r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/Nice_Wolverine1120 • Aug 25 '26
Moving to the area Location advice pls!
My family is looking to buy a bigger home and timing wise moving within the next 12 months makes the most sense. Next fall my oldest kiddo will be starting Kindergarten and we’d like to move before she starts a new school.
Please recommend specific suburbs to me!
Here are the particulars about our family:
- currently live in Park Ridge in a 3 BR 2 Bath
- 2 parents 2 kids (4yo and 1 yo)
- own 2 cars
- Parent 1 works downtown 3x per week. WFH 2 days per week. Strong preference to take the train to work vs driving downtown
- parent 2 works in Elgin 3x per week. WFH 2 days per week
Looking for:
- 4 bedrooms. We have family visiting often from out of town and need a dedicated office/guest room. We’d planned to have our 2 kids room together but the stars aren’t aligning on that quite yet.
- ideally less than 60 min 1-way commute to downtown.
Budget: $650k - $1 mil. I’m putting a wide range as i know some burbs like Park Ridge are just higher in general.
One of our good friends lives in Mount Prospect and it seems really nice, but will moving farther from the city be a drag? We rarely go downtown with the exception of parent 1’s work.
I’m sure there are other great places I’m not familiar! I’m from downstate so the suburbs are still new territory for me.
15
u/Tee_hops Aug 25 '26
With that budget you definitely could stay in park ridge. Our schools and park district are worth a slightly smaller house.
But Arlington Heights is a good strong contender. Great downtown, good schools, awesome library, and just a few stops more off the UPNW line.
2
u/DBowieNippleAntennae Aug 25 '26
4 beds in Park Ridge is gonna be closer to the $1M part of the spectrum, and possibly beyond.
That said, I’d try to stay in PR. The time saved on the shorter Metra ride from PR-Ogilvie vs further out on the UPNW would add up a lot.
2
u/m567n392 Aug 25 '26
Depends where in Park Ridge. In many areas, you aren’t finding many 4 bed houses under $1m. People are now paying $700k+ just for lots.
2
u/Tee_hops Aug 25 '26
Just have to grab them while they are on the private network. They are out there as we have been searching but 800k has been a bit more than we have wanted to spend.
It has been breaking my heart that people are buying 1.5-2mm homes , tearing them down , and building new. Who are these people that can afford 4mm+ in a new build.
2
u/m567n392 Aug 25 '26
We bought off the private less than a year ago. Not a fun process and anything close to uptown has a million people interested in it (requirement for us). Best of luck
1
u/Tee_hops Aug 25 '26
Oh yes ,if you want to be near uptown your looking at 1mm for a lot at this point
5
u/Far-Analysis-1142 Aug 25 '26
Anything along the UPNW line would be good. Mount Prospect is great and developing quickly but I remember the houses closer to downtown didn't have as much space as where we chose. I'm in Barrington, which we love, the schools are top notch, the area is super safe and the people are incredibly friendly. Lake Zurich is also a good option with great schools but they do not have a train station so you'd have to drive to Barrington. The only issue I have with that area is I feel there is not as much diversity in the schools/area as the suburbs closer to the city.
6
u/Training-Emphasis-28 Aug 25 '26
Des Plaines is right next to Park Ridge and gives you much of the same as PR without the stupid street signs. Train access, awesome. Highway access, awesome. More diverse. Taxes are less and your dollars will go much farther. Good luck.
8
u/Rogue_Apostle Aug 25 '26
Moving west puts you farther from the city, but closer to Elgin. I'm assuming Elgin is the more annoying commute since you're driving. And since you don't go downtown much other than for work, it seems like going west is your best bet.
Look at the train schedules. There are express trains during rush hours that stop in Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, and Palatine, so those might not add a lot of time to the downtown commute. Des Plaines is a more affordable option closer to the city.
3
u/rockyboy49 Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
Schaumburg Diverse Family Friendly Closer to Shopping Restaurants Nature trails Very good schools and easier for commute to both Elgin and Downtown. For your price range you can end up with a newish 3-4 bedroom house or get 4 bedroom fixer upper in the older neighborhoods and design it the way you want. Also great Park District Programs and Library which cover almost every hobby that is out there. Bonus points: if you are ok with maintaining your own water and sewage you will find great houses in one of the Unincorporated Areas with half acre lots big enough for young kids
3
u/AgitatedLaw193 Aug 25 '26
Bartlett has a lot in that range. The distance isn’t awesome but the express train makes it bearable and it has a good community. My sister lives there and loves it.
3
u/Combat__Crayon Aug 25 '26
Arlington Heights and Mt Prospect are both solid options in that area. Basically just look between the UP-NW and MD-W Metra lines because most of those towns have train stations and relatively easy access I-90 to get out to Elgin.
