Dual-income no kids - where should we buy? (Middleton: renting, condo)

[jcbell]

Hi!

My husband and I are both in our early thirties. Two incomes, no kids, but probably kids in the next couple years. Where do folks like us buy a home? We are in the near west side but feel like the neighborhood is more mature than we are!

Help!

[jcbell]

Sorry - I should clarify. We are renting in the near west side and hope to buy in a year or two.

[Megan1967]

Maybe Sunset Village by Midvale Blvd? Seems like a young person's neighborhood. (You have no idea how old it made me feel to make that last statement......)

[r_k]

Not clear what you're asking. If you're looking for areas of young families, then look further out, i.e. past the beltline. Closer in you'll find more of a mix of age groups, not that there's anything wrong with that.

[jcbell]

Thanks, r_k, yes, I'm looking for young couples who haven't had children yet or who have young children.

[zizu]

Get a condo in the downtown area right around the capitol.

[r_k]

If you look in areas with newer homes you'll find mostly young families. The exception is if the new homes are very expensive (e.g. Blackhawk) in which case the median age goes up. You may want to consider other factors such as schools, distance to work etc.

[amysherman]

If you are looking for a great neighborhood with lots of kids, I would agree with the person who said to look into the schools. If the schools are good the house you buy will be more likely to retain it's value and when you buy you will want to stay there once your (future) children are ready for school.
A great resource for you to find out about schools is GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community
Once you've narrowed in on a couple of schools and the areas they are in, you can contact the school and ask to speak to someone from the PTO/PTA to talk to their rep. They can give you some really great tips about where to live in the school catch area.
I always recommend this to my clients as it's much better than trying to figure out a good fit by driving around and hoping you can figure out what a neighborhood is like by a couple of 5 minute drive bys.
I live in Middleton and we have a ton of neighborhood full of young families including the downtown area where I live.
There are a lot of things to consider when you buy a house and tons of neighborhood that are very nice.
I'd sit down and make a list of the things that are important to you ie. walkability, nearness to parks, age of house, style of house, how much house you WANT to afford, libraries, coffee shops, nearness to grocery stores, etc.
Buying your first house is so exciting! Best of luck!