Where Will You Call Home?

At this time we are developing more content for this section, but here are a few resources.

If retirement might involve a move, knowing the market and the financial options is a good first step. The Lending Tree website — http://www.lendingtree.com — has a whole page listing articles and resources for empty nesters on real estate decisions and options; just click on Empty Nesters.

Zillow.com — http://www.zillow.com — an online real estate service, offers to be "your real estate edge" with help buying and selling, seeing mortgage rates, and even a “Zindex” which gives the median home valuation for a given geographic area on a given day.

The National Association of Realtors’ site — http://www.realtor.com — offers help gauging the overall real estate market or finding a realtor, lender, mover, or homes.

HomeGain — http://www.homegain.com — another online real estate service, shows homes for sale and can provide an estimate of your home’s value.

New homes and communities for boomers are springing up around the McHenry County area. This is a good time to be looking at all the options because there are plenty of versatile options to look at. Whether you wish to someday live in a retirement community or not, it’s a good idea to look at these sites and see what they offer. It may help you narrow down which amenities are most important to you.

The largest retirement community in the area is Sun City — http://www.suncity.com/illinois/huntley — (yes, the national outfit dedicated to retirement living). Huntley was chosen as the site for this community because many Illinoisans wanted to enjoy retirement without moving to Florida or Arizona. This development includes golf courses and a lovely community center, where there is something going on all the time. In addition, Sun City residents take frequent trips to:

  • The Woodstock Opera House
  • The McHenry County Historical Museum
  • The Morraine Hills State Park
  • Kane County Cougars Baseball (Minor League Franchise)
  • Kane County Flea Market
  • Illinois Railroad Museum

There are other communities tailored to retirees in McHenry County. At RetirementNet you can search local or nationwide listings of retirement housing options, http://www.retirenet.com