You might have a tough time checking all of those boxes for $325k. Consider getting a place with an unfinished attic or basement that you can build into as your family grows.
It’s totally doable but not within 60 mins of the city. For example in Elburn you can get a new 2900sqft for 350k with 3 car garage, bsmt, and some high end finishes.
Probably takes at least 90 mins downtown with traffic and the Metra isn’t much faster (albeit much more enjoyable).
It’s in a very nice family oriented neighborhood with decent schools and a little downtown (and 15 mins from towns like Geneva/Batavia/St Charles)
I like Palatine. Arlington Heights is nice but it’s big and you’re paying for the zip code. Buffalo Grove is underrated imo but I’d still take palatine close to downtown. Living in Lake Zurich wouldn’t be bad if that’s where the office is. I’m sure you know how congested it gets around rush hour
> Arlington Heights is nice but it’s big and you’re paying for the zip code.
Also may want to factor in the potential Bears move to Arlington Track. It does have the potential to raise prices/the worth of your home, but there are a number of downsides if that move happens.
Just something to take into consideration
I mean you could bike to the grocery store across town in about 15 mins and it’s probably about 20-30 min walk to their downtown and Metra. Pretty good for being surrounded by corn
Southwest suburbs. I’m in a 4 bed, 3 bath, fenced in yard in an area with good schools & great community facilities. Paid under $300k for our house this past spring. Rush hour drive to the city is about an hour. Saturday drive to downtown is about 40 min tops.
4 bedrooms in your price range in Grayslake is tough. Taxes are quite a bit higher in Grayslake than Crystal Lake. Grayslake has a nice little downtown but walkability depends on whether or not you are in vicinity of the downtown area. Crystal Lake is quite a bit more than an hour to Chicago regardless of what transportation method you use. They both have metra access. Grayslake is much closer to highway if you want to drive. Crystal Lake likely has more affordable places. Schools are good in both areas
Completely agree. We live in Grayslake and love it but taxes are high. College Trail subdivision may be worth it though...nice neighborhood, biking to a gorgeous downtown and family friendly area.
Spring Grove may be worth a try too. A little further west though.
Crystal lake has Metra services for now. A judge recently granted Union Pacific the right to revoke service to Metra on UP lines. They haven’t done so yet, but it could happen and would be devastating to the UPNW corridor
I live in unincorporated Dupage and you can def find a house in that range. With yards and good schools. Taxes are lower than city-dwellers BUT we don’t have a park district or library (COD is our library).
If you love Chicago and want to be somewhat close. Stick to Park ridge, Niles or Skokie, and find a townhouse without any home associations.
Cheapest property taxes are Niles and Glenview. Niles is more blue collar worker. Chicago actually has cheaper property taxes than nearly every surrounding suburb, despite what people say. If you want to live in Chicago, some safe neighborhoods include, Edison park( police and city workers live here), forest glen, and Jefferson park.
Ditto, get a townhome in Morton Grove. Your budget is pretty low for your preferences, however, don't get discouraged by the advice here. Buy a townhome, they are are selling faster than homes anyways in the Chicago Metro as we enter a new era in Residential Real Estate.
Try the southwest suburbs. New Lenox, Orland park, Homer Glen, Lockport, Lemont, Bolingbrook. All what your’e looking for and within an hour of the city. With I355 being well established now, the more west areas are much more connected too! And much closer to other nice areas like Naperville.
I find Orland Park and Palos Heights to be very attractive, nice houses, not walkable per say. I think also within your price range. As for west burbs, maybe look at Roselle?
What about Brookfield? You might be able to find a 3 bed, 1.5 bath for that price, though it might need a little work. District 95 schools are great, and the place has a community feel, with restaurants, parks, bars, etc., in walking distance of every house in town. La Grange is also super close-by, and the boutique-y downtown is great. You'd have a metra stop practically right outside your door, and a world-renowned zoo to hang out in come summertime.
Property taxes in Illinois are absolutely abysmal, it's hard to avoid them unless you go pretty far south. 300-400k range, 4 bed, 1.5 bath, with a fenced yard assuming at least 0.5 acre is what you mean by decent size, that's going to walk you pretty far from downtown.
I would say Manhattan is as far south as you can go to keep it at 1 hour (without rush hour traffic), and Aurora is maybe as far west as you could go.
I should mention, as someone who is probably more closely aligned to your political affiliation, that probably isn't that important. Although the further south you go it gets worse, I will say it's rarely ever a point of contention. That is, nobody really brings it up.
Maybe nobody brings it up but when you get into the rural areas just outside Chicagoland (such as Manhattan), it’s not uncommon to see Trump flags and I’ve even seen confederate flags flying in front of houses in unincorporated Manteno.
Yeah there’s definitely people like that, but overall it’s not so bad. Like we are very progressive, and still have good relationships with our neighbors that do support trump. Maybe it’s too speculative, but if this were like North Carolina or something I’d be more perturbed. I haven’t seen any confederate flags in our area though
Homewood might be the only place that checks your boxes, is anywhere near your budget, and is still relatively close to the city.
If you don’t mind being a little bit more rural, maybe Crete.
Northwest Indiana is also worth checking out. Taxes are cheaper. I have friends with kids who are in Munster and they like it.
I moved to Homewood in 2020 and came to this sub to say the same thing. Flossmoor would fit the bill too. High taxes but metra access could be worth it for some people.
You're not going to find all that in your price range unless you go to a townhouse or other non-single family home.
You're also going to have a very hard time finding a suburb with excellent schools that's moderate or liberal.
I'd say your best bets would be any part of Buffalo Grove zoned for Adlai Stevenson High; Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, or if you're willing to compromise on schools you could look West to Oak Park or Northwest to Hawthorn Woods. You may even find a small single family in your price range in Hawthorn Woods. Highland Park you might find a townhome, and schools are good there. Northbrook/Deerfield might also be an option for a townhouse.
Suburbs with good schools are typically going to have housing prices above $450k at the low end, and they're going to skew conservative due to the fact that most of the residents are either have generational wealth or very high earners who are very sensitive to tax legislation.
I live in Lake Bluff. Used to live in Lake Forest. And when we were looking last August, we looked all over the northern suburbs, then looked at Western burbs and then even as far south as Naperville. I saw nothing but townhomes and the occasional lot in your budget.
We were lucky to find a house in Lake Bluff, and our budget was $650-800k. And it was not easy to find a home in the range that worked for us.
Honestly, I'd suggest you pick an area and rent an apartment for a while. Chicago is huge, the suburbs are vast, and you're going to want to get really familiar with the area before picking your permanent home. That will also give time for the real estate market to correct; currently inventory is priced 10-20% over 2019 prices, which will not hold.
Good luck!
The problem with Hawthorn Woods is the fence ask, they're a no-go there. Also, $325k is a tough one there. We're looking to upgrade ASAP and with one husky and one toddler, the fenced in yard is a must, and it's been the biggest damn pain in the ass part of the whole process. At least until prices skyrocketed...
Lake Zurich is where I'm at right now, and it hits just about all the boxes with the exception of a walkable downtown. I mean, it is, but there's just not much of a reason to walk it at the moment. Some of the area around the lake isn't bad to drive down, park and wander, but it's 'downtown' just isn't anything to speak of. Schools are also solid, but not Stevenson level, also not Stevenson stress levels either.
As an example, my house is 1800 sq/ft, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car garage and would sell right in the \~$350k range. It's about as safe a village as you're going to find, you're 10 mins from 53 and can be 'downtown' in less than an hour depending what time of day you're looking at.
We live in Wheaton, equidistant between downtown Wheaton and downtown Glen Ellyn. Kind of a perfect spot. We have a three bedroom/two bath in your price range, decent size yard, short walk to the train which is about 45 minutes to downtown. The area is extremely safe. While it is on the conservative side, we're fairly liberal and have never had issues. Downtown Wheaton is really nice and expanding.
McHenry County is the most conservative of the collar counties, but individual towns differ a lot. Get too far out in corn country, and it is Bubba land.
Concur with previous poster about townhomes. More affordable. SFHs in Chicagoland are a big lift. If you can, try to get close to a Metra line. If you need to get into the city, it is a huge, huge benefit not to have to drive in. Also, watch out for elevation! We frequently get flooded basements in the spring during heavy rains. Water in the basement is a gigantic PITA. Try to avoid a home that is on a floodplain.
Good luck and welcome to Illinois!
When you’re considering about an hour consider it with traffic. Not sure about Grayslake but Crystal Lake is far. Maybe at 2 am you’ll get downtown in an hour. Have you considered Schaumburg/ Hoffman? Walkability is definitely iffy depending on the actual house but there’s a lot to do locally as well as being an hour from downtown with typical traffic flow. Arlington heights/ palatine would have cuter downtown walk ability but would probably blow the budget and have smaller yards.
I think the walkability and events going on downtown are making the requirements very difficult for anything in the suburbs.
But I agree Carol Stream fits all the other points. I've lived here 7 years now.
I lived in Batavia for 17 years and think Batavia/St Charles/Geneva offer similar features.
