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s/o How much does a pretty nice house cost where you live?


AmandaVT
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220 members have voted

  1. 1. How much does a decent house cost?

    • under $100,000
      3
    • $100,000-$150,000
      23
    • $150,000-$200,000
      35
    • $200,000-$250,000
      19
    • $250,000-$300,000
      34
    • $300,000-$400,000
      33
    • $400,000-$500,000
      20
    • $500,000+
      53


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These threads always have me wanting to move. I voted 500+, but my view of nice is much less than some of the homes linked here. For the ones linked upthread, easily 1000000+. You can get a 1400sqft 3br/2bath with a heard for 500,000.

 

We went the townhome route. You can get a nice townhome for 325+.

 

I do love being close to DC though. We always dream of big houses with yards, but then remember how much we adore this city and put of moving for another year.

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Around here you can get a decent house for under 100k, and a really nice one for 150k.

 

For example, here's a 2300 sq ft 4 bedroom, 2 bath house for 89k.  http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/105-E-Nokomis-St_Osakis_MN_56360_M81890-65985?row=28

 

200k around here gets you a gorgeous five acre hobby farm: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/22308-Gateway-Dr_Osakis_MN_56360_M77854-67633?row=34

 

 

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Land is the expensive factor here in or near cit limits.. A 2000sqft, 10yo or less home, on a 5000sqft lot is about $225,000 to $300,000. Add about $50,000 for each 1000 sqft of land.

 

Something as large as an acre near the city would be well over $500,000 if it had a nice house on it too.

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http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/8419-Kimberwick-Ct_Powell_TN_37849_M71493-34603?row=40

 

As an example...a decent house (needs some pressure washing on the outside..lol) in a good neighborhood. We actually looked at houses in this neighborhood and almost bought one on the same road, but the owner was being a bit difficult.

 

Here is a newer one for just a bit more:

 

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7229-Autumn-View-Ln_Powell_TN_37849_M76243-52200?row=44

 

And one closer to 250K

 

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/115-Windstone-Blvd_Powell_TN_37849_M85470-70234?row=2

My jaw is on the floor. I cannot imagine getting a house for so little. This is a house not very far from me, at a pretty good price; a reasonably nice home in a decent area for $430k asking:

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1433-Fannie-Dorsey-Rd-Sykesville-MD-21784/36758112_zpid/

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I consider this decent:

 

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/118-Nebraska-Ave_Oak-Ridge_TN_37830_M83461-39610?row=24

 

4BR/3Bath, over 2000 sq ft in a good neighborhood.  $159900.  Very good school system with high test scores, tons of AP classes, etc.  It needs some updates but has plenty of room, a yard, and is safe.  You could get an very nice, updated version of this house for $185000.  I feel grateful these types of houses are available.  Not everyone can afford all the updates.

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Around here you can get a decent house for under 100k, and a really nice one for 150k.

 

For example, here's a 2300 sq ft 4 bedroom, 2 bath house for 89k.  http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/105-E-Nokomis-St_Osakis_MN_56360_M81890-65985?row=28

 

That house is 130 years old! It's looks like, at least from the listing, to be in pretty good shape too. Something similar around here would be more run down but the same price.

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That house is 130 years old! It's looks like, at least from the listing, to be in pretty good shape too. Something similar around here would be more run down but the same price.

Oh wow, is it? I didn't even notice. But then, I love old houses. My favorite of the houses I've lived in was built in 1890. I can't stand the new cookie-cutter, white box houses. Give me something with character and lots of random nooks and crannies. :D

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In my small town of about 10,000 people (we are only 45-60 minutes from city with 1,000,000):

3bed/2ba 2080 sq ft all brick ranch with nice paint, new floors, privacy fenced 1/4 acre in good neighborhood will cost about 100K-110K

 

A 4 bed/2ba 2400 sq ft on 5 acres in the country (also all brick ranch) needs some cosmetic updating (has chintzy wallpaper boarders and orange counter top) will cost about 150K-160K.  These would both be considered good but not great deals at those prices.

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I consider this decent:

 

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/118-Nebraska-Ave_Oak-Ridge_TN_37830_M83461-39610?row=24

 

4BR/3Bath, over 2000 sq ft in a good neighborhood. $159900. Very good school system with high test scores, tons of AP classes, etc. It needs some updates but has plenty of room, a yard, and is safe. You could get an very nice, updated version of this house for $185000. I feel grateful these types of houses are available. Not everyone can afford all the updates.

