Moving to the ‘burbs? There’s a lot to be excited about, for sure, but you should also expect a bit of culture shock, especially if you’ve been a life-time city dweller. Here are some of the adjustments you can expect when you make the big switch:
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A lot of peace and quiet
This one might hit harder than you might think. Living in the city means living with a perpetual buzz of noisein your ears – one that you probably don’t even notice anymore. The traffic on the streets, the chatter of passers-by, your next-door neighbor – all these blend into a typical city soundscape.
Move to a suburban neighborhood and you might be surprised how quiet quiet can actually get. It’s definitely soothing, but it might take some getting used to at first.
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More value for your money
One of the best perks that suburban living offers is affordability. Homeowners can buy a lot more living space for less moneyin the suburbs. Not to mention yard space!
Take a look at a comparison of real estate rates between Chicago and a few of its nearby suburbs below, based on yearly averages compiled by Trulia.com:
- Chicago: $230 per square foot
- Schaumburg: $185 per square foot
- Buffalo Grove: $187 per square foot
- Palatine: $181 per square foot
- Des Plaines: $186 per square foot
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Better family living
Suburban communities are especiallyappealing to families. Tranquil and safe neighborhoods, access to natural open spaces and recreational amenities, and generally cleaner and healthier surroundings add up to create apeaceful and pleasant environment.
This doesn’t mean your social life has to take a backseat in the suburbs. Healthy neighborhoods provide plenty of opportunities for social interaction.
Quality education also makes suburbs great for family living. Suburban public school districts typically offer top-rated education with decent student-teacher ratios – meaning your kids receive theattention they need from their teachers due torelatively small class sizes.
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Less traffic, but probably more driving
One of the biggest reasons suburbs are quiet is the lack of toxic traffic jams. Neighborhoods are wider, roads are less congested, and people on the street tend to be a lot more pleasant with each other.
On the flipside, you likely can’t expect a lot of public transportation within suburban neighborhoods. Finding a home that’s close to the community’s commercial center is the ideal scenario; otherwise, you might need to drive around a lot more.
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Nothing is 24/7
The most significant change long-time city people experience when moving to the ‘burbs is letting go of urban conveniences. Granted, professional services and specialists are still accessible in a suburban neighborhood, but they are no longer on-call 24/7.
And those who are used to having a building superintendent and maintenance people just a phone call away will surely be in for a significant adjustment when they experience suburban life.
On a more positive note, this gives new suburban homeowners some exciting opportunities for learning important home-making skills. From basic repair work, to gardening, to all sorts of home improvement, you may find that you like getting creative with some DIY projects every once in a while.
Want to discover the suburban escapes around Chicagoland? I’d love to show you around. Call me, Rory James, at 847.971.0674 or send an email to rjames@askunique.com.