Any decent snowbird areas for $300,000 or under?

[accountingsucks]

I am in Canada and every year my older Canadian friend goes to Arizona for six months and tells me I need to buy ASAP before prices go higher. Granted; looks like houses have come down 10-15% in many areas lately and possible weakness ahead. I remind him that he bought a $300kUSD foreclosure in 2011 when CAD$ was higher than USD and that his house is now worth $1Million USD and he basically won the lottery and that lottery is not paying out anymore.

Is there anywhere in the US where one can buy a decent house or condo for $300,000USD or less that a snowbird would consider living half the year? I am a big tennis fan so important to have a strong tennis community.

 

[Chuckanut]

Is there anywhere in the US where one can buy a decent house or condo for $300,000USD or less that a snowbird would consider living half the year? I am a big tennis fan so important to have a strong tennis community.

Check out Banning CA. The only problem is that Banning would put you on the edge of nowhere.

 

[braumeister]

Is there anywhere in the US where one can buy a decent house or condo for $300,000USD or less that a snowbird would consider living half the year? I am a big tennis fan so important to have a strong tennis community.

You would have to investigate housing prices yourself, but this might be a starter list:
The Top 10 Best Cities For Tennis South Edition

 

[stevelb]

Is there anywhere in the US where one can buy a decent house or condo for $300,000USD or less that a snowbird would consider living half the year? I am a big tennis fan so important to have a strong tennis community.

Check out Laguna Woods Village in Laguna Woods, CA. A 55+ community.

 

[Spock]

define "decent house". load your criteria into zillow aimed at Green Valley AZ.

 

[Fermion]

Some of the area of Florida recently hit by the hurricane may be cheap as those people decide enough is enough and sell out. I honestly don't know though.

 

[bigcmagor]

Some of the area of Florida recently hit by the hurricane may be cheap as those people decide enough is enough and sell out. I honestly don't know though.

One would think this would be the case but it doesn't seem to be happening. The strength in the rental market may be contributing to values holding up. People who have been able to get money from their insurance company are busy rebuilding and repairing. It appears that hurricane Ian is going to be the end of a number of insurance companies.

 

[latexman]

Is there anywhere in the US where one can buy a decent house or condo for $300,000USD or less that a snowbird would consider living half the year? I am a big tennis fan so important to have a strong tennis community.

There’s lots of places. Do some research. Find a few areas. Visit each for a week. Look around. Contact a realtor. Take your time; don’t rush a decision.

We bought a 2BR/2BA 1250 sq. ft. condo in FL about 15 minutes from the beach in 2021 for < $200k. Zillow appraises it at $213k now. It could use some updating, but it’s clean and comfortable.

 

[accountingsucks]

There’s lots of places. Do some research. Find a few areas. Visit each for a week. Look around. Contact a realtor. Take your time; don’t rush a decision.

We bought a 2BR/2BA 1250 sq. ft. condo in FL about 15 minutes from the beach in 2021 for < $200k. Zillow appraises it at $213k now. It could use some updating, but it’s clean and comfortable.

Is it true that property taxes for non Florida residents is sky high? Any hurricane concerns?

 

[latexman]

Is it true that property taxes for non Florida residents is sky high? Any hurricane concerns?

FL residents qualify for exemptions, so their property taxes are lower. Sky high? I’d say no to that. Higher than average? Yes.

Hurricane concerns? Yep. The condo is concrete construction, built to local Codes, and has hurricane windows. It’s > 6 miles inland, so risk from storm surge is less. And, Wells Fargo carries 80% of the risk. It’s mortgaged.

 

[folivier]

Often overlooked but Baton Rouge, LA condo prices are pretty low right now. For less than $200,000 you can find a 3 bed/2 bath+ unit in nice areas of BR. Of course we don't have the beaches many want but plenty of other local attractions. And the food!

 

[mebden]

Often overlooked but Baton Rouge, LA condo prices are pretty low right now. For less than $200,000 you can find a 3 bed/2 bath+ unit in nice areas of BR. Of course we don't have the beaches many want but plenty of other local attractions. And the food!

It also is colder than South Florida or South Texas folivier? And as of right now I'm South of you and its a chilly 38 degrees this morning lol

 

[Markola]

I’d rent in any community for a few years, as a test run. And then, if I liked the place, I’d continue renting if it is anywhere near forest fires, hurricanes and sea level rise.

 

[FiveDriver]

Those 'Beachfront Bargain Hunt' shows on HGTV are interesting to watch. But the prices are way out of date for anything filmed before 2019.

They should do a follow up show, just to see if anyplace located on the oceanfront is still standing !! Some of those houses looked to be in danger zones for Tropical Storms.

 

[COcheesehead]

FL residents qualify for exemptions, so their property taxes are lower. Sky high? I’d say no to that. Higher than average? Yes.

Hurricane concerns? Yep. The condo is concrete construction, built to local Codes, and has hurricane windows. It’s > 6 miles inland, so risk from storm surge is less. And, Wells Fargo carries 80% of the risk. It’s mortgaged.

You carry 100% of the mortgage loan risk.

 

[cathy63]

If you want Arizona, try Yuma. Lots of snowbirds there.

