Chicago housing

[ORBITAL BEBOP]

Anyone have good ideas/sites housing in Chicago?

Thankx

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[kbrown]

i heard lincoln park/ave is a good place, also bucktown

 

[surgdia]

That totally depends on where you'll be working and how much you're willing to pay. There are several nice areas to live in Chicago. Exact location all depends on what you're looking for - convenience, night life, etc. I'm assuming this is for residency? Let's go by the major programs.
1. UofC - Hyde Park, South Loop, lakeshore. Any of these will put you within ~15min of the hospital. Hyde Park, despite it's reputation, is quaint and has some beautiful little nooks. It's affordable and if you use common sense it's quite safe, as well. Anywhere along the lake is a quick drive down.
2. Northwestern - lakeshore, streeterville, gold coast, loop, lincoln park. Since it's so central you can live just about anywhere. Cost of living may be an issue, though.
3. UIC/Rush - west loop, gold coast, lakeshore, west suburbs, lincoln park, etc. Again, anywhere downtown will be <15-20min since you're going against traffic.
4. Loyola - Maywood, west suburbs, lincoln park, downtown. Your drive might be a little longer from the city, but it's worth it.

So basically the whole city is open to you, it's just a matter of what you're looking for. I personally think that there are some hidden/underappreciated treasures in Chicago - Hyde Park/Kenwood, Montrose/Irving Park, west loop. Hope this helps!
sd

 

[Claymore]

Totally depends what you're looking for as said before. Popular places for younger crowds include Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Wrigleyville, Lakeview among others. And if you can afford them Gold Coast or Streeterville. I personally would avoid the South Side with the possible exception of Hyde Park (and then, only if you're at U of C).

http://www.chicago-real-estate.biz/chicago-neighborhoods.html

 

[ORBITAL BEBOP]

Thankx for the responses.

I will be in Park Ridge, IL (North?). I am looking to rent a decent 2 bedroom with central a/c, diswasher, and carpeting. Buying is over 450,000 from what I have seen for a house. Buying a condo/townhouse may be feasible.

Any ideas?

 

[neutropenic]

sorry double post

 

[neutropenic]

Thankx for the responses.

I will be in Park Ridge, IL (North?). I am looking to rent a decent 2 bedroom with central a/c, diswasher, and carpeting. Buying is over 450,000 from what I have seen for a house. Buying a condo/townhouse may be feasible.

Any ideas?

What can I get for around $300k around Northwestern's Streeterville campus? Anything? A dog house? I guess there's a price to being Oprah's neighbor.

 

[tiger4evr]

Park ridge is a northwest suburb. You can live in the suburbs, especially if you like carpeting. But if you like city living, live in Wicker Park or Bucktown, right next to the Kennedy expressway which will take you to Park Ridge. Logan Square is close as well, but not as nice.

Thankx for the responses.

I will be in Park Ridge, IL (North?). I am looking to rent a decent 2 bedroom with central a/c, diswasher, and carpeting. Buying is over 450,000 from what I have seen for a house. Buying a condo/townhouse may be feasible.

Any ideas?

 

[WilcoWorld]

A great resourse is The Reader On-Line (http://classifieds.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Results?section=oid%3A8&
It allows you to enter a number of paramaters & search. It is frequently updated, so don't be discouraged if you don't find something on your first try - new places become available quite regularly.

Areas south & west of the loop such as Pilsen & Little Italy are often over looked by 20-somethings. They have their drawbacks, but I find them quite charming & the prices are great.

 

[EctopicFetus]

have you tried the MLS listings? realtor.com also chicago.craigslist.com has some stuff. lastly come March 17th I will hopefully put my place up for sale FSBO its a large 1 bedroom (890 sq ft) in downtown..PM if you want more info, otherwise use the links I provided up top.

 

[lateness]

Thankx for the responses.

I will be in Park Ridge, IL (North?). I am looking to rent a decent 2 bedroom with central a/c, diswasher, and carpeting. Buying is over 450,000 from what I have seen for a house. Buying a condo/townhouse may be feasible.