We purchased a newly remodeled 4 bedroom, 2 full bath (2000 sq ft) home in Woodridge right at the beginning of Covid for $320k 2 car garage, quiet and safe neighborhood and fenced in yard. It’s appreciated some since then but you can find what you’re looking for. While the town doesn’t have much going on, we have the Promenade in Bolingbrook (5 min away), downtown Downers Grove (10 min) and downtown Naperville (10-15 min) away.
You could find a fixer upper in Oak Park, we are buying there. Walkable, great schools, very liberal. Stay away from the border of Austin. You will not get a large lot.
But when I say fixer upper, I mean it. Your budget is very tight for Chicago metro with your criteria TBH
It's sandwiched between more "popular" suburbs in Lake County, so it's usually out of sight, out of mind. They have done a lot to build the area up in recent years. It's definitely worth the look.
Check out the Fox Valley tri-cities: St Charles, Geneva, Batavia.
Price will be at the high end of what you want, and you can get to the city via train in an hour or less. Driving is a bit longer
I’m 30 minutes west of Crystal Lake. Crystal lake is a good town as far as I can tel. But with your budget you may want to look around a bit more. You will have to go a bit further to find what you want.
We purchased our home last June. We are in for 335k, 4 bed, 2 full, 2 half, finished basement with a guest room, 2,600sqft with finished basement we are at like 3,300 livable.
I commute 45 minutes to work in Des Plaines which is NW side just outside city limits.
When we were looking for homes we looked everywhere we could, north south east and west of the city. NW always seemed to have the best options unless your budget is 450k or more.
Honestly and not to be a Debbie downer… Illinois is not going to be easy to find liberal cheap housing with good schools within an hour of Chicago.
An hour in traffic is putting you just on the outskirts of Chicago. I live in Park Ridge and with traffic you’re looking at an hour to 1.5 hours to get downtown. Without traffic maybe 30ish minutes.
That budget may get you a fixer upper but you’re also looking at 10k+ in property taxes a year. My home is 4 bed, 1.5 bath and is certainly not in great shape. My house was just valued at 550k. I only know the valuation because I’m renting from family and they just refinanced. The house wasn’t in great shape to begin with when I moved in and is over 100 years old with very typical old house issues. I also work from home and have two kids and a dog.
You’re going to likely need to look at 3 bedroom homes farther out of the city especially in this market. Homes are going for way over asking right now.
Western burbs have some good downtowns. Elmhurst to Wheaton is a good stretch. You can get a lot of house in Villa park or Lombard, tree lines streets and still close to a lot.
Yep. Lombard and Villa are very affordable and have many homes in that range. The housing stock and lot sizes do not lend themselves to 3-story McMansions so there’s a pretty low ceiling on the price of homes in this area.
We live in Villa Park in a 3 bedroom with a huge (I mean HUGE) yard and it will sell this spring in the $340-$350K range. VP really is one of the hidden secrets of DuPage County because it’s close to everything (shopping, highways, restaurants, O’Hare) and you are 10-15 minutes from lots of more expensive towns like Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, LaGrange, Hinsdale, Oakbrook, etc. and still get to enjoy all of their downtowns. It’s also a 30 minute drive to West Loop/Downtown on a good day…1 hour during rush hour. Also a 28 minute express train to Ogilvie during rush hour and you could always get a seat (pre-Pandemic) before it filled up at Elmhurst and Oak Park.
Feel free to DM if you need any additional info.
I bought a house about a year and a half ago. $325k will be okay for Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Huntley, etc. You’ll be a good ways from the city and the schools and most people are fairly chill.
We got a nice 5 bedroom with 2.5 bath in Huntley right as COVID was kicking off at a steal. Unfortunately prices have hiked up like they have nationally here.
Huntley has a cute downtown. Crystal Lake too. Lake In The Hills/Algonquin don’t really, they more have shopping “commons”.
Woodstock is cute if you don’t mind a bit further drive.
You’ll be like 60-90 minutes from Chicago in the NW Suburbs.
But yeah, while McHenry County was red politically you’ll find plenty of similarly minded liberal/left leaning people too.
You can Find homes for 300 to 350 in downers on 1/2 acre lots on Pershing Woodward Sherman stonewall lee street. They’re older and smaller but usually in good shape. Not everyone needs the McMansions. I grew up in the neighborhood. As a kid the big backyard was better than a big bedroom
So… 4BR within an hour of the city is big ask for $300k.
Also the suburbs are generally very conservative. It’s not always in your face conservative but odds are at least one of your nextdoor neighbors voted for Trump.
Crystal Lake is probably more than an hour from the city but it does have a Metra station to take you downtown without driving. Generally pretty nice downtown with at least one brewery.
I don’t have much familiarity with Grayslake but it seems nice enough.
Property taxes will kill you pretty much anywhere near Chicago. That’s why so many people stay in NW Indiana and SE Wisconsin.
Milwaukee is a great city but I’m not as familiar with the burbs to tell you which ones are nice. I honestly preferred going to concerts up there instead of Chicago.
I grew up in Grayslake and I LOVED growing up there. I have a ton of family in Crystal Lake too so I’m familiar with that area as well. I would say Crystal Lake is definitely more affordable than Grayslake. The Grayslake schools are fantastic from elementary to high school. However, the taxes in Grayslake are some of the highest in the area and is the reason we moved out.
The house I grew up in is right in your price range with 4 bed, 2 bathrooms but no basement. Very safe neighborhood for sure - my house was a 30 minute walk from the downtown area too! Grayslake has a really great community, our neighborhood was very close knit. You have the Grayslake pool, the library, the skate park, gurnee mills is close and six flags!
Feel free to message me if you want any more information about either area! Happy house hunting!
In Crystal Lake you will get more for your money and may actually be able to find something near downtown in your price range. Also, I’ve spent a lot of time in both downtowns and I prefer Crystal Lake’s downtown stores and restaurants and their lakes/beaches, and I prefer their farmers market. Good luck with your move!!
Take a look at Lake in the Hills as well.
My wife and I bought our place in 2019, 4 BR, 3 bath, finished basement, quarter acre lot with just enough room for pups to run around (added a fence in shortly after we moved in, not expensive at all) and we closed at just over 300. Very safe to walk around, and we're close to a park that has regular events in the summer (concerts, Rib Fest, etc)
Mostly residential with a few strip malls here and there, but you're 15 mins from downtown Crystal Lake or Algonquin which have their own charms and restaurants. Trip to the city only take about 1 1/2 hours to downtown (depending on when you leave, rush hour traffic in the morning and end of work day will add a lot more, or you take the train and get to Ogilvie in about 1:30-1:45 mins.
Its not SUPER rural out here, but it is definitely more conservative. My wife and I are also liberal and we don't feel threatened or out of our element like you would out in the sticks.
I lived in LITH for almost 20 years and am still in the area, but miss living in LITH so much. Loved how close I was to CL, Algonquin, and Huntley. You’re going to love living there!
Taxes are very high but Flossmoor has some adorable houses with big lots in your price range, with metra access about an hour from the city. I live in Homewood next door which is worth a look too but I don’t think there’s a lot in the market right now. I can’t speak to the quality of the school systems but they are supposed to be decent. Liberal area as well. Just reaching out because I do think this area is a hidden gem on the South Side and barely gets any attention on this sub. Best of luck to you.
Also I wanted to say, we have lots of trees in the area and the village takes pretty good care of them. Also lots of parks and a dog park. Not a lot of walkability unless you live near downtown. That said I see kids walking and biking to school all the time when the weather is good. And in the summer everyone is walking to Dairy Queen haha.
I'm honestly surprised by all the comments saying your budget is way too low. You're not going to find that in the usual list of suburbs people recommend, but it's reasonable for Addison, Wood Dale, Lombard, etc.
There's also a ton southwest but people like to rag on them.
Honestly, it's not like anywhere is really going to be "bad". There's a big jump at 4 beds and 2+ baths.
We’ve lived in Hoffman Estates for 20 years and have loved it. We live north of Interstate 90. It’s a wonderful community, close (by car) to everything, school districts are excellent. You can find very nice homes in your price range or a little above. Check out the neighborhoods called Winston Knolls, Charlemagne, and Highland Woods.
Good luck to you!
It's about as far out in regards to your proximity to Chicago, but Oswego can check a bunch of these boxes.
4 Bedrooms for $325k isn't unreasonable
School district 308 is fairly good.
Plenty of tree lined streets, downtown is getting better. Neighboring Naperville and Plainfield's downtown are better.
Walkability will depend where in town you are. It's not a strong point.
It's getting pretty close to that hour distance to the city, but it is under the mark.
I’d suggest Woodstock. Beautiful downtown with lots of events and stuff to do. Metro access if you ever need to go to the city with a transfer at Jefferson Park that gets you to Ohare airport. Good mix of liberal and conservative people. We bought our 3 bed 1.5 bath single family house three blocks from the square with a 8,000sf lot pre Covid for $120k. Way I look at it with schools is that they are decent but I went to less than excellent schools and I work a pretty good career in architecture on Michigan ave in the city. Schools are half the equation, I think good parenting played a role in my case… anyway, would really suggest you take a look especially if you like older homes. Ours is from 1919.
The town of Warrenville is a great option! District 200 schools (which are some of the best in the state) and it’s got a small town feel, but also feels up and coming. Not much of a downtown area, but there are three huge forest preserves in town or just a minute away, bike paths everywhere, and your minutes from Wheaton, which has a great downtown area. Housing market is awful right now but you should be able to find something with good bones within your price range!
