City of Wilmington for a budget of $175k..what are some good walkable neighborhoods? Where to avoid? (Claymont: townhouse)

[Offfel]

Is it possible to find a home for this budget in a safe area of Wilmington? Schools are not an issue. We have no kids. We are thinking of moving from art museum area in Philly to Wilmington due to my husbands new job in West Chester. We like Philly but the commute to WC is too much. We are in our late 40's. Ideally a neighborhood thats walkable for errands, coffee and dinner. We are hoping to find a home that has recently been rehabbed. Parking is high on the list and a small yard. Bar scene is not really important. We are going to take a look this weekend. There looks like there are quite a few homes under 200k (zillow) that seem to meet our needs but we don't know the neighborhoods. Obviously Trolley Sq would be ideal but it seems out of our budget. Thanks for any thoughts on what to avoid and where to look!!

[keithdmitchell]

Originally Posted by Offfel

Is it possible to find a home for this budget in a safe area of Wilmington? Schools are not an issue. We have no kids. We are thinking of moving from art museum area in Philly to Wilmington due to my husbands new job in West Chester. We like Philly but the commute to WC is too much. We are in our late 40's. Ideally a neighborhood thats walkable for errands, coffee and dinner. We are hoping to find a home that has recently been rehabbed. Parking is high on the list and a small yard. Bar scene is not really important. We are going to take a look this weekend. There looks like there are quite a few homes under 200k (zillow) that seem to meet our needs but we don't know the neighborhoods. Obviously Trolley Sq would be ideal but it seems out of our budget. Thanks for any thoughts on what to avoid and where to look!!

Try to find homes in the Radnor Green, Claymont Heights, Darley Green (New townhouse development), Bellefonte for starters.

[doctorjef]

Do you have to live within the city limits of Wilmington for some reason? Are the immediately outlying burbs an option?

[konner3]

Union Park Gardens (just above Union St. and west of Lancaster Ave.) is a nice neighborhood. It's mostly twins and rows, and it seems like parking wouldn't be much of a hassle. It's a lovely area to walk around on a nice day. There are quite a few restaurants and some shops along Union Street proper. Little Italy is about a 15 min walk away. Canby Park is in that neck of the woods. Plus, it offers easy access to Kirkwood Highway and 141 for running errands. According to a quick search, houses go for about $175k to $200k for a 3 bedroom.

The neighborhood to the south of that (Bayard Square, I think it's called), has a little more variety of housing stock. You'd be able to find single detached houses down that way. It seems, though, that the closer you get to Lancaster Ave. down that way, it gets a bit sketchier. If you keep your search to west of Linden and above Broom St. you should be good to go, though.

Little Italy and Cool Spring are nice neighborhoods, as well. But, it might be tough to find something under 200k that isn't a fixer upper. Parking seems to be trickier in Little Italy, also.