cute small town within commuting distance of Brookfield? (Milwaukee, Racine: real estate, renting)

[coffeehousegrl]

My husband is considering applying for a position within his company that would take us to the milwaukee area. The office is located in Brookfield. If he decides to go for it, he has a decent chance of getting this job so I want to research as much as possible before we make a decision. We currently live in Staunton Virginia in the Shenandoah valley and absolutely love it. It's a very pretty small town( about 30,000) with a thriving arts scene surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. However the area is relatively expensive, especially housing , my husband's commute is long, and this job would come with a significant pay-raise as well as paid relo. So my question is, is there anything like what we have here within commuting distance( one hour max) of Brookfield? A small( 10-50,000) main street kind of town ideal for raising a family( we have three young kids). I'm not crazy about bland suburbs, I really want a small town where we could buy an older house either near the downtown area, or out in the country a little ways with some land. the kind of place that has fairs and a farmer's market and yet isn't so touristy that we can't afford it. The most we would pay for a house is 180,000 for a 3 bedroom. It doesn't have to be large, it does have to be full of character.are we out of our minds? can anybody point me in a direction to look? Some towns worth researching? I would greatly appreciate it.

[Nuclear_Art]

Cedarburg is probably the area that most fits your description. It will be probably be at the maximum end of your husband's commute and there is no direct route but it would fit all your other criteria.

[craptacular]

Your options would be very limited at that price range in Cedarburg, and non-existent in the country. You'd probably need to get into the low 200s to open up your options more. Cedarburg is very touristy, but in the antique-shopper kind of way, not a recreation-based or fast-paced kind of way. It definitely has the Main St vibe. As Nuclear_Art mentioned, the commute wouldn't be the greatest (~45 minutes depending on locations).

Closer to Brookfield, I'm somewhat familiar with Menomonee Falls. It has more than its share of sprawl and big box retail, but the actual downtown / Main St seems nice enough. You would definitely have more options in your price range there. Further west, I would also look at Oconomowoc.

[coffeehousegrl]

Thanks for your help. Cedarburg did look like exactly what we're looking for, but you're right, I've been looking at houses and don't see any we would consider in the range we want to be. A 45 minute commute isn't a huge deal. I'm originally from Houston where it takes at least an hour to get anywhere, and we now live in an area where people regularly commute to northern virginia which is several hours away. My husband's current commute is an hour over a mountain on a good day. In the snow? forget it. I did look at Port Washington and saw a few houses in our price range that at least looked nice on a website. Is that possible there? I also looked at Oconomowoc very quickly and my initial impression is good. I wasn't crazy about the photos I could find of Menomonee Falls nor the houses available there. In a completely differant direction. are there safe neighborhoods in milwaukee itself with older homes/ tree lined streets with homes in that price range that we should look at. I realize the school system is not the greatest but with the right set of circumstances I would consider either home school or private school . Thank you! I know I'm asking a lot of questions but I think we've decided to do it so now I'm researching like crazy.

[craptacular]

Port Washington is a nice place, and yeah, you'd have a lot more options in your price range there. I know you said big commutes aren't a big issue, but in my opinion, that's starting to get a little far away for the area. I think you will be be able to find what you are looking for in an area that is closer to Brookfield.

In general, in the Milwaukee metro, Ozaukee and Waukesha counties are the most expensive. Washington and Walworth are next, followed by Milwaukee and Racine. I am not familiar at all with specific housing in Milwaukee, Racine, and Walworth counties.

Waukesha County has a lot of really expensive areas, but still has plenty of more affordable housing in the cities, such as the aforementioned Menomonee Falls & Oconomowoc, plus Waukesha and Brookfield itself. Sussex might not have much of a selection in that price range.

In Washington County, Germantown's "Main St" is a four-lane divided highway with a strip-mall vibe, so you probably won't get the feel you are looking for, plus housing is likely more expensive. Hartford and West Bend would be better, and offer actual downtowns with actual Main Streets, but they are further away. The other villages and cities are either really small (~5000 or less) or just townships that recently became villages with little in terms of an actual downtown (Richfield).

Southern Ozaukee County (Mequon, Cedarburg, etc) is not going to give you a lot of options. Northern Ozaukee (Port Washington, Saukville) is more affordable, but again, seems to be getting too far away, without necessarily offering much that is better than what you'd find closer to Brookfield.

edit: Before any Germantown people get offended, yes, I know there is a Main St, but I would venture to guess that few people outside of Germantown know where it is, and it is certainly not what outsiders would consider to be "downtown". When I and a lot of other people think Germantown, we think Mequon Ave.

[coffeehousegrl]

I'm liking what I'm reading about and seeing of wauwatosa( yes, I know I sound a bit all over the place- I have two sides to me, one that fantasizes about a rockwellian country existence and one that still wants to live in an industrial loft, kids or not). I see plenty that look great to me in our price range, however I also see a whole lot significantly higher which leads me to wonder if the ones we can afford are in not so great areas. any insight on this?

[UWMEastsider]

please please please look at Oconomowoc. it fits perfectly with what your looking for. it has a historic downtown and the housing is very cheap. The city is very up and coming and property values are going to do nothing but go up. The new developments like pabst farms are really helping the city and theirs talk of a shopping mall going up. check it out. also waukesha has a pretty big downtown and property is cheap there too. if your looking for country you can find it in both of those places as-well also. i'm pretty sure you could even find a house in brookfield for 180 but it might take some looking. Brookfield Central was just on a list of nationally ranked schools too. you could also find an older house in hartland and they have very good schools

[ladyblue09]

I would definitely keep Tosa in your list of possibilities. You can find a good house in a nice neighborhood of Tosa for the 160k-180k range (much lower than that and you'll likely have to compromise a bit, a smaller house or a fixer-upper). If you find a house in Tosa that fits what you want then I dont think you need to be worried about the area. I have not seen any neighborhood in Tosa that I would consider to be a "bad area" or too dangerous for families.

[43north87west]

I'm quite familiar with Staunton and the Shenandoah Valley as I lived in a couple of places in Virginia and traveled the state thoroughly during that time.

If the target commuting distance is one hour in decent weather, options are many. At $180,000, I wouldn't spend a lot of time looking in Cedarburg, although you might find something. Port Washington is a possibility, and it's a nice lakeside town.

Hartford and Slinger come to mind for other small towns, as does West Bend. For country real estate, Colgate, Merton, Huburtus, and Erin are good options. You may not find much in that price range, given the large lot size. Geographically, an hour from Brookfield is very generous, so you can spread out farther than anything I've seen listed.

For urban property (i.e. loft or urban condo living), I'd suggest renting for a year or two. It's a renter's market right now, and there are so many options for lofts and condos, you would have no problem finding something in a great area. Downtown, East Side, Brady Street, Third Ward, even the Fifth Ward (or "Walker's Point") may be OK. You might find something in Bay View, although lofts aren't as common. The market is almost certainly going to be flat (or in decline) for quite some time, so don't rush into buying anything if you want to experiment with different areas before you buy. If you are looking to check out some urban options--which might be a great idea and a good way to get acquainted with the city--rent.

[Milwaukee City]

I have always liked North Lake Moderator cut: link removed