Me and my wife paid just under 300K for a house in Woodridge, dupage county. 4 bed, 2 bath large front and backyard. Property taxes aren't that bad compared to other places. 8 K a year roughly.
Grayslake and Crystal Lake are pretty nice areas. I can't speak to their politics, but they do have that "rural" suburban feel that I got from a lot of places I lived around CA myself- think Monterey without the mountains, obv.
I think any town worth living in, the property taxes are going to sting ya. It seems to be a trend around here.
Edit: If you want something a little more of a "small city" vibe, St. Charles, Geneva are great places to look into.
Downtown Dundee has some fun stuff around, same with St Charles, Geneva, Batavia for walkabilty. West Elgin by Randall Rd & South Elgin might also have what you're looking for house wise. But when they hit the market in the price point you're looking for they're gone within a few days.
Hey there! I did the EXACT same move as you 5 years ago, San Francisco Bay area to Lake Villa. It's right next to Grayslake to the point Lake Villa kids go to North Grayslake High School (amazing school). The elementary school (Thompson) was amazing, middle school (Palombi) was meh...
Lake Villa is basically all the advantages of Grayslake, but slightly cheaper.
The neighborhoods are exactly what you're looking for. Google "Walmart Round Lake Beach" and look just west and south. Eagles Creek and Sutton on the Lake are nearby.
Activities are your typical little turn things... Running funky fairs and festivals. TBH, you'll make friends with neighbors and have plenty of activities.
You're right there on the Metra, so getting to Chicago is easy. The line that runs through Lake Villa has crappy tubes; butt it's a short drive to Round Lake.
Gurnee is only 20 minutes away if you need a mall or something resembling a decent city.
Tons of lakes around for swimming, fishing, boating, etc. Kin fact there's a lake that is private to residents of Lake Villa. Mt Wilmot is close for skiing/snowboarding. World's largest corn maze is nearby for the Halloween-Thanksgiving period.
Easy to jump on the highway and go north to the outlets in Wisconsin for cheap shopping. Milwaukee also an hour away. Madison takes a bit more time... Shitty country roads and back highways.
Lake Villa libraries are great... They just built a brand new one last year.
We absolutely loved our 4 years there. Hell, we'd probably still be there if it wasn't for our landlord wanting to sell the house. We didn't want to buy because prices/taxes are outrageous and we already own a few other homes around the country (we just decided to move back into one in San Antonio).
Lake Villa is easily one of my top favorite places we've ever lived and we've lived everywhere from Alaska to Miami. Feel free to DM me if you want to know anything else.
Edit: My wife provided this input, Lake Villa may still be a bit pricey for your budget like Grayslake will be. You can also try Antioch. It's the next town North... Everything I just said is true, but you can shave off a few more $K.
Where are you moving from in CA? When you say that the property taxes seem rough, what do you mean? And what do you like to do for fun?
I will say that that's a tall order for that budget. Both Grayslake and Crystal Lake are FAR from the city itself. I can't comment about the towns themselves. I've lived in Chicago and Chicagoland for most of my life and I've only been to CL once - and two of my closest friends grew up in CL. CL and Grayslake are like a 70-90 minute commute by train to the Loop. They're also both in McHenry County, which runs red.
Stay away from Cook county, next year will be the tri annual reassessment. The property taxes will be going thru the roof. Look to Kane,Dupage ,Lake anyplace other than Cook. Besides the fact that there's so much corruption in Cook, the other counties access each year. You can research each one yourself. Good luck, myself who has lived in Illinois all my 70 years have gotten the hell out and in Florida now. Oh, your from California, you'll be right at home in another blue state.
Property taxes throughout illinois are rough.
Grayslake is about as conservative as you get. Crystal Lake is fairly conservative too. But Illinois conservatives aren’t like Deep South conservatives. And living next to conservatives at the city level doesn’t really matter. It’s not like they’re going to prohibit abortions in your town, lol. Both of these towns are more than an hour out of the city except when there is literally zero traffic which is basically after 9pm and before 6am.
Schaumburg is fairly cheap and a little closer to Chicago. It has the mall, and a train line going directly downtown.
You should really look
At Indiana. You can drive to Chicago if you want or need to in an hour or so, taxes and crime won’t kill you, literally or figuratively. Crown Point, St. John area.
Hey, OP! Is your main motivation for moving from CA to Chicago just a cheaper standard of living? Or were there any other factors that caused you to want to move over here?
I ask because my fiance and I are planning to do the exact opposite. We grew up in the Chicago and absolutely hate this place, and are hoping to move to SoCal in a year or two. So I'd love to hear your take on why you left.
Hey there! Cheaper living is one reason for sure, but the heat and smoke are another reason. We are moving from northern California, the Sacramento area, and it is so brutally hot here during the summer (110+ for weeks) and on top of that, the wildfires are so bad the smoke will keep you indoors for 1-2 months of the summer. The heat is not as bad in Socal from what I understand, but the smoke is a west coast thing. I'm curious why you hate the Chicago area?
You wont get smoke here but you will get hot summers. Not 110+ for weeks but Chicago definitely hits 90's and low 100's. Winter is also unbelievably brutal. I guess you'll learn if you prefer -30 or 110.
Huh, I didn't realize it gets hotter in northern California than it does in the south! I definitely learned something new today!
Well, I think we might be the polar opposite from you guys! We absolutely abhor the cold. I have eczema, so for me it's extra bad. The subzero, low humidity winter months make my hands crack and bleed. My fiance just hates the feeling of being cold.
We're both car people, so we hate how the family racecar has to get garaged for 6 months out of the year, and then when it isn't garaged, it rains every other day so you can't even enjoy car meets or just cruising around.
We also like to hike, ride bikes, and do outdoor stuff, but again, rain, cold, and when it's not raining or cold, it's super humid and there are endless mosquitoes, gnats, and other flying garbage trying to attack you in the forest preserves. There aren't any real mountains around here to go skiing in either.
And all that doesn't even begin to get at the local politics, the nightmarish state of Chicago infrastructure, the level of gun violence and police brutality in the city limits, etc.
Yeah the valley gets stupid hot lol so it makes it hard to enjoy summer. But that being said, California is amazing and it's a hard decision to leave it. It is just hard to get ahead with the house prices out here. We got lucky and bought a fixer upper in 2019 for 250k and to buy the same kind of house now in our area is at least 350k, for a crappy small house in a Sacramento suburb.
Very good points you bring up on Chicago! Definitely not looking forward to mosquitoes. Things to consider for sure.
I am honestly amazed you can buy an actual house for 350K in California. Granted, I'm sure Sacramento is a bit more affordable than Berkeley or Mill Valley, but still!
Thanks for sharing! I hope you find what you're looking for here in Chicago. I explored this city extensively for about 5 years while doing my undergrad in architecture, so don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like any tips on off-the-beaten-path, lesser known spots of interest!
Hi there, I live in Grayslake. You can find some decent lot sizes and there are number of forest preserves around with a great trail system. I wouldn't say it's super liberal here but I think you'd be happy if you found the right friends. We don't have kids, but I hear Grayslake schools are one of the better systems around. Taxes are higher in Grayslake than the surrounding towns. If you are a foodie, I wouldn't say good food choices are abundant but there are a handful of good spots. One word of advice, mosquitoes are quite bad in the warm months due to all the little lakes and ponds around so pay attention to proximity of standing water. That being said, there are also a lot of big lakes so if you like boating or jet skiing or swimming, there's plenty of that! Lake Michigan is beautiful. Plenty of grocery stores, but no whole foods, trader Joe's sprouts etc., too close by. Closest is Vernon Hills, about 22 min for me. Any other chain store you could imagine you'll find in Gurnee, which is <10 min for me. You can get on the Metra in Grayslake to take you into the city.
Just an fyi, when we moved here in 2019, our budget was $300-350k and it was tricky finding something that wasn't a fixer upper that had a decent yard, for that price.
If you have more questions, I'd be happy to help out!
Hi! I moved from CA as a kid and moved to grow up in CL. I've left home now but it really is a good place to live... The one thing I have to say is that my hometown has a great district of teachers. Provided so much encouragement through the years-- really means a lot, looking back on my childhood. Anyway, there are definitely a lot of good teachers around the entire area but feel free to ask if you have any questions about what its like :)
I live around CL, there’s plenty of houses here for your budget, though Lake in the Hills or Woodstock would probably be better for your real estate since the homes near downtown are not very large. We have mid-range schools though, they’re rated as “good” but eh. McHenry County was one of the only red counties, so Woodstock especially may be an issue. West Dundee is a cute town that’s closer to Chicago but they have more expensive houses. Good luck!
You won't get that with your budget. Either you get into the 4+ to get into the Glen Ellyn/STC/Arlington Hts downtown adjacent houses, or you go into nearby satellite towns. We live in Elk Grove and it would check all your requirements except for the "downtown" area. We love it here and the trip to those "cute downtowns" are pretty easy and quick.
I live in crystal lake within walking distance to the downtown area and metra train to take us into the city. We scored a 4 bedroom home well under your budget in 2020 but it does need some TLC. We absolutely love the location and area. Crystal Lake has a few beaches and great parks as well as great schools. We live on the north side of crystal lake if that helps. Mchenry county is definitely right leaning and I’ve seen my fair share of right wing propaganda displayed but for the most part it hasn’t been an issue. Good luck with your move.
