I am definitely looking to buy either a condo/townhouse or single family home. However, a bunch of the affordable condos I saw on the internet seem to be retirement homes converted into condos. I also want to locate somewhere that I feel safe and the police department doesn't offer free bars for your windows (West Allis). Any advice about purchasing a home would be GREATLY appreciated 🙂
Let's see....sounds like you already have done some research, so you probably already know that most houses in Wauwatosa are WAYYY overpriced. I lived in a duplex in Tosa last year in a neighborhood where most of the houses were built in the '40s - very beautiful homes, but at least the one we were in was showing its age in the form of skyrocketing heating bills because it was so drafty. A neighbor's house went on the market for $450,000 and I was shocked that they would even consider asking that much for it.
Brookfield and Elm Grove are very nice and safe, although you might run into pricing problems out there as well. In terms of getting more house for your money, you may have to go a little bit further away from school. Waukesha and especially New Berlin will probably have some really great places for reasonable prices. You could also try Pewaukee, which wouldn't be too far west to make the commute bad.
My wife and I decided to go further south to find the good deals. We're in Oak Creek now, and feel like we got a great house (3br, 2bath, built in 1999) for a price that would have gotten us a piece of junk house elsewhere. I don't know if I'd recommend Oak Creek for a first year if they're from an area where they aren't used to dealing with traffic, because the commute would suck during first year if you don't like having delays. Other towns down here wouldn't have such bad traffic, though (or at least have viable alternative routes when the bypass is backed up.) Have you checked out Greenfield, Greendale, Hales Corners, or Franklin?
I would recommend going west or south of school, rather than north. Traffic sucks coming in on southbound 45 in the morning.
I don't know much about condos, since we didn't really look for them. I know there's another M2 here in Oak Creek who has a condo. Are you looking for a stand alone condo, or more like an apartment building where you own your unit? You'll probably find much more of the latter, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing depending on the setup of the complex (don't want upstairs/downstairs neighbors).
Don't completely discount West Allis yet. I have a friend who owns a condo near 102nd and Lincoln, and he hasn't had any concerns about safety whatsoever. As a matter of fact, I will ask him what he thinks of the area and get back to you. If there's a condo available in his complex I would definitely recommend you take a look. In general, the further west you go in West Allis and Wauwatosa, the safer the neighborhoods.
Let me know if you have specific questions...I'm happy to answer what I can. Have you owned a home before, or are you a first time buyer?
