All Forum Posts by: Marcia Kreifels

Hi! I just bought my first house hack this February in Tosa, and will be renting it out soon! I feel like Milwaukee is a good place to house hack because there’s a lot of multi families around. Seems like everyone’s doing it! 

Two suggestions. First if
you're planning to buy in the city of Milwaukee and you are running your numbers plan a little extra for property taxes. What you’d be seeing on Zillow for taxes will probably be low because it’s based on the previous year.

Second Milwaukee city hall offers a free landlord class, and I’ve heard it’s really good! I’ve never gone, and I’m not sure if I count anymore since I moved outside the city limit when I bought my place. But it might be worth checking out!

@Brock Mogensen thanks for the welcome! I'm looking for a place 250K and to keep my monthly out-of-pocket costs under $400 a month. One of the lenders I've talked with said I could go higher if I factor in rental income, but I'm really more comfortable keeping it at a price point that I could pay the total mortgage myself if the unit was vacant.

Thanks again @Marcus Auerbach! I'm just not as familiar with Tosa/Washington Heights. But it does seem like the Tosa area has a lot to offer. 

I live in Milwaukee and am still looking to buy my first place, but I do rent a unit in a house built in the 1800s. I do love our old homes - gives the neighborhood it's charm. Around the lower east side a few new built single, duplexes and triplexes are mixed in with the old homes. So somebody has done it, but I really don't see a ton of it and can't think of other neighborhoods with new homes mixed in. There's also an explosion of condo buildings that have gone up in the last couple of years.

Personally it doesn't seem worth it to tear down and build in the city of Milwaukee. There's plenty of people willing to live in the older homes as long as they are kept up. Though my 1 bedroom rents for about half of what the new building down the street advertises. There might be some opportunity in the surrounding cities, but I'm less familiar with those areas.

@Aaron Belt Thanks for the warm welcome! 

@Matt Maurice those groups sound great! Thanks for calling them out. I'll take a look!

@Marcus Auerbach Great advice! I do love the North Shore, but I've noticed the same thing with the out-of-pocket costs being higher than other areas. I've viewed a few places in Bay View already, which feels like the best fit for me. Plus I used to live there and worked there for a while, so I'm pretty familiar with the area. I'm still open to other neighborhoods potentially East Tosa or parts of Riverwest. So definitely a wide range of possibilities I'm considering - I'm a little torn between staying in the city or moving closer to work.

New member here, looking to buy my first owner-occupied duplex in Milwaukee! I'd love to hear from other locals about their experiences in the area or any general owner-occupied/house hacking advice. I'm interested in doing some more real estate investing in the future, but the duplex feels like the best place for me to start. I'm looking for to connecting with and learning from you all.