Does anyone have any negtive information on Shorewood? (Milwaukee, Whitefish Bay: appointed, apartments)

[cwells3030]

First off I want to say thank you to all of the great posters in the Milwaukee forum. All of the information in your posts have been a great help to me in preparing for our move there.

Now, on to the question. Based on all of my research I am pretty sure that I am going to rent an apartment in Shorewood or maybe Whitefish Bay and nearly everything I have found about these communities is positive.

Does anyone have anything negative to say about any part of these areas?

Any information that I should be concerned about?

Anything that I should take a second look at before I commit to a lease?

Are there any buildings, streets or blocks that I should stay away from?

[ultravioletfly]

Apartments are going to be expensive--the amount you pay for a place in Shorewood will get you something much more spacious and comfortable in, say, Riverwest. But that's a given since you're in the 'burbs.

If you rely on public transportation, you're going to be pretty limited as you go further north of Capitol Drive. (And you'll be relying on the Green Line a LOT, although it's a pretty nice route.)

As far as safety/health, there's really nothing to be concerned about. Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, and even Milwaukee's upper east side are some of the most up-scale, desirable parts of the area.

Definitely avoid Katz Properties if you can. I've heard nothing but bad things about them from friends and coworkers.

I think Shorewood is the perfect place to live for pretty much anyone, honestly. It still very much feels like part of Milwaukee, with all of the urban culture and excellent access to the east side of Milwaukee/downtown and very little crime. It's a walk-able, bike-able community with plenty to see and do. I can't say enough good things about it.

[Milwaukee City]

Originally Posted by ultravioletfly

Definitely avoid Katz Properties if you can. I've heard nothing but bad things about them from friends and coworkers.

I have had first hand experience with a manger of a katz property manager and you wouldn't believe me if I told what that ahole did or said numerous times. That being said I'm sure they are fine if you don't have any interaction with the management team. I have heard bad things about the owners and management as well from other people. Their is absolutely nothing wrong with their properties they are all well kept and nice places I have just heard they are complete Richards about a lot of stuff and they are very picky.

[anotherelmosworld]

I don't think you will be disappointed in Shorewood or Whitefish Bay. I also had a bad experience with Katz, so I second (or third) the advice above.

[pete6032]

I live in Shorewood and like it a lot. My only negative thing to say is that it can be a bit pretentious and people seem to think that Shorewood/WFB are better places to live than everywhere else. People are pretty proud of their village, but its nothing extreme. Other than that I have only had positive experiences with Shorewood. Like the other posters mentioned, stay away from Katz properties.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by cwells3030

Does anyone have anything negative to say about any part of these areas?

Yes: Property taxes! Horrible. But, since you are renting, they are cleverly concealed in your rent, and you will probably only pay a fraction of them if you live in a multi family unit.

Aside from the Katz Properties comments, I have nothing else to add.

[cwells3030]

Update:

I have signed a lease for an apartment in Whitefish Bay. I was unable to heed the warnings to stay away from Katz properties as this building manager was the only person who would call me back and/or work with me on leasing from out of state. There were other companies with good reviews that I could not get a human on the phone no matter how many times I called. I'm crossing my fingers that a poorly rated management company can be less of an issue with a good building manager.

Thank you all for your help in deciding on an area.

[Fishtacos]

That is good for you.

For future reference, about this thread, I like Shorewood a lot, especially compared to many other choices out there. But there is one inconvenience to mention.

Parking.

In the past, when living in a duplex house, two tenants, upstairs and downstairs, you couldn't park overnight on the street, so people would literally rearrange their cars late at night for the next morning as to who gets out first.

[cwells3030]

Originally Posted by Fishtacos

That is good for you.

For future reference, about this thread, I like Shorewood a lot, especially compared to many other choices out there. But there is one inconvenience to mention.

Parking.

In the past, when living in a duplex house, two tenants, upstairs and downstairs, you couldn't park overnight on the street, so people would literally rearrange their cars late at night for the next morning as to who gets out first.

Parking is the exact reason I ended up picking a place in WFB. I needed two dedicated spaces and just couldn't find many options Shorewood.

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by cwells3030

Parking is the exact reason I ended up picking a place in WFB. I needed two dedicated spaces and just couldn't find many options Shorewood.

WFB is fine. I used to use the tennis courts, park across the street, high school track, and close proximity to the mall near there, and Kopp's. I preferred the feel of Shorewood, though there are many similarities. My favorite place to live in Milwaukee was Lafayette Hill, by a landslide, but all solid choices.