Milwaukee Discovery Weekend:
Introduction & Personal Backstory
Okay, so you’re thinking about moving to Milwaukee, but you’re not even sure where to start. Let me invite you to a Milwaukee Discovery Weekend.
Moving to a new city can feel quite overwhelming. I know that from personal experience because when I moved here to Milwaukee back in 2008 for a corporate job, I had to learn the whole city from scratch. It was a little bit overwhelming, so I ended up asking all my co-workers for their personal advice. However, nobody could really give me the “big picture.”
One of my co-workers recommended Sussex, a suburb on the west side of Milwaukee. I asked her, “Why Sussex?” and she said, “It’s really awesome. We live here and really enjoy the lifestyle.” I trusted her, asked for an agent recommendation, looked at a few houses, and ended up buying a home there.
In hindsight, I have to say that was probably a mistake. It is more of a family-friendly neighborhood, and I would have probably been happier at the time if I had moved downtown. But I didn’t have anybody really guiding me through the process. I had a pretty rocky start; I ended up buying and selling three different properties before I actually ended up where I’m living today.
The Role of a Real Estate Guide
The important part is: you don’t know what you don’t know. It is really helpful to have somebody guiding you through the process. I’ll never forget what it’s like being the client—being on the other side of the transaction. I worked with several agents; some were okay, but I never found a really great one. That experience is what drives me today. I try to be the agent that I wish I’d had.
Over the last 10 years, I’ve worked with a lot of relocation clients and made many neighborhood videos. You’ve probably seen a few on my YouTube channel. I always try to make those videos as realistic as possible so that when you actually get here, you feel like it looks exactly how you expected. (Full disclosure: I try to shoot on sunny days, but we do have rain and overcast days too!)
Why an In-Person Visit is Essential
You can do a lot of research online, but at the end of the day, the big questions have to be answered in person:
- Which neighborhoods should I actually be considering?
- What does it actually feel like being in that neighborhood for you?
- What are the things you might be overlooking?
Planning Your Discovery Weekend
When I start planning your Discovery Weekend, we begin with a series of questions to understand your lifestyle preferences:
- Urban vs. Suburban: Do you want to live downtown or in the suburbs?
- Home Style: Do you prefer charming older homes, mid-century styles, or new construction?
- Property Details: How big of a home and yard do you need?
- Logistics: Are school districts a criteria? What is your budget range?
Based on those criteria, we eliminate neighborhoods and create a “shortlist.”
The Weekend Itinerary
With proper planning, two days are usually enough to gain clarity. Most clients fly in Friday night and head back to the airport Sunday afternoon.
- Kick-off Meeting: We meet to discuss the plan.
- Self-Guided Tour: You embark on a tour based on your shortlist using detailed GPS waypoints so you can discover neighborhoods at your own pace without missing the highlights.
- Guided Tour: We include showings of actual homes so you can see what they look like on the inside.
- Follow-up: I like meeting at least twice because, by the second day, you usually have deeper questions after gaining some context.
The Importance of “Clarity”
The objective is always clarity. Last year, I helped a client move from Seattle. She thought she wanted a mature neighborhood and an older house with charm. When we looked at 1920s homes and discussed the remodeling work required, she realized it might be too much work.
We looked at new construction, and she realized that wasn’t right for her either. She felt like she was wasting my time, but I told her, “No, we gained something valuable: clarity.” We eventually found a charming older home in a quaint neighborhood in Wauwatosa that was a perfect fit.
Final Resources
If Milwaukee is on your radar, consider spending a weekend here. We have a whole ecosystem of resources ready for you:
- Relocation Guide: You can download our free, 51-page relocation guide (3rd edition) at onpointrg.com. It covers neighborhoods, cost of living, climate, and more.
- Discovery Weekend: You can also comment “Discovery Weekend” on the video, and I’ll get back to you with details.
I’ll see you here in Milwaukee!