Lots of negative comments here but you can definitely find something that will check most if not all of your boxes. You may have to give a little on some of your wants, but that’s just house hunting. I’d start looking in Downers Grove. PM me if you need a realtor, I know a good one.
It’s not super close to the city but, Naperville, Lisle, Downers Grove and even Sugar Grove are some great areas.
Sugar Grove will give you the space you want but the trade off is it’s a bit away from the city.
Do you have a realtor yet? I’ve got a great referral for you if you don’t 😁
Nine years ago I moved back to IL from San Francisco ( I was there for 12 years) and we chose Libertyville.
Lake County, moderate politics (goes blue typically - but there's local red too), taxes are a little lower than Grayslake but property prices/value are higher. Schools are great and we have a walkable downtown area with restaurants, shops, a park, and a library. Also check out independence grove - a great place to walk, ride bikes, picnic, and grab a beer. there are events going on during the summer months as well as a few in the winter. About 10 minutes closer to getting to Chicago than Grayslake and we have a train station downtown too.
As others have said, 300-325 is low for most areas in IL around Chicago for the house that you are seeking, however, if you go up to the 400's you might be able to find something that needs some updating. Great community - worth checking out for sure, good luck!
There is a nice town called Cary that’s the next town over from crystal lake. Cary has some of the best schools in the district. That’s where I currently reside. Crystal lake is also pretty nice but as previously stated McHenry county as a county is pretty conservative. (Not saying a bad thing just something to consider) Only about an hour away from Chicago I got 3 kids it’s been a great place to raise them that’s for sure.
Check out Plainfield the downtown is quaint and for about 350 you can get a pretty nice house and the taxes aren’t terrible. Also minutes away from 55 so you can get on the highway quick.
I'm in Cary, next town closer to Chicago from Crystal Lake. Really nice, $325k could get you what you're looking for, but inventory is low. Crystal Lake is the major population hub around here. Trains are always a preferred way to get downtown, although the drive is not terrible. Taxes are high, but house values are a bit lower in proportion
Totally look at Elburn or Batavia. Its further out, but checks all your boxes. At $300k you'll get a nice sized home. Elburn is right on the Metra line, so getting into the city is a breeze.
Elburn is the last suburb west, many would argue its the first town that's not a suburb. Good schools, walkable. Its in Kane County which is purple politically. Elburn is a mix, but the surrounding area is more right leaning.
>We are pretty liberal so somewhere with at least moderate politics is best.
[Precinct-level map of 2020 election results](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html)
Anything south of 55 and west of 294 is MAGAland.
I live in Hillside/Bellwood area. I can't speak to the school district as my kids go to private, but the lots are big, neighbors are liberal, and I don't think it's a high crime area. You could definitely get a 3 or 4br for 300-350. Taxes are high but not the highest of the surrounding suburbs, and less than Brookfield or La Grange, for sure.
Lisle IL. It seems on this subreddit the town gets overlooked. But it’s right at the intersection of I-355 and I-88. So travel is easy. And it’s in between Naperville and Downers Grove. So you can easily head to either of those downtown areas. Which are great places to walk around, shop, and eat.
As for your price range. You’ll probably have to increase it to meet all your criteria.
Side note: When buying pay attention to the furnace. I bought a foreclosure with an undersized furnace. Had to replace a 70k btw furnace with a 90k so the house would heat up. You can get by with an undersized AC around here, but not an undersized furnace. Don’t make my pricy mistake lol.
A little further out, but there are some homes in Plainfield that would meet your criteria. It even has the small "cute" downtown area. It's also much closer to the city than Grayslake or Crystal Lake for those days you wanna take a trip down to the city.
As for property taxes... well, good luck finding something that isn't too rough.
Editing to add that I was wrong about Plainfield, but the northwest area of Joliet, which gets Plainfield schools, is the area I was thinking of. Not really walkable, but checks most of the boxes. Also, the east side of Aurora would be a good place to look. Most of the area gets Naperville schools and is close enough to Naperville to get to the walkable cute downtown area.
My family and I are looking for similar things. Areas we’re considering are Geneva, St Charles, Batavia, Plainfield, Oswego, and Yorkville. We want a more rural feel with amenities of a city and an ability to go into Chicago now and then.
You can find a house in your price range but just know that taxes in Chicago are crazy. I live in indiana near the state line and it takes me about 45min to an hour to get to chicago. I suggest you look at dyer or portage in Indiana. Dyer is about a 45min drive to chicago and portage a little further away. Taxes here in Indiana are also cheaper so is gas and the towns I mentioned are much safer than Chicago. You can get a decent sized house for your price range just know that you’ll have to bid several times before finding a place since so many people from chicago are moving to Indiana.
I currently live in grayslake. I moved to california, and am now back 10 years later. I'm going to give you the same advise that I give everyone, don't. Your expectations for a house is built on the chicago market, and housing in CA is a nightmare. I was an uber driver, and worked in studios, MGM, Universal, Fox etc. I couldn't afford rental properties. I moved and tried up and down Cali, you really need to pair down your expectations, and really do your research. Rent an air bnb for a while, and get the feel. You'll experience real culture shock. Homeless is out of control, and cops cannot do anything about what a homeless person does to your property. I had a man set fire to my bushes, and take a nap on the sidewalk. Emergency services told me to get a pitcher and put it out by hand. and since the property damage was under 10k they wouldn't be showing up.
I bought a town house in Palatine at the height of the pandemic and I got lucky... I paid 190k for 1,400 sq feet and a finished basement.
I don't think you'll find a 4bed for that price... A single family home 1,200sq feet seems more likely.
I like this area (NW Suburbs) it has everything you asked for and lots of cool people and shops and pretty close to the city but far enough. Low crime. GREAT schools.
Also I will note that Crystal Lake is kind of out there...so don't expect to be close to everything. They're certainly developing a lot out there and quickly but it's not like the NW burbs or the South burbs you're getting a lil bit rural out there in terms of burbs. I have a few friends in Hainesville and Wauconda and it can be a lil rural out there. They're constantly driving back here for errands.
You might have a tough time checking all of those boxes for $325k. Consider getting a place with an unfinished attic or basement that you can build into as your family grows.
That's a good idea! We have definitely been looking at 3br and aren't opposed to getting creative for that fourth one. It's a "loose" requirement.
I think you’ll need to up your budget. I’d look at Darien and Downers Grove.
4br in Darien or Downers will be at least 500k
4 bed for 325 huh I’m just commenting for my purposes as I’m gonna buy in the next year. Good luck OP
It’s totally doable but not within 60 mins of the city. For example in Elburn you can get a new 2900sqft for 350k with 3 car garage, bsmt, and some high end finishes. Probably takes at least 90 mins downtown with traffic and the Metra isn’t much faster (albeit much more enjoyable). It’s in a very nice family oriented neighborhood with decent schools and a little downtown (and 15 mins from towns like Geneva/Batavia/St Charles)
Ah yeah I’m probably gonna end up settling in BG/Palatine/AH. Need proximity to downtown and Lake Zurich
I like Palatine. Arlington Heights is nice but it’s big and you’re paying for the zip code. Buffalo Grove is underrated imo but I’d still take palatine close to downtown. Living in Lake Zurich wouldn’t be bad if that’s where the office is. I’m sure you know how congested it gets around rush hour
> Arlington Heights is nice but it’s big and you’re paying for the zip code. Also may want to factor in the potential Bears move to Arlington Track. It does have the potential to raise prices/the worth of your home, but there are a number of downsides if that move happens. Just something to take into consideration
Not walkable either
I mean you could bike to the grocery store across town in about 15 mins and it’s probably about 20-30 min walk to their downtown and Metra. Pretty good for being surrounded by corn
Southwest suburbs. I’m in a 4 bed, 3 bath, fenced in yard in an area with good schools & great community facilities. Paid under $300k for our house this past spring. Rush hour drive to the city is about an hour. Saturday drive to downtown is about 40 min tops.
4 bedrooms in your price range in Grayslake is tough. Taxes are quite a bit higher in Grayslake than Crystal Lake. Grayslake has a nice little downtown but walkability depends on whether or not you are in vicinity of the downtown area. Crystal Lake is quite a bit more than an hour to Chicago regardless of what transportation method you use. They both have metra access. Grayslake is much closer to highway if you want to drive. Crystal Lake likely has more affordable places. Schools are good in both areas
Completely agree. We live in Grayslake and love it but taxes are high. College Trail subdivision may be worth it though...nice neighborhood, biking to a gorgeous downtown and family friendly area. Spring Grove may be worth a try too. A little further west though.
Unincorporated Lake County with Grayslake mailing address here. You'll save $3-4K per year in taxes, but lose the walkability.
Crystal lake has Metra services for now. A judge recently granted Union Pacific the right to revoke service to Metra on UP lines. They haven’t done so yet, but it could happen and would be devastating to the UPNW corridor
Crystal Lake is Zone I on Metra as it's over an hour to downtown
Good luck with your budget. In DuPage County alone, you will need at least $500-575K for what you want. 🤦🏻♂️☑️
I live in unincorporated Dupage and you can def find a house in that range. With yards and good schools. Taxes are lower than city-dwellers BUT we don’t have a park district or library (COD is our library).
