2-3-06
BY MIKE MCNAMARA
How much would you expect to pay for the following condo:
“Two bedroom, one bath, award winning construction and design, heating and central air, wall to wall carpeting, milled wood trim and colonial 6-panel doors. All new Maytag appliances. Patio.”
A two bedroom with parking. With central air. With a patio. What would you expect to pay?
$200,000? $220,000? $250,000?!?
Try $162,000.
So, of course, the catch has to be the neighborhood, right? It’s going to be an area that is “in transition” or that is a couple of miles south of Kenosha.
Believe it or not, the above property is in Glenview.
I couldn’t believe it myself but after careful research and several conversations with realtor Caroline Sheaffer I was convinced. According to Caroline, “Glenview is not only a fabulous community to live in, it is one of the last affordable towns on the North Shore.” This article will give you a brief introduction to this near North suburb and the home buying opportunities that may exist for actors and artists on a tight budget.
The Vitals
Simply put, Glenview is a suburban village located approximately 17 miles north of downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. The Village of Glenview has a population of just over 44,000, a median age of 41.3 years and a per capita income of $43,384. Glenview residents have spent an average of 16.5 years in school and only 1.5 percent of them are unemployed.
The Commute
One of the main challenges of moving out to the suburbs is the ability to commute easily to the city. The Village of Glenview is just off of I-94 and is a 30-45 minute trip to downtown Chicago, so you are still plenty close enough to work, act and audition in the city without much inconvenience.
Sandy Hausman at www.glenviewwatch.com adds, “Access to the city is relatively good, with Metra Service from two stations, some PACE service to surrounding suburbs and easy access to the Edens and I-294. Residents of western Glenview will also discover that O’Hare is an easy commute—about 20 minutes away if there’s no traffic.”
Isn’t this suburb really pricey?
Much of it is; the median housing value is $336,600 and homes within the 1,121-acre development The Glen are in the seven-figure range. However, there are still a number of solid properties in that sub-$180,000 bracket. According to Caroline, “Every style and price-range of home is available, from studio apartments, condos and townhouses to mansions and everything in between.”
It’s important to be clear here: Are there oodles of affordable properties in Glenview? No. But there are several, and you only need to find one. In my opinion, there are enough that it might be worth your time to include this impressive community in your real estate search.
The Glenview Community
The Village of Glenview Web site (www.glenview.il.us) puts it best: “The village’s fine amenities and service, excellent schools, 34 parks and playgrounds covering more than 290 acres, numerous options for shopping and dining and proximity to local expressways and commuter trains have made it one of Chicago’s premier suburbs, a vibrant, thriving community that manages growth with success and style.”
Quality of life is generally high. In terms of facilities and amenities you couldn’t ask for much more. There’s a large new community center with a workout facility, indoor pools, track and gyms, two new outdoor swimming pools and three golf courses open to the public. The village hopes to start work on a new or expanded library and will open a new police station in the spring.
Meanwhile, the area boasts a new shopping center patterned after several developments in Southern California. The Glen Town Center features a 10-screen movie theatre, an upscale department store, a large sporting goods outlet, about 35 small shops and a dozen restaurants. It’s also a quick trip to Old Orchard in Skokie and Northbrook Court. For those who favor big box shopping, Costco, Target, Kohl’s and more are all easily accessible.
What are the folks in Glenview like? According to Sandy Hausman, “Glenview is a fairly traditional suburban community. Once the home of a military base and Midwest headquarters for the John Birch Society, it has historically attracted a conservative crowd. But with redevelopment of the Navy base, 4,000 new people have moved to the village, and the demographics have changed. I wouldn’t call this a progressive place. It’s still predominantly Republican, but I think the community is a little more worldly than when I arrived in 1989.”
The Arts Scene
Well, the idea here is that you would be commuting into the city for your theatre and on-camera work. If you are looking for a community that also has a thriving arts scene, Glenview might not be the place for you. Sandy agrees: “The arts scene is anemic relative to communities like Evanston or Highland Park, but there is now a Glenview Symphony, a children’s theatre, community theatre and plenty of classes in the fine arts through the park district.”
In Summary
Glenview is an impressive near North suburb that is close enough to the city to allow you to stay on top of your career and might provide a great value to a first-time homebuyer. The village offers a thriving community equipped with fine amenities, excellent schools and more. While there is not an overabundance of affordable properties in the area, there are currently enough to make the Village of Glenview worth considering as you search for your first home.
Mike McNamara has been an actor in Chicago for the past eight years in theatre, commercials, television and film. Mike is also a Mortgage Consultant and Loan Originator with West America Mortgage Company. He can be reached anytime at 773/398-0021 or McNamara310@aol.com. Special thanks to Sandy Hausman of www.glenviewwatch.com and real estate agent Caroline Sheaffer for their help with this article. Caroline works with Coldwell Banker and can be reached at 847/323-6048 or caroline.sheaffer@cbexchange.com.