Buffalo Grove Arlington Heights Northwest Chicago Suburban Real Estate

Anne Kaplan and Lindsey Kaplan-Alarcon Realtors

Anne Kaplan 847-401-7904
annekaplan@atproperties.com
Lindsey Kaplan-Alarcon 415-215-0077
LindseyKaplan@atproperties.com
Carol Mayer 847-528-4818
CarolMayer@atproperties.com

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Time to Move from Chicago to the Suburbs

Chicago
Suburbs

Time to Move from Chicago to the Suburbs

For many city dwellers the question of moving to the suburbs eventually comes up. After years of hanging out at the hip restaurants, mastering the bar scene and hitting up all of the local events, something happened. You had kids, you grew tired of taking 30 minutes to find a parking spot, and/or 800 square feet of living space no longer cut it. Now you are doing something that you never thought you would do. You are wrapping your head around actually taking the plunge. Packing up the wagon, leaving the city behind for promises of furnished basements and backyards that could actually house one of those cool swing sets you had your eyes on. However, before you realize your new dream of unlimited (and free) parking at Target ,you have to figure out what kind of community of which you want to establish the new homestead.

Tricked Out Swing Set

That tricked out swing set you’ve always wanted

In my experience of working with clients moving from Chicago to the suburbs, I have created a list of things to consider when making the big move.

1) How Big do you want to go?

Coming from the city, you might be used to smaller quarters. Once you begin to look at the much larger houses in the suburbs, your eyes get wide. Before you decide that you must live in 4,500 square feet on 2 acres, you might want to consider the cost. You will have to heat and cool 4500 sq ft and you will have to furnish 4500 square feet. And, after 2 months of DIY landscaping and then deciding that it is way too much work, you will have to pay for someone to landscaping 2 acres. Some of you might be ready for the space and don’t care about these costs. Others might want to look at something a little bit smaller.

Like the idea of a lot of space? You might want to consider Long Grove or Lincolnshire. (Bonus: both of those communities feed into an excellent school district. See my blog post on Stevenson High School.) If you think you don’t need that much size, Deerfield has great houses with lots of character.

2) What kind of town do you want?

You will be leaving the urban culture of lots of noise but also lots of amenities. Ask yourself, are you ready for the quiet bedroom community or do you still want to be able to walk to get your coffee? There are several communities in the Northern Suburbs that can offer you either option. Lake Zurich and Kildeer are great communities that offer quiet communities with some great schools. Deerfield, Libertyville and Arlington Heights are perfect examples of communities that have great downtown areas with cafes, restaurants and boutique shopping.

3) What do you want your commute to look like?

If you are still working in the city, you might want to be mindful of your commute time. An hour long commute becomes 2 hours of your day spent in transit. Another option that is growing more and more popular is to take the train into the city. In our wireless world, you can get a lot of work done on your train commute leaving you more time in the evening to do the things you love (like play with your kids on that swing set that you once had your eyes on).

Arlington Heights Train Station

Arlington Heights Train Station

Some towns close to the city and have a relatively short commute time are Evanston, Park Ridge and Des Plaines. If you think might want to go the train route with that have access to the train are Deerfield, Arlington Heights and Libertyville.

4) What kind of schools do you want?

The luxury of moving to the Northern suburbs of Chicago is that majority of the schools are excellent. This leaves you more with the question of what kind of school would work best for my children. Just because a school is top ranked might not mean that it would be a good fit for your kids. To get a better idea of what is right for your child, explore the types of programs the schools offer, the teaching methods that they employ and what kind of activities are offered.

5) Does this community support my lifestyle?

Make sure that the communities that you are considering honor your lifestyle. If you were active in a local group, see if the community has something comparable. If you are active and into fitness, make sure that they have yoga, tennis or whatever it is you are currently into. Personally, I love farmers markets, so I would make sure that there was a great farmers market in the area. This will make your transition from urban to suburban living just a little bit easier.

If you are interested in checking out any of these communities click here for a up to date home search. You can also contact me at 847-401-8947 or anne.kaplan@cbexchange. I would love to help you make your big transition. Happy house hunting!

