Talk to me about what you love about Madison... (Milwaukee: house, unemployment)

[damba]

Originally Posted by leaving_chicago

Thanks for your thoughts! This must be why I'm not seeing ANY houses that I love in our price range in Madison. Waaaaaaaaaaah. We've started to look at northshore Milwaukee also, primarily because the housing market seems to be much larger and we are finding beautiful, interesting homes in our price range...not to mention a larger job market for me (executive assistant).

I would be curious to hear what interesting properties you discover along Milwaukee’s north shore too. I really like Whitefish Bay and Shorewood. Everything else there would be a stretch for me.

[leaving_chicago]

Originally Posted by damba

I would be curious to hear what interesting properties you discover along Milwaukee’s north shore too. I really like Whitefish Bay and Shorewood. Everything else there would be a stretch for me.

This is my top pick right now. There are so many more that I love in the area, even as far north as Mequon, which I believe is still 30 mins or less to the city.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/97880066_zpid/

I could link to at least 10 more that we like more than many of the homes we've seen on the market at a similar price point in Madison.

[leaving_chicago]

And one I like in Mequon, where taxes are absurdly low: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/49445813_zpid/

[damba]

Yeah, I am familiar with Mequon. There are some beautiful homes for sale, some with a lot of updates too- especially at a slightly higher price point.

I am just not a fan of that particular part of Milwaukee since it’s too far from the north side of Milwaukee/lakefront. If you were going for that faraway one acre lot, you might as well consider Middleton since it’s near Madison. If you are looking for some of the things in your original posts, Madison would be a better choice IMO.

[leaving_chicago]

Agree... But I still can't find houses I really love in Middleton. It feels very cookie-cutter suburban to me, while Mequon feels more estate/rural. And now that I've been looking for jobs, there seem to be fewer in Madison with lower salaries than MKE. We're still early in our search, so we're not sold either way...preliminary searches bring up more options in MKE though. ��

[Milwaukee City]

Property taxes on that WFB home are $8,300 yikes. While the Mequon home is $5,800. Mequon is on the lakefront, were you looking for beach access? There is Lion's Den Gorge and Harrington Beach in Ozaukee County.



Fox Point has some great mid-century homes, I don't know if you're into that style but a large majority of homes in Fox Point are mid-century multi-level homes.



BTW $5,800 for property taxes is still absurdly high in my opinion. My home is valued at 250K and our property taxes are only $2,600 in western Mequon.

[damba]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

Property taxes on that WFB home are $8,300 yikes. While the Mequon home is $5,800. Mequon is on the lakefront, were you looking for beach access? There is Lion's Den Gorge and Harrington Beach in Ozaukee County.



Fox Point has some great mid-century homes, I don't know if you're into that style but a large majority of homes in Fox Point are mid-century multi-level homes.



BTW $5,800 for property taxes is still absurdly high in my opinion. My home is valued at 250K and our property taxes are only $2,600 in western Mequon.

My choice would be to live much closer to the lake if I was stuck in Mequon. But there will likely be less upgrades at her price point, if I am reading correctly what she is after.

Sure, a smaller less valuable home will be taxed less. She’s not looking for that though if you see the listings.

[leaving_chicago]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

Property taxes on that WFB home are $8,300 yikes. While the Mequon home is $5,800. Mequon is on the lakefront, were you looking for beach access? There is Lion's Den Gorge and Harrington Beach in Ozaukee County.



Fox Point has some great mid-century homes, I don't know if you're into that style but a large majority of homes in Fox Point are mid-century multi-level homes.



BTW $5,800 for property taxes is still absurdly high in my opinion. My home is valued at 250K and our property taxes are only $2,600 in western Mequon.

I know...the taxes in WFB are insane. But maybe worth it, for the amenities...tis the price we pay, sometimes.

We don't need beach access, but proximity to the lake is definitely a plus!

And we are paying I think $6k or so in property taxes on our tiny 3 bed, 2 bath bungalow on a postage stamp-sized city lot, so paying $5800 for a much larger house on almost an acre, less than a mile from the lake...? Heaven.

[damba]

Originally Posted by leaving_chicago

Agree... But I still can't find houses I really love in Middleton. It feels very cookie-cutter suburban to me, while Mequon feels more estate/rural. And now that I've been looking for jobs, there seem to be fewer in Madison with lower salaries than MKE. We're still early in our search, so we're not sold either way...preliminary searches bring up more options in MKE though. ��

You called it. There absolutely will be more jobs in Milwaukee, and with slightly higher salaries. Unemployment in Dane County (greater Madison) by comparison is on fire and has always been very low. But growing up in Madison, I am biased

[damba]

Originally Posted by leaving_chicago

I know...the taxes in WFB are insane. But maybe worth it, for the amenities...tis the price we pay, sometimes.

We don't need beach access, but proximity to the lake is definitely a plus!

And we are paying I think $6k or so in property taxes on our tiny 3 bed, 2 bath bungalow on a postage stamp-sized city lot, so paying $5800 for a much larger house on almost an acre, less than a mile from the lake...? Heaven.

The quality of the schools is so much better in that part of Milwaukee compared to CPS, I can’t even stress in words how much that would translate to in dollars. Worth paying double or triple to avoid the nonsense.