Cheapest states/cities/towns in America for housing (houses, job market)
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Wait until NAH weighs in on this before anyone pumps out all those recommendations.
Oil City ain't bad in that category. Especially if you mean cheap and you can actually live in it. A sort of move in without a total rehab. That lil 7 room job he found there for $14,800 was probably a keeper.
Places like Eire, PA and Buffalo, NY would be prime hunting grounds.
Bellaire, OH. Lot of those other river towns in that general area. Steubenville, OH could be very nice and even the one gentleman who bucked conventional wisdom and is looking hard at Zanesville, OH.
Plus, I found NAH a beauty just outside of Marietta, OH, he could have probably had two houses for like $9,000 in livable condition. One for bunking the other for storing junk. Out in the boonies a bit but within an easy commute.
NAH also loved certain parts of TX.
Going to some blasted out bigger city just because it is cheap with all its failed instutitions might put it on some list, but would you really want to experience what it might take in the long run to make it a total winner. It can leave some scars.
Then you get something like the BizJournals list where cheap is all relative. It always seems to me these types of searches / lists are exercises that are never in a serious vein.
Same with trying to categorize states in this manner. Ohio if done right is going to well up on any list for a particular area / house with a surrounding environment that might not be a war zone or so stressful you die young.
Certain parts of upstate NY would also score high in a real search.
The SE counties of OH are always prime hunting ground if it is just a money consideration.
That BizJournal list must be cities of a certain size because our avg home price is half that of Syracuse $150+/- to Oswego's $75, and we're on the water.
From personal experience, towns in southwestern PA, eastern OH, western MD, and WV (except the eastern part) have affordable and cheap housing. But it is because of an stagnant economy and declining population. Also these areas contain many old houses, and many are row houses. But I still love this region, as it is my home, despite the many problems.
That BizJournal list must be cities of a certain size because our avg home price is half that of Syracuse $150+/- to Oswego's $75, and we're on the water.
The list said "Markets", Oswego County is part of Syracuse's "market". The Syracuse MSA is Onondaga County, Oswego County and Madison County. Markets are NOT cities....markets are metros.
BTW, the average selling house in the Syracuse area is not $150,000. It is more like $115,000. That includes the city and suburbs.
Anything between Peoria, Illinois and Moline, Illinois has really cheap housing available. Mostly older homes but many still in reasonably good condition.
I think it's important to consider the fact that cheap housing isn't going to do you much good if the surrounding area doesn't have a solid job market.
Erie and Buffalo may be cheap, but can you find a job there?
Cheap cities with good job markets are the ideal here. Think San Antonio.
Good luck to all looking!
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Well why don't you just ask the expert???
