold are in the top 25 in the state, Hinsdale Cental the no. 2 public high shcol behind New Trier, and there are are many reasons to move here from Naperville. While I think the shopping in Naperville is probably better, and you definitely get more house for your money, living in a flat subdivision with OK schools so far out of the city is not a draw for me. If you looked at the last Tribune price gauge in the Real Estate section, you will see that Hinsdale rose in median price from $707.000 to $914,000 in one year, Naperville rose from $340.000 to $345,000. You get what you pay for, and investments in close in places with limited places to expand is just a good investment as well.
I often encourage home shoppers to recognize that certain combinations of home size / location are significantly more resistant to negative pricing pressure. One need only do a little simple math to see how the home you may be considering compares to the averages in various towns. It makes a whole lot of sense to consider resale potential in terms of such averages. Of course I also warn that folks "generally do not shop for tires the same way they shop for ground beef." There are lots more "grades" of homes than there are for either tires bought in sets of four or ground beef bought by the pound. One must factor in the various features that are important when shopping for a home and that gets into a multi-variant equation of features / amenities / location that goes far beyond the "cost per sq ft" measures.
One needs to have a solid handle on what factors motivate buyers and sellers. If you are not skilled in assessing those things on your own you really ought to seek out a real estate professional who have help you see where your budget really results in the best home for your needs as well as how that translates into price stability / potential for appreciation.
Current market conditions from Redfin:
Home Prices in Hinsdale
Average over the last month
$880K
Sale Price
$277
Sale $/Sq. Ft.
Home Prices in Naperville
Average over the last month
$375K
Sale Price
$153
Sale $/Sq. Ft.
For context --
Home Prices in La Grange
Average over the last month
$420K
Sale Price
$274
Sale $/Sq. Ft.
Home Prices in Elmhurst
Average over the last month
$417K
Sale Price
$226
Sale $/Sq. Ft.
Home Prices in Winnetka
Average over the last month
$895K
Sale Price
$304
Sale $/Sq. Ft.
Last edited by chet everett; 02-04-2019 at 03:11 PM..
Could someone comment on the culture in either town? Seems like Naperville is a bit more diverse (so is it more progressive, conservative, or mixed?). It seems that Hinsdale is more conservative, is it? And if so, how is it more conservative, politically, religious, both? Does Hinsdale, by virtue of its small size, tend to be open to people moving in or is it more closed (i.e., not unlike many places where people know each other throughout their lives, tend to stay there, raise children there, etc.?)
Could someone comment on the culture in either town? Seems like Naperville is a bit more diverse (so is it more progressive, conservative, or mixed?). It seems that Hinsdale is more conservative, is it? And if so, how is it more conservative, politically, religious, both? Does Hinsdale, by virtue of its small size, tend to be open to people moving in or is it more closed (i.e., not unlike many places where people know each other throughout their lives, tend to stay there, raise children there, etc.?)
Naperville is absolutely more diverse than Hinsdale. Are you serious?
Hinsdale is significantly more conservative and was one of a handful of affluent suburban communities that opted for Trump in 2016. I would not describe it as socially conservative, however. It has less of a country club mentality than the North Shore, but it's still pretty insular. Hinsdalians think quite highly of themselves, in my experience. Evanstonians too, so who am I to judge? Wealthy DuPage is more politically conservative than the North Shore, period.
Naperville is absolutely more diverse than Hinsdale. Are you serious?
Hinsdale is significantly more conservative and was one of a handful of affluent suburban communities that opted for Trump in 2016. I would not describe it as socially conservative, however. It has less of a country club mentality than the North Shore, but it's still pretty insular. Hinsdalians think quite highly of themselves, in my experience. Evanstonians too, so who am I to judge? Wealthy DuPage is more politically conservative than the North Shore, period.
It went to Trump by 2 points, I wouldn't call that an overwhelming majority. I get it, though, that is why I said I knew I couldn't have it all.
Where did you get that number? You did some very quick calculations if you calculated it using the precinct data. I'm not disputing your figure, but the fact that he performed that well at all should give you an indication of where the voter preferences and communal culture lie (not diverse, not progressive). You say you are 'Lost in Chicagoland,' but it seems like you have a good idea of what you are looking for, and I'm not sure it's what you claim to be looking for.
The last comment from the original thread included some useful info that helps put the "housing meltdown" in context:
I often encourage home shoppers to recognize that certain combinations of home size / location are significantly more resistant to negative pricing pressure. One need only do a little simple math to see how the home you may be considering compares to the averages in various towns. It makes a whole lot of sense to consider resale potential in terms of such averages. Of course I also warn that folks "generally do not shop for tires the same way they shop for ground beef." There are lots more "grades" of homes than there are for either tires bought in sets of four or ground beef bought by the pound. One must factor in the various features that are important when shopping for a home and that gets into a multi-variant equation of features / amenities / location that goes far beyond the "cost per sq ft" measures.
One needs to have a solid handle on what factors motivate buyers and sellers. If you are not skilled in assessing those things on your own you really ought to seek out a real estate professional who have help you see where your budget really results in the best home for your needs as well as how that translates into price stability / potential for appreciation.
Current market conditions from Redfin:
Home Prices in Hinsdale
Average over the last month
$880K
Sale Price
$277
Sale $/Sq. Ft.
Home Prices in Naperville
Average over the last month
$375K
Sale Price
$153
Sale $/Sq. Ft.
For context --
Home Prices in La Grange
Average over the last month
$420K
Sale Price
$274
Sale $/Sq. Ft.
Home Prices in Elmhurst
Average over the last month
$417K
Sale Price
$226
Sale $/Sq. Ft.
Home Prices in Winnetka
Average over the last month
$895K
Sale Price
$304
Sale $/Sq. Ft.
Looking at price history, I’m noticing that many (maybe even most) homes in Hinsdale past a certain price, $700K or so, have LOST value in the past 10-20 years. In some cases, a lot of value. Or have appreciated like, 8% in 20 years. What’s up with that?
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Completely agree!
