How is Menomonee Falls/Brookfield? (West Allis, Brown Deer: apartments, condo, new home)

[Engineer_Guy]

My girlfriend and I are looking to purchase a new home within a year. We are young professionals in our mid 20's, she works in Brown Deer, I work in West Allis. We've had our share of urban/downtown living and would like to find a house in a suburb. We would like a decent sized home (3BR, 1600-1800 sq ft) with a nice yard for our dogs (1/2 acre or more) and with close proximity to stores and shopping. We'd also like to keep our commutes under 30 minutes. The area that caught our eye has been the Menomonee Falls and Brookfield areas. We'd probably look for a house somewhere "in between" the two. We're looking to spend around 200k though could go upwards to 250k if we find the right home.

Does MF/Brookfield seem like a reasonable location for these requirements?

[cfbs2691]

Have you checked out www.realtor.com?

[Engineer_Guy]

I've been looking at some houses on the net. There seems to be a lot available in the ranges we're looking for. Haven't spent much time in that area though so we're kind of unfamiliar with those suburbs. We're more familiar with the downtown/north shore area.

[43north87west]

You should be able to find something for that price in either suburb. Both are probably good because of the proximity to your places of work. I like Brookfield, but that's just me. Spend some weekend time driving around and getting the feel of the areas. There's no excuse not to since you live within a short drive. Determine where you want to live, how easy your commutes will be, what the prices in the area are, the vibe of each area, etc.

[amy53005]

Hi,
I personally like Brookfield a lot more. It has lot more going for it.. much more upscale. I think you are much safer with brookfield though you can buy a lot more for your money in menomonee falls. I think 200-250k would not buy a nice single family newer home in Brookfield though.. We started out with buying a condo in Brookfield and loved it. Have you considered that option... brookfield also has low property tax and you will have an easier time selling the property because the area tends to hold its value better than many others.
Amy

[Engineer_Guy]

Originally Posted by amy53005

Hi,
I personally like Brookfield a lot more. It has lot more going for it.. much more upscale. I think you are much safer with brookfield though you can buy a lot more for your money in menomonee falls. I think 200-250k would not buy a nice single family newer home in Brookfield though.. We started out with buying a condo in Brookfield and loved it. Have you considered that option... brookfield also has low property tax and you will have an easier time selling the property because the area tends to hold its value better than many others.
Amy

Thank you for the response! We actually are closing on a house in Menomonee Falls soon. We chose the Falls for the very reason you said, we were able to get a lot more house for our money. We are in a very nice neighborhood on the southern side of the Falls. So we are actually a very short drive to Brookfield if we want to do shopping there which is nice. The Falls also has low property taxes. A condo wasn't an option as we have spent the last 6 years in apartments and wanted a house. And our dogs wanted a yard