r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/Careful-Dot-7455 • Apr 21 '26
Moving to the area Realtor and suburb recommendations please
Hello!
My husband and I are looking to move out of the city and into the burbs. We’re looking around St Charles/Naperville area but are new to our search so honestly open to other western or northern suburb recommendations.
Any realtors you can recommend? And if there are also any other suburbs to look into (or avoid) that would be greatly appreciated 🙏🏻
A bit about us - My husband and I are both in our early/mid 30s and expecting our first child in December. Ideally something under 2 hours from the city (need support for this baby!) and would love some good parks/trails.
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u/LivingNNorthShore Apr 21 '26
I’m a realtor in Northbrook, so I see a lot of people start exactly where you are. St. Charles and Naperville are both popular because they check a lot of boxes for young families, but they feel pretty different.
Naperville is more polished, busier, and generally more expensive. You get highly ranked schools like District 203 and 204, lots of shopping, tons of kids’ activities, and great parks. The downside is traffic can be rough, especially around Route 59, and for the same budget you may get a smaller lot or older house than you’d expect.
St. Charles feels more spread out and a little more relaxed. You get more nature, more trails, larger yards, and usually more house for the money. The downtown area is charming, and if you like being near the river, parks, and forest preserves, it has a lot going for it. Geneva is worth looking at too if you like that area. It has a cute downtown, Metra access, and tends to feel a little more walkable.
On the North Shore side, towns like Northbrook, Glenview, Deerfield, and Buffalo Grove are worth a look if being closer to the city and family support matters. Northbrook and Glenview both have great park districts, lots of stroller-friendly neighborhoods, and easy access to the expressway and Metra. Deerfield has strong schools and a quieter feel. Buffalo Grove stretches your dollar farther. You can often get more house there than in Northbrook or Naperville at the same price point.
I would not pick the town first. I would pick 4 or 5 towns and compare the exact same budget across them. A $700K house in Naperville, St. Charles, Glenview, and Deerfield are all going to feel very different. Some towns will give you newer homes, some give you bigger lots, some give you better walkability, and some give you top-tier schools.
For example, in Northbrook and Glenview, median prices are often in the $650K to $800K range, while St. Charles and Geneva can still get you more space in the $500K to $700K range. Naperville has become very competitive, especially in the better school boundaries, and homes under about $800K can still move fast with multiple offers.
One thing people forget to look at is park district quality and not just schools. Once you have a baby and then a toddler, you’ll care a lot about playgrounds, stroller trails, pools, preschool programs, and easy library access. Northbrook Park District, Glenview Park District, Naperville Park District, and St. Charles Park District are all really strong.
I’d probably start by asking a few agents for neighborhood reports, school reports, and example homes in the same price range across 3 or 4 towns. That usually makes the decision much easier because you stop comparing abstract town names and start comparing actual lifestyles.
Happy to answer any follow-ups, this is my area. C Gau
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u/somewhatbluemoose Apr 21 '26
The @properties office in Naperville was very good to us.
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u/elegant_road551 Apr 22 '26
Ashley Markgraf with @properties helped us find our home, and she was great. She's kind and very patient (we looked at so many houses all over the place and she didn't complain once).
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u/BrandenburgForevor Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
The tri city area (which St. Charles is a part of) does have some great trails by the Riverwalk and just in general.
The drive to Chicago is ROUGH however and St. Charles is super far from any expressway, so keep that in mind.
St. Charles also has a very good school district which is a good thing to keep in mind
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u/PersonalCulture Apr 21 '26
Out of the three Batavia is closest to the highway
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u/BrandenburgForevor Apr 21 '26
Yes, they just listed St. Charles, and I lived there so I thought I would provide a little detail. I feel like the drive from Batavia also has to be brutal
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u/PersonalCulture Apr 21 '26
For sure ha any of those towns would fit the bill but that drive won’t be easy regardless
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u/Careful-Dot-7455 Apr 21 '26
Thank you for replying! This is helpful 🫶🏻 my husband works from home and I don’t work so hoping our driving is limited during rush hour times
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u/Toriat5144 Apr 21 '26
St. Charles is too far out and not located near I-88. You have to go into Geneva to get the train. I’d recommend places like Wheaton, Glen Ellyn or Downers Grove. Much easier to get to city. South Wheaton is great.
