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Old 08-03-2012, 08:48 PM
 
Location: Milwaukee, WI
22 posts, read 168,632 times
Reputation: 37

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My husband is being scouted for a job in Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire. We live in Milwaukee and really love it here but the job is for a company he really works for so there's a good possibility that we'll be moving in the near future. What are some good areas to live/rent in the area? We're in our early 30s with no children and we aren't into the bar scene. What is there to do for fun? Since we live in Milwaukee, we're used to going out nearly every weekend to a festival or farmer's market or some local gathering. We also love that there are so many ethnic restaurants near us. We live in a young, artistic community with local co-op grocery stores and a Tai-chi center and other amenities like that that we enjoy. Will we be able to find things like that in the area?
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Old 08-06-2012, 04:22 PM
 
160 posts, read 396,409 times
Reputation: 204
I can't answer this question for you, but more people who are knowledgeable about that area might see it if you move this to the general WI forum rather than the Milwaukee subforum.
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Old 08-06-2012, 08:59 PM
 
41 posts, read 133,636 times
Reputation: 50
Default Changes in Latitude

Dwing,

I have 20 years on ya', but grew up in Brookfield and moved up north of Eau Claire just over 20 years ago. Eau Claire is a college town and that gives it a young edge right from the start. You would do yourself well to check out the UW Eau Claire website and the City of Eau Claire website to see what the area has to offer.

My wife and I, and our son live in a community just north of Eau Claire with a population around 2,000+. You get to know your neighbors in a community this size whether you like it or not. Eau Claire is big enough to avoid that situation. There are plenty of fine communities in Eau Claire for young professionals like yourselves.

Small towns and villages have a lot to offer, not to mention Eau Claire. During the summer the communities each have their weekend to put on their festival, they take turns. You will drive no more than an hour to find great festivals each weekend during the summer. But that's only if you get into that scene.

There is the big mall with major anchors, plus a fair amount of ethnic restaurants.

Nature is all around, for jogging, fishing, biking, boating, or meditating, it pulls you in.

I can't tell you pro or con, but it is a change from Milwaukee, which I dearly love, so many memories. We get back now and then to share Milwaukee with our son.

Your both young, give it a chance, you can always move on.

B A2
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Old 08-08-2012, 12:08 PM
 
Location: Milwaukee, WI
22 posts, read 168,632 times
Reputation: 37
whoops! thanks argot!

thanks for the info Brunswick.
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Old 09-03-2012, 07:21 AM
 
Location: Wisconsin
678 posts, read 1,060,768 times
Reputation: 867
Default Eau Claire/Chippewa Falls

I've lived in both Eau Claire (currently) and Chippewa Falls and both towns are good. I prefer Eau Claire only because I spent most of my time in Eau Claire when I lived in Chippewa. It's a very safe area and the people are friendly. I live in south Eau Claire which is quiet and close to the mall, restaurants and other retail stores. It can be boring times but when that happens if you find a community activity or decide to explore the outdoors, it will subside easily.

We're about an hour and a half from Minneapolis so if you really need something that you can't get in Eau Claire or Chippewa Falls, you can take a day trip there to get what you need. The housing is decent and you should find no trouble finding a place as long as you keep an eye out. The college students are more concentrated in the downtown area so unless you live down there, you won't be affect by "college life."

I really enjoy it here and it's a nice change from living in a big town (moved from Phoenix). Close enough to everything you need but far enough away not to deal with the big city feel.
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Old 07-09-2013, 05:13 PM
 
2 posts, read 6,556 times
Reputation: 10
My family and i are also preparing to move to Chippewa /Eau Claire area.

There aopears to be a bit of a shortage of single family homes for rent. I am not sure what area my family and I want to live in just yet, and figured on renting for a year before we buy. We would like a three or four bedroom and can pay as much as 1800 for the right house, but there seem to be a limited supply. Can anyone suggest a rental agency? I have been pouring over craigslist and have seen few choices. Any advice would be appreciated.
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Old 07-23-2019, 09:56 AM
 
7 posts, read 7,923 times
Reputation: 11
Default Affordable Homeownership in Eau Claire / Altoona

Many people have been having difficulty locating a house to purchase (or even rent) in Eau Claire area. Our company has seen the shortage and recently started a very affordable homeownership program in Eau Claire and Villa Diann in our manufactured housing communities.

The median home price as of this comment is around 170k, and even at that price, there is a shortage of supply. Financing is also a big hurdle.

We have started bringing in brand new manufactured homes to our communities. These are quality homes built to strict building code with good standard features and options like LED lights, stainless steel appliances, OSB wrap, metal roof, etc. They start at 49k and we work with lenders to provide financing. Monthly payments (as of this writing) is around $1,000 (lot rent, home payment, insurance, tax, water, garbage)

Check us out!
Hillcrest Estates - Homes for Sale in Altoona, WI
Villa Diann - Homes for Sale in Eau Claire, WI

If you still thinking 'trailer home,' please read this article
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Old 07-24-2019, 03:36 AM
 
3,154 posts, read 2,039,729 times
Reputation: 9288
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaespg View Post
Many people have been having difficulty locating a house to purchase (or even rent) in Eau Claire area. Our company has seen the shortage and recently started a very affordable homeownership program in Eau Claire and Villa Diann in our manufactured housing communities.

The median home price as of this comment is around 170k, and even at that price, there is a shortage of supply. Financing is also a big hurdle.

