For pet lovers, Jack and Della Campbell, Wolf Ridge Condominiums in Northlake is the perfect place to live.
“We absolutely love this place,” said Della Campbell, a histology lab technician at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. “We traded a two-hour tollway commute from west suburban Lombard for an 11-minute ride down Interstate 294 to our jobs.”
The shorter commute also is a bonus for Jack Campbell, who is a veterinarian’s assistant for Vet Corp. in Des Plaines, but what makes him happy is Wolf Ridge allows dogs and cats.
“Our family revolves around Banks, our 48-pound English Springer Spaniel, and Bo, our cat,” Jack said. “We take Banks to the dog park a couple of blocks south on Wolf Road, or the nearby wooded preserve.
Just north on Wolf Road is the Center Point Recreation and Preserve, which features walking trails and a picturesque meandering stream.
The 60-unit development at 77 N. Wolf Road just north of North Avenue (Route 64) in downtown Northlake overlooks a park and features elegantly landscaped grounds.
Millennium Park and Sandy Vazquez Community Center are located a few blocks from Wolf Ridge Condominiums. The newly constructed park includes playground equipment, a volleyball court and a splash fountain.
“The Northlake Public Library is 1 1/2 blocks north of the development, and St. John Vianney, a Catholic church, is across the street,” said Della.
Wolf Ridge Condominiums is near Northlake’s main business district and just six blocks from the interchange of Interstates 294 and 290. O’Hare International Airport is eight miles away, and downtown Chicago is within 14 miles.
Along with convenient location, Northlake has “amazing shopping choices,” said Della.
A diverse collection of big-box shopping choices, including Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Sam’s Club, are nearby, and there are many restaurant options, including Sala Tai, the Campbell’s favorite Asian restaurant across the street. And, new-style drive-through Seattle’s Best Coffee recently opened on North Avenue adjacent to Wal-Mart.
The City of Northlake developed Wolf Ridge to provide new market-rate housing in the suburb, and this community offers homes with developer stability and a warranty of quality.
“As first-time home buyers, we feel secure knowing the City of Northlake is there to stand behind this development,” said Jack.
The couple selected a Belle model, a two-bedroom, two-bath unit with 1,336 square feet of living area that has a park view from its balcony.
The couple utilized the development’s “Rent-to-Own” program, and 30 percent of their monthly rent was escrowed for part of their down payment. They qualified for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 4 percent interest, and placed a 20 percent down payment.
“What’s surprising is our mortgage payment at Wolf Ridge is only $9 more a month that what we were paying for rent,” Jack noted. “We wish we would have purchased our home sooner. We spent $89,000 on rent in an apartment over the past seven years.”
“Our condo assessments cover gas for heating, cooking, clothes drying and hot water, building insurance, management, water, snow shoveling and plowing, landscaping, and window washing,” Della said. “Our electric bill is only $49 a month. Wolf Ridge is so well-insulated that we only used our air conditioning for two months last summer.”
Prospective buyers who act fast can pocket incentives valued at up to $25,000 at Wolf Ridge Condominiums.
