In this blog, we will discuss and cover choosing the right neighborhood when buying a home. Choosing The Right Neighborhood: How I Ended Up In Hampshire, ILLINOIS. When I meet up with friends who I haven’t seen in a while or meet someone new and they ask where I am living, I respond with “Hampshire”. They look at me like a deer in headlights. Then I either have to tell them near Huntley or “just west of Elgin”. Then I get the customary “Oh, ok, like by the farms?”  Yes, I picked up my family and moved us to a farm in the northwest suburbs of Hampshire, Illinois, right! In this article, we will discuss and cover Choosing The Right Neighborhood When Buying A Home.

Choosing The Right Neighborhood In Hampshire, Illinois

Let’s back up a little bit: I was born and raised in the suburbs right next to O’hare airport. In fact, at times I thought the airport was in my backyard I was that close. Before getting married I moved out to Elgin near the Hoffman Estates, Illinois border, after a few years we moved into a townhouse rental about 4 blocks from the Hoffman Estates border.

Purchasing a New Home When Kids Are School Aged

It was about the time our daughter was turning 4 that we had to decide what we were going to do in terms of education and purchasing a long-term home as we couldn’t live in a rental forever. We knew that where we were currently living was a U-46 school district and we were not thrilled to put our daughter into that school system. After quickly looking at homes and schools in the Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates area we knew our budget of $250,000 wasn’t going to get us the space we desired, so what was there to do?  We looked west as there was still affordable new construction going up all over the place and newer homes were also for sale as well.

Choosing The Right Neighborhood And Researching School Districts

We first began to look around the 301 school district as the schools were all highly rated and newer, the housing was also newer or brand new as well. We really liked the area of far west Elgin. But the prices were still just a touch out of reach as we didn’t want to settle for something smaller and older. We moved just a little farther west to Pingree Grove and if you read my previous posts, you will know we lost out on a short sale home here.

Buying Home Further From Work Due To Lower Home Prices

After this house fell through, we focused on Hampshire as there was still a new Ryland community being built and district 300 schools also had been highly rated and the schools were mostly brand new. After seeing the prices of homes in this community, we knew we could make this work. The location was still a bit farther west than we thought we would have to go. But right at the 90 and 47 interchanges and close to Rt. 20, it couldn’t be in a more convenient area. Ok, great, we had our area picked out and after going through the motions of purchasing our home, we got our house for just about $250,000 on the nose.

Longer Commute Distance To Work Worth More House For My Money

Friends and family had to get used to coming out to our house to visit and to this day we still get the jokes of “man, we should have packed a cooler” or “I didn’t know I was driving to Wisconsin.” Listen, folks, just because your sheltered lives don’t take you past Woodfield Mall on the 90, doesn’t mean I am in the middle of nowhere. I live 30 minutes from Woodfield and 7 minutes from Randall Road where anything and everything is there. What it comes down to is there are still new construction options for families with a budget of $250,000 or less. Yes, you may have to get a little bit out of your comfort zone, but the new communities and schools will be well worth it in the long run. I am happy where I am, and you can be too!

In Conclusion

Michael Gracz is a senior writer for Gustan Cho Associates. Mike Gracz is an accountant by trade and is an expert in all areas of accounting and lending. Mike also consults clients in all areas of investing and lending and is an expert financial planner. Mike Gracz’s interest in real estate and finance and due to his many clients seeking lending advice led him to study and pass his national NMLS national mortgage examination and is sponsored by Gustan Cho Associates, a mortgage broker licensed in 48 states with over 160 wholesale mortgage lenders.  Mike Gracz is a senior loan officer at Gustan Cho Associates is a natural-born leader and looks forward to expanding his sales team by hiring quality career-minded individuals like himself to establish a powerhouse. We look forward to Mike Gracz’s blogs in the coming days and weeks. Stay tuned!!!!!