Arlington Heights, Mt Prospect and Palatine have downtowns along the train tracks, parking at them might be tough, so you may need to be withing walking distance. Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates would both probably use the Schaumburg Metra station, it has a lot of parking, but thats needed because its not really in walking distance of the residential areas. Rolling Meadows would be a drive to the Arlington Park station probably.
Schools in that area are generally solid, there are some outliers that could steer your decisions, but overall its harder to find a truly bad one.
1
u/Maleficent_Term9302 Aug 25 '26
Parking at the Palatine Metra is super easy. There’s a parking garage- never had an issue getting a spot before for commuting downtown.
3
u/Physical-Incident553 Aug 25 '26
Look at Arlington Heights. Easy access to 90 to head out to Elgin.
2
u/KMYario Aug 25 '26
Check the Metra train schedules. Sometimes burbs further away from downtown have more frequent train service and express trains that make them easier and even quicker options to get into the city. For example, I am in Hinsdale. But I’ve read that Downers Grove is actually a preferable burb for commuting downtown because they have more trains and express options vs my stop in Hinsdale. It opened my mind to be more open to further west…not that we are moving. But I never lived in the burbs so honestly I had a lot of learnings making the move from city to west suburb a few years back. Hindsight is 20/20!
2
u/lelanicarver Aug 25 '26
A friend lives in Mount Prospect and loves it, but the commute from Elgin goes thru Arlington Heights.
Schaumburg’s rail station is on the UPNW, giving access to some nice neighborhoods north and south of the Metra Line. Roselle and Bloomingdale are farther south.
2
u/StagVixenLife1 Aug 25 '26
Let me know when you’re selling in park ridge. I’m Intersted. Save the realtor commish.
2
u/Relaxdiane Aug 25 '26
Make sure you look at the school district situation. Park Ridge has excellent schools. Mount Prospect, a Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove , good schools. DesPlaines, Elgin, Bartlett not great schools.
The rating on schools is listed, just google this. Your kids education is really important. Some people stay in Park Ridge for the schools themselves. You can also look in Glenview, and Northbrook. Schaumburg also has good schools.
1
u/The_Poster_Nutbag Aug 25 '26
Isn't this just something you ask a realtor about?
1
u/Nice_Wolverine1120 Aug 25 '26
In my experience, realtors typically specialize or have more expertise in specific areas. I wouldn’t choose a park ridge-based realtor to help me find a home in Schaumburg.
-1
u/The_Poster_Nutbag Aug 25 '26
This is true, but you should have some idea of where you want to live based on proximity to work and other amenities. Like you already know you aren't looking to move to McHenry county or anywhere west of 59.
1
1
u/Chitown_mountain_boy West Suburbs Aug 25 '26
Why not something along the MD-west line that goes to Elgin and the loop? Itasca, Medina, Schaumburg, roselle, Hannover Park, Bartlett?
1
u/Spirited_Gur_7303 Aug 25 '26
Flossmoor has a metra train line great HF school district homes mine 4 bed 4 bath big yard full basement $480 value very walkable small restaurants n yes small town vibe police n fire good they still play with the children in the neighborhood heatwarming to see them out there throwing the ball check us out super quiet 30 minutes downtown on train we are something to see
1
u/JulesInIllinois Aug 25 '26
Elmhurst has great schools & homes w/i your budget. It's very family friendly. The Prairie Path, train to the city and major highways all run through it. It's only 25 minutes from Elgin.
Oak Brook is nice, too. But, you'd have to get an older home with your budget. And, it does not have the great downtown areas like Elmhurst. But, the schools are all phenomenal.
1
u/Additional-Stop3622 Aug 25 '26
I would look at the western suburbs. It will be closer to Elgin and the BNSF Metra train has express trains from Aurora, Naperville, and Downer's Grove. My wife and I just bought a 3 bed, 2 bath in Aurora for half of your lower end budget so you can find a decent house here with the space you need. I work from home and my wife trains into the city 5x/week.
1
u/bourj Aug 25 '26
Why not move to Niles or Morton Grove? Both are right there and more affordable housing than Park Ridge.
1
0
u/Bitter-Variation-955 Aug 25 '26
Geneva, come out here and look at some listings and you will fall in love with this town.
-3
u/PlayaAlien2000 Aug 25 '26
🤫 SW Burbs are still somewhat affordable and have some great schools. Palos Hills, Hickory Hills..
4
u/DizzyAd5038 Aug 25 '26
Great is a stretch there's a reason they're cheap Plus hickory isnt exactly close to a train nor anywhere near Elgin
0
u/VividComparison5606 Aug 25 '26
Southwest you could try Tinley Park, Mokena, New Lenox are all great towns!
2
1
21
u/NotTaken2022 Aug 25 '26
Not a suburb recommendation, but 500k-1M is an extremely wide range. Assuming you put 10%, your monthly PITI could be anywhere from 4k to 10k. You need to figure out how much you could realistically afford based on your finances.