Any ideas?

i used to live there. there are alot of townhomes, condos in the area. its a nice suburb. But i would rather live in licoln or wickerpark, ukranian village, more action. but if you are looking you will find something to buy.
the houses are way overpriced in park ridge.. overinflated in my opinion,,
but so is the market

 

[doctorsquared]

Anyone have good ideas/sites housing in Chicago?

Thankx

I would commute from the nearby suburbs. I think Park Ridge itself is quite expensive but the nearby suburbs are not too high. I remember biking to the symphony concerts in Park Ridge. I would NOT commute from Chicago to Park Ridge. Even reverse commuting is slow with a ton of traffic. When I lived in Chicago, Des Plaines was okay. You can easily go to Chicago for some night life on the weekend, but it's not worth the commute for everyday.

 

[14022]

Nicer areas in the city that are northwest of downtown (and thus closer to park ridge) include Lincoln Square, Roscoe Village, and Ravenswood. Also, I have a friend who lives in the Edison Park/Norwood Park area (part of the city closest to the suburbs) and likes it there. She doesn't like areas that are super busy (she is only living in Chicago because she is required for her job as a teacher in the Chicago Public School District). The area is older and not as hip and fun but you can easily find a 2 br like you are looking for for under 300K.

If you do not want to pay the price of places in Chicago proper, but still like the nightlife and proximity to downtown, consider Oak Park and Forest Park, which are south of Park Ridge.

Good websites to look for properties are....

www.ksgmac.com (especially good for the suburbs)
www.dreamtown.com (esp good for the city of Chicago)
www.nextchicago.com (esp good for the city of Chicago)

 

[earmuffs]

Nicer areas in the city that are northwest of downtown (and thus closer to park ridge) include Lincoln Square, Roscoe Village, and Ravenswood. Also, I have a friend who lives in the Edison Park/Norwood Park area (part of the city closest to the suburbs) and likes it there. She doesn't like areas that are super busy (she is only living in Chicago because she is required for her job as a teacher in the Chicago Public School District). The area is older and not as hip and fun but you can easily find a 2 br like you are looking for for under 300K.

If you do not want to pay the price of places in Chicago proper, but still like the nightlife and proximity to downtown, consider Oak Park and Forest Park, which are south of Park Ridge.

Good websites to look for properties are....

www.ksgmac.com (especially good for the suburbs)
www.dreamtown.com (esp good for the city of Chicago)
www.nextchicago.com (esp good for the city of Chicago)

Agree with above on the NW side & Oak Park (if you like architecture & Frank Lloyd Wright, Oak Park is the place to be - avoid Austin).

I've been looking around a bit as well. I've been in Chicago my whole life (on the far southwest side). Have lived in Streeterville for the last 4 years and Lakeview before that, and would like to get away from downtown myself. Streeterville, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview & the Loop are nice places to be, but pretty expensive.

I'm pretty biased, but here are some of my favorites, and some places I've looked into (and not all necessarily NW or directed to the OP, but for Chicago in general):

Bridgeport - Parts of it sure ain't so good lookin', and it doesn't have the best history around the time of the elder Daley (highly recommend reading Boss by Mike Royko). But it's very safe, on the near south side relatively close to downtown and most major medical centers (not Loyola or Evanston), relatively affordable, but prices have been starting to go up there pretty fast.

Bucktown/Wicker Park/Ukranian Village - All good neighborhoods on the near northwest side. Good public transportation access. Right off the Kennedy Expy. Young and fun areas. Lots of people talked about these above.

Andersonville - One of my favorite neighborhoods on the north side. Like some parts of the north side, had high crime rates until gays and lesbians moved in and property values went up decades ago. Good diversity and lots of ethnic restaurants. Good access to public transportation. Just 7miles up LSD from downtown (I love no trucks on LSD), but not as easy to get to Park Ridge from here.

South Loop - Whole lot of new condos going up there, with values rising as well. Mayor Daley lives right around there (18th & Indiana-ish), with the Chicago PD car stationed outside his house (you might even get to see the cop fall asleep on the job and the local news camera crew sneak up on the car and videotape it). Good public transportation access. Easy to jump on the parking lot that is I-90/94 from there.

