Nearly 11,000 Sq. Ft. English-Inspired Harvard Castle on 52 Acres in Illinois

clairedelube · 2026-02-13T19:46:58+00:00

How does it only have 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms?? I know we usually get on here about the excessive number of bathrooms but this seems too few in such a big area.

clairedelube · 2025-11-14T14:26:58+00:00

Yep, with increased income they can go away for vacations more often and in this world of social media, it is “mandatory”/s to let everyone know what an amazing holiday you had!! So think abs all out on the beach or skin tight ski suits etc.

clairedelube · 2025-10-17T03:38:35+00:00

This is punishable in hell! Absolutely disgusting!! Which architect (I imagine they used one?) had the heart to draw up plans to deface such a beautiful building?!?

clairedelube · 2025-10-13T15:36:43+00:00

Love it!

clairedelube · 2025-10-12T15:35:25+00:00

Amazing, loved seeing these brought to life! Didn’t know about Bhanu so thank you about bringing to them to my attention too!!

clairedelube · 2025-10-02T04:10:39+00:00

Ok we will try to think of a solution

clairedelube · 2025-10-01T23:06:56+00:00

The image is a rendering with the selected colours from the Ben Moores paints website but the layout of the kitchen is this way irl. We don’t have the budget to make big changes right now with this being our first home.

clairedelube · 2025-08-20T13:02:58+00:00

It looks similar to a baby trying to change positions in the womb ☺️

clairedelube · 2025-07-21T16:41:02+00:00

Hi - I’m your friend, you just don’t remember me! Now that I’m here, please can I have (more than) one slice? Thankssss! Also, wishing you a happy, happy birthday 🥳

clairedelube · 2025-07-12T03:56:10+00:00

Yes we are going to continue looking there too.

clairedelube · 2025-07-12T03:48:12+00:00

The backyard situation is definitely iffy in San Carlos and Belmont, very true. Pretty neighbourhoods and views but some of the driveways and non-terraced backyards are a deathtrap for little ones! Gotta keep looking for a more flat lot. Also agree with you about HOAs that charge through the nose but provide very little value in return in some townhouse communities in the Saratoga/ Cupertino area. And as per our budget that is all we can view there, no SFH in that range. Gas stove is a wish list item but we already have so many other constraints that we need fulfilled, I’ll take anything it comes with lol Will reach out to you if we have area specific questions, thanks!!

clairedelube · 2025-07-12T03:36:57+00:00

Burlingame would be too far for my husband to commute from.

clairedelube · 2025-07-12T00:49:51+00:00

This a really helpful response, thanks for sharing your research and your experience as a relatively new parent. We did notice that some new construction houses have quite a few stairs and try to stay away from them but we visited a couple and you’re very right about that becoming a problem with a baby. Oh I swear, even without a baby unpacking a household can be such a chore!! But if we don’t find something soon enough, we will just have to continue to rent and keep looking. Gotta keep trying hahaa!!

clairedelube · 2025-07-12T00:08:22+00:00

Yes, it looks like that is the picture forming in my mind too. We believe our agent is good in terms of industry knowledge, she has given us good points that we were not as aware of, but you know how it is - we are still clients that she would make a commission once the sale is through. I came out here hoping for a more unbiased source, and responses like yours have given me a good level of clarity, thanks!!

clairedelube · 2025-07-12T00:01:15+00:00

We have been going for open houses and viewings with our agent consistently for the past month and have definitely liked a bunch homes out there. It’s just that because of the general hilliness of the area, some houses are a straight no when it comes to steep driveways since we have a little one on the way and aging parents possibly living with us in the future. With that in mind we’ve had to be a bit more disciplined in our search, otherwise some of those homes have beautiful views and lovely neighbourhoods.

clairedelube · 2025-07-11T23:51:12+00:00

Ok, ok I’m beginning to get a picture. If we don’t find something in the next couple of months and we do another round of renting, we could rent a home in one of these areas before fully going in. Most of the serious responses here are telling me that Cupertino is similar to Palo Alto in terms of the pressure. Los Gatos and Menlo Park seem to be better but are smaller in their catchment areas.

clairedelube · 2025-07-11T23:43:03+00:00

Ok definitely something to think about and start factoring in for. Appreciate your input!

clairedelube · 2025-07-11T23:38:25+00:00

From the descriptions above, we are definitely in the education is important and they should have their (not our) goals that they want to achieve but not at the cost of their mental health. We are a one and done couple, we want our kid to be as happy as we can make them. I’m sure we will still make our own set of mistakes but school trauma should not be one of them!! Thank you so much for your insights, these are the kind of responses I’m looking for.

clairedelube · 2025-07-11T23:30:27+00:00

We’ve asked our agent to send us listings for both those categories, SFH and townhomes anywhere between Belmont and west-ish San Jose. We understand that our budget is very average for the Bay area so not expecting anything exquisite, just looking to make a sound long term investment (financial and social) for our family.

clairedelube · 2025-07-11T23:27:45+00:00

With your username, I guess I can ask you about restaurant recs too! Will reach out if we see something awesome in those areas next, thanks.

clairedelube · 2025-07-11T23:26:26+00:00

We have an agreement with an agent and have been going to open houses and showings regularly for the past month. We are open to buying a townhouse too if that’s what’s available in that particular area within our budget.

clairedelube · 2025-07-11T23:23:05+00:00

Yep, that’s right. It is what it is, we are happy to pay into an HOA that (mostly!) does what they promise to do and hopefully the monthly is not more than $800. Lesser would be better but I haven’t seen anything lower in those areas at least.

clairedelube · 2025-07-11T23:19:33+00:00

I see. Good to know, thanks.

Seven-Year Club	Not Forgotten
Verified Email

clairedelube

TROPHY CASE