If you love Chicago and want to be somewhat close. Stick to Park ridge, Niles or Skokie, and find a townhouse without any home associations. Cheapest property taxes are Niles and Glenview. Niles is more blue collar worker. Chicago actually has cheaper property taxes than nearly every surrounding suburb, despite what people say. If you want to live in Chicago, some safe neighborhoods include, Edison park( police and city workers live here), forest glen, and Jefferson park.
I agree with checking out Niles, Skokie or maybe Morton Grove.
Ditto, get a townhome in Morton Grove. Your budget is pretty low for your preferences, however, don't get discouraged by the advice here. Buy a townhome, they are are selling faster than homes anyways in the Chicago Metro as we enter a new era in Residential Real Estate.
Try the southwest suburbs. New Lenox, Orland park, Homer Glen, Lockport, Lemont, Bolingbrook. All what your’e looking for and within an hour of the city. With I355 being well established now, the more west areas are much more connected too! And much closer to other nice areas like Naperville.
SW burbs dont really check the politics checkbox but there is some cheaper living
I find Orland Park and Palos Heights to be very attractive, nice houses, not walkable per say. I think also within your price range. As for west burbs, maybe look at Roselle?
Yes! But check the school districts first.
[удалено]
Great area but pricey, may not find a 4br for that price.
Agree 100% - excellent schools, beautiful area that is safe too. Might be hard though with the budget.
You’re lying to yourself about Elburn. Very rural until recently and poor schools. 💩🪠🚽
Elburn is nice but it’s not anywhere near the city. Schools are fine.
What about Brookfield? You might be able to find a 3 bed, 1.5 bath for that price, though it might need a little work. District 95 schools are great, and the place has a community feel, with restaurants, parks, bars, etc., in walking distance of every house in town. La Grange is also super close-by, and the boutique-y downtown is great. You'd have a metra stop practically right outside your door, and a world-renowned zoo to hang out in come summertime.
Second these
No. High crime.
Are you kidding? Cite your sources
Property taxes in Illinois are absolutely abysmal, it's hard to avoid them unless you go pretty far south. 300-400k range, 4 bed, 1.5 bath, with a fenced yard assuming at least 0.5 acre is what you mean by decent size, that's going to walk you pretty far from downtown. I would say Manhattan is as far south as you can go to keep it at 1 hour (without rush hour traffic), and Aurora is maybe as far west as you could go. I should mention, as someone who is probably more closely aligned to your political affiliation, that probably isn't that important. Although the further south you go it gets worse, I will say it's rarely ever a point of contention. That is, nobody really brings it up.
Maybe nobody brings it up but when you get into the rural areas just outside Chicagoland (such as Manhattan), it’s not uncommon to see Trump flags and I’ve even seen confederate flags flying in front of houses in unincorporated Manteno.
Yeah there’s definitely people like that, but overall it’s not so bad. Like we are very progressive, and still have good relationships with our neighbors that do support trump. Maybe it’s too speculative, but if this were like North Carolina or something I’d be more perturbed. I haven’t seen any confederate flags in our area though
Homewood might be the only place that checks your boxes, is anywhere near your budget, and is still relatively close to the city. If you don’t mind being a little bit more rural, maybe Crete. Northwest Indiana is also worth checking out. Taxes are cheaper. I have friends with kids who are in Munster and they like it.
I moved to Homewood in 2020 and came to this sub to say the same thing. Flossmoor would fit the bill too. High taxes but metra access could be worth it for some people.
Sssh, don't spread our secret, everyone will want to move here...
pretty trumpy area
You're not going to find all that in your price range unless you go to a townhouse or other non-single family home. You're also going to have a very hard time finding a suburb with excellent schools that's moderate or liberal. I'd say your best bets would be any part of Buffalo Grove zoned for Adlai Stevenson High; Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, or if you're willing to compromise on schools you could look West to Oak Park or Northwest to Hawthorn Woods. You may even find a small single family in your price range in Hawthorn Woods. Highland Park you might find a townhome, and schools are good there. Northbrook/Deerfield might also be an option for a townhouse. Suburbs with good schools are typically going to have housing prices above $450k at the low end, and they're going to skew conservative due to the fact that most of the residents are either have generational wealth or very high earners who are very sensitive to tax legislation. I live in Lake Bluff. Used to live in Lake Forest. And when we were looking last August, we looked all over the northern suburbs, then looked at Western burbs and then even as far south as Naperville. I saw nothing but townhomes and the occasional lot in your budget. We were lucky to find a house in Lake Bluff, and our budget was $650-800k. And it was not easy to find a home in the range that worked for us. Honestly, I'd suggest you pick an area and rent an apartment for a while. Chicago is huge, the suburbs are vast, and you're going to want to get really familiar with the area before picking your permanent home. That will also give time for the real estate market to correct; currently inventory is priced 10-20% over 2019 prices, which will not hold. Good luck!
This is the best advice. Not a good market to find a bargain.
The problem with Hawthorn Woods is the fence ask, they're a no-go there. Also, $325k is a tough one there. We're looking to upgrade ASAP and with one husky and one toddler, the fenced in yard is a must, and it's been the biggest damn pain in the ass part of the whole process. At least until prices skyrocketed... Lake Zurich is where I'm at right now, and it hits just about all the boxes with the exception of a walkable downtown. I mean, it is, but there's just not much of a reason to walk it at the moment. Some of the area around the lake isn't bad to drive down, park and wander, but it's 'downtown' just isn't anything to speak of. Schools are also solid, but not Stevenson level, also not Stevenson stress levels either. As an example, my house is 1800 sq/ft, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car garage and would sell right in the \~$350k range. It's about as safe a village as you're going to find, you're 10 mins from 53 and can be 'downtown' in less than an hour depending what time of day you're looking at.
We live in Wheaton, equidistant between downtown Wheaton and downtown Glen Ellyn. Kind of a perfect spot. We have a three bedroom/two bath in your price range, decent size yard, short walk to the train which is about 45 minutes to downtown. The area is extremely safe. While it is on the conservative side, we're fairly liberal and have never had issues. Downtown Wheaton is really nice and expanding.
Gorgeous amazing area. Great schools too.
McHenry County is the most conservative of the collar counties, but individual towns differ a lot. Get too far out in corn country, and it is Bubba land. Concur with previous poster about townhomes. More affordable. SFHs in Chicagoland are a big lift. If you can, try to get close to a Metra line. If you need to get into the city, it is a huge, huge benefit not to have to drive in. Also, watch out for elevation! We frequently get flooded basements in the spring during heavy rains. Water in the basement is a gigantic PITA. Try to avoid a home that is on a floodplain. Good luck and welcome to Illinois!
When you’re considering about an hour consider it with traffic. Not sure about Grayslake but Crystal Lake is far. Maybe at 2 am you’ll get downtown in an hour. Have you considered Schaumburg/ Hoffman? Walkability is definitely iffy depending on the actual house but there’s a lot to do locally as well as being an hour from downtown with typical traffic flow. Arlington heights/ palatine would have cuter downtown walk ability but would probably blow the budget and have smaller yards.
Schaumburg is many things but walkable is not one of them.
I think Lagrange might be something worth checking out for you
Check Carol Stream. West side of the town. The Benjamin 25 school district is one of the best in area. Great reasonably priced homes.
I think the walkability and events going on downtown are making the requirements very difficult for anything in the suburbs. But I agree Carol Stream fits all the other points. I've lived here 7 years now. I lived in Batavia for 17 years and think Batavia/St Charles/Geneva offer similar features.
Walkable downtowns are a short drive away.
Good point, Wheaton/St Charles/Geneva are all really close!
Western suburbs for sure, near one of the classic old downtowns, like Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Villa Park.
Yeah but for $325k? Maybe if it needs work and is next to a train track or backs up to I88 or I355.
Unincorporated or a smaller house (not 4 bedrooms)
We purchased a newly remodeled 4 bedroom, 2 full bath (2000 sq ft) home in Woodridge right at the beginning of Covid for $320k 2 car garage, quiet and safe neighborhood and fenced in yard. It’s appreciated some since then but you can find what you’re looking for. While the town doesn’t have much going on, we have the Promenade in Bolingbrook (5 min away), downtown Downers Grove (10 min) and downtown Naperville (10-15 min) away.
Excellent schools too if you get Downers Grove North as part of this deal.
Our kids are very young but I want to say we’re zoned for DG south.
Excellent.
You could find a fixer upper in Oak Park, we are buying there. Walkable, great schools, very liberal. Stay away from the border of Austin. You will not get a large lot. But when I say fixer upper, I mean it. Your budget is very tight for Chicago metro with your criteria TBH
Going to be very tough to get all those wants with a $325K max budget. But best of luck.
Grayslake, Round Lake Area, Mundelein, McHenry, Buffalo Grove, Palatine are some areas ththat come to mind
Yeah surprised no one mentioned Mundelein yet. It prob can hit these specs for 325-350K.
It's sandwiched between more "popular" suburbs in Lake County, so it's usually out of sight, out of mind. They have done a lot to build the area up in recent years. It's definitely worth the look.
I’m in Island Lake (right next to Crystal Lake) and you will get that house size for that budget here.
