What kind of place is Middleton Hills? (Madison: extended stay, sale)

[was3]

What are some areas to look in on the East and North side?

[Harpoon]

This thread is 2 years old, I have already moved here.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Harpoon

This thread is 2 years old, I have already moved here.

Please tell us about your journey and where you ended up living in the Madison area!

[gold*dust1]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Please tell us about your journey and where you ended up living in the Madison area!

I'm going to take a wild guess that they don't reside in Middleton Hills.

[FryGuy]

We fell in love with Middleton Hills on our first visit to Madison and when we came back to look for a house we were certain we would get a house there. On our second and third look at houses we started to have second thoughts. The lots are REALLY small. We thought it wouldn't be a dealbreaker, but the more we thought about it it was. You could literally sit in you living room and look into your neighbors. The houses were too big for the lots in my opinion.
The style of the neighborhood was wood exterior and potential maintenence.
The neighborhood was initially nice with parks and the shopping areas, but when you look at it closer there is a grocery store, a bar and other random stores like a cell phone company, etc. I didn't think it was as nice as I thought. The neighborhood is billed as new urbanism, but new urbanism is supposed to have housing units of all different prices and types. There are a few condos, but no apartments or smaller houses. It seems that they just made lots small to try to put as many expensive houses up as possible.
I also thought with houses being so close and it being an "upscale neighborhood", that clashes with neighbors or associations was sure to occur.
I probably could have gotten over all of this, but then you have to pay a significant premium to live there. The houses are so expensive.
We ended up buying a house in downtown Middleton. We love that it is walking distance to downtown and it was cheaper.
We really wanted to love MH, and if you had asked me 3 months ago where I was going to buy a house I would have sworn MH. However, looking at it closely give me a different view.
I would be interested in hearing other's thoughts.

[gold*dust1]

Originally Posted by FryGuy

We fell in love with Middleton Hills on our first visit to Madison and when we came back to look for a house we were certain we would get a house there. On our second and third look at houses we started to have second thoughts. The lots are REALLY small. We thought it wouldn't be a dealbreaker, but the more we thought about it it was. You could literally sit in you living room and look into your neighbors. The houses were too big for the lots in my opinion.
The style of the neighborhood was wood exterior and potential maintenence.
The neighborhood was initially nice with parks and the shopping areas, but when you look at it closer there is a grocery store, a bar and other random stores like a cell phone company, etc. I didn't think it was as nice as I thought. The neighborhood is billed as new urbanism, but new urbanism is supposed to have housing units of all different prices and types. There are a few condos, but no apartments or smaller houses. It seems that they just made lots small to try to put as many expensive houses up as possible.
I also thought with houses being so close and it being an "upscale neighborhood", that clashes with neighbors or associations was sure to occur.
I probably could have gotten over all of this, but then you have to pay a significant premium to live there. The houses are so expensive.
We ended up buying a house in downtown Middleton. We love that it is walking distance to downtown and it was cheaper.
We really wanted to love MH, and if you had asked me 3 months ago where I was going to buy a house I would have sworn MH. However, looking at it closely give me a different view.
I would be interested in hearing other's thoughts.

Well I've weighed in on MH before. Much to do about nothing IMO. Overpriced and didn't ejoy the vibe. Some of the interiors I saw were incredibly trashed!

[runnergirl262]

I thought I'd respond because I didn't notice any responses from anyone who is actually living in Middleton Hills.

We moved here in November and really like it. The location is great; we walk to the store, the cafe, the park is across the street. Everyone has been very welcoming and friendly and there's always people outside. The conservancy is a couple blocks away for running/hiking. We really like the architecture/styles of the homes.

People rave about almost every neighborhood in Madison. I don't think the Willy Street area or the Villas Neighborhood or Nakoma are any better or worse than Middleton Hills-it's just a matter of what feels right to you.

That being said, I don't think that Middleton Hills gets anymore "hype" than any other popular neighborhoods in Madison. As far as home prices; we looked at homes 60 years older and 1000 sq. ft smaller than ours in the Nakoma neighborhood asking the same price-(with a one car garage) as what we got in Middleton-so, I don't see that Middleton Hills is overpriced when compared to other popular neighborhoods.

[amysherman]

Let me preface this by saying that I'm a Realtor. (But I'm not evil) : ) I was born and raised in Madison, I now live in Middleton. There are great neighborhoods in Madison and there are great neighborhoods in Middleton. If you are looking for a house under $300k you can find a nice home in either. Middleton has great schools, which can ensure you homes value doesn't crash and we have a very low crime rate. Madison has good schools and for the most part has a low crime rate.
The near west side of Madison has some great starter homes. Try looking in Westmorland and Sunset Village. You will find houses in your price range that have the feel of Middleton Hills without the price tag. They are small but the community feeling is fantastic.
The downtown Middleton area has great houses and a wonderful neighborhood feel as well. However houses can be very hard to come by. Often bought and sold before they even go on the market.
Hope this helps!

[FryGuy]

Originally Posted by amysherman

The downtown Middleton area has great houses and a wonderful neighborhood feel as well. However houses can be very hard to come by. Often bought and sold before they even go on the market.
Hope this helps!

This is so true. We live in downtown and the only reason we found house is because one came on the market in the two days we happened to be in town looking. We love the area, but it's weird that houses are so hard to come by, especially in this market. There were tons of houses in all of the other nearby neighborhoods. O well.

[Harpoon]

Originally Posted by gold*dust1

I'm going to take a wild guess that they don't reside in Middleton Hills.

You are correct, Middleton Hills wasn't in our budget. We ended up in the North Lake area near the Pheasant Branch Conservancy. We do bring the kids over to the parks in Middleton Hills though because they are fantastic, we just ride the bikes over instead of walking to them. We shop at the Copps there, and have been to Byrd's several times. So although I don't live in Middleton Hills, I do frequent it to get my quota of new urbanism.