There is one very similar to that off a fairly desirable road in South Anchorage, on the lower hillside. That home is around 600k even though it was built in the 70's. Same stats with yard, good schools, etc.
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Wow. I'm thinking that my house was a huge bargain the more I read. We just bought 5 br 3 1/2 ba, almost 3,100 sqft, only year old for just under $275. We're the least expensive house in our subdivision. I think the whole neighborhood is only 3 or so years old. We have many nice upgrades, although they seem standard in the area.

We wanted to spend less, but for our size and bedroom wishlist it was by far the best (unless dh wanted an hour + commute).

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The house/salary thread got me thinking. How much does a pretty nice house cost in your area? I know this will vary with what people consider a nice house, but let's say: 

 

Appropriate number of beds and baths for your family

Either a safe neighborhood or a bit of land in a more rural area

No major fixes needed - move in ready, but not necessarily up to the standards of the people who are on House Hunters. :-) ie. appliances work, but they may not be newer/stainless, cupboards and doors may not be the highest quality, but they open and close properly. 

 

We're having a hard time finding anything decent under $250,000 unless it's in a sketchy area. In the $250,000-$300,000 range, you can get a pretty nice house here. Which is why I think we're struggling at our $225,000 budget. 

 

By "your area" I inferred, in our zip code. I answered $500,000+

 

We are able to live here because of an amazing, amazing deal on renting from a local woman who seems to appreciate that we are local kids with steady jobs and not crazies.

 

This neighborhood, like most in the Seattle area, has a pretty high theft / petty crime rate but low murder rate.

 

It is extremely family friendly and the schools are nationally ranked. (Public schools. Privates are not nationally ranked but are usually parochial.)

 

Very few of the homes are in disrepair. I would be shocked to find a home that was not move-in ready.

 

If we moved about 10 miles out, either north, south, or east (west is water), we could probably go down to about $300k. However, that would add approximately 10 hours per week to the commute, each. 

 

These are the homes near where we live with 4+ bedrooms (we have six people):

 

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/98007/beds-4/baths-2/sby-1

 

Tennessee is looking pretty damn good right now.

 

Note the style and upkeep of the homes. They are decent but most certainly not fancy. The Tennessee home featured in this thread would probably go for $5m around here. 

 

I think, honestly, what people like is not so much any one thing but the fact that this is a place where children still walk to the store and the cops will just bring them home if there is some kind of problem. It is not Mayberry but it is also not the kind of place that you need to worry about your kids in. The people are really nice. No HOA, woot woot!

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I live out in the country and there are only very tiny towns around.  There really isn't any such thing as "good neighbourhood/bad neighbourhood."  It's all the same middle-of-Podunk neighbourhood.  You can get a very nice, but not terribly large (say around 1500 sf) house in any of the towns for around the $150K range.  You could get a newer build larger home for $200K and up depending on how new it is.

 

Any of those would get you a modest sized lot, but not an acreage.  If you wants acres (plural) you would have to start your budget above $500K and you'd get a beat up old farmhouse with that.  Newer builds on larger acreages would be incrementally more.  Houses here are relatively cheap.  Land, on the other hand, is not. 

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USD 360,000 will buy you a small three bedroom townhouse/terraced house with one bathroom and a very small outside space in my local town in Scotland.

 

For four bedrooms and a nice freestanding house with a decent plot, you are looking at 750,000. That might buy a small flat in a reasonably pleasant part of London.

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To buy a turnkey 4bd 2.5ba on 1/4 acre in this area is $450k and up. We are buying an older and smaller home on 8500sqft lot for $232,700. I'm okay with it. I like small and simple but I wouldn't turn my nose up at a bigger space if it was affordable.

 

ETA:Here's what one could get around here. http://m.realtor.com/?row=28#details?listing_id=586879460

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There is one very similar to that off a fairly desirable road in South Anchorage, on the lower hillside. That home is around 600k even though it was built in the 70's. Same stats with yard, good schools, etc.

You are blowing my mind. I thought property in Anchorage would be very cheap compared to where I live in the PNW. There goes my plan to high tail it to Alaska when the stuff hits the fan! Lol.

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When I read these threads I can't imagine how different our lives would have been in a higher COL area. I can't fathom how anyone even gets their footing financially. Home ownership has been good to us. We bought a starter house for under $75000. Second house we bought for $140000. Just relocated and bought for $187500. We have been able to sell our homes quickly for a profit. We are far from wealthy but being able to own our homes instead of renting has been good for us. Can't imagine if we had needed to pay $250000 even for a first home :( We would have never gotten there I don't think. My dh was looking at jobs in higher COL areas and the wages did not even begin to compensate for housing costs. Sympathies to those in that position. I know it isn't always possible to pick up and move.

 

We bought 3 homes in SoCal over a 10 year period.  All were purchased before the prices became too high to manage.  We sold our 3rd house high (2005) and left.  Many of our friends also left.

