wrath
03-12-2008, 10:09 AM
So, I'm new to the area... moved here 7 months ago. I've been seriously watching the real estate market since November.
I guess, really, I'm looking for advice on which neighborhoods to stay away from. At this point I'm not really looking for a suburban house. Mostly because I don't like the suburban wasteland. And I can't afford the cost of a house in the country and to commute.
I'm getting pretty desperate and frustrated.
Where I work:
I work on Ridgeview Parkway in Pewaukee (just off 94 between F and 164). I'd like to stay within 20 minutes of work. I don't want to live west of Highway 83. I'd like to be a tolerable distance from Milwaukee as my girlfriend might end up working there someday.
What I've got to spend:
I'm limiting myself to ~$1400/month including taxes and mortgage payment. So, that basically means a $150,000 house in Wauwatosa or a $180,000 house in Waukesha county. I still own a home in Michigan and if you think things are rough here... take a look at Michigan. I'm going to be sitting on it for a while and I'd rather wait to buy so I can buy a little more expensive house/neighborhood... but I'm tired of living in an apartment. I'm pissing $1050+utilities down the drain. I'd rather be giving it to a bank in interest. I'm willing to spend a little more if it's "the perfect house".
What I hope for:
Ideally, I'd like to have a semi-safe neighborhood. I, personally, don't care but my girlfriend is a little paranoid. While there is no concealed carry in Peoples Republic of Cheese around the home issues can be solved with a 12 gauge and square shot. I'd like to be able to leave shit in the back of a truck overnight and it be there in the morning.
I'd like a location that has a walkable destination like a grocery store. I don't want to feel like I have to get in a car to go somewhere to walk the dog.
I'd like somewhere I can park my crap and not have people complain. I have a 84 K10, a 87 mud truck, and a 20' car hauler... plus daily drivers. A garage would be nice because I'd keep the "eyesore" (mud truck) inside. Where I lived before no one cared about my junk because I had the nicest well-kept yard in the 'hood.
I'd like a decent-sized garage... or room to put up my own garage (ideally 24x30). Brookfield seems to be pretty strict about outbuildings.
I'd like a yard that I can fence for the dog. Or an area I can fence. So Brookfield and their "no chain-link fence" doesn't excite me.
I want an area that I'm not going to lose money on. I'm not necessarily looking for a "hot" area, I just want to stay away from downward spirals.
I'd prefer an unmolested house. IE: I don't want one that's been fixed up in the last ten years. No offense to anyone or anything but there are some serious fscking hackjobs around here.
Where I've been looking:
Waukesha: We live on University in Waukesha. We know most of it pretty well. We don't want to live in East Waukesha south of the river since it seems to be in a downward spiral.
West Allis: High taxes have kept our looking here pretty low.
Delafield: A little too soccer mommish and jesus freakish but we're still watching.
Pewaukee: A bit of a clusterfsck of a town but not too bad. A bit inconvenient to get to Milwaukee from. A lot of bible thumpers here and it seems what isn't run down to headache-level costs an arm and a leg.
Brookfield: Cheapest stuff here is at my financial limits. No fences. Not sure if they'd take kindly to my fleet. Strict outbuilding rules kind of scare me. Property values will never go down. Nice walking and if you pick wisely you can walk to the store.
Menomonee Falls: A bit of a hike to anywhere if you don't live in the actual village. All the neighborhoods we looked at seem kind of dumpy. I think it might be a side-effect of it not being as strict as Brookfield. The only time people seem to clean up their house/yard is when they try to sell it. My girlfriend wrote "I'd rather shoot myself in the head than live here" on more printouts here than anywhere else.
New Berlin: Rough commute to anywhere both in time and road conditions. Can't seem to find anything we like. If we find a house we like it's next to a business of some sort.
Elmbrook: Too Fscking Expensive for a bunch of polished turds.
Wauwatosa: Don't know enough about this place but it has our attention again. Seems like $150-180k gets you a run-of-the-mill crap cod with a nice garage in a decent neighborhood. Northern 'tosa seems to be in the process of being infiltrated... and tons of houses are for sale there. I'm finding a lot of houses I like in the 115th street area but I'm not sure about the 'hood. Seems like the "village" area/72nd street is the sweet spot. Definitely don't want to live anywhere near the perimeter to the north and east.
List of houses we've looked at:
http://www.wrath.com/hunting/houses.html
Things between the parenthesis that looks like this (55/100) is the walkscore.com number.
The first amount to the right is what it is listed for. If there is an arrow (->) that means the price has lowered.