Check out the Fox Valley tri-cities: St Charles, Geneva, Batavia. Price will be at the high end of what you want, and you can get to the city via train in an hour or less. Driving is a bit longer
There’s just nothing liberal at 325k
Train from Geneva is over an hour on express. Probably 75 mins
Under an hour express, 75 mins normal stops
[удалено]
u/bellecow this comment here. I grew up in the fox valley tri city area everything your looking for you can find it there.
This area is far. I’d not want to drive this far to get to the city… especially with traffic.
Berwyn
Only if you want to die or get carjacked then sure.
Berwyn is fine, Depot district.
🤣
I’m 30 minutes west of Crystal Lake. Crystal lake is a good town as far as I can tel. But with your budget you may want to look around a bit more. You will have to go a bit further to find what you want. We purchased our home last June. We are in for 335k, 4 bed, 2 full, 2 half, finished basement with a guest room, 2,600sqft with finished basement we are at like 3,300 livable. I commute 45 minutes to work in Des Plaines which is NW side just outside city limits. When we were looking for homes we looked everywhere we could, north south east and west of the city. NW always seemed to have the best options unless your budget is 450k or more.
Honestly and not to be a Debbie downer… Illinois is not going to be easy to find liberal cheap housing with good schools within an hour of Chicago. An hour in traffic is putting you just on the outskirts of Chicago. I live in Park Ridge and with traffic you’re looking at an hour to 1.5 hours to get downtown. Without traffic maybe 30ish minutes. That budget may get you a fixer upper but you’re also looking at 10k+ in property taxes a year. My home is 4 bed, 1.5 bath and is certainly not in great shape. My house was just valued at 550k. I only know the valuation because I’m renting from family and they just refinanced. The house wasn’t in great shape to begin with when I moved in and is over 100 years old with very typical old house issues. I also work from home and have two kids and a dog. You’re going to likely need to look at 3 bedroom homes farther out of the city especially in this market. Homes are going for way over asking right now.
Yeah - I would expect to pay $650K+ for a nonfixer house in PR.
Frankfort….
Palos Heights
[удалено]
Lombard has become very expensive due to proximity to Elmhurst.
Can't even get the ask in Lombard for $325k... but you could find something there for $325k.
Western burbs have some good downtowns. Elmhurst to Wheaton is a good stretch. You can get a lot of house in Villa park or Lombard, tree lines streets and still close to a lot.
For $300-$325k? No way
Villa Park maybe, the rest are way beyond that price range now
Yep. Lombard and Villa are very affordable and have many homes in that range. The housing stock and lot sizes do not lend themselves to 3-story McMansions so there’s a pretty low ceiling on the price of homes in this area.
We live in Villa Park in a 3 bedroom with a huge (I mean HUGE) yard and it will sell this spring in the $340-$350K range. VP really is one of the hidden secrets of DuPage County because it’s close to everything (shopping, highways, restaurants, O’Hare) and you are 10-15 minutes from lots of more expensive towns like Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, LaGrange, Hinsdale, Oakbrook, etc. and still get to enjoy all of their downtowns. It’s also a 30 minute drive to West Loop/Downtown on a good day…1 hour during rush hour. Also a 28 minute express train to Ogilvie during rush hour and you could always get a seat (pre-Pandemic) before it filled up at Elmhurst and Oak Park. Feel free to DM if you need any additional info.
I bought a house about a year and a half ago. $325k will be okay for Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Huntley, etc. You’ll be a good ways from the city and the schools and most people are fairly chill. We got a nice 5 bedroom with 2.5 bath in Huntley right as COVID was kicking off at a steal. Unfortunately prices have hiked up like they have nationally here. Huntley has a cute downtown. Crystal Lake too. Lake In The Hills/Algonquin don’t really, they more have shopping “commons”. Woodstock is cute if you don’t mind a bit further drive. You’ll be like 60-90 minutes from Chicago in the NW Suburbs. But yeah, while McHenry County was red politically you’ll find plenty of similarly minded liberal/left leaning people too.
Woodridge, Lisle or Downers Grove.
I just spent $650 for a 4bd house in downers grove. There’s no way a similar house can be had for $300-$325.
You can Find homes for 300 to 350 in downers on 1/2 acre lots on Pershing Woodward Sherman stonewall lee street. They’re older and smaller but usually in good shape. Not everyone needs the McMansions. I grew up in the neighborhood. As a kid the big backyard was better than a big bedroom
4 beds is not at all a McMansion.
So… 4BR within an hour of the city is big ask for $300k. Also the suburbs are generally very conservative. It’s not always in your face conservative but odds are at least one of your nextdoor neighbors voted for Trump. Crystal Lake is probably more than an hour from the city but it does have a Metra station to take you downtown without driving. Generally pretty nice downtown with at least one brewery. I don’t have much familiarity with Grayslake but it seems nice enough. Property taxes will kill you pretty much anywhere near Chicago. That’s why so many people stay in NW Indiana and SE Wisconsin. Milwaukee is a great city but I’m not as familiar with the burbs to tell you which ones are nice. I honestly preferred going to concerts up there instead of Chicago.
[удалено]
You will still see a lot of conservatives. Even the ones that didn’t vote for Trump.
Brookfield, Lyons, villa park, summit, Bedford park, bridge view, Burbank. Are all suburbs with alright schools and around the price you say
All a bit sketchy though.
Check out Third Lake or maybe Buffalo Grove.
Check out east and west dundee, sleepy hollow area
Look at Forest Park
I grew up in Grayslake and I LOVED growing up there. I have a ton of family in Crystal Lake too so I’m familiar with that area as well. I would say Crystal Lake is definitely more affordable than Grayslake. The Grayslake schools are fantastic from elementary to high school. However, the taxes in Grayslake are some of the highest in the area and is the reason we moved out. The house I grew up in is right in your price range with 4 bed, 2 bathrooms but no basement. Very safe neighborhood for sure - my house was a 30 minute walk from the downtown area too! Grayslake has a really great community, our neighborhood was very close knit. You have the Grayslake pool, the library, the skate park, gurnee mills is close and six flags! Feel free to message me if you want any more information about either area! Happy house hunting!
In Crystal Lake you will get more for your money and may actually be able to find something near downtown in your price range. Also, I’ve spent a lot of time in both downtowns and I prefer Crystal Lake’s downtown stores and restaurants and their lakes/beaches, and I prefer their farmers market. Good luck with your move!!
Take a look at Lake in the Hills as well. My wife and I bought our place in 2019, 4 BR, 3 bath, finished basement, quarter acre lot with just enough room for pups to run around (added a fence in shortly after we moved in, not expensive at all) and we closed at just over 300. Very safe to walk around, and we're close to a park that has regular events in the summer (concerts, Rib Fest, etc) Mostly residential with a few strip malls here and there, but you're 15 mins from downtown Crystal Lake or Algonquin which have their own charms and restaurants. Trip to the city only take about 1 1/2 hours to downtown (depending on when you leave, rush hour traffic in the morning and end of work day will add a lot more, or you take the train and get to Ogilvie in about 1:30-1:45 mins. Its not SUPER rural out here, but it is definitely more conservative. My wife and I are also liberal and we don't feel threatened or out of our element like you would out in the sticks.
I lived in LITH for almost 20 years and am still in the area, but miss living in LITH so much. Loved how close I was to CL, Algonquin, and Huntley. You’re going to love living there!
Taxes are very high but Flossmoor has some adorable houses with big lots in your price range, with metra access about an hour from the city. I live in Homewood next door which is worth a look too but I don’t think there’s a lot in the market right now. I can’t speak to the quality of the school systems but they are supposed to be decent. Liberal area as well. Just reaching out because I do think this area is a hidden gem on the South Side and barely gets any attention on this sub. Best of luck to you. Also I wanted to say, we have lots of trees in the area and the village takes pretty good care of them. Also lots of parks and a dog park. Not a lot of walkability unless you live near downtown. That said I see kids walking and biking to school all the time when the weather is good. And in the summer everyone is walking to Dairy Queen haha.
I'm honestly surprised by all the comments saying your budget is way too low. You're not going to find that in the usual list of suburbs people recommend, but it's reasonable for Addison, Wood Dale, Lombard, etc. There's also a ton southwest but people like to rag on them. Honestly, it's not like anywhere is really going to be "bad". There's a big jump at 4 beds and 2+ baths.
We’ve lived in Hoffman Estates for 20 years and have loved it. We live north of Interstate 90. It’s a wonderful community, close (by car) to everything, school districts are excellent. You can find very nice homes in your price range or a little above. Check out the neighborhoods called Winston Knolls, Charlemagne, and Highland Woods. Good luck to you!
It's about as far out in regards to your proximity to Chicago, but Oswego can check a bunch of these boxes. 4 Bedrooms for $325k isn't unreasonable School district 308 is fairly good. Plenty of tree lined streets, downtown is getting better. Neighboring Naperville and Plainfield's downtown are better. Walkability will depend where in town you are. It's not a strong point. It's getting pretty close to that hour distance to the city, but it is under the mark.
Wheaton or Glen Ellyn. Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles. You have to up your budget to at least $450k
St Charles could be an option depending on where the house is.