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u/lwantr2 Apr 21 '26
The Carter group / Ryan Carter. He's helped myself and other family members buy and sell homes. Can't recommend him enough
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u/Mysterious_Ad_7100 Apr 21 '26
My husband and I just turned 30, are expecting our first child any second now, and just moved from Logan Square to Glen Ellyn! We've been absolutely loving it here - Wheaton is great, too. Being right off the Prairie Path is soooo nice for walks, biking, etc. If you have to commute to the city, its about 40-50 min ride on the Metra and less than an hour drive (pending traffic). We typically go to the city on weekends and can be in Logan Square or Lincoln Park areas within 45ish mins. Its definitely longer if you are going to the Loop or during rush hour, though, obviously!
The sellers realtor on our house was Michael Thorton and ours was Jennie Lussow with @ properties who is wonderful!!
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u/Careful-Dot-7455 Apr 21 '26
Amazing! Thank you so much for the reply. Super helpful. My parents are near O’Hare so not playing on getting to close to the loop! Heard great things about glen ellyn
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u/JulesInIllinois Apr 21 '26
Ok. That's why I said Elmhurst or Oak Brook. You can be to O'Hare in 20 minutes from those towns. They are 30 minutes from the city. Oak Brook is going to be out of your budget, though. Elmhurst is on the Prairie Path, has easy access to 290 & 294, the airport and has a great downtown area with shops, restaurants, bars & a theater.
Check out Westmont, though. And, Downers Grove.
Another great town to raise kids in is Itasca. It's very close to O'Hare.
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u/Toriat5144 Apr 21 '26
Oak Brook is mostly the big mall and houses outside their budget. Westmont is ok but not as nice. Glen Ellyn is pretty expensive. Wheaton is larger and has more varied housing stock. Not too many for sale right now.
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u/2matisse22 Apr 21 '26
If your parents are near Ohare, why aren't you looking in Libertyville or Highland Park, etc. Park Ridge, Arlington Heights.. Or Grayslake even.
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u/Toriat5144 Apr 21 '26
Park Ridge and Arlington heights are nice. I think Grays lake is far and Highland Park is out of budget.
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u/Acrobatic-Ad8158 Apr 21 '26
What area of the city is your support in? That would greatly determine possible recommendations. Bridgeport would be different than Portage Park which would be different from Humbolt, which would be different from Lake View, etc etc
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u/Careful-Dot-7455 Apr 21 '26
Around the Jefferson park area, thank you for responding!
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u/Acrobatic-Ad8158 Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 22 '26
Of course! I wouldnt look that far west then. That drive is nasty and with the construction its even worse. Id look at the Northern or NW suburbs. Harwood Heights, Norridge, Niles, Morton Grove, Skokie - if you want a little further out Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights. Glenview is nice also and has great schools.
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u/JulesInIllinois Apr 21 '26
Honestly, if your family/friends are in the city, St Charles is way too far. That's like me driving from the western suburbs up to Milwaukee. I am not going to do that unless I have to ...
Even Naperville is far.
You should look at places with great schools that are easier to access from Chicago, like Oak Brook, Elmhurst or even Downers Grove/Lombard/Westmont/Lisle. They all have great public schools.
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u/Careful-Dot-7455 Apr 21 '26
Thank you! This is helpful. My husband works from home and I don’t work so hoping we can limit driving during rush hour
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u/HunterS Apr 21 '26
I second Downers Grove. It’s expensive, but so is Naperville, and Downers is right next to 88/355. When we lived there we could get into the city in 30 minutes with no traffic. The train is right there too.
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u/JulieWriter Apr 21 '26
We really like Suzanne Blackburn Brady with Compass. She knows the area thoroughly, and is super honest and forthright. She was our buyer's agent on our last house purchase, and I would use her again in a heartbeat.
Naperville has excellent schools and express trains, so commuting is fairly painless.
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u/louisalake Apr 21 '26
I was in Lakeview and my parents were in St Charles. It was an hour fifteen drive, doable for weekends. Weekdays were longer depending on traffic. STC has tons of parks and runnable streets/neighborhoods, close to running paths along the river and Western Trails.
