Old Farm Village in neighborhood profile

The desirable Old Farm Village subdivision in Buffalo Grove offers well-built homes, excellent schools, good parks and a lot of recreation.

The neighborhood, built by Lexington Homes, features 585 houses designed using five floor plans and different exteriors, all on larger homesites. Each house has a family room, large kitchen, master suite with double vanity, first-floor laundry/mud room and at least a two-car garage. These amenities were very appealing to buyers in the early 1990s when the homes were built.

The floor plans have stood the test of time as master suites with private baths, vaulted ceilings and skylights remain popular, said Peggy Cobrin, real estate broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

“These are very well-built homes, and the builder's planning was amazing,” said Cobrin, who lives in the community. “We're next to two playgrounds, sports fields and the bike path. And with the larger lots, we're not too close to our neighbors.”

Valerie and Ron Larson moved to Old Farm Village 12 years ago. “When we drove through the subdivision, it seemed like a great big, family community,” Valeria Larson said. “We always saw people out walking their dogs and jogging, and it gave us a good feeling.”

Cobrin, a 25-year resident of the subdivision, also feels a sense of community in the neighborhood. “It feels like growing up in a small village instead of a big town,” she said.

The Larsons say Old Farm Village is a friendly community, and it seems that everyone knows each other through school, park district activities or from just walking around. With good schools and park district a priority, the Larsons enrolled their children in park district preschool and summer camps, which they really enjoyed. And they were very pleased with all three schools the children attended.

The Larsons also like that the neighborhood has more cul-de-sacs than any place they've seen. “Almost every block has a cul-de-sac, which was great when the kids were small,” Larson said. “Friends always came to the end of the cul-de-sac to play, and it seemed a little safer.”

As for the house itself, the family room with sliders to the sunroom is a favorite family hangout. They also like that all the bedrooms are a good size rather than having one really small bedroom, which is often the case.

Having moved from a condo in the city, Cobrin never thought they needed a bigger house because the house had four bedrooms, a den and nice-size basement, she said. “It gave us everything we needed.”

The good location is another plus for the subdivision. “My kids could walk to the junior high; they were old enough to have a little freedom in this environment, and that was important to me,” Cobrin said.

Situated off Deerfield Road between Buffalo Grove and Wieland roads, the subdivision sits close to shopping, restaurants and entertainment, including Restaurant Row in Wheeling. Residents have easy access to Metra and expressways.

Old Farm Village also includes a townhouse community with a pool and clubhouse. Homes there feature one- and two-story designs with one to three bedrooms and a one-car garage.

“People love it there,” Cobrin said. “Many people who live in the townhouses move up to a single-family home in the subdivision where they can remain in the community and the same school district.”

For recreation, the Buffalo Grove Park District offers many amenities for residents including a state-of-the-art fitness center, a skate park and the Happy Tails dog park, which gets rave reviews. It also offers a variety of programs and classes for everyone in the family. Many community events bring people together including Buffalo Grove Days. The Buffalo Grove Symphonic Band performs classical, Broadway, jazz and pop for audiences, and the Buffalo Grove Fine Art Festival features 150 artists at the Town Center.

Listing sheet

<span class="fact box text bold">Price range: </span>$396,000 to $599,000

<span class="fact box text bold">Age of homes: </span>25 years old

<span class="fact box text bold">Schools:</span> Pritchett Elementary, Meridian Middle and Aptakisic Junior High schools in Aptakisic-Tripp Elementary District 102 and Stevenson High School in Stevenson High School District 125

<span class="fact box text bold">Parks: </span>Buffalo Grove Park District