Moving to Fargo? (York: for sale by owner, real estate, renters)

[owensdad2]

I tried to find a similar post (and replies) but was unable to do so, so I'm posting this new question. I apologize in advance if it is redundant!

I am considering a job in Fargo, ND. I would be moving there with my large family (wife and four boys). I understand that real estate prices there are reasonable compared to much of the U.S., but I was wondering if it would be possible to find a 3-4 bedroom home on a few acres within commuting distance for under $200,000.

I've searched Zillow and there seem to be such homes reasonably close to Fargo-Moorehead, but it's hard to get an accurate idea of what is commutable distance from such sites. I should clarify that I consider anything under a 1-hour commute to be reasonable.

So, is it possible to find a family home on a couple of acres within an hour's drive of Fargo for around $200K?

Thank you for your replies, and again, I'm sorry if this has been answered elsewhere.

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by owensdad2

I tried to find a similar post (and replies) but was unable to do so, so I'm posting this new question. I apologize in advance if it is redundant!

I am considering a job in Fargo, ND. I would be moving there with my large family (wife and four boys). I understand that real estate prices there are reasonable compared to much of the U.S., but I was wondering if it would be possible to find a 3-4 bedroom home on a few acres within commuting distance for under $200,000.

I've searched Zillow and there seem to be such homes reasonably close to Fargo-Moorehead, but it's hard to get an accurate idea of what is commutable distance from such sites. I should clarify that I consider anything under a 1-hour commute to be reasonable.

So, is it possible to find a family home on a couple of acres within an hour's drive of Fargo for around $200K?

Thank you for your replies, and again, I'm sorry if this has been answered elsewhere.

Yes it is....depending on size/type of home and your wants/needs. But yes your needs are certainly possible. I checked for the Fargo MLS listing and pulled up a this list in the Barnesville MN area (about half hour away) to give you an idea. I have no connection to this house and I am not a realtor or anything like that. As long as you stay away from a house near any lake, it should be doable.

flexmls

You also check other sources such as craiglist and FSBO to see what is out there.

here is one FSBO out in northern Cass county....no idea on price and it might be above your request.

Amazing House For Sale By Owner (http://fargo.craigslist.org/reo/1924622749.html - broken link)

As far as the commute... in good weather and nice roads you can travel typical highway speeds all the way to Fargo. In winter....more dicey and thus might want to consider something within half hour.

[magiccity]

Be careful with craiglist. There is a lot of fraud going on with ads renting or selling other peoples properties. I have had two properties that someone claimed was for rent, and told the potential renters to meet them in front of the house. They would take the money and give you a set of keys (that don't work). I have emailed craigslist about this but they refuse to remove the fraudalent ad.

My advice, work with a managment company or go through the local newspaper. Scammers are everywhere.

[owensdad2]

Thanks very much for the replies. I was wondering if anyone living there could give me an idea of what type of heating systems are most common in the Fargo area and what heating bills average in the winter. Obviously, I understand that the average can fluctuate greatly based on many different factors, but I was wondering how most people handle it. I previously lived in upstate New York and western Pennsylvania (which are both cold and snowy but nothing like Fargo) and heating costs were pretty harsh.

Thanks very much, and I apologize in advance if this question has already been answered elsewhere on the forum.

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by owensdad2

Thanks very much for the replies. I was wondering if anyone living there could give me an idea of what type of heating systems are most common in the Fargo area and what heating bills average in the winter. Obviously, I understand that the average can fluctuate greatly based on many different factors, but I was wondering how most people handle it. I previously lived in upstate New York and western Pennsylvania (which are both cold and snowy but nothing like Fargo) and heating costs were pretty harsh.

Thanks very much, and I apologize in advance if this question has already been answered elsewhere on the forum.

There are 3 main heating sources...

propane is highly used in rural areas outside of cities....and it sounds like you prefer a rural area to live with acerage and in that case propane will likely be the heating source. In towns/cities natural gas is used a lot with some homes (depending on when they were built) using mostly or exclusively electric baseboard heat and no gas.

I have lived in both electric base board heat and gas heat. Not on propane heat....and as such cannot give you any idea of costs.

As you mentioned costs will vary greatly from one household to another depending on many factors. But in my case....we have a 2003 ranch house with full finished basement 1700 sq ft on each level with natural gas furnace as only heating source. We do have an electric fireplace but with very small kids we dont use much attm. Keeping the main temp control temperature set around 67-68 in the winter gave us the monthly gas bills during the coldest months of 200-250/mo Dec-Jan-Feb-Mar less in months leading up to winter and exiting from winter....then the standard charge of 9-10/mo in the summer.

[owensdad2]

Thanks very much for the information. I think I'm going to take the job there. Other than the weather, everyone seems to have a very favorable opinion of Fargo as a great place to raise children.

We'll probably to arriving early next Spring (calendar Spring, not Fargo Spring!) and will be looking to rent for the first year while we get to know the area. If anyone has any information about a 3-4 br house for rent in that time frame, would you please message me?

Thanks again!

[DaninEGF]

Congrats and Good luck...

I know Craiglist has listings for some rentals so you should browse those over the winter....but I also know some of these ads are scam too (nationwide).

A good thing is to contact a property management company in Fargo (you can google it and find some listings) and talk with someone from there and let them know when you plan to arrive and needs, and they hopefully can help you with ideas and what is available as the time nears.

Dan

[Cain]

good luck on the move.

I would recommend though that when you go in search of housing especially rural ones, find out how the homes were affected by the floods, not just if they were flooded. A house where they had a sandbag wall all around and you had to boat back and forth to the road can easily say it wasn't flooded, but dealing with what was done to prevent it you may not want to face.