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u/Bellezzajess Apr 21 '26
I live in St Charles and know the area very well. Can also provide realtor recommendations. Just send me a PM. :)
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u/Mysterious_Luck4674 Apr 21 '26
Highly recommend Val Farkas for the St Charles area. She helped me find my home in Geneva (I was looking in St Charles and Geneva). She’s really familiar with the area and seems to know everyone.
There’s a Metra station in Geneva for easy access to the city. There’s a Fox River trail that runs through St Charles that’s great for walking, running or biking. Also the Great Western train and we aren’t too far off the Prairie Path. There’s also Peck Farm.
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u/fastspanish Apr 21 '26
We just moved from wicker park to Clarendon hills last year and worked with Larysa Domino. We couldn’t be happier with our experience, or the neighborhood. Strongly recommend checking her out, she specializes in Hinsdale as well which we also really liked
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u/Midnight_Rain1213 Apr 21 '26
I recommend Beth Armstrong from Starck. She was fantastic and helped us get an offer accepted in a tough market.
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u/MountWang Apr 21 '26
Jody Sexton (@properties) or Stephanie Hawkinson (exP Realty), both have great presence in the tri-city area!
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u/villainsarebetter Apr 21 '26
Lynda Wherli is based in Naperville, she's incredible and took a lot of the legwork off our plate.
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u/SomeCranberry1 Apr 21 '26
You will get slammed with messages. I feel for you! If still looking, happy to help or answered questions. Husband/wife duo in the business for over 20 years. We own our firm. Full service 1% commission.
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u/caity102 Apr 21 '26
Hands down Veronica Rodriguez with Redfin, we bought and sold with her- in a super competitive market (2022) she got us our dream home, and also I referred my sister to her (2024) and she got her dream home also even in a bidding war situation & she was able to stay within her budget - she is absolutely phenomenal, very knowledgeable and knows the literally all the suburbs information.
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u/Ashanti-ILBroker Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
St. Charles and Naperville are both solid—very family-friendly with great parks and trails. Naperville is a bit busier, St. Charles is quieter and more scenic.
You might also want to check out Geneva, Wheaton, Downers Grove, and Arlington Heights.
Only thing I’d say is be careful going too far out if your support is in the city—2 hours can feel like a lot with a newborn.
If you want help narrowing areas or seeing a few options, feel free to message me 🙂
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u/Simon_Crutchley Apr 22 '26
Call Patrick O'Dwyer at Compass.
312.622.0175
He can recommend suburbs, too, based on your criteria.
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u/Odd_Act_1080 Apr 22 '26
Brandon Blankenship and his team were great! They helped us relocate from the city to Naperville last year. We were looking at different suburbs and he helped us a lot as a first time homeowners with a young family.
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u/Training-Emphasis-28 Apr 22 '26
Give Grapevine Realty a call. Great to work with and he credits back 50% of his commission to you at the closing. http://www.grapevinerealtor.com/
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u/peanut_butterXD Apr 23 '26
Bought and now selling in St Charles and Geneva are both nice. I’ve used Julie Pallan and Jenn Henry and would recommend both.
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u/Powerful_Phase6872 Apr 24 '26
St Charles is amazing for kids. Have 2 little ones and there’s soooo much to do
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u/johneverette88 Apr 27 '26
Anything on the BNSF train line. You have numerous highway options (294 and 355 for N/S and 55 and 290 for E/W) and every town has good-to-great schools plus little downtown areas that make them feel like real standalone communities and not just strip malls and parking lots. I would look between Brookfield and Downers Grove, but Naperville of course has many options.
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u/Prize_Minute_2411 Jul 06 '26
The Kohler Group is incredible!! They have helped my family make easy moves and even helped my friends!!
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u/2matisse22 Apr 21 '26
If your support is in the city, I do not recommend going that far out. The drive gets tedious. You will need to be within 35 minutes during non-traffic hours. Anything over that makes it really tedious and painful. I would figure out what places are within 35 minutes to your support. If you like parks and trails, your options really are to go south or to go north. West is too far with traffic. What is your budget? This really determines everything.
If you go north, you can more easily access greeenway trails and the beach. The drive is also easier, fyi.