Beverly & Mt Greenwood (here's the hometown-biased pick) - Very safe, good schools, lots of great pubs. Poor access to public transportation (has CTA buses and the Rock Island, but no L), and pretty distant from most all medical centers except for Christ (not too bad from U of C) - read this as FAR south side. Good highway access, but I-90/94 is a mess north of I-57, and this commute would suck anytime driving in after 715am or out after 245pm (OK, more like 200pm on Fridays ) - hope you have early signout! Great place to be if you have kids, don't mind some "alone time" in your car, and aren't going too far northwest.

Hyde Park never grew on me. I spent quite a bit of time visiting there, as my girlfriend went to U of C and lived there for 4 yrs. She couldn't wait to get out of the HP by the end of it. Public transportation isn't bad...Metra Electric provides train service downtown, and there are some express buses to downtown. Green line is a bad idea from there.

Hope this helps!!
10 days to go!!

 

[ORBITAL BEBOP]

Hope this helps!!
10 days to go!!

Hey, thanks to everyone for the info!

 

[Sohalia]

Arrghhh! Everything on Craig's list is soo expensive and I am soo poor

I guess you do need a car in Chicago?

 

[kifaru]

Any input on U of C housing? How is the management? Affordability? Will be starting residency there in June
Thanks for all the info guys, even though I am quite confused by all these areas, hopefully they will become familiar soon

 

[Daiphon]

Any input on U of C housing? How is the management? Affordability? Will be starting residency there in June
Thanks for all the info guys, even though I am quite confused by all these areas, hopefully they will become familiar soon

I did my undergrad there... hyde park is very nice, can get some good deals if you want to stay in the neighborhood... with ONE caveat: DO NOT RENT FROM K&G MANAGEMENT! (i normally hate using capitals, but this is important)... they have run-down units, don't do so well with the maintenance/tenant complaints, and generally are scum (personal experience, and not just mine)...

also keep in mind that kenwood is pretty safe and affordable; and woodlawn has been getting a big push from the city and university to clean up - as such, it is also pretty safe, affordable, and nice.

just my $0.02... other UofC residents can give better info on where to live... this is just for the HP/KW/WL neighborhoods.

-t

 

[dynamite]

So I'm heading to Chicago as well. Woohoo!!!! I'm beyond excited!

Anyway, on a regular resident's salary (say, 42K) can I afford a $1000 apartment? I'm looking to live closer to downtown, and I would love to be near the lake (preferably with a view). Lakeview, edgewater, lincoln park all seem to have proximity to the lake but prices for one bedrooms are at least $1000. I suppose I would be willing to settle for a studio if I have a great view of the lake, but I'm ready to stop living like a poor college student. Possible to afford an apartment close to lake on a PGY-1's salary? If so, where? Thanks much.

 

[Embryo2006]

Great info! I'll be moving to Chicago to start residency at Northwestern. What neighborhoods are most convenient to NW Memorial/Prentice?

 

[waterski232002]

I'm a resident at UofC and I live in River North (right downtown, just north of the loop). The area is awesome. I live on the west side, right on the river, so it's quieter than the rest of downtown, and I don't have nearly the congestion (beware of congestion in lincoln park & lakeview). Tons of good restaurants, lots of upscale bars/lounges, walking distance to michigan ave, I live 1 block from the Ohio street 90/94 on ramp, and it's only a 15 min drive to UofC. The area is very young professional. Just remember that the areas in Chicago are very gentrified. Here's a quick breakdown... Northside to Southside:

Lakeview/Wrigleyville - young, congested/busy, party scene, slightly alternative
Lakeview/Boystown - young, congested/busy, gay district, alternative, artsy
Lincoln Park - Fratguy/Sorority girl heaven, congested/busy
Bucktown - rustic & unique, easy-going, slightly alternative
Wicker Park - Eccentric, alternative, artsy
Old Town - 30's-40's, more upscale, professional, quaint
Gold Coast - High-rises, touristy, busy, professional
River North - High-rises, newer developments, professional
Streeterville - High-rises, touristy, professional, michigan ave upscale shoppnig
Loop - Downtown, business district, busy during the day, empty at night
West Loop - Lofts, many new developments, good for 1st time buyers
South Loop - Lofts, many new developments, good for 1st time buyers
Hyde Park - Far south near UofC, quaint academic community, high crime in the area, dirt cheap cost of living, far from the rest of the city

 

[lizor]

This thread is very helpful. Thanks all!