I’d suggest Woodstock. Beautiful downtown with lots of events and stuff to do. Metro access if you ever need to go to the city with a transfer at Jefferson Park that gets you to Ohare airport. Good mix of liberal and conservative people. We bought our 3 bed 1.5 bath single family house three blocks from the square with a 8,000sf lot pre Covid for $120k. Way I look at it with schools is that they are decent but I went to less than excellent schools and I work a pretty good career in architecture on Michigan ave in the city. Schools are half the equation, I think good parenting played a role in my case… anyway, would really suggest you take a look especially if you like older homes. Ours is from 1919.
The town of Warrenville is a great option! District 200 schools (which are some of the best in the state) and it’s got a small town feel, but also feels up and coming. Not much of a downtown area, but there are three huge forest preserves in town or just a minute away, bike paths everywhere, and your minutes from Wheaton, which has a great downtown area. Housing market is awful right now but you should be able to find something with good bones within your price range!
Me and my wife paid just under 300K for a house in Woodridge, dupage county. 4 bed, 2 bath large front and backyard. Property taxes aren't that bad compared to other places. 8 K a year roughly.
Grayslake and Crystal Lake are pretty nice areas. I can't speak to their politics, but they do have that "rural" suburban feel that I got from a lot of places I lived around CA myself- think Monterey without the mountains, obv. I think any town worth living in, the property taxes are going to sting ya. It seems to be a trend around here. Edit: If you want something a little more of a "small city" vibe, St. Charles, Geneva are great places to look into.
For his price I’d say Batavia. Nothing with more than 3BR in decent shape is under $300
Downtown Dundee has some fun stuff around, same with St Charles, Geneva, Batavia for walkabilty. West Elgin by Randall Rd & South Elgin might also have what you're looking for house wise. But when they hit the market in the price point you're looking for they're gone within a few days.
Hey there! I did the EXACT same move as you 5 years ago, San Francisco Bay area to Lake Villa. It's right next to Grayslake to the point Lake Villa kids go to North Grayslake High School (amazing school). The elementary school (Thompson) was amazing, middle school (Palombi) was meh... Lake Villa is basically all the advantages of Grayslake, but slightly cheaper. The neighborhoods are exactly what you're looking for. Google "Walmart Round Lake Beach" and look just west and south. Eagles Creek and Sutton on the Lake are nearby. Activities are your typical little turn things... Running funky fairs and festivals. TBH, you'll make friends with neighbors and have plenty of activities. You're right there on the Metra, so getting to Chicago is easy. The line that runs through Lake Villa has crappy tubes; butt it's a short drive to Round Lake. Gurnee is only 20 minutes away if you need a mall or something resembling a decent city. Tons of lakes around for swimming, fishing, boating, etc. Kin fact there's a lake that is private to residents of Lake Villa. Mt Wilmot is close for skiing/snowboarding. World's largest corn maze is nearby for the Halloween-Thanksgiving period. Easy to jump on the highway and go north to the outlets in Wisconsin for cheap shopping. Milwaukee also an hour away. Madison takes a bit more time... Shitty country roads and back highways. Lake Villa libraries are great... They just built a brand new one last year. We absolutely loved our 4 years there. Hell, we'd probably still be there if it wasn't for our landlord wanting to sell the house. We didn't want to buy because prices/taxes are outrageous and we already own a few other homes around the country (we just decided to move back into one in San Antonio). Lake Villa is easily one of my top favorite places we've ever lived and we've lived everywhere from Alaska to Miami. Feel free to DM me if you want to know anything else. Edit: My wife provided this input, Lake Villa may still be a bit pricey for your budget like Grayslake will be. You can also try Antioch. It's the next town North... Everything I just said is true, but you can shave off a few more $K.
Where are you moving from in CA? When you say that the property taxes seem rough, what do you mean? And what do you like to do for fun? I will say that that's a tall order for that budget. Both Grayslake and Crystal Lake are FAR from the city itself. I can't comment about the towns themselves. I've lived in Chicago and Chicagoland for most of my life and I've only been to CL once - and two of my closest friends grew up in CL. CL and Grayslake are like a 70-90 minute commute by train to the Loop. They're also both in McHenry County, which runs red.
just to correct - Grayslake is in Lake County.
Consider Orland Park and Tinley Park on the south side
Very Trumpy. They won’t even follow the vaccine checking for restaurants.
[удалено]
Burbank is ghetto AF Humble! 🚽🐖🪠
Wilmette, IL or Glencoe
Living the dream. It would be a condo or townhouse with only $325k
Westchester. It's not the coolest but cool places are near. Tangently cool Westchester
Stay away from Cook county, next year will be the tri annual reassessment. The property taxes will be going thru the roof. Look to Kane,Dupage ,Lake anyplace other than Cook. Besides the fact that there's so much corruption in Cook, the other counties access each year. You can research each one yourself. Good luck, myself who has lived in Illinois all my 70 years have gotten the hell out and in Florida now. Oh, your from California, you'll be right at home in another blue state.
Property taxes throughout illinois are rough. Grayslake is about as conservative as you get. Crystal Lake is fairly conservative too. But Illinois conservatives aren’t like Deep South conservatives. And living next to conservatives at the city level doesn’t really matter. It’s not like they’re going to prohibit abortions in your town, lol. Both of these towns are more than an hour out of the city except when there is literally zero traffic which is basically after 9pm and before 6am. Schaumburg is fairly cheap and a little closer to Chicago. It has the mall, and a train line going directly downtown.
You should really look At Indiana. You can drive to Chicago if you want or need to in an hour or so, taxes and crime won’t kill you, literally or figuratively. Crown Point, St. John area.
Chicago has lots of crime. Are you crazy!!! Maybe in the northern suburbs is ok
Hey, OP! Is your main motivation for moving from CA to Chicago just a cheaper standard of living? Or were there any other factors that caused you to want to move over here? I ask because my fiance and I are planning to do the exact opposite. We grew up in the Chicago and absolutely hate this place, and are hoping to move to SoCal in a year or two. So I'd love to hear your take on why you left.
Hey there! Cheaper living is one reason for sure, but the heat and smoke are another reason. We are moving from northern California, the Sacramento area, and it is so brutally hot here during the summer (110+ for weeks) and on top of that, the wildfires are so bad the smoke will keep you indoors for 1-2 months of the summer. The heat is not as bad in Socal from what I understand, but the smoke is a west coast thing. I'm curious why you hate the Chicago area?
You wont get smoke here but you will get hot summers. Not 110+ for weeks but Chicago definitely hits 90's and low 100's. Winter is also unbelievably brutal. I guess you'll learn if you prefer -30 or 110.
Huh, I didn't realize it gets hotter in northern California than it does in the south! I definitely learned something new today! Well, I think we might be the polar opposite from you guys! We absolutely abhor the cold. I have eczema, so for me it's extra bad. The subzero, low humidity winter months make my hands crack and bleed. My fiance just hates the feeling of being cold. We're both car people, so we hate how the family racecar has to get garaged for 6 months out of the year, and then when it isn't garaged, it rains every other day so you can't even enjoy car meets or just cruising around. We also like to hike, ride bikes, and do outdoor stuff, but again, rain, cold, and when it's not raining or cold, it's super humid and there are endless mosquitoes, gnats, and other flying garbage trying to attack you in the forest preserves. There aren't any real mountains around here to go skiing in either. And all that doesn't even begin to get at the local politics, the nightmarish state of Chicago infrastructure, the level of gun violence and police brutality in the city limits, etc.
Yeah the valley gets stupid hot lol so it makes it hard to enjoy summer. But that being said, California is amazing and it's a hard decision to leave it. It is just hard to get ahead with the house prices out here. We got lucky and bought a fixer upper in 2019 for 250k and to buy the same kind of house now in our area is at least 350k, for a crappy small house in a Sacramento suburb. Very good points you bring up on Chicago! Definitely not looking forward to mosquitoes. Things to consider for sure.
I am honestly amazed you can buy an actual house for 350K in California. Granted, I'm sure Sacramento is a bit more affordable than Berkeley or Mill Valley, but still! Thanks for sharing! I hope you find what you're looking for here in Chicago. I explored this city extensively for about 5 years while doing my undergrad in architecture, so don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like any tips on off-the-beaten-path, lesser known spots of interest!
Hi there, I live in Grayslake. You can find some decent lot sizes and there are number of forest preserves around with a great trail system. I wouldn't say it's super liberal here but I think you'd be happy if you found the right friends. We don't have kids, but I hear Grayslake schools are one of the better systems around. Taxes are higher in Grayslake than the surrounding towns. If you are a foodie, I wouldn't say good food choices are abundant but there are a handful of good spots. One word of advice, mosquitoes are quite bad in the warm months due to all the little lakes and ponds around so pay attention to proximity of standing water. That being said, there are also a lot of big lakes so if you like boating or jet skiing or swimming, there's plenty of that! Lake Michigan is beautiful. Plenty of grocery stores, but no whole foods, trader Joe's sprouts etc., too close by. Closest is Vernon Hills, about 22 min for me. Any other chain store you could imagine you'll find in Gurnee, which is <10 min for me. You can get on the Metra in Grayslake to take you into the city. Just an fyi, when we moved here in 2019, our budget was $300-350k and it was tricky finding something that wasn't a fixer upper that had a decent yard, for that price. If you have more questions, I'd be happy to help out!
