Best neighborhood in Little Rock?? (Lamar, Branch: real estate, insurance, for sale)

[fletch22]

What are the areas in Little Rock where I will be able to really see some value or increase if I were to purchase a home in there and sell after a 3 or 4 year period?

[bchris02]

Hillcrest/Heights, Riverdale, or west Little Rock. Hillcrest/Heights are more trendy while west Little Rock is more suburban chain-shopping oriented. If you are young, single or newlywed, I would recommend Hillcrest/Heights. If you have a family I would lean west Little Rock.

[Sam I Am]

I'd also suggest the Captiol View/Stift Station area, and the area north of Lamar Porter Field...these areas have probably seen as much of an increase in real estate prices as the Heights and Hillcrest and are becoming more trendy. You can still buy fairly reasonably in these areas. I don't know if you will get quite the return on your money in less than 5 years, but 5 years ago you could have bought in Capitol View for nothing...now it's $100/sq. foot. The area up behind the deaf school around North St. is also getting extremely popular for a cheap buy, fix up and flip. You might also consider across from Cajun's, back up on Terrace and Branch. As downtown comes alive again, those that work there want to be close.

[ecloebl]

Originally Posted by fletch22

What are the areas in Little Rock where I will be able to really see some value or increase if I were to purchase a home in there and sell after a 3 or 4 year period?

I would not purchase a home in Little Rock based on expected appreciation. We lived there for almost thirty years and owned several homes. None were sold for any significant profit, especially when the selling price was adjusted for inflation. YMMV!

[Sam I Am]

Disagree. We bought a house in 1998 in the Heights for $176K. Sold it in 2000 for $223K. I had put in a pretty great master bath with some insurance money from water damage when we moved, but everything else we did was actually a hindrance (we put in a lot of handicapped stuff for my mother-in-law...unless you're handicapped, it is NOT a selling point). Had we held onto it, I could retire. The house next door is up for sale for $549K and hasn't had a lot of upgrading and is about 300 square feet smaller (which is a lot in that area).

If you've got the money to buy in the Heights I don't think you'll lose.....but it's about priced out of the market for the average homebuyer anymore.

[ecloebl]

Originally Posted by Sam I Am

Disagree. We bought a house in 1998 in the Heights for $176K. Sold it in 2000 for $223K. I had put in a pretty great master bath with some insurance money from water damage when we moved, but everything else we did was actually a hindrance (we put in a lot of handicapped stuff for my mother-in-law...unless you're handicapped, it is NOT a selling point). Had we held onto it, I could retire. The house next door is up for sale for $549K and hasn't had a lot of upgrading and is about 300 square feet smaller (which is a lot in that area).

If you've got the money to buy in the Heights I don't think you'll lose.....but it's about priced out of the market for the average homebuyer anymore.

One swallow does not make a spring.

[Sam I Am]

Originally Posted by ecloebl

One swallow does not make a spring.

LOL! Agreed - but look at home price valuations and sales in that area...there's a lot of folks living eternal spring in that particular area. The Heights historically has been a money maker in the real estate market - it's in a highly desired area and although the homes are older, they are well built and it's a very settled neighborhood. True, the amenities like Wal Mart aren't there (thank goodness), but I think it is the one single area of town where you can do minimal updates and still manage to come out on your feet and in new shoes. Just an opinion, of course, but I think the numbers would bear me out on that one, particularly in the past 10 years.

[LivingInLittleRock]

I agree with SAMIAM. You can't go wrong buying a house in Heights or Hillcrest.

[ecloebl]

Originally Posted by LivingInLittleRock

I agree with SAMIAM. You can't go wrong buying a house in Heights or Hillcrest.

Looking at your vocation, might I question your objectivity........

[Sam I Am]

Originally Posted by ecloebl

Looking at your vocation, might I question your objectivity........

I don't think his occupation has an excessive amount of weight...them's the facts, ec...the Heights has always held it's value. Next to Edgehill, it's the only "old money" in Little Rock - and most likely will continue to be that way for years to come (although personally I think they are destroying some of the charm by putting up those big honkin' MONUMENTS TO MONEY on some streets)...but dollar for dollar, it's where it's at.