 

[Surewhitey]

Couple quiet places I like (non-beach) would be Hot Springs Village, AR & Holly Lake Ranch, TX. Some friends bought a 3/2 on 3/4 acre lot for less than $200k. A bit further from town (Tyler) for services. Property taxes are a bit more for the area, but reasonable hoa fees for swimming pools, tennis and pickle ball and decent lake/ponds.

Hot Springs Village is a large community near some great lakes, rivers and Hot Springs & an hour from Little Rock. Cheaper on property taxes. I've heard people say that it's too big of a community (spans 2 counties) and can feel crowded, but probably not as much in the winter.

Both can be cool weather, but not to a Canucks... We just had record 80 deg in Dallas, but we have a cold snap coming this week that will be in the teens for lows...

 

[kevink]

We live in a 55+ mobile home community in Tucson and there are lots of Canadians who own homes in parks like ours here. Tucson Racquet Club has a very good reputation and there are plenty of other tennis options.

The setup at most mobile home parks is you buy the home - prices range from 25-100K up all depending - and then pay lot rent ($450-550 is typical) year-round. But unlike most places Tucson also has a fair number of co-op mobile parks, where homeowners own the land their homes are on and are thus in control of their lot rent as well as not having to worry about the whole park being sold and rents being jacked up. Comanche Wells and Tucson Estates are examples of this arrangement. For the others, get on mhvillage.com and do a search. IMHO either way the costs beat the heck out of tying up a few hundred grand in a seasonal abode.

 

[RetMD21]

I like Tucson estates but I noticed that Polk Co Florida real estate is very reasonably priced.

 

[Ian S]

What's wrong with where your friend lives i.e. Arizona. Use Zillow to get a feel for prices in metro Tucson or metro Phoenix. Prices are dropping and probably have further to go. On the east side of metro Phoenix, you have something like Gold Canyon (see e.g. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7373-E-Us-Highway-60-LOT-90-Gold-Canyon-AZ-85118/2097683691_zpid/ or maybe Surprise, AZ on the northwest side of the area (e.g. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/15240-N-142nd-Ave-UNIT-2111-Surprise-AZ-85379/89136007_zpid/) Anyway, Zillow is your friend when it comes to getting a feel for prices in an area and taxes, etc.

Arizona is popular with snowbirds because of the sunny climate. Winter daytime temps in Phoenix and Tucson areas are pleasant (50's to 60's F) and nights are cool (30's) to cold (20's).

 

[brett]

We considered second snowbird homes in Florida, Arizona, Mexico, and Costa Rica.


One thing we learned from many others we spoke to who have made the decision is to rent for at least 2 months in more than one location.

Lately we have heard of a number of snowbirds in our area over the past two years selling their winter homes/condos in Arizona. Not certain why this is.

 

[Ronstar]

I don’t know where a good snowbird place can be purchased for under 300k. I sold our az townhouse for barely under that in 2019. Same units last year sold for 527 and 540. I’ve been tracking home prices in az for several years.

I’d say that most homes for sale in az are overpriced by at least 30%. Prices will eventually get down to reasonable like they did in 2008.

 

[NW-Bound]

The market has gone nuts in AZ.

A life-long friend of my wife has been living in a prefab home in a subdivision with a golf course in Mesa, AZ. This subdivision is at least 50-year-old, maybe more (back in the 60s). It's about as nice a prefab subdivision as you can find, part of it being most of the tenants were snowbirds and bought their place as a winter home, and these retirees had money but did not want to spend too much for a 2nd home. Also, people own their lot, and are not renting it from a landlord. The upkeep generally has been quite good.

My wife's friend tore down her prefab to put up a stick-built home. When we visited her recently, were surprised to see many homeowners in the subdivision have done the same. Her lot is very desirable, because her back patio faces the greenway. She told me the contractor who built her home bought a home, tore it down then built a spec home. He sold it for $800K. Amazing.


PS. I think a reason my wife's friend subdivision is priced way more than comparable single-family homes is the demographics of the homeowners. They are all retirees in their 70-80s. They have money, and want to live where they can socialize. It's a closely-knit community, and people know each other, and look out for one another. The security seems quite good, and they feel safe.

 

[Spock]

We live in a 55+ mobile home community in Tucson and there are lots of Canadians who own homes in parks like ours here. Tucson Racquet Club has a very good reputation and there are plenty of other tennis options.

The setup at most mobile home parks is you buy the home - prices range from 25-100K up all depending - and then pay lot rent ($450-550 is typical) year-round. But unlike most places Tucson also has a fair number of co-op mobile parks, where homeowners own the land their homes are on and are thus in control of their lot rent as well as not having to worry about the whole park being sold and rents being jacked up. Comanche Wells and Tucson Estates are examples of this arrangement. For the others, get on mhvillage.com and do a search. IMHO either way the costs beat the heck out of tying up a few hundred grand in a seasonal abode.

My parents used to live in Comanche Wells. There used to be a fantastic "taco truck" across the street and to the East. I'd do Tucson Estates. It's not as convenient but it's a better neighborhood.

 

[FlaMariner]

Check out Gulf Shores, Alabama.....but do not tell anyone...It's a secret down here and I'm afraid folks are discovering it.

beautiful white sand beaches.....and great people...and delicious fried shrimp.

We've owned a condo for 10+ years and snowbirds (from Michigan) have rented it for years and never understand why they would not buy. The rental income from the rest of the year (mainly summer high season) covers the expenses for the year and then some.