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To the OP, can you be more specific about what/where you want to buy? Specifically, do you want a walkable neighborhood with transit options, and what type of housing is acceptable. For example in Pittsburgh the prices vary greatly by neighborhood, not necessarily just due to safety but also housing style/condition/age, proximity to trendy areas, etc.
So I'm not sure if you'd be willing to buy a < 200K rowhouse (or SFH with a tiny/nonexistent yard) in a neighborhood that's not convenient, but at least somewhat close to the action. There are many available but its such a wide range that it would really help to narrow down the housing. Pretty much the same deal in Baltimore and Philly. The stark differences could be less in the other metros you listed, but they are huge in Baltimore, Philly, and Pittsburgh I know, because they all have a pretty large mass of less desirable properties which brings the published averages down. The differences in what you can get for 200K by neighborhood can be huge, depending on if you are willing to live in a much less convenient or trendy area. and the housing style.
For example, would you be willing to buy a place that is architectuarly remuddled or not so great looking from the street, even if its OK inside and is structurally sound? If so you can probably get something you're fine with in those cities but you probbaly can't get something ideal at that price.
Hey there, thanks for these great questions Walkable/urban neighborhood with transit options is a top priority...hipness is not lol. Don't care much to be near the action, just able to do lifes daily tasks without worrying about a car. As for the quality of the housing, the style/age of the house doesn't matter much to us, the example you gave of a place thats not so great looking form the street but OK inside and structurally fine would totally be acceptable.
I will say that for the Upstate NY cities, look into neighborhoods near colleges/universities, as they tend to have walkable businesses districts nearby and tend to still be relatively affordable. There are other neighborhoods in those areas that aren’t near a college and university that would work as well, like North Buffalo/Hertel Ave, the SE Quadrant of Rochester, Eastwood in Syracuse, Delaware Ave/Helderburg in Albany and Upper Union Street in Schenectady, among some others. This doesn’t include walkable suburban villages and cities near these cities as well.
What also may be appealing in terms of the Buffalo area is its proximity to Canada’s highest population concentration right across the Niagara River. So, while the metro is about 1.2 million, the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario has about 9 million people. Toronto is only 99 miles away from Buffalo.
From end to end in that I-90 strip of Upstate NY is about 4 hours.
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Walkable/urban neighborhood with transit options is a top priority...hipness is not lol. Don't care much to be near the action, just able to do lifes daily tasks without worrying about a car. As for the quality of the housing, the style/age of the house doesn't matter much to us, the example you gave of a place thats not so great looking form the street but OK inside and structurally fine would totally be acceptable.