 

The people I felt the most sorry for were the ones who were wanting to purchase a house but were saving for "a few more years" before buying.  That $250K house in the year 2000, turned in to a $600K house by 2004.  So their savings were pointless, they could no longer afford anything.   We knew a few people at our church in this situation.

 

There is just no way to predict the market.

 

One of our main concerns (in SoCal) was having our kids grow up in an area where they could never afford to buy, or would be strapped to a house payment that would be very high.

 

We now live in a much more affordable location and my kids love it here and don't want to move back to CA anyway (I still miss it but I know it would be very hard to move back).  I know they CAN afford something here, even if it is small.   

 

Dawn

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Wow. I'm surprised that Montpelier is that expensive. We're in the Upper Valley and could probably get an extra 1000 sq. ft. for the price of the house in the second link. The first house seems comparably priced, though, but the yucky neighborhood is probably the factor. In our county, the prices go way down as you travel north. Where DH pastors, we could not afford. Two towns up I-91, we had our pick of several.

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To buy a turnkey 4bd 2.5ba on 1/4 acre in this area is $450k and up. We are buying an older and smaller home on 8500sqft lot for $232,700. I'm okay with it. I like small and simple but I wouldn't turn my nose up at a bigger space if it was affordable.

 

ETA:Here's what one could get around here. http://m.realtor.com/?row=28#details?listing_id=586879460

 

I am going to assume you mean 850 sq. ft. and not 8500 sq. ft.  Unless you think an 8500 sq. ft. home is small. 

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I changed my vote to 500+ after seeing what people thought a "decent" house looked like.

 

Most of us in this area live in houses that are under 1300 sq ft on a tiny lot with only one bathroom and kids sharing rooms.  Sometimes those bedrooms the kids share aren't even legal sized bedrooms.  That sort of house (in a decent neighborhood) runs about 300K.  If you step up to a house that has a decent sized living room/dining room for medium sized dinner parties, it'll run about 400K.  And you still don't get more bedrooms.

 

A decent sized lot, 4 bedrooms, a kitchen you can turn around in -- that'll run about 750K and up.  Mostly up.

 

There are fixer  uppers in the 100K range but they're in such bad shape it may take 150K to fix them up.  Or more.

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Here are some examples near me.  Both are in an HOA neighborhood with pool, tennis courts and walking trails and what is considered one of the better school districts around here --

 

$160,000 home

 

Larger home, same neighborhood as above

 

There are more rural homes with more land available in the same price range, but (of course) the homes tend to be a bit older and often in need of a little updating.

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I am going to assume you mean 850 sq. ft. and not 8500 sq. ft. Unless you think an 8500 sq. ft. home is small.

She said the lot was 8500sft.

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USD 360,000 will buy you a small three bedroom townhouse/terraced house with one bathroom and a very small outside space in my local town in Scotland.

 

For four bedrooms and a nice freestanding house with a decent plot, you are looking at 750,000. That might buy a small flat in a reasonably pleasant part of London.

Whenever I watch House Hunters Intl., I am shocked by how expensive rentals are in London. Wowzers.

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Want links?  This is what a really bad market looks like.

 

5bd CHC, $125k. http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/311-Scenic-Dr-Albrightsville-PA-18210/9791494_zpid/

 

5bd mansion with indoor pool, under $500k. http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/293-Valley-View-Dr-Albrightsville-PA-18210/2111608860_zpid/

We could be living large in the general region if we hadn't bought right before it all crashed.

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We're having a hard time finding anything decent under $250,000 unless it's in a sketchy area. In the $250,000-$300,000 range, you can get a pretty nice house here. Which is why I think we're struggling at our $225,000 budget. 

 

You wouldn't be finding any detached homes in safe neighbourhoods in my area in that price range. That would probably include most large cities in Canada. You'd have to go out to smaller centres, or down-size to condo/semi-detached.

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Your meh home would be considered quite well appointed up here and sell for just slighty less. I have noticed, however, that the uppers level of the market here flattens out more. The bulk of our homes in this town are in the 450-850,000 range, and there are almost no properties upwards of 3m, and almost no single family homes with three bedrooms or more below 200,000 either. My family was shocked it was so expensive up here, but it doesn't go insano high like La Jolla.

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Your meh home would be considered quite well appointed up here and sell for just slighty less. I have noticed, however, that the uppers level of the market here flattens out more. The bulk of our homes in this town are in the 450-850,000 range, and there are almost no properties upwards of 3m, and almost no single family homes with three bedrooms or more below 200,000 either. My family was shocked it was so expensive up here, but it doesn't go insano high like La Jolla.