It’s Preschool Time! (Part 2)

Here is a brief starter list of preschools in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago. Major Disclaimer, this is by no means a full list of preschools. Consider this a starting point in your research of preschools in the Chicago suburbs.

Deerfield

Deerfield Montessori Schools

Founded in 1966, Deerfield Montessori school offers three locations, one in Riverwoods and two in Deerfield. They offer programming from infant/toddlers, all the way up to elementary.  http://www.montessori-schools.com/

Deerfield community nursey school

For 50 years, DCNS has been providing rich and stimulating preschool programs for children 18 months up to 5 years of age. Children are encouraged to investigate their environment at their own pace through creative play. http://www.deerfieldcommunitynurseryschool.com/

 Deerfield Park District Preschool

Offering programming for children from ages 2-5. http://www.deerfieldparks.org/programs/preschool/

Buffalo Grove

Jacob Duman JCC

JCC offers a comprehensive program infused with Jewish learning. They have programming for infant/toddler up to kindergarten. Not Jewish, don’t be deterred! This program has great diversity of learners and is open to everyone. http://www.gojcc.org/early-childhood/programs/

Montessori World of Discovery

They offer seven different programs for children ages 6 weeks to 10 years old and are open year round with full time, part time, preschool, before and after school schedules available. http://montessoriworldofdiscovery.com/

Kingswood Preschool

Kingswood Preschool is a non-denominational school and is open to children of all backgrounds and religions. They offer a program that is designed to encourage and promote the ability of each child in learning. Their mission is to provide Preschool education for 3 and 4 year old children in a safe, child-centered environment where they will achieve success while growing academically, socially and emotionally. http://www.kingswoodpreschool.com/default.asp#

JCYS- Jewish Council for Youth Services

Their developmentally appropriate, play-based curriculum encourages children’s creativity, fosters their self-esteem and socialization, and establishes a love of learning. They offer childcare services from infant to kindergarten enrichment. http://jcys.org/child-care/early-childhood-education

Arlington Heights

Village Preschool

Village Preschool is a developmental preschool geared to encourage the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth of three- through six-year-old children. http://www.villagepreschoolinc.com/

Arlington Heights Park District Preschool

The philosophy of the Preschool program is to allow children to learn through play, as they grow socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. http://www.ahpd.org/programs/preschool/

White Oak School

Operating since 1960, family owned and operated. Open daily year round Ages 2-8; Nursery School. They also offer before and after school care. http://www.whiteoakschool.biz/index.html

Vernon Hills

The Goddard School

From infant to toddler to preschool, Goddard teachers in every classroom to lead each child to reach developmental milestones – preparing each one for social and academic success beyond their time with us. http://www.goddardschool.com/chicago/vernon-hills-townline-road-il

Christ Lutheran Preschool

Christ Lutheran Preschool will provide a Christian based curriculum for preschool children as part of their first experience with formal education. http://christlutheranvh.org/clc-preschool/

Vernon Hills Kinder Care

Their preschool programs ensure kindergarten readiness. Before and After school programs are available throughout the school year, while our Summer Camp program for ages preschool and up provides a perfect solution for families who need care during school break. http://www.kindercare.com/our-centers/vernon-hills/il/300983/

Libertyville

Libertyville’s Cooperative Community Preschool

core pre-school classes based on age-appropriate, guided play learning; enrichment programs for 4- & 5-year olds that emphasize the arts, sciences and applied learning; and lunchtime fun. http://www.libertyvilleco-op.com/index.html

The Children’s House of Libertyville

It is the goal of the school to meet the developmental needs of each child – social, emotional, physical, and intellectual within the context of the “prepared environment” essential to a Montessori education. http://childrenshouseoflibertyville.com/

Lincolnshire’s (not so little) Gem- Adlai E Stevenson High School

If you have been in the market to buy a house in the Northwestern Suburbs of Chicago, then chances are you are also  doing some school research. You probably consulted with Newsweek’s rankings, maybe checked out a little greatschools.org. Their rankings give you an idea about the students average testing scores, student teacher ratio, and how much money is spent per pupil. All good to know. But, as a person who has spent many years teaching in the public schools, I like to uncover why schools has particular rankings. And why not begin with one of the big guns, Lincolnshire’s Stevenson High School.

