Relocating-Janesville/Milton/Stoughton/Beloit??? (Milwaukee, Madison: condos, house, transfer)

[milt14]

Originally Posted by ALWAYS_BELIEVE

I'm not sure why 'conservative' 'left' comes into these conversations so much, but political lean is not one of my 'must haves' for where I live.

and that's the way it is with most people. politics do however play a big role in the economy of areas, demographics, taxation, services, freedoms/restrictions, etc. some people look at those things and some don't, but they all have an impact upon the real estate at that moment....and into the future.

good luck.

[ALWAYS_BELIEVE]

Originally Posted by milt14

and that's the way it is with most people. politics do however play a big role in the economy of areas, demographics, taxation, services, freedoms/restrictions, etc. some people look at those things and some don't, but they all have an impact upon the real estate at that moment....and into the future.

good luck.

True enough. Growing up with half my town in Kane Co & the other half in the disreputable politics of Cook Co I see how politics can impact a variety of general concerns. For me, it's all relative and short term (unless they get voted in a second time, sadly) as I can foresee another relocation at some point after my parents pass.

On another note, I had conversation with my youngest son this evening and he is not planning on moving to WI with me, so this will be my true empty-nest-complete-start-fresh for me if I continue my plans to relocate to WI. He would prefer to go back to N. IL and my youngest (who is graduating next month) plans on going to college in TN. The need for a location close enough to get to my parents in reasonable time and with some semblance of safety holds a high importance for me.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Megan1967

Pronounced, Stow -ton.

Sorry if this sounds nitpicky but it's usually pronounced with a glottal stop between syllables instead of actually pronouncing the "t".

Stoughton would be my pick of these options by a long shot. It's just much more vibrant than the other three, and the QOL/COL ratio is hard to beat in all of southern Wisconsin. I consider its proximity to Madison a plus, yet it's far enough away from Madison that it shouldn't be a concern for the OP's situation.

[milt14]

Originally Posted by Drover

Sorry if this sounds nitpicky but it's usually pronounced with a glottal stop between syllables instead of actually pronouncing the "t".

i think i can translate this into english....'stough-nn' lot's of us also drop the "g" in things like 'fishin'.

property taxes haven't been brought up as a consideration, nor job, so i assume the op is financially well off there. but for other people reading this, the property taxes in stough--nn is $23/per 1000.
so if you buy a very modest house there for 150K, that's $3,450 per year or $290/month for property taxes.

i used to tell people if they want to be around madison to move outside of the city, but since the dane county board was taken over by madison types and become the power structure in that area, it has become harder to escape being under their control, so now one has to move outside of dane county to avoid their high taxation.

here is the property tax info for 2013 for dane county and within:

Dane County, WI Property Tax Rates

[Drover]

Yes someone did bring up property taxes. Namely, you. Your hatred of all things Dane County is duly noted.

[ALWAYS_BELIEVE]

Thank you Drover for the video & your insight...and keeping my Madison thing in mind.

milt14 - I hope the following can shed more light to my search.

Here's bottom line what I am looking for (I know, it's a mighty list):

*3+ Bedrooms (Can be either 3 BR + bonus/unfin or fin basement/office or straight up 4 BR but I might can work with 3)
*1.5(+) Baths
*Would prefer a garage-does not have to be attached
*Would prefer gas cooking appliances but if $ is right/there's something else that 'wows' me, would not be a deal breaker
*Safe neighborhood
*Near/fairly easy access to 39/90 predominately; near/fairly easy access to 14 would work as well
*Price-I am not averse to rehabbing a home if the price is right but, I am looking to be all in around $150k. Would be a cash offer.
*Property taxes-I would like to stay at/below $450/month.

As for the job issue raised-I am currently on medical LOA with surgery scheduled soon, during which I am completing coursework for a higher nursing licensure. My existing TN nursing license is valid in WI with only an address change requirement. Since my nursing focus is in geriatrics, I have found open positions pretty readily available in the bulk of the locations I have looked into nationwide. In addition, I am financially prepared (within those price parameters) for an unemployed/FT student status for at least 12 months.

(ps...Drover, thank you again for chiming in-I was hoping to see you here )

[milt14]

Originally Posted by ALWAYS_BELIEVE

milt14 - I hope the following can shed more light to my search.

2610 Borg Rd, Delavan WI 53115-3837 | Shorewest Realtors

god, that's funny, they've got a 'diversity index', lol. i guess if that helps them sell, that'd be a good sales pitch, sort of like 'green'.

looks like a good unit and you won't touch something like that in soughton in that price range.
your cash offer gives you great leverage, but be sure to have it contingent upon an inspection.

[ALWAYS_BELIEVE]

Thank you. Quite lovely. I suppose I should edit my list to add: small(er) property to maintain. My current knee issues notwithstanding, in my line of work, long hours are the norm. I currently have run into the land maintenance issue on my little bitty .25 ac cookie cutter property due to my job demands. Then again, I have one neighbor who like to mow (blade ALL the way down) a zig-zag pattern into my yard & neighbors behind me who enjoy leering into my windows from their deck whenever they are out grilling since I have no tree/fence buffers. Gawd, I can't wait to get out of here!

Love the diversity index...lol.

Isn't pretty much everything in life contingent on something???

[milt14]

Originally Posted by ALWAYS_BELIEVE

Love the diversity index...lol.

i know, quite silly, but it's being trendy and cutting edge, so that's their sales pitch.

the worst form of ownership is a timeshare, second worse is a condo, so i'd avoid those.
check out the delevan area as that's a nicer area and there's water there, so your illinois blood may want to come up and visit after all. i mean why else would illinois people want to come to wi?

my neighbor is a single mom with a kid and she pays someone to come by once a week to take care of her lawn. it may not be most desireable for you now, but it's a ranch (good for older people) and finding a large lot in a town/city is added value, especially when it comes with trees. and it's in an area where there'll always be people wanting to live due to it being nice and close to milwaukee/chicago areas. lake geneva a lot of people there go to. not my thing, but just what i've noted.

i don't know if there are any trees in janesville......

[ALWAYS_BELIEVE]

Originally Posted by milt14

i know, quite silly, but it's being trendy and cutting edge, so that's their sales pitch.

the worst form of ownership is a timeshare, second worse is a condo, so i'd avoid those.
check out the delevan area as that's a nicer area and there's water there, so your illinois blood may want to come up and visit after all. i mean why else would illinois people want to come to wi?

my neighbor is a single mom with a kid and she pays someone to come by once a week to take care of her lawn. it may not be most desireable for you now, but it's a ranch (good for older people) and finding a large lot in a town/city is added value, especially when it comes with trees. and it's in an area where there'll always be people wanting to live due to it being nice and close to milwaukee/chicago areas. lake geneva a lot of people there go to. not my thing, but just what i've noted.

i don't know if there are any trees in janesville......

Currently paying someone here due to my knee issues & my son working FT/school PT & daughter who just can't handle the self-propelled and the incline.

As for my Illinois blood...truth is I'm originally from Iowa, but I'm not letting my first 5 years get in the way of my life's progress. Illinois for 35 years with a heart for TN. Turns out TN doesn't have much of a heart. However, my nursing license easily transfers so it makes WI a better option than IL. My son not wanting to move to WI with me has given me a bit of a second glance & perhaps considering living in IL, working in WI...but I think that's my fear of the empty nest/start-over talking. I would appreciate anyone telling that part to shuddup, afterall, my CCW transfers as well

Since my parents are in Elgin, much easier access to 39/90 than 14. Guess I'm still hoping my son will change his mind.