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thanks andrea and northbound. Andrea I can understand the rental/purchase confusion because I dont even know for sure what we want to do! I would rather own for the simple fact of renting for four years is like throwing and addition 40K into my unrecoverable debt whereas with ownership I may have atleast a fighting chance of recooping some of the investment after 4 years.... Being from several hundreds of miles away I just wanted to get an idea of how feasible ownership would be and what type of housing available. Brookfield seemed nice at a high level drive by, but it is seeming more and more unlikely each day
What are your preferences? There is so much available here. Brookfield and some of the farther out suburbs have newer homes that are more cookie cutter and on bigger lots. The north shore suburbs have single family homes that are much older (my rental was built in the 1800s, which is pretty cool as far as architecture is concerned) and smaller lots. Then there are all sorts of condos all over the place; the biggest concentration of them is downtown and I guess what would be considered upper and lower east side.
Do you want to live in a walkable area? That's what I love most about Shorewood, I can walk to the lake, to a couple parks and dog parks, dining, grocery shopping, coffee houses, etc. And all the schools, but we don't have kids yet so that doesn't matter for us so much. But it's quiet here, and family-oriented, which I like.
What kind of parking do you need? Some places on the east side offer street parking only unless you want to pay for underground parking, which can run about $50 or so each month, some places cost even more. There are several parking lots around town that you can pay for, for example, there is a lot near me that is $45/mo but we have a garage to park in so we don't have to worry about that. We found out the hard way that you can't park overnight on the street here except for Fridays, Saturdays and holidays. I'm not a fan of parallel parking plus then you have the issue of digging your car out in the morning so it's just as well. Same goes for lot parking.
Just a few things to consider. Sorry if I'm stating the obvious...we're from Florida so these are things that I never thought about until after we moved. I understand what you're saying about throwing money away renting, we're basically in the same boat. But I would caution against purchasing without knowing the area first. Maybe you could rent for 6 months and become more familiar with the city before you make the long-term commitment of home ownership. Then you're not wasting as much money but you won't end up buying something in an area that turns out to be not so great.
i would imagine since all your money sounds like it will be coming from loans that you will have to rent cause you won't be able to get a mortgage without a steady income. if that is true than for renting look at craigslist and some affordable places to rent in ok areas would be west allis staying west of 76th street. there are also some nice places by jackson park in milwaukee, but I had a friend whose house was just broken into there and some neighbors were too. there are some affordable rentals by the airport and that is a safe location too, just do some background work
I strongly advise against buying a house in any part of WI, especially as a student. If you really like SD then you won't like WI as a permanent lifetime residence. I have lived here for five years and I am moving to SD on Friday. If you buy you will be locked in with no guarantee that you could sell in 4 years when you are done with school. This is not a good state when it comes to healthcare, marriage, and I have been questioning education as of the past year experience with my 3 children. It is one thing to have grown up here and say it is a great state, but for someone who has lived in Texas and Florida before here, I am saying be careful committing to owning property here.
Compared to South Dakota, the Marquette area probably gave you a big culture shock. There are other areas of the city that you might feel more comfortable in and are much more lively, such as the east side.
The reason Brookfield reminded you of South Dakota is because suburbs look the same everywhere you go. But if you truly like strip malls and having to drive everywhere, then New Berlin might be another option for you.
West Allis is a safe and affordable suburb adjacent to Milwaukee. Basically blue collar and caucasian in it's makeup. Good freeway access and many conveniences such as fast food restaraunts and shopping. The State Fair is also held in West Allis every year at the State Fair grounds. Coming from SD this might be less of a culture shock than living near the MU campus or east side neighborhoods.
I've been looking into west allis. any input on the area just east of 894? south of lincoln ave? My limited time is MKE was between the airport and downtown so I have no clue what that area is like. Is it cleaner/nicer/bigger yard West of 894?
I'm with northbound74 about Greendale. The older part is referred to as the "village" and the old cement block homes there are called "originals". This link shows what they look like - greendaleoriginals.com. Lots of parks and walking paths, almost all the neighborhoods have sidewalks. It's a great little town - my whole family lives there. You can get a 2-3 bedroom original for $150-180k. They're small but great family homes.
Do you strongly prefer the suburbs? I lived in downtown MKE for several years, and yes, the area immediately around the Marquette campus looks and can be a bit shady, but it isn't all bad. If you are open to more urban areas try the East Side or Shorewood.
West Allis is a city that gets a bad rap in my opinion. People in the area refer to it as "Dirty 'Stallis". Some areas aren't great, but it's pretty affordable and an easy commute to MKE. There are some very beautiful neighborhoods hidden there. Also try Wauwatosa ("Tosa") nice older homes, pretty streets, affordable prices to buy and rent and also an easy commute to Marquette.
[SIZE=3]So could someone that calls west allis "stallis" or someone who says they would never live there, etc. Please tell me what it is that makes you feel that way? It is ridiculously difficult to discern what is meaningful and what is stereotypical banter when no one ever says why it's so bad. Everyone says it has a bad rap or it's dirty yadda yadda but can someone tell me concrete things? High crime? High pollution? Poor yard care/home upkeep? Gangs: What is the no bs deal? you can't offend me as I have no clue about the area. I just want a true, educated, unbiased assessment (not opinion) of West Allis. [/SIZE]
Maybe I missed it in the previous threads. How much do you want to spend on rent if you decide to rent?
Brookfield is a great location. Low property taxes(comparatively), very safe, lots of green. Quick access to downtown. Plenty of restaurants, shopping, very good grocers, coffee shops, etc. Some areas are even very walkable, i.e., near Elm Grove. And it's a lot more affordable these days than it was 3 years ago.
And I would recommend renting before buying. Don't buy into the "burbs are bland, robots live there" nonsense. I've lived on the East Side, West Side, Northwest Side of Milwaukee and I'd pick Brookfield any day. Pewaukee is turning into a fairly busy place but that might be too far out for you. I live in Brookfield near Elm Grove - great area and 20 minute commute to Downtown if I want a city scene and some street life. Milwaukee's fine to visit but I wouldn't want to live there - seems like you always have to have your antenna out.
This is all provided you don't mind an area where you throw a rock and have a 99% chance of hitting a Republican - not a bad idea. I kid. But then I don't imagine SD is a bastion of granola-munching liberals so you might feel right at home.
Good luck and welcome to Wisconsin!
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I would rather own for the simple fact of renting for four years is like throwing and addition 40K into my unrecoverable debt whereas with ownership I may have atleast a fighting chance of recooping some of the investment after 4 years.... Being from several hundreds of miles away I just wanted to get an idea of how feasible ownership would be and what type of housing available. Brookfield seemed nice at a high level drive by, but it is seeming more and more unlikely each day 
Everyone says it has a bad rap or it's dirty yadda yadda but can someone tell me concrete things? High crime? High pollution? Poor yard care/home upkeep? Gangs: What is the no bs deal? you can't offend me as I have no clue about the area. I just want a true, educated, unbiased assessment (not opinion) of West Allis. [/SIZE]
