Hyde Park or Flossmoor?
July 3, 2012 10:58 AM
Chicago Question. My husband and I both work for the University of Chicago and are planning to buy a home in the next year. We are debating between Hyde Park and a condo or a single family home in the burb of Flossmoor. Where should be buy?
We live in Hyde Park now and like it here but would like more room and a safer environment for our toddler. Deciding between private and public schools also has our heads spinning.
What is Flossmoor like to live in? I'm specifically interested to know what the charater of the place is... Would we find like minded liberal folks who love the arts. My undersatnding is that the public schools are good and many things are walkable. We especially like the Metra option for getting to work and downtown. Demistify the South burbs for me please!
We live in Hyde Park now and like it here but would like more room and a safer environment for our toddler. Deciding between private and public schools also has our heads spinning.
What is Flossmoor like to live in? I'm specifically interested to know what the charater of the place is... Would we find like minded liberal folks who love the arts. My undersatnding is that the public schools are good and many things are walkable. We especially like the Metra option for getting to work and downtown. Demistify the South burbs for me please!
I don't know anything about Flossmoor, except that it looks like a 50 minute commute on the Metra to Hyde Park. That sounds like a lot of time to spend in transit and the start and end of every work day. I do know several people who work in Hyde Park and commute from Beverly or Homewood-- those might be communities to examine in your search.
As for Hyde Park, the University offers grants to employees who are buying their first home in the neighborhood: A $7500 interest free loan that is forgiven over the course of five years. It's called the Employer Assisted Housing Program. (pdf).
You may get more responses (and better responses) by querying Hyde Park's Parent Support Network or the University's Faculty/Staff Housing department, which facilitates both leasing and buying property in the University Area.
Redfin.com is surprisingly useful for tracking the housing market. Set up a saved search of the geographical area and general parameters of what you're looking to buy, and Redfin will email you a daily list of new listings, changes in listings, and closed sales. If you're logged in you'll be able to see closing prices on sales, which helps give a sense of what places really sell for around here.
posted by bonheur at 5:23 PM on July 3, 2012
As for Hyde Park, the University offers grants to employees who are buying their first home in the neighborhood: A $7500 interest free loan that is forgiven over the course of five years. It's called the Employer Assisted Housing Program. (pdf).
You may get more responses (and better responses) by querying Hyde Park's Parent Support Network or the University's Faculty/Staff Housing department, which facilitates both leasing and buying property in the University Area.
Redfin.com is surprisingly useful for tracking the housing market. Set up a saved search of the geographical area and general parameters of what you're looking to buy, and Redfin will email you a daily list of new listings, changes in listings, and closed sales. If you're logged in you'll be able to see closing prices on sales, which helps give a sense of what places really sell for around here.
posted by bonheur at 5:23 PM on July 3, 2012
Funny: My grandfather was UC faculty, and lived in Flossmoor until the early 70s; my dad went to the Lab School and U-High and took that commute on the then-IC every day. Fifty minutes is a stretch if you're not used to it, but it's a quite normal commute for a lot of people in Chicago (I myself used to live in Evanston and much of my work was in the Loop), of course.
I can't answer to much about the environment there today -- it seems to be much less country-club Republican nowadays.
posted by dhartung at 11:54 PM on July 3, 2012
I can't answer to much about the environment there today -- it seems to be much less country-club Republican nowadays.
posted by dhartung at 11:54 PM on July 3, 2012
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We lived on 2300 W. 108th Place and our next door neighbor was a dept head at U of C.
Take Dan Ryan to the "Halsted" exit and go west to Longwood Drive. Go up the hill - drive around.
Another beautiful area is a tad south of Dan Ryan Woods - not easy to find.
Seek out Pleasant St around 91st - the Metra Station at 89th - WOW!
posted by Tullyogallaghan at 5:19 PM on July 3, 2012