Neighborhood profile: The Enclave in Arlington Heights
Single-family, maintenance-free homes, a great location and excellent schools draw buyers to The Enclave, an upscale community of 106 homes in Arlington Heights.
Sixteen years ago, Karen Martin purchased a home in the subdivision. As a busy single mother of two children at the time, maintenance-free was the magic word for Martin.
"I was working full time and didn't want the responsibility of doing outside work," she said.
Martin also loved the location off Palatine Road just west of Arlington Heights Road near shopping, restaurants and other conveniences.
"We walk everywhere - to Walgreens, the grocery store; it's fabulous," Martin said. "I also like being close to all the amenities downtown."
Martin was familiar with area schools and knew they had an excellent reputation. "These were all important considerations for me at the time," Martin said. "This is a lovely area."
Built in the early 1990s by Town and Country Homes, The Enclave features homes with 1,530 to 2,125 square feet of living space, two to three bedrooms, two to 2½ baths, a basement and two-car garage. All homes feature an outside patio and a small private patio off the eating area.
The Essex plan Martin purchased was appealing to her because of its design with a volume ceiling. "It's architecturally attractive," Martin said. "It's not boxy, and it has some pizazz to it. It's a nice layout."
The Enclave is a unique subdivision in that it offers single-family, maintenance-free homes. There's nothing else like it anywhere in the area, said Sheila Brunetti, real estate broker with RE/MAX Suburban in Arlington Heights.
"It's the perfect place for people who want to leave and go on vacation because everything is taken care of by the association, and the location is to die for," Brunetti said.
The community offers four different designs: the Arlington ranch with two bedrooms, the Courtland ranch with three bedrooms; the Essex, a two-story home with three bedrooms; and the Sterling, a Cape Cod design with three bedrooms.
The builder was ahead of the times architecturally, and the homes still look current, Brunetti said.
"A lot of people have updated their homes, and people are always making improvements," she said. "Fences or additions are not allowed, which keeps the community looking beautiful."
Residents are a nice mix of people - some who don't want to care for a large home and are downsizing and some who don't even want to think about outside yardwork.
For recreation, nearby Frontier Park offers woods and green space, a picnic pavilion, baseball diamond, tennis court, playground and a community center with indoor basketball. A short drive away, Lake Arlington is a pretty spot with a two-mile walking trail, sailboat and paddle boat rentals, fish and release opportunity and a concession stand.
The park district receives rave reviews from residents and offers two golf courses and a variety of programs and classes for all ages.
Another local attraction is the Arlington Park racecourse, a beautiful facility that attracts people from miles around.
Residents enjoy the village's thriving downtown with an eclectic mix of restaurants and pubs, live theater performances, outdoor concerts and shopping at boutiques, specialty shops and galleries.
Arlington Heights residents have easy access to expressways, and commuters can board Metra downtown for a 35-minute express train to the Loop.
Listing sheet
<span class="fact box text bold">Price range:</span> $350,000 to $450,000
<span class="fact box text bold">Age of homes:</span> 22 to 26 years
<span class="fact box text bold">Schools: </span>Greenbrier Elementary and Thomas Middle schools in Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 and Buffalo Grove High School in Northwest Suburban High School District 214.
<span class="fact box text bold">Parks:</span> Arlington Heights Park District