Stevenson High School’s Main Entrance
Stevenson High shool
Stevenson High school
AESHS

Historically, Stevenson High School has always had a reputation as being on e of the top schools in the area.  Located in Lincolnshire, the school houses over 3800 students and an overwhelming majority of these students are college bound. In state tests, Stevenson students have scored top 1% of all high schools in Illinois in all academic areas.  All Stevenson students are required to take the ACT where the average composite score is the top 1%  in the nation!

Now for the most impressive Stevenson High School factoid. Stevenson students write more AP (advanced placement) exams than any other comprehensive high school in the world! Not state, not nation, but the world!


For you sports fanatics out there, Lincolnshire’s Stevenson high school has things to offer you as well. Stevenson has a  huge comprehensive sports program with several practice fields, a state of the art baseball field, a fully lite stadium and two olympic size pools.  In fact, the Stevenson high school boys bastketball team is competing for state title this year. Go Patriots!

How do they do it? First of all, Stevenson teachers have a reputation for working incredibly hard at their job. Stevenson High School has  also been committed to creating successful professional learning communities (PLC). These communities of educators are committed to collaborating with each other on a regular basis to figure out how they can best serve their students. Stevenson High School has also been on the forefront of integrating technology in their classroom. Stevenson’s SMART program has set a goal to outfit their entire student body and all 300 teachers with an Ipad by 2015.  Their extensive AP program makes them one of the best in the States. The list can go on and on.

Are you looking to relocate and want all of the stats on the schools in the  Northwestern Suburbs of Chicago? Give me a call at 847-401-7904 or email me at anne.kaplan@cbexchange.com.

A Little Color Can Go a Long Way

It really is amazing what a little coat of paint can do to a room. last year, I listed a home in Arlington Heights that had the potential but was not showing well. I hated to say it but the house was really quite drab and uninspiring. When a prospective buyer walked through the house, they were immediately underwhelmed. I get it. The house needed some love. I suggested that we take down the dated wall paper and attack those walls with a fresh coat of paint. My buyer took my advice, hired painters and the very next day, wow. Just wow. It looked like a different house. Offers started to come in and shortly thereafter, SOLD!

I know, I know. Sometimes it takes more than a coat of paint. Sometimes the house needs to be gutted and furniture needs to be burned. (I don’t mean your furniture, of course.) But the topic is paint so let’s stay focused.

HGTV Color Swatches

Most people equate your paint picking process with going to to your local big box home repair store, grabbing a massive stack of color samples, obsessing over three shades of mauve until you finally go with an off white. We have all done it that way. When you don’t have a color theme or vision of the room, you end up guessing on a color and crossing your fingers that it works.

Pottery Barn color sw-img-pbteen-sp2014-lr-hdr

But, for those of you that want to take the style of your home to another level and don’t want to guess on what might look good, check out Sherwin-Williams. They have teamed up with Pottery Barn ( including West Elm, PB Teen and Pottery Barn Kids) and HGTV, to bring you, the consumer, quite impressive and inspiring color collections. These colors are rich and modern and there is only 15-20 colors in each collection making your decision making process much easier. Yes, less is more. They also have several inspirational photos with some of the different paint colors in action. Just looking at West Elm’s swatches makes me want to swap out some color in some of my rooms. Check out Sherwin-Williams website to see what I am talking about!

By the way, if you are in the market to find a new house, let me help you find your dream home. (I will even help you pick out the colors for your rooms!) Want to sell your home? Give me a call! I would love to work with you. 847-401-7904

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Anne Kaplan | 847-401-7904 | AnneKaplan@atproperties.com
Lindsey Kaplan-Alarcon | 415-215-0077 | LindseyKaplan@atproperties.com
Carol Mayer | 847-528-4818 | CarolMayer@atproperties.com

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