Western Trails
Carol Stream’s busiest resale market — detached homes, parks and lakes, no association
Western Trails is the busiest resale market in Carol Stream — more homes change hands here than in any other subdivision in the village. It is a large, established single-family neighborhood in DuPage County, developed over roughly three decades, with mature landscaping, tree-lined streets, parks, lakes and open space. There are no HOA dues.
That long build-out is the thing to understand before you buy or sell here. Western Trails was not put up in one phase by one builder, so the homes are genuinely varied — across the neighborhood as a whole, sizes run from roughly 1,200 to 3,600 square feet with three to six bedrooms. The homes that have actually traded recently are a tighter group: mostly late-1970s and early-1980s houses of about 1,140 to 2,200 square feet, three or four bedrooms, with two-car garages.
So a Western Trails address on its own does not tell you much. Which part of the neighborhood, and which decade the house went up in, explains most of the difference in size, layout and value — and it is the reason pricing off a neighbourhood average goes wrong here more often than almost anywhere else in Carol Stream.
Community Highlights
- No homeowners association dues
- Detached single-family homes only
- Armstrong Park within the neighborhood
- Lakes, walking areas and open space
- Veterans Park and Mitchell Lakes Park nearby
- Mature landscaping and tree-lined streets
- Lies Road along the northern edge
- Wide range of home sizes and styles
Parks, Lakes and Open Space
The amount of green space in and around Western Trails is one of its defining features. Armstrong Park is the major recreational area inside the neighborhood, and lakes, walking areas and open space run through the rest of it — which is why the streets feel established rather than built-out.
Veterans Park and Mitchell Lakes Park are both close by. The local trail system also connects with a portion of the Great Western Trail.
No Association, No Dues
Western Trails is detached single-family homes with no homeowners association. No Western Trails listing in our MLS review carries a monthly assessment. Owners maintain their own lots, and there are no association rules on pets, rentals or exterior changes.
For a lot of buyers that is the entire appeal, particularly compared with the townhome and condominium communities elsewhere in the village. It also means the condition of any individual house is entirely down to its owner — there is no association keeping roofs and siding on a schedule, so inspect accordingly.
Western Trails at a Glance
| Development period | Primarily 1968–1999 |
| Early builder | Performance Builders, Inc. |
| Property type | Detached single-family |
| Size range (neighborhood) | Approx. 1,200–3,600 sq ft |
| Bedrooms | 3–6 bedrooms |
| Recent sales, build years | 1977–1984 |
| Association dues | None |
| Schools | Western Trails Elementary, Jay Stream Middle (CCSD 93), Glenbard North High (D87) |
| Recent closed sales | 11 |
| Median sale price | $440,000 |
| Average days on market | 19 |
Sales figures are MRED MLS closed transactions. The neighborhood-wide size and bedroom ranges cover homes built across the full development period; the build years shown are those of homes that have sold recently. School boundaries should be verified for any individual property.
Western Trails Neighborhood Map
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The History of Western Trails
In September 1977 a new three-bedroom ranch here sold for $53,900. Resales in Western Trails have recently run $415,000–$530,000.
Range covers 11 recent MRED closings — the largest sample of any Carol Stream subdivision, though still small enough to read as a range rather than a trend.
Western Trails has documented roots back to at least the 1970s, and Performance Builders, Inc. was one of the builders active during the early development. Two Chicago Tribune Home Guide features from 1977 and 1978 put names, prices and dimensions on the houses going up here at the time — the sort of detail that is not in any listing database.
The September 1977 feature noted 101 lots with 89 homes built to date. Read that as a snapshot of the Performance Builders section rather than the whole neighborhood — Western Trails as it stands today is very much larger, because building carried on here into the 1990s. For the wider story of how the village grew around it, see our history of Carol Stream.
The Original Performance Builders Models
Two were documented by name. Both are 1,150-square-foot, three-bedroom ranches — and the difference between their prices is worth understanding.
The Carlton — 1,150 sq ft, $53,900 (1977)
Presented as Festival Home No. 89. A three-bedroom, one-bath ranch with an eat-in kitchen and living room, sold deliberately as a house you could add to later — the pitch was to buy solid and put on a family room or garage when finances allowed. All face brick, with aluminum gutters, underground utilities, wood cabinets and windows and a full basement. A blacktop driveway, sodded front yard, carpeting, insulation, glass-lined water heater and smoke detector came included; air conditioning, storms and screens and a dishwasher were options. Centre-entrance plan with the three bedrooms in a line along the left side, a 14¼-by-18-foot living room with a bay window, and an L-shaped kitchen work area.
The Chippewa — 1,150 sq ft, $63,990 (1978)
Festival Home No. 101, sold on “step-saving one-floor living.” A face-brick-and-stone ranch, three bedrooms and one ceramic-tiled bath, a guest closet off the entry opening directly to a 13½-by-17-foot living room — and, unlike the Carlton, an attached two-car garage. That is most of the $10,090 difference between the two: same square footage, garage included rather than added later.
If you own one of these, it is worth knowing which. A 1,150-square-foot Carlton that has had a family room and garage added over forty-odd years is a different house from the one that was sold, and the additions are exactly what a lazy comparable-sales pricing will miss. Send us the address and we will tell you what we can from the plans and the county record.
Sources: Chicago Tribune, September 17, 1977, p. 69; and April 15, 1978, p. 77. Model names, sizes, features and prices are as published in Performance Builders’ own advertising and Tribune coverage at the time. Prices shown are 1977–1978 base prices and are historical only. Sizes, build years and sales figures elsewhere on this page come from Garry Real Estate’s review of Western Trails listings and closed transactions in the MRED MLS. Confirm details for any individual property, and attendance boundaries with the district, before you buy.
Homes for Sale in Western Trails
Live MLS listings. Western Trails turns over more than any other Carol Stream subdivision, so there is usually something here — if not, tell us what you are looking for and we will call you the day one lists.
No properties found. |
Recently Sold in Western Trails
Closed sales from the past 2 years — the number that matters when you are pricing an offer or a listing.
More Carol Stream Real Estate Resources
📞 (630) 310-8315 · Dave: (630) 992-3283 · Candy: (630) 992-5477