 

You're right, there is much more to the top end here. It's not like those crazy nice La Jolla homes are in limited quantities. You can find the same type of homes, at similar prices, in Del Mar, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Cardiff, Coronado, and Rancho Santa Fe -- and likely many other cities in SD County.

 

My husband worked on a boat at this house in Coronado:

 

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Coronado-CA/house_type/17150779_zpid/17587_rid/3-_beds/2-_baths/days_sort/32.629924,-117.100589,32.612719,-117.141273_rect/14_zm/0_mmm/?view=map

 

"Normal" for Rancho Santa Fe:

 

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Rancho-Santa-Fe-CA/house_type/16732634_zpid/13436_rid/3-_beds/2-_baths/days_sort/33.016311,-117.186978,32.99918,-117.227662_rect/14_zm/0_mmm/?view=map

 

Encinitas:

 

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Encinitas-CA/house_type/99539162_zpid/45164_rid/3-_beds/2-_baths/days_sort/33.083847,-117.172022,33.015357,-117.334757_rect/12_zm/0_mmm/?view=map

 

And I think the mid-range, normal homes have internalized some of the styling -- likely due to proximity -- of the higher-end houses in the area.

 

Here's another "meh" home down the street from us. I think few people born and raised in So Cal would consider this a "pretty nice" home. It's just ok.

 

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/house_type/16933875_zpid/3-_beds/2-_baths/days_sort/32.797394,-117.175906,32.780221,-117.216589_rect/14_zm/0_mmm/?view=map

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Tiny rural community. Not really within commuting distance to a big city. I mean, we're sort of near a big city, but I don't know anyone who commutes to it. It's not the norm for this area.

 

Houses in my tiny town can be bought for under $200. I live in one of those. We like our houses small and older and with a lot of character, and under $200k gets you that, so we're pretty happy. (My house was built in 1949.)

 

If we wanted a "new" house (built in the 80s or 90s or later), we'd have to spend about $250k.

 

I looked online and found a property for almost $1mill in the area, but it's 5000 sq and has 2 fully stocked ponds on 66 acres. There were also a few houses for sale with barns and stables and/or lots and lots of land that could go for $300-$500k. But we're talking LOTS of land. Basically, for a farm.

 

As far as I know, all the schools around here are about the same. Not too bad, not too good.

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I live in an area with insanely rapid growth and the subsequent insanely increasing housing prices. To get what you outlined, you'd need to pay $275,000-$325,000, if you don't care about the school district, just general safety of neighborhood. Add in a concern for school district, and the price jumps to the $300,000 to $400,000 range and keeps on going up. I know people who bought NOT move-in ready homes for $400,000 just in the last few months. I know people who have spent $600,000 for the newest three or four bedroom homes in the hot school districts. Craziness.

 

We were lucky to find a house in a safe neighborhood that, while clean and livable, had not been majorly upgraded. I would never send my kids to these schools, though.

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You wouldn't be finding any detached homes in safe neighbourhoods in my area in that price range. That would probably include most large cities in Canada. You'd have to go out to smaller centres, or down-size to condo/semi-detached.

 

 

Here's some Regina listings.  There are very few under $250K.

 

But, they're all in Regina.  ;)

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For a "pretty nice" house you're looking at $150-200k. You can get a nice, decent, livable house for around $100k, but for a consistently nice neighborhood, larger home, bigger yard, "nicer" amenities, you'll have to go up to the $150-$200k range. For over $200 you can get a "very nice" house.

 

But really, all of this is subjective. I'm happier with less of a home than many people.

That's pretty much the way it is in my area too.

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We are in the Columbia SC area. I voted between $100 and $150. We were able to buy 7 rentals between 2011 and 2014 in the $90 to 110 range. Some needed work and some were move in ready. They were all between 1500 and 2000 square feet with at least 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Each of those houses have increased in value, but even with that... You could still find a pretty decent 1500 square foot house between $100 and $150.

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There are no houses here for less than 200K. A house with 3-4 bedrooms and 2+ bathroom on a city lot is 350K or so. A house with 3-4 bedrooms and 2+ bathrooms with a decent sized yard is on average 450K. And we live in a small, suburban town with about 100,000 people, not a major city centre or anything. I can't imagine being able to buy some of the houses you guys are posting for the prices listed, wow.

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Here's some Regina listings.  There are very few under $250K.

 

But, they're all in Regina.  ;)

 

That was one of the draws of potentially moving to Regina a few years back, but the housing isn't really that much better to offset the fact that you'd be in SK. I LOVE the people, but not the weather (or the isolation factor). Here I can fly or drive to several major centres in 2 - 5 hours. You just can't do that on the Canadian prairies, sadly. 

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