Some houses I have tax data for.
I guess, really, I'm looking for advice on which neighborhoods to stay away from. At this point I'm not really looking for a suburban house. Mostly because I don't like the suburban wasteland. And I can't afford the cost of a house in the country and to commute.
I'm getting pretty desperate and frustrated.
Where I work:
I work on Ridgeview Parkway in Pewaukee (just off 94 between F and 164). I'd like to stay within 20 minutes of work. I don't want to live west of Highway 83. I'd like to be a tolerable distance from Milwaukee as my girlfriend might end up working there someday.
What I've got to spend:
I'm limiting myself to ~$1400/month including taxes and mortgage payment. So, that basically means a $150,000 house in Wauwatosa or a $180,000 house in Waukesha county. I still own a home in Michigan and if you think things are rough here... take a look at Michigan. I'm going to be sitting on it for a while and I'd rather wait to buy so I can buy a little more expensive house/neighborhood... but I'm tired of living in an apartment. I'm pissing $1050+utilities down the drain. I'd rather be giving it to a bank in interest. I'm willing to spend a little more if it's "the perfect house".
What I hope for:
Ideally, I'd like to have a semi-safe neighborhood. I, personally, don't care but my girlfriend is a little paranoid. While there is no concealed carry in Peoples Republic of Cheese around the home issues can be solved with a 12 gauge and square shot. I'd like to be able to leave shit in the back of a truck overnight and it be there in the morning.
I'd like a location that has a walkable destination like a grocery store. I don't want to feel like I have to get in a car to go somewhere to walk the dog.
I'd like somewhere I can park my crap and not have people complain. I have a 84 K10, a 87 mud truck, and a 20' car hauler... plus daily drivers. A garage would be nice because I'd keep the "eyesore" (mud truck) inside. Where I lived before no one cared about my junk because I had the nicest well-kept yard in the 'hood.
I'd like a decent-sized garage... or room to put up my own garage (ideally 24x30). Brookfield seems to be pretty strict about outbuildings.
I'd like a yard that I can fence for the dog. Or an area I can fence. So Brookfield and their "no chain-link fence" doesn't excite me.
I want an area that I'm not going to lose money on. I'm not necessarily looking for a "hot" area, I just want to stay away from downward spirals.
I'd prefer an unmolested house. IE: I don't want one that's been fixed up in the last ten years. No offense to anyone or anything but there are some serious fscking hackjobs around here.
Where I've been looking:
Waukesha: We live on University in Waukesha. We know most of it pretty well. We don't want to live in East Waukesha south of the river since it seems to be in a downward spiral.
West Allis: High taxes have kept our looking here pretty low.
Delafield: A little too soccer mommish and jesus freakish but we're still watching.
Pewaukee: A bit of a clusterfsck of a town but not too bad. A bit inconvenient to get to Milwaukee from. A lot of bible thumpers here and it seems what isn't run down to headache-level costs an arm and a leg.
Brookfield: Cheapest stuff here is at my financial limits. No fences. Not sure if they'd take kindly to my fleet. Strict outbuilding rules kind of scare me. Property values will never go down. Nice walking and if you pick wisely you can walk to the store.
Menomonee Falls: A bit of a hike to anywhere if you don't live in the actual village. All the neighborhoods we looked at seem kind of dumpy. I think it might be a side-effect of it not being as strict as Brookfield. The only time people seem to clean up their house/yard is when they try to sell it. My girlfriend wrote "I'd rather shoot myself in the head than live here" on more printouts here than anywhere else.
New Berlin: Rough commute to anywhere both in time and road conditions. Can't seem to find anything we like. If we find a house we like it's next to a business of some sort.
Elmbrook: Too Fscking Expensive for a bunch of polished turds.
Wauwatosa: Don't know enough about this place but it has our attention again. Seems like $150-180k gets you a run-of-the-mill crap cod with a nice garage in a decent neighborhood. Northern 'tosa seems to be in the process of being infiltrated... and tons of houses are for sale there. I'm finding a lot of houses I like in the 115th street area but I'm not sure about the 'hood. Seems like the "village" area/72nd street is the sweet spot. Definitely don't want to live anywhere near the perimeter to the north and east.
List of houses we've looked at:
http://www.wrath.com/hunting/houses.html
Things between the parenthesis that looks like this (55/100) is the walkscore.com number.
The first amount to the right is what it is listed for. If there is an arrow (->) that means the price has lowered.
Some houses I have tax data for.