moving closer to the city (Indianapolis, Greenwood: for sale, real estate, condos)

[flowerchildl6419]

I currently live in Franklin, and really like it--small, cute, friendly, little town. But I work downtown and my husband works on the Northside and I'm getting tired of the terrible commute. (65 is a nightmare every day.) We're considering moving closer to the city.

I really want to pay around $120K which would buy a pretty nice house in Franklin or Greenwood, but it doesn't seem to go as far in Indy. We have a dog, so it's important to have a good place to walk her, but no school aged kids, so school district is not important. Safety is a prime consideration.

Does anyone have a recommendation of an area with nice housing in this price range within about a 15-20 minute drive of downtown?

[scott326]

It is kind of hard to get someplace like that within 15-20 minutes of downtown. You might think about looking in Hancock County, just past the Marion County line. You can be close to I-70 for a straight shot into the city, its very very safe, there are homes in your price range, and it would be about 30 minutes to downtown.
You could also consider some areas near Castleton or Nora on the north side for an easier commute for your husband, and have the price you are looking for with the shorter commute, and still a nice area, not dangerous but not as safe as outside of Marion County. Most of the homes in that price in these areas are older or closer together. There is a pretty good selection of homes in these areas though, so you should be able to find something you are looking for. (I have lived in Castleton most of my life and I love it!)

[sweetana3]

We have friends who live in Irvington, the historic part. There might be something in that range. They have lived there over 30 years and dont want to leave. The area has home tours.

Last year we toured a home in the Irvington area that must have cost over $500,000 to renovate (you would not have believed it) surrounded by small one story worker houses. Really overimproved but made a statement about the neighborhood. I bet the neighborhood is "tight" and knows one another. But you have to be careful to choose wisely and really investigate the area.

You can get a nice home in Fall Creek Place for 125,000 with garage, yard, not too old, etc. Surprising but true. There are also homes in Fountain Place that were renovated by neighborhood groups for that price. Does take some looking around. Be picky but I believe you will find what you want.

I live right downtown and not having a commute is a true blessing. We have a lot of dog walkers in the area.

There are some condos in your price range.

[zzz69]

There are alot of choices for you....

Indianapolis, IN, Real Estate Listings and Indianapolis, IN Homes for Sale - REALTOR.com®

[IndyGoat]

I would consider Broad Ripple.

Smaller bungalow homes, mostly with basements, but lots of character. Walking distance to shops/bars/dining in Ripple.

Monon Trail close by for dog walks, also a bark park in Broad Ripple Park. Housing prices took a bit of a hit when the property taxes went up.

Homes were built, generally from the 1920's into the 1960's.

I would stay north of 54th to avoid crime.

Surprisingly, you can get anywhere in Indy pretty quickly. I thought it wouldn't be the case.

[zzz69]

Indy's road network is very strong and very well maintained - that and the abundance of affordable quality housing are two of it's biggest strengths.