Buy in Galewood or Berwyn? (Chicago, Bolingbrook: apartment, renting, condo)

[reneeclaire]

So we're a early 30's professional couple with a toddler looking to buy our first home. My husband works in the loop and needs public transit access. I work in Oak Park and would prefer to stay close. We're currently renting an apartment and we like our neighborhood in south OP but we can't afford the property taxes here. Attending public school is important to us, and we're willing to put a lot personally in to joining parent's groups, advocating for our child, and generally working to make a community better. We also welcome racial and ethnic diversity in the neighborhood we chose to live in.

We're looking for a home in the 200-225k range, mostly because student loan and daycare costs make our household income feel a lot smaller than 90k+.

We've spent a lot of time looking at the options in our area and I'm feeling a little ambivalent. Many of our friends in our position have chosen to buy in Berwyn in the last couple of years and they've been really happy with that decision. They've gotten lovely homes in safe neighborhoods that seem to be holding ground or on the upswing. The question of the schools in the area (particularly the middle and high schools) remains though, which brings me to another option.

What do you think about the Galewood neighborhood? I'm interested in the options that going to school in CPS brings, even if there's no guarantee of getting in to a magnet school. And the local neighborhood school (Sayre Language Academy) had decent scores/rankings from what I could tell. The crime stats seem to indicate that its pretty safe. However, we don't know anyone else moving there and there are a lot of divergent opinions on whether or not Galewood is in decline.

Can you help? I'm originally from out of state and I feel like I lack the background and insider viewpoint that others have.

[BRU67]

We also crossed shopped the two and ended up picking Berwyn. We are happy with the decision and still here 8 years later, with no intent to move in the foreseeable future.

As to schools, it depends on which neighborhood you’re in. Berwyn isn’t just one big lump. It has different neighborhoods that have vastly different demographics in some cases, like Chicago does. Emerson Elementary and Heritage Middle (which serve the Proksa Park neighborhood) outscored Sayre on the ’10 ISAT so you may want to look at that neighborhood in particular. Berwyn also has a very active education group called CARES, primarily made up of south Berwyn parents. I don't know if Galewood has anything like that or not.

I like Galewood overall. Like Berwyn, it is public transit accessible and has a nice housing stock. That said, Galewood is a part of Austin. And a lot of City employees, including cops and firemen, live there. This is a main reason why it's substantially nicer than the rest of Austin. Had I bought in Galewood, I'd have certainly had a heart attack when they started discussing lifting mandatory employee residency during the mayoral campaign! While it doesn't look like Emanuel's administration is going to do this, who knows what subsequent administrations will do? I think Galewood, sadly, is one of those neighborhoods that has a real potential to suffer if the City ever decides to lift its employee residency requirement.

[reneeclaire]

Thanks for your response. your info about the elementary schools is especially helpful.

[chet everett]

Kinda funny that I saw this post just after responding to someone that has been in Bolingbrook for 8 years and is worried now that their kid is facing kindergarten and public schools.

I see a lot of similarities. I completely understand Bru67's pride in their involvement in Berwynn and agree that school-by-school results show some marked differences there. If there are a core of parents that can guide the success of a group of students that goes a long way toward making at least that school desirable.

The other side of this argument is tricky. Basically it centers around not "worth" or "value" in the important intrinsic sense but simple dollars in a far more unvarnished way -- if you can't afford the property taxes on a $90k/year household income what are the implications both for your household and for the overall community where you ultimately live. Do you anticipate your income growing in the future? Do you foresee taxes increases faster than your income? Will your neighbors carry that burden better than you?

It is no secret to anyone that reads these forums that these kinds of questions lead me to advocate for folks to seek out the most affordable home in the nicest town that works for their situation. If you are not currently a homeowner such a strategy will generally have a very positive effect on your overall financial situation as well giving you acess to very desirable schools.

Finally I agree that the uncertaintity of living inside Chicago in bubble largely supported by rules that could theoretically be changed by sudden shifts in policies that do marginally serve the interests of politically powerful but tenousous constituencies should be avoided unless you have at least collective bargaining on your side...

[adaisyonmytoe]

I've been in your shoes exactly. After over a year of searching, we narrowed it down to Berwyn or Galewood. We were tired of condo-living and wanted a yard. We still wanted to have access to Chicago. We couldn't afford the taxes in Oak Park.

We chose Galewood about a year and a half ago and love it. The neighborhood is so friendly - even people across the alley stop to chat. It's so safe - everyone checks up on everyone. We have access to Metra. The green line is close. It's got beautiful housing stock. Everyone takes care of their property. Sayre is a decent school. You're close to Trader Joes and Whole Food in Oak Park but you're also close to Ca****s in Elmwood Park. We got a much bigger house (assessed at 300K, bought for less than 200K). You should be able to get a 3-4 bed and 1.5-2 bath house for 200K-220K.

That being said, Berwyn is a great option as well. There are some really nice homes in south Berwyn. People are also very friendly in Berwyn. It's generally safe, although north Berwyn has turned a little rougher in the past few years. You should be able to get more house there as well. I still have family in Berwyn so I know it well. But at the end of the day, we just didn't want to buy into Berwyn. We don't feel confident at this time that it would be a good investment. I'm sure it will recover with the rest of the country eventually but we just felt more comfortable with Galewood.

Hope this helps. They're honestly both good options but we're very happy with our choice.

[adaisyonmytoe]

I'm amused that the name of the Italian market has apparently been censored because it has a swear word within its name. That's Ca-pu-to's

[adaisyonmytoe]

I guess I should add that I subbed for a year (several years ago) in North Berwyn and was surprised at the quality of the schools. In my experience, Berwyn's reputation is unwarranted. I'm working in a more affluent district now but I had a very positive experience in Berwyn
(I've been teaching for 12 years). North Berwyn is well-run. I think that Jefferson school is particularly well-run, as is Lincoln Jr. High. They have their problems like any place but they work well with what they've got. In the south, I hear that Emerson school is great.

[chet everett]

I think adaisyonmytoe offers a nice counterpoint to Bru, and honestly the level of downside risk that comes from either town is not limited to just finances but the whole range of things that could make either choose acceptable to some and not to others.

My personal advice is to seek out a better option at the same price point. For me a better option would definitely include a home in less stellar condition / smaller in a town that is unlikely to be as at risk of negative shifts. However if you are unwilling to make the investment of labor / materials the "savings" needed to get into a another area might be too high a hurdle...

[Hatchetman]

If I were to move to Galewood, I'd try to keep to the west of Oak Park Ave. I actually prefer south Elmwood Park.

[Humboldt1]

Why are people still buying homes?

Seriously, most folks who have bought in the past 7-8 years have seen the value of their home decrease.

Nothing wrong with renting in an area for a year and then buying. You get to figure out if that is the area you want to settle down in and you get to see home prices drop another 5-15 percent.

No one in the banking industry right now (including many mortgage brokers) thinks we have hit bottom price-wise.

We will be lucky to bottom by this time next year.

That house bought for 200k and assessed for 300k is not worth 300k today. It is even possible it could be worth less than 200k depending on the area.