We have started bringing in brand new manufactured homes to our communities. These are quality homes built to strict building code with good standard features and options like LED lights, stainless steel appliances, OSB wrap, metal roof, etc. They start at 49k and we work with lenders to provide financing. Monthly payments (as of this writing) is around $1,000 (lot rent, home payment, insurance, tax, water, garbage)

Check us out!
Hillcrest Estates - Homes for Sale in Altoona, WI
Villa Diann - Homes for Sale in Eau Claire, WI

If you still thinking 'trailer home,' please read this article
I read the article, and I'm still thinking "Trailer Home". Even though manufactured homes are much nicer than they used to be, they still depreciate, unlike most traditional homes. Probably the biggest impediment to them, is that they are considered "chattel" property (like a Winnebego camper) and do not qualify for traditional mortgages, or traditional mortgage rates (the exception is that HUD or Fannie may have a program for them, check locally). Plus, any time you put a trailer on someone else's property (as in a park), you're under their thumb forever more, the only time I'd consider one is if I own the land it's sitting on, and that means having your own well and septic, which ain't cheap. For $170K, I sure hope the buyer gets the land under it, and not just the home.

Now, I'm not against the idea of owning a mobile home, but potential buyers need to fully educate themselves, and that means getting their information from an independent third party, not someone who's got a vested interest in selling them. It'd be like going to the nearest Ford Dealer and asking them "So, how do the new Fords stack up against Toyotas?" WTF do you THINK they're going to tell you? So, going into a manufactured home definitely is an option, but IMHO, more so for someone who can afford to purchase a house, but would rather have less money go into one (plus, taxes are usually much, much less than traditional houses, especially in a state like Illinois.

To the post, I'm very familiar with the Eau Claire / Chippewa Falls area, Dad's family came from up there, and we had a house in Long Lake country for decades. Nice area, but high paying jobs are at a premium. Great area for retirees. Personally, I can't believe there's a "housing shortage" up there, ground water is ample, you can put a well just about anywhere and have decent water and septic. Find a nice building lot, build a small, easily-expandable house, or even a manufactured home, plus a big garage, and enjoy. Drink lots of Leinie's and Walters, learn to ice fish and play Euchre, you'll get along fine.
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Old 07-24-2019, 02:47 PM
 
4,011 posts, read 4,208,865 times
Reputation: 3118
Quote:
Originally Posted by Curly Q. Bobalink View Post
I read the article, and I'm still thinking "Trailer Home". Even though manufactured homes are much nicer than they used to be, they still depreciate, unlike most traditional homes. Probably the biggest impediment to them, is that they are considered "chattel" property (like a Winnebego camper) and do not qualify for traditional mortgages, or traditional mortgage rates (the exception is that HUD or Fannie may have a program for them, check locally). Plus, any time you put a trailer on someone else's property (as in a park), you're under their thumb forever more, the only time I'd consider one is if I own the land it's sitting on, and that means having your own well and septic, which ain't cheap. For $170K, I sure hope the buyer gets the land under it, and not just the home.

Now, I'm not against the idea of owning a mobile home, but potential buyers need to fully educate themselves, and that means getting their information from an independent third party, not someone who's got a vested interest in selling them. It'd be like going to the nearest Ford Dealer and asking them "So, how do the new Fords stack up against Toyotas?" WTF do you THINK they're going to tell you? So, going into a manufactured home definitely is an option, but IMHO, more so for someone who can afford to purchase a house, but would rather have less money go into one (plus, taxes are usually much, much less than traditional houses, especially in a state like Illinois.

To the post, I'm very familiar with the Eau Claire / Chippewa Falls area, Dad's family came from up there, and we had a house in Long Lake country for decades. Nice area, but high paying jobs are at a premium. Great area for retirees. Personally, I can't believe there's a "housing shortage" up there, ground water is ample, you can put a well just about anywhere and have decent water and septic. Find a nice building lot, build a small, easily-expandable house, or even a manufactured home, plus a big garage, and enjoy. Drink lots of Leinie's and Walters, learn to ice fish and play Euchre, you'll get along fine.
The buy-in costs for purchasing/building a manufactured home are out of reach when you look at typical hh income there. Good point regarding the mortgage differences, however the barrier for entry is greater for your solution vs any trailer park option.
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Old 07-27-2019, 07:28 PM
 
2,448 posts, read 884,298 times
Reputation: 2421
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragynwing View Post
My husband is being scouted for a job in Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire. We live in Milwaukee and really love it here but the job is for a company he really works for so there's a good possibility that we'll be moving in the near future. What are some good areas to live/rent in the area? We're in our early 30s with no children and we aren't into the bar scene. What is there to do for fun? Since we live in Milwaukee, we're used to going out nearly every weekend to a festival or farmer's market or some local gathering. We also love that there are so many ethnic restaurants near us. We live in a young, artistic community with local co-op grocery stores and a Tai-chi center and other amenities like that that we enjoy. Will we be able to find things like that in the area?
Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls are not for you. I live here, I love it here, but based upon what you want, you will not find that in this area. Yes, there are farmer's markets and music festivals, but they will pale in comparison to what you're accustomed in Milwaukee and you will have to drive an hour and a half to get to the Twin Cities. Stay in Milwaukee. You'll be happier.

Also, I have yet to see a situation in which someone asks, "What can I do for fun in ___________" that ever works out. You're essentially asking, "What can you do to provide me with entertainment?" When I move, I figure out how I will adapt to a new place to do things that I enjoy. In a million years, I would never ask, "So what is there to do for fun here?" One, it puts people off who already live there. Two, if I get to a point where I'm dependent upon others to provide me things to do, I'm no longer trying and I have to expand my horizons as a person. Sorry if that's harsh, but that's the hard truth.
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