best neighborhoods to live in Iowa City (Riverside, Lincoln: foreclosures, rentals) - City-Data Forum

danielle_pal · 12-23-2011, 09:56 AM

Possibly relocating to Iowa City to work at the University Hospital. What areas have the safest nicest single family homes? Budget will be over $500,000.

danielle_pal · 12-23-2011, 02:14 PM

also what area has the best elementary schools? Thanks!
I saw on an earlier thread these are suppose to be the best "Lincoln, Hoover, Lemme, Weber and Wickham"

danielle_pal · 12-27-2011, 10:14 AM

was it something I said?

mthawki · 12-27-2011, 12:50 PM

Try going to Zillow and look at homes in the 52246 zip code. You should be able to find plenty of homes on the west side of town near UIHC for under $500K. You really can't go wrong with most parts of IC, so it'll depend on what kind of home you're looking for.

danielle_pal · 12-27-2011, 05:26 PM

I don't see any foreclosures in Iowa City. Why is that?

1stpontiac · 12-28-2011, 07:39 AM

Manville Heights is a very nice neighborhood with old oak trees and houses with character and is a 10 minute walk from the hospital. You said your budget was "over $500k"...is that what you meant, or did you mean under $500k? I think you can get into that neighborhood starting around $300,000 for a decent place, but I haven't looked in a while.

Iowa City is a nice, safe city. The housing immediately east of downtown is largely college rentals, so I'd stay out of there. The south side of town (south of Highway 6, near Broadway St. and Hollywood Blvd) is the other area that has some crime issues and probably wouldn't be recommended.

Other than that, if you give some more specifics as to what type of neighborhood and house (older, new construction, large lots, or more cozy?) as well as how close to UIHC you want to be (walk, bike, bus, or drive distance?), I can try to come up with a few more areas.

1stpontiac · 12-28-2011, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielle_pal

I don't see any foreclosures in Iowa City. Why is that?

I can't imagine that there aren't any foreclosures in Iowa City, but due to the regular turn-over from the college and hospital, the city didn't experience nearly the housing downturn that much of the rest of the country did. I'm sure there are some out there, though.

On the other hand, $500,000 should buy you a pretty decent single-family home in Iowa City without having to specifically seek out foreclosures and the associated baggage that comes with that, though.

danielle_pal · 12-28-2011, 11:32 AM

I guess it is a good thing IC's housing market is stronger than other places we are interviewing at. We would prefer a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath house, newer but a renovated older home would be fine. I saw a few homes out of my price range but not sure if anyone would sell for $200K less than list price in IC if the market is not "soft". Good preK and elementary schools are a top concern. Being withing 15-20 minutes to the hospital would be great.

1stpontiac · 12-28-2011, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielle_pal

I guess it is a good thing IC's housing market is stronger than other places we are interviewing at. We would prefer a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath house, newer but a renovated older home would be fine. I saw a few homes out of my price range but not sure if anyone would sell for $200K less than list price in IC if the market is not "soft". Good preK and elementary schools are a top concern. Being withing 15-20 minutes to the hospital would be great.

Ok, here's a few places I'd recommend looking:

-The area bounded by 2nd St (Highway 6), Rocky Shore Dr, Park Road, and Riverside Dr. This is the Manville Heights area I described before. One of the oldest neighborhoods in town, but the houses are nice and many have been remodeled or have additions. This area is a 10-minute walk from both the hospital and the university and you are right by city park and some bike trails that you can take along the river to many other parks and such. There is also an elementary school right in the neighborhood. I don't have any experience with the schools to comment on the quality, though.

-The area between Sunset St, Teg Dr. and Benton St. Nice, quiet neighborhood, probably a couple decades newer than Manville Heights. Lots of ramblers, and some split-levels and other houses. Some blocks are more of the brick-facade-and-columns houses. Close proximity to Willow Creek park, good access to the hospital via bus or a 10 min bike ride.

-Kennedy Parkway. I'm still not clear if you are looking for under or over $500k houses, so this neighborhood would likely be in the over 500k category (I'm assuming based on driving through it...I haven't actually looked at prices). These are large, newer homes that look custom-built on very large lots. Still just a straight shot a couple miles down Melrose Ave. to the hospital.

-Rohret Rd, west of highway 218. This is a somewhat newer development with good-sized houses that are not quite as large or seemingly custom-built as the Kennedy Parkway ones. You'd be a bit more isolated from the rest of town, but you'll notice there is an elementary school right in the middle of it. I used to run through it once in a while and it always seemed like there were people out and about in their yards and on the sidewalks.

You won't find houses going for $200,000 less than asking price in IC. When I sold my house this summer, I got 97% of my asking price, and from what I've heard, that's pretty standard.

danielle_pal · 12-28-2011, 03:16 PM

wow thanks so much! That helped a ton. Budget is around 500k a little above or below would be o.k.
There are not too many homes in the 400-525 range in IC. Thanks for the info on the market. I won't waste my time looking at homes too far out of our price-range then.