How much is a starter house in your area?

[mudpuppy]

I don't think you could pay me enough to live in a place like San Fran or Honolulu (or any big city), let alone make me spend $1M on a house.  They are nice places to visit, but I like my 25 acres in the woods.

 

[canadagoose]

I don't think you could pay me enough to live in a place like San Fran or Honolulu (or any big city), let alone make me spend $1M on a house.  They are nice places to visit, but I like my 25 acres in the woods.

With prices so low you could put a lot of money towards fruit trees.

 

[snickerd3]

3 bed 2 bath, on an acre will run $150K-$200K.  for something that maybe needs a paint job and flooring replacements.  The haven't been updated in 30 yrs, fixer uppers with the same specs are in the $120K-$150K range.  

 

[canadagoose]

3 bed 2 bath, on an acre will run $150K-$200K.  for something that maybe needs a paint job and flooring replacements.  The haven't been updated in 30 yrs, fixer uppers with the same specs are in the $120K-$150K range.  

I wish we had those around here.

 

[snickerd3]

I wish we had those around here.

small rural town.  farming and coal 

 

[MA_PE]

$350 to 400k will get you a smaller 3 BR 1 Ba ranch (say 1200 sq ft not including a full basement) or similar sized cape style house on about a 1/4 acre.

Many of the suburban areas closer to Boston where they built ranches in the 1950's and 1960s on 1/4 to a 1/3 acre are now tear-downs purchased for ~$400k, then they build a 3000+ sq ft house on it and sell for $750k to $1M.

 

[snickerd3]

$350 to 400k will get you a smaller 3 BR 1 Ba ranch (say 1200 sq ft not including a full basement) or similar sized cape style house on about a 1/4 acre.

Many of the suburban areas closer to Boston where they built ranches in the 1950's and 1960s on 1/4 to a 1/3 acre are now tear-downs purchased for ~$400k, then they build a 3000+ sq ft house on it and sell for $750k to $1M.

as much as i say I would love a bigger house, I'm not sure I would know what to do with 3000+ sqft  of house.  Other than bitch and moan about cleaning and the extra utility costs.  

 

[mudpuppy]

as much as i say I would love a bigger house, I'm not sure I would know what to do with 3000+ sqft  of house.  Other than bitch and moan about cleaning and the extra utility costs.  

Mine is 4100 sq feet.  We have two guest bedrooms, a craft room and an exercise room.

We definitely didn't need or want that much space, but we'll deal with it.

 

[Road Guy]

Denver - It is all relative in terms of how close you want to live to downtown.

2 BR Condos are going for $350K and up

20 miles out where I am at my zip code the average list price is $675K (not my actual house thank god)

But if you move 25 miles out and take a crummy school district you can get the same house for $300K

What It seems to me is that no one really wants the "starter house"  when we were starting out we lived in bedroom communities on the outskirts of the city in houses that sold for $135K (& today don't sell for much more than that) but no one wants to go through a few years in the stix to build equity so they rent a 1 BR condo and piss  there money away, but at least they get to walk to all the cool bars and restaurants!

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

First house we moved into when coming to Auckland was purchased by our landlord about a year prior for $800k NZD ($600kUSD) . 3bd/1ba

Saw an article a few weeks ago that listed Auckland as the 4th most expensive city in the world behind Hong Kong, Vancouver, and Sydney. We really don't plan on owning a house here in Auckland, but we do plan on trying to get a couple vacation rental properties established around the north island to boost income within the next couple of years.

We moved a few blocks away to a house that actually has insulation and houses there regularly sell for $1m NZD ($750k). They're all "starter" homes in the 3-4 bed, 1-2 bath range. Most have at least a 1 space carport. Neighborhood was all built aound the 1920's and most of the houses look like this:

Our house still has the original single pane, leaded glass and all of the original woodworking (doors, trim, frames, floors, decorative ceilings). The kitchen and bathrooms have been remodeled to modern standards, but the rest of the house is essentially original (they have added fiber optic, electricity, and a heat pump).

 

[Supe]

You can find a tiny starter home that doesn't need much work in the $180-$200K range with less than ideal location.  2500 sq. ft cookie cutter builder homes are hovering around $300K at the low end now, and can double in a hurry depending on location.