I am heading to Northwestern in June for a 4 year residency and would like to live close to the hospital in Streeterville. For those of you familar with the area/housing market... Is it more economical to rent or buy in that area if you are living alone with a resident salary of about 44K? I have good credit... but like most, about 100K in debt. In the long run it seems like buying is the better option... however, the housing market seems pretty pricey and not sure if I'll be able to live on what I will have left over after paying my mortgage!

What do you Chicagonians think??

Thanks

 

[scrubbedin]

Ahh, so by Park Ridge, you mean you will be working at Lutheran. I'd back up that the reverse commute SUCKS (I've known it to take people 2 hours to get downtown from there at 5pm). I'd look in the surrounding suburbs - north of Park Ridge is Glenview, which is booming right now and has some very nice, affordable developments. Northbrook borders on upscale, and Des Plaines can be seedy in pockets and is known to have some gang problems.
Send me a private message, I'll be at Lutheran as well.

 

[scrubbedin]

So I'm heading to Chicago as well. Woohoo!!!! I'm beyond excited!

Anyway, on a regular resident's salary (say, 42K) can I afford a $1000 apartment? I'm looking to live closer to downtown, and I would love to be near the lake (preferably with a view). Lakeview, edgewater, lincoln park all seem to have proximity to the lake but prices for one bedrooms are at least $1000. I suppose I would be willing to settle for a studio if I have a great view of the lake, but I'm ready to stop living like a poor college student. Possible to afford an apartment close to lake on a PGY-1's salary? If so, where? Thanks much.

Only place you are going to afford lake on residents salary is in Rogers Park and then you are going to compromise safety. The lake isnt all there is to see - you can get affordable places with skyline views, etc. A friend pays $1500 in Lincoln Park for a decent sized 1 bedroom with lake views, if that helps.

 

[scrubbedin]

This thread is very helpful. Thanks all!

I am heading to Northwestern in June for a 4 year residency and would like to live close to the hospital in Streeterville. For those of you familar with the area/housing market... Is it more economical to rent or buy in that area if you are living alone with a resident salary of about 44K? I have good credit... but like most, about 100K in debt. In the long run it seems like buying is the better option... however, the housing market seems pretty pricey and not sure if I'll be able to live on what I will have left over after paying my mortgage!

What do you Chicagonians think??

Thanks

Apply for a mortgage and see what you can get. In my experience (I own in Chicago) it is tough though, and you need a big down payment (if your family can help you with that it would be great). Association fees also tend to be about $250-300 a month, so take that into account.
You can probably afford to buy if you go way out into the neighborhoods far from downtown. I know someone who paid $400K for a studio (a nice one, but still...) in Streeterville.

 

[dynamite]

thanks so much everyone!

 

[Amy]

Only place you are going to afford lake on residents salary is in Rogers Park and then you are going to compromise safety. The lake isnt all there is to see - you can get affordable places with skyline views, etc. A friend pays $1500 in Lincoln Park for a decent sized 1 bedroom with lake views, if that helps.

Ah, my neighborhood was finally mentioned. Yes, east RP is a bit sketchy, but I live in west RP and love it. Doesn't have the nightlife of Lincoln Park, Lakeview, etc, but a great place to live if you want that family neighborhood feel. I can walk to the Metra and the red line. It's a very diverse neighborhood, and I love my neighbors. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a more affordable place to live and would rather not live in a concrete jungle (I have a yard with grass and everything!). In the morning I can get to Luteran in about 20 min.

Congrats to everyone who matched in Chicago... it's a great city, with many great neighborhoods and tons to do. Good luck with your housing search.