NY transfer to Milwaukee area-- any rural areas close by?? (Racine: for sale, real estate)

[Debmom3NY]

My husband may be getting a transfer to the Milwaukee area and Im trying to check out possible areas to move/purchase a home before we make the decision in 2 weeks... We prefer a rural/country type area for the kids to ride 4wheelers & mini bikes.. but Im noticing most of the homes for sale say under 1/2 acre... actually I dont think ive ever seen anything with 1/2 ac+... is there such a creature there??? He'll be working around W Tower St in Milwaukee... would like to keep the commute to 30 min or less if possible... have 3 kids 12, 9 and almost 1yr so good schools are also important as well. We'd appreciate any and all advise please! Thanks so much for your time and help!

[Drover]

Your best bet is to look south and southwest of the city. That's the least developed portion near Milwaukee; north and west is pretty tapped out within a 30-minute radius of downtown Milwaukee. Try areas around Raymond, Union Church, North Cape, Norway, Waterford, Rochester, Vernon, Big Bend, Mukwango, etc.

[Debmom3NY]

I tried doing a quick search on some of those areas on realtor.com to see what was available so I could map it on yahoo... the couple in the beginning I couldnt find anything on.... but I will try more when its not so "late" that my eyes dont want to stay open!
do you have any recommendations on where to look to find houses for rent that arent really expensive??? Im thinking thats probably the best way to start but I know with my littlest (almost 9mos) apartment living wont be in the cards with her set of lungs! lol
thanks for the response!!! take care

[Drover]

You might try to use realtor.com to get in contact with a real estate agency that has home listings in the general area (Waterford, Rochester, etc.) and ask them if their office has any rental listings. Real estate offices often serve as rental management companies as well. Sorry I can't be more specific as my knowledge of the SE Wisconsin area is only general.

[Debmom3NY]

Youve been very helpful thanks so much for taking the time!!

[chrismu2004]

I've lived in Raymond nearly all my life, in an old farmhouse with about 10 acres. A few things I can tell you... There's a very limited rental market in Raymond. Also, there are plenty of homes with more than 1/2 acre. The drawback is they're not cheap anymore. Property values have been skyrocketing since the 1990's. Though it's still far cheaper to live here than places like nearby Franklin or Oak Creek in southern Milwaukee County. It's probably still reasonable compared to a lot of the east and west coast. I believe, in order to build a new house in Raymond, you must have at least five acres, so new construction houses will have plenty of land. The elementary school (Raymond Elementary Dist. #14) is excellent and is definitely one reason why there's a lot of people wanting to move to Raymond. I can't comment much on the high school (Union Grove high school) since I went to a Catholic HS in Racine, but I know it was renovated heavily in the late 1990's and needed it very much...1970's and 80's era students have told me it was in various states of disrepair including a (now demolished) part of the school that was condemned. I've heard it is much better now. In terms of the types of houses, there's a few original farmhouses and a lot of post-1990 houses but your best bet based on cost would be the ranch style houses built from about 1960-1970, when many baby boom families moved out of the city. Most of those houses have 1/3 to 1/2 acre. If you must have more land, expect to pay at least $250,000 and you'll either end up in an older farmhouse (many of which are renovated) or one of the very recent houses. One very important thing - When looking at houses in Raymond on realtor.com or other sites, remember that Raymond has no post office, so when you do searches, use Caledonia, WI 53108 or Franksville, WI 53126 ...Raymond residents use either depending on where they live in the town. When looking at properties with Caledonia or Franksville addresses, the Raymond addresses (as well as some other rural Racine Co. towns) are located *west* of I-94.

[SCUBARB]

Try looking into Town of Eagle (not city). Taxes are by far one of the cheapest in southeastern WI and you get more bang for you buck as far as housing goes. Most homes are situated on 2 acres so plenty of room to enjoy your toys! Town of Eagle is part of Mukwonago school district which is excellent. So that coupled with Town of Eagle taxes...you've got it made! Oh, not to mention the many bonfires you will have in your yard enjoying the star studded sky!

[gentlearts]

I don't know how far from Milwaukee you are willing to move to, but the towns I mentioned are a straight shot on the highway, and the areas are lovely.