West Allis · Selling Your Home
Selling Your Home in West Allis, Wisconsin
A pre-listing inspection, photography, a 3D tour and a personal web page on every listing.
Selling in West Allis
West Allis has some of the most recognizable housing in the Milwaukee area. There are bungalows from the 1920s to the 1940s with hardwood floors, natural woodwork and enclosed porches, Cape Cods with practical layouts, ranches, two-stories and a good supply of duplexes. Buyers come for the character, the central location and often a lower entry price than nearby suburbs.
I am Rich Barnes, a licensed broker with Realty Experts, with 25+ years in the business. Read about living and buying in West Allis.
Call Rich: 414-899-8146
Older Homes Sell on Condition
With homes this age, condition matters more than the year built. A well-kept 1935 bungalow is wonderful. A neglected one gets expensive fast. Buyers will want to know the age of the roof, the furnace, the electrical, the windows, the sewer lateral and the foundation, and they will look for older plumbing, basement moisture and remodeling that was not done properly.
So every home I list begins with a pre-listing inspection. You learn what a buyer will find before a buyer does, and we decide what to fix and what to explain. Original woodwork and hardwood floors are selling points, and I make sure the photos and the 3D virtual tour show them.
Selling a Duplex
Many West Allis buyers are looking for a duplex, either to live in one unit and rent the other or to start a rental portfolio. If yours is one, buyers will want the facts on both units, the systems and the parking. Whether a buyer can finance it depends on whether they will live in it, which is why I bring one of my trusted loan officers into those conversations. I help you sell the property. I do not place tenants or do tenant management.
What West Allis Buyers Ask About
West Allis is served by the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, including Nathan Hale High School and West Allis Central High School, and buyers ask about it. They ask about the farmers market, State Fair Park and Greenfield Avenue, and about tighter off-street parking and traffic near commercial corridors. We plan for all of it. My page on how I sell explains the web page, the QR code on the sign and the postcards to 200 neighbors that every listing gets.
Selling and buying the next home? See trading up in West Allis or what your West Allis home is worth. Call 414-899-8146, send me a message, or compare with selling in Greenfield. Back to the home page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will buyers care about the age of my West Allis home?
They care about condition more than age. A well-kept older home sells well, and the pre-listing inspection shows you what a buyer will find.
Can I sell a West Allis duplex?
Yes. Buyers will want facts on both units, the systems and the parking, and financing depends on whether they will live in it. I help you sell it. I do not place tenants or do tenant management.
Should I highlight the woodwork and hardwood floors?
Yes. Natural woodwork and hardwood are real selling points, and I make sure the photos and the 3D tour show them.
Can you help me buy my next home too?
Yes. I plan the sale and the purchase together so the timing works.
West Allis
What selling your home looks like in West Allis
Bungalows, Cape Cods and duplexes near downtown Milwaukee, often at a lower entry price than nearby suburbs.
West Allis is an older Milwaukee suburb of bungalows, Cape Cods and duplexes with a personality of its own.
- The homes
- Traditional housing: bungalows (1920s to 1940s) with hardwood floors, woodwork and enclosed porches; Cape Cods (1940s to 1960s) with practical layouts; ranches with full basements and manageable yards; two-stories; and a good supply of duplexes. A typical home has two or three bedrooms, one or two baths, a basement and a detached garage, on a smaller lot. Condition matters more than the year built: check the roof, furnace, electrical, windows, sewer lateral, foundation, older plumbing and basement moisture. A well-kept 1935 bungalow can be wonderful; a neglected one gets expensive fast.
- Why people choose it
- Often a lower entry price than many western and southern Milwaukee suburbs, older-home character, duplexes where you can live in one unit and rent the other, and smaller ranches, bungalows and condos with less to maintain. The common draw is a practical home for the money in a central location.
- Schools people ask about
- West Allis is served by the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, including Nathan Hale High School and West Allis Central High School, along with the district's elementary, intermediate and specialized options. Always confirm the assigned school and current programs for the exact address, and check the Wisconsin DPI report cards. Private and parochial schools are also in the area.
- Getting around
- Close to downtown Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, American Family Field, shopping, restaurants and the major highways. Expect more traffic near commercial corridors and tighter off-street parking in places.
- Nearby
- The West Allis Farmers Market (running since the late 1910s, current building from 1931), Wisconsin State Fair Park, and Greenfield Avenue's restaurants and independent shops.
- The trade-off
- Compared with Greenfield, fewer postwar ranches and split-levels. Compared with Brookfield, New Berlin or Franklin, smaller yards, smaller garages, older infrastructure and less new construction. Compared with Wauwatosa, fewer village-style districts. In exchange: a lower purchase price in general, a central location and established neighborhoods. West Allis is not all the same: neighborhoods nearer Milwaukee feel different from those on the western side. These are broad tendencies, not promises about any one home.
The method
How we do it in West Allis
Selling Your Home: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Rich Barnes?