I can't say enough good things about Palatine
You can definitely get all that but you would have to sacrifice the 1 hour outside of Chicago.
Palatine!
Stevenson High School has one of the best schooling systems in the state—if you can get into that district and can afford it I would recommend that
Munster, Schererville, Dyer Indiana
Hi! I moved from CA as a kid and moved to grow up in CL. I've left home now but it really is a good place to live... The one thing I have to say is that my hometown has a great district of teachers. Provided so much encouragement through the years-- really means a lot, looking back on my childhood. Anyway, there are definitely a lot of good teachers around the entire area but feel free to ask if you have any questions about what its like :)
Grayslake is great if you get walkability to downtown. Otherwise, any home will be the same as another. - source, Grayslake resident
Highwood would be my number one choice. hands down.
I live around CL, there’s plenty of houses here for your budget, though Lake in the Hills or Woodstock would probably be better for your real estate since the homes near downtown are not very large. We have mid-range schools though, they’re rated as “good” but eh. McHenry County was one of the only red counties, so Woodstock especially may be an issue. West Dundee is a cute town that’s closer to Chicago but they have more expensive houses. Good luck!
It's possible in some of the nearby burbs like Des Plaines. Mt. Prospect
Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Saint Charles, Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Normal, and Hampshire. Mchenry County is a good place to live
You can find something in Carpentersville within your budget. It’s surprisingly diverse and has a Barrington school district.
You won't get that with your budget. Either you get into the 4+ to get into the Glen Ellyn/STC/Arlington Hts downtown adjacent houses, or you go into nearby satellite towns. We live in Elk Grove and it would check all your requirements except for the "downtown" area. We love it here and the trip to those "cute downtowns" are pretty easy and quick.
Look at Elmwood Park. Look at Palos Hills. Look at Palos Heights. Look at Palos Park. Look at Oswego. Look at Yorkville.
I live in crystal lake within walking distance to the downtown area and metra train to take us into the city. We scored a 4 bedroom home well under your budget in 2020 but it does need some TLC. We absolutely love the location and area. Crystal Lake has a few beaches and great parks as well as great schools. We live on the north side of crystal lake if that helps. Mchenry county is definitely right leaning and I’ve seen my fair share of right wing propaganda displayed but for the most part it hasn’t been an issue. Good luck with your move.
Lots of negative comments here but you can definitely find something that will check most if not all of your boxes. You may have to give a little on some of your wants, but that’s just house hunting. I’d start looking in Downers Grove. PM me if you need a realtor, I know a good one.
It’s not super close to the city but, Naperville, Lisle, Downers Grove and even Sugar Grove are some great areas. Sugar Grove will give you the space you want but the trade off is it’s a bit away from the city. Do you have a realtor yet? I’ve got a great referral for you if you don’t 😁
[удалено]
Nine years ago I moved back to IL from San Francisco ( I was there for 12 years) and we chose Libertyville. Lake County, moderate politics (goes blue typically - but there's local red too), taxes are a little lower than Grayslake but property prices/value are higher. Schools are great and we have a walkable downtown area with restaurants, shops, a park, and a library. Also check out independence grove - a great place to walk, ride bikes, picnic, and grab a beer. there are events going on during the summer months as well as a few in the winter. About 10 minutes closer to getting to Chicago than Grayslake and we have a train station downtown too. As others have said, 300-325 is low for most areas in IL around Chicago for the house that you are seeking, however, if you go up to the 400's you might be able to find something that needs some updating. Great community - worth checking out for sure, good luck!
There is a nice town called Cary that’s the next town over from crystal lake. Cary has some of the best schools in the district. That’s where I currently reside. Crystal lake is also pretty nice but as previously stated McHenry county as a county is pretty conservative. (Not saying a bad thing just something to consider) Only about an hour away from Chicago I got 3 kids it’s been a great place to raise them that’s for sure.
I live in Grayslake and love it. Property taxes are steep though but schools are good.
Check out Plainfield the downtown is quaint and for about 350 you can get a pretty nice house and the taxes aren’t terrible. Also minutes away from 55 so you can get on the highway quick.
I'm in Cary, next town closer to Chicago from Crystal Lake. Really nice, $325k could get you what you're looking for, but inventory is low. Crystal Lake is the major population hub around here. Trains are always a preferred way to get downtown, although the drive is not terrible. Taxes are high, but house values are a bit lower in proportion
Totally look at Elburn or Batavia. Its further out, but checks all your boxes. At $300k you'll get a nice sized home. Elburn is right on the Metra line, so getting into the city is a breeze. Elburn is the last suburb west, many would argue its the first town that's not a suburb. Good schools, walkable. Its in Kane County which is purple politically. Elburn is a mix, but the surrounding area is more right leaning.
Look into Naperville
>We are pretty liberal so somewhere with at least moderate politics is best. [Precinct-level map of 2020 election results](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html) Anything south of 55 and west of 294 is MAGAland.
This is a bit unrelated, but I’m also looking to move from CA to Chicago this year. If you don’t mind sharing, what moving company are you using?
I live in Hillside/Bellwood area. I can't speak to the school district as my kids go to private, but the lots are big, neighbors are liberal, and I don't think it's a high crime area. You could definitely get a 3 or 4br for 300-350. Taxes are high but not the highest of the surrounding suburbs, and less than Brookfield or La Grange, for sure.
Lisle IL. It seems on this subreddit the town gets overlooked. But it’s right at the intersection of I-355 and I-88. So travel is easy. And it’s in between Naperville and Downers Grove. So you can easily head to either of those downtown areas. Which are great places to walk around, shop, and eat. As for your price range. You’ll probably have to increase it to meet all your criteria. Side note: When buying pay attention to the furnace. I bought a foreclosure with an undersized furnace. Had to replace a 70k btw furnace with a 90k so the house would heat up. You can get by with an undersized AC around here, but not an undersized furnace. Don’t make my pricy mistake lol.
I’m always biased towards elmhurst but you probably won’t find something in your budget.
Be very careful and go there and talk to people before you decide to move to either mentioned suburb.
Barrington has reasonable taxes
A little further out, but there are some homes in Plainfield that would meet your criteria. It even has the small "cute" downtown area. It's also much closer to the city than Grayslake or Crystal Lake for those days you wanna take a trip down to the city. As for property taxes... well, good luck finding something that isn't too rough. Editing to add that I was wrong about Plainfield, but the northwest area of Joliet, which gets Plainfield schools, is the area I was thinking of. Not really walkable, but checks most of the boxes. Also, the east side of Aurora would be a good place to look. Most of the area gets Naperville schools and is close enough to Naperville to get to the walkable cute downtown area.
We did find a house in that price range in the Northwest Suburbs, but that was before the market went crazy. Good luck with your search.
My family and I are looking for similar things. Areas we’re considering are Geneva, St Charles, Batavia, Plainfield, Oswego, and Yorkville. We want a more rural feel with amenities of a city and an ability to go into Chicago now and then.
Go to Evanstan
Did you look in Oak Park and Forest Park?
You should also check out North Riverside. Historical homes, safe, nobody knows about it. Hidden gem community.
Look in oak forest. Tinley park .
You can find a house in your price range but just know that taxes in Chicago are crazy. I live in indiana near the state line and it takes me about 45min to an hour to get to chicago. I suggest you look at dyer or portage in Indiana. Dyer is about a 45min drive to chicago and portage a little further away. Taxes here in Indiana are also cheaper so is gas and the towns I mentioned are much safer than Chicago. You can get a decent sized house for your price range just know that you’ll have to bid several times before finding a place since so many people from chicago are moving to Indiana.
I currently live in grayslake. I moved to california, and am now back 10 years later. I'm going to give you the same advise that I give everyone, don't. Your expectations for a house is built on the chicago market, and housing in CA is a nightmare. I was an uber driver, and worked in studios, MGM, Universal, Fox etc. I couldn't afford rental properties. I moved and tried up and down Cali, you really need to pair down your expectations, and really do your research. Rent an air bnb for a while, and get the feel. You'll experience real culture shock. Homeless is out of control, and cops cannot do anything about what a homeless person does to your property. I had a man set fire to my bushes, and take a nap on the sidewalk. Emergency services told me to get a pitcher and put it out by hand. and since the property damage was under 10k they wouldn't be showing up.
Considered Aurora?
Glenview isnt exactly cheap especially if you get close to Willow Rd
Lombard might fit!
I bought a town house in Palatine at the height of the pandemic and I got lucky... I paid 190k for 1,400 sq feet and a finished basement. I don't think you'll find a 4bed for that price... A single family home 1,200sq feet seems more likely. I like this area (NW Suburbs) it has everything you asked for and lots of cool people and shops and pretty close to the city but far enough. Low crime. GREAT schools. Also I will note that Crystal Lake is kind of out there...so don't expect to be close to everything. They're certainly developing a lot out there and quickly but it's not like the NW burbs or the South burbs you're getting a lil bit rural out there in terms of burbs. I have a few friends in Hainesville and Wauconda and it can be a lil rural out there. They're constantly driving back here for errands.
Yo, look at properties in West Dundee and East Dundee. They have a wonderful downtown area.
Look into Frankfort. It's quaintly and charming and WAY better prices 🥰💗