Minnetonka: Schools, real estate, and hockey. (Chanhassen, Chaska: 2014, house, neighborhood)

[ellysbelly]

Minnetonka is almost equidistant from EP (where the hubs will coach almost every morning), Chaska-Chanhassen and Wayzata (where he has some promising job leads), so it's definitely been added to the list for consideration.

Feedback on their schools? I have two elementary schoolers and a middle schooler (entering 1st, 4th and 6th). My oldest is designated 'gifted' (in our current state of residence) and my middle is slated to be evaluated for gifted (but isn't yet labeled as such) and my youngest has an IEP for Speech, if that information changes anything regarding school placement and recommendations.

Feedback on hockey (specifically youth hockey, as we have years before high school-- my hockey player is only a rising 4th grader)? Yes, I know that they're almost universally excellent in and around the entire Twin City area, but any specific feedback on Minnetonka would be welcomed.

Real estate? We're looking for at least 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths and prefer at least 2400 sq feet above grade plus a walk out basement. We're willing to consider both newer construction or an older home that might need some reno-- we'd definitely like to stay south of $400K (even further south if a house requires work)-- is that reasonable? Are there specific areas that I should target/avoid? Thanks in advance!

[golfgal]

None of the suburbs west of 494 are going to be bad. Going back to my mythical scale, you are comparing schools that are .00001% difference in quality....it's down to personal preference now. It's MN, hockey is good everywhere. Your budget might be low is the biggest concern....western suburbs are expensive. Since you are ok with a fixer upper, you can probably find something, but don't expect to find anything move in ready for under $400K in Minnetonka, Wayzata, EP. Should have no issues finding move in ready in Chaska, etc. though.

[ellysbelly]

That's what I thought about housing, our self-imposed budget might limit us. We can definitely go higher than $400K if need be, but definitely prefer to stay as low as we can without giving up neighborhood/schools and without adding too much to my husband's commute-- but I know that he'd rather commute an extra 15 minutes each way if it means better/newer/nicer housing stock. Do you think there'd be much traffic commuting from Chaska to Wayzata in the evenings (around 5:30/6pm or so)

[rzzz]

A friend of mine bought a place in Wayzata for $379K. It's 3bd/2BA, about 2000 sq feet. Built in the late 70s. Needed new kitchen, paint, floor upgrades.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by ellysbelly

That's what I thought about housing, our self-imposed budget might limit us. We can definitely go higher than $400K if need be, but definitely prefer to stay as low as we can without giving up neighborhood/schools and without adding too much to my husband's commute-- but I know that he'd rather commute an extra 15 minutes each way if it means better/newer/nicer housing stock. Do you think there'd be much traffic commuting from Chaska to Wayzata in the evenings (around 5:30/6pm or so)

He will be fine. Keep in mind "traffic" here for the most part is NOTHING compared to most cities.

[ellysbelly]

Originally Posted by golfgal

He will be fine. Keep in mind "traffic" here for the most part is NOTHING compared to most cities.

Yes, but we live in an area of Palm Beach County where we NEVER get traffic, so we're super spoiled When we lived in Toronto, NYC or NJ, it was a vastly different story, LOL.

[Minntoaz]

On the flip side I think traffic here is a nightmare. I came from Scottsdale and that's in a much larger metro with much better traffic. So don't get your hopes up on that front.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Minntoaz

On the flip side I think traffic here is a nightmare. I came from Scottsdale and that's in a much larger metro with much better traffic. So don't get your hopes up on that front.

I've driven in Phoenix....not fun!!!

[rzzz]

Phoenix at least has nice roads. Actually, I never thought Phoenix traffic was bad at all. I've found the traffic here to be pretty frustrating. Especially when combined with bad weather and all the road work. Weather Channel ranks it as 15th worse traffic in the USA, which seems about right. You definitely don't want to live on one side of the metro and have to work on the other side. (whereas in a place like Phoenix, that isn't such a big deal)

50 Worst Traffic Cities in the U.S. (PHOTOS) - weather.com

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I've driven in Phoenix....not fun!!!

I'm still wintering in the Phoenix area (it STILL feels like winter in MN). I dodge rush hour at all costs! But it really depends on what part of the Phoenix that you are commuting to and from.