FUEGO
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2007
- Messages
- 7,746
Any chance you might find a house in one of those "older" neighborhoods that come close to what you want? If the neighborhood is 40-50 years old there is a great chance someone has added on and/or renovated. I live in a neighborhood like that, and there are some real steals here on large houses (2500-4000 sf) that are only priced ~20% higher than the 1800 sf that is much more common (like my house). It may take a while to find the perfect one though if your (or your DW's) tastes are exacting.
I am assuming you know the local area well enough to know that it is impossible to live maybe 5-10 minutes more distant than the high priced areas and find something much more affordable? We have the same "inside the inner loop" pricing phenomenon where I live, and you can go a mile or two away and see prices drop in half without a real decline in neighborhood (in fact often a rise). Land prices for a residential lot drop from $200-300k inside the loop to maybe 50-75k not even 5 minutes up the road (but in a different zip code!). Have you talked to a good realtor or other long time residents in the know? Any up and coming areas that provide a great value proposition that also keep your commutes low?
At the end of the day, I hate long commutes and would probably pay up or live with a smaller crappier house to avoid a long commute. Luckily mine is 10 minutes to the middle of downtown and I only hit a red light or two on a typical day.
I am assuming you know the local area well enough to know that it is impossible to live maybe 5-10 minutes more distant than the high priced areas and find something much more affordable? We have the same "inside the inner loop" pricing phenomenon where I live, and you can go a mile or two away and see prices drop in half without a real decline in neighborhood (in fact often a rise). Land prices for a residential lot drop from $200-300k inside the loop to maybe 50-75k not even 5 minutes up the road (but in a different zip code!). Have you talked to a good realtor or other long time residents in the know? Any up and coming areas that provide a great value proposition that also keep your commutes low?
At the end of the day, I hate long commutes and would probably pay up or live with a smaller crappier house to avoid a long commute. Luckily mine is 10 minutes to the middle of downtown and I only hit a red light or two on a typical day.