Winchester for Inter-Racial Family (Lexington, Louisville: comparable sales, for sale, real estate)

[theLedger]

I know this will be a loaded question but my family is considering moving to Winchester. I'm Jamaican (medium tan) and my wife is all American white. We have 4 kids, all white.

We are upper middle class right now in our station in life so we expect to live in a nice home in a nice neighborhood.

I've visited various parts of Kentucky and never had a bad experience (which might be due to polite, southern hospitality). But to move and live there is quite another.

Any ideas what a friendly, quiet, and conservative family such as ours might experience in Winchester?

We just sometimes hear of racial tensions and issues in the south and we really just don't know. We don't care what color people are but not all people share the same values.

P.S. I have a job working from home so no need to comment on that.

[timelesschild]

I am not sure about Winchester, but my gut instinct, having lived in Lexington for most of my life, is that Lexington would work for you but that the surrounding towns might be less ... enlightened. FWIW...

[atlantagreg30127]

Well, I can say this...

My boss and best friend here is from Winchester. Now, his family is one of those, "from the wrong side of the tracks" kind of families that you ONLY see on the Jerry Springer Show... at least I thought. But then I once traveled around with him for a couple of days, and he took me up to see Winchester.

It's a cool looking town in their downtown area, which has been restored a lot over the last few years. But without going into details which some from that area may find insulting, my opinion would be that no, you would probably not like living in that immediate area given your family makeup. Obviously not everyone there is "bad" and the limited experience I have with people there are obviously with people from that bad side of the tracks I mentioned. But based on that and what they told me, I would think that there would be other more open areas for a mixed couple to be more comfortable in than Winchester-proper.

Lexington-proper? Problably just fine. Louisville? Yes. Winchester? No (wait - I hear banjo music in the woods...)

[LEXpert]

I lived in Winchester from 1998-2002. It is just a small blue collar town. Some of the local Rednecks might shoot ugly looks at you, but I don't think anybody would say or do anything to you. That could happen anywhere, its just in Lexington you can isolate your family from it due to size.

To me, it seems there are 3 types of people in Winchester: Nice folks that have lived there a long time (Think Mayberrry, Aunt Bee and Barney), the trashy rednecks that have lived there a long time (Think Jerry Springer), and those that moved there thinking it would be cheaper than Lexington (That was me!).

I had a friend who had moved from California to Winchester. She was white, but had a black daugher. She never mentioned having any bad experiences.

If you do move to Winchester, I would stay on the Lexington side of the By-Pass. That is considered the "Good" side of town.

Good Luck!!

[theLedger]

Thanks for the responses. An odd look or two doesn't bother me too much. Ieven had a few people call ms the "n" word when I first moved to wisconsin and never batted an eye.

We're looking at new or newer Ball homes in the $180k-$200k range. Not having been there yet we hope that would put us in a nice neighborhood.

[LEXpert]

$180-200,000 will put you in a very nice part of Winchester. Colby/McClure/Boonesboro Roads seem to be the middle class family section of town. Check out The Lexington Bluegrass Multiple Listing Service and Homes for Sale in Lexington, Homes for Sale in Louisville, Kentucky Real Estate, Lexington Homes. Ball has a few really great floorplans: The Anderson and Anderson 2, The Herrington, The Ashley. All are 4 bedrooms on the upper level. The Anderson's are a great value. They have a living room that is big enough to actually use and a big Family Room, plus the laundry room is upstairs!

I would check out existing homes first. With a slower market, I have seen a few existing homes with thousands in upgrades sell for less that the base price of a new one.

[jenn231]

I lived in Winchester for the first 18 years of my life... my family still lives there and I will say I think you will be just fine. For that price you should live a nice neighborhood and the people there treat most everyone the way they are treated. I grew up with no prejudice and wouldn't have thought anything about it. I don't think you will have a problem!

[theLedger]

We have been looking at the Ashely II - my wife loves arches and one model home we saw had some on the interior. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.

[Micah Girl]

Originally Posted by theLedger

Thanks for the responses. An odd look or two doesn't bother me too much. Ieven had a few people call ms the "n" word when I first moved to wisconsin and never batted an eye.

We're looking at new or newer Ball homes in the $180k-$200k range. Not having been there yet we hope that would put us in a nice neighborhood.

I don't know Winchester so I can't comment on it, but as a newbie to the area I have loved Lexington, found a beautiful home at a good price and a school system that we anticipate to be wonderful. I think for us living IN Lexington has been a great choice and we wouldn't have as much at our fingertips outside of the city. Also an urban setting is bound to be more diverse, which I love.

Just my two cents.

[LEXpert]

The Ashley 2 is a great plan. I sold one last year in Lexington. It was $206,000 with a few upgrades. I would advise you to find your own agent since the onsite agents in the model homes represent only the interest of the builder. A lot of people don't know that. They make you fill out an agency form that states that they will be representing the builder and handling the transaction for you. Having your own agent doesn't cost you a thing. You pay the same price for the house regardless of if you use their agent or get your own. The commission is built into the sale price.

Your agent can find out what the take rate is for the upgrades in the neighborhood you chose. That will help you plan for the future value of the house. For example, if almost everybody picks 9 foot ceilings and you don't, you may have a hard time selling down the road if there are other homes for sale at the same time. Also, if you spend $25,000 on upgrades when most in that neighborhood don't, you may find that you won't get anywhere near that much out of your upgrades. A lot of seller's are now realizing this since value in the existing market is based on the comparable sales. I have seen several 2-3 year old houses in Lexington sell for about the same amount as a base model. The upgrades cut the amount of time it spend on market, but didn't add the value of what they cost!

Also, if you pick a lot that backs to a farm, find out what the plan is for that property. I see buyer's that don't do that all the time. Then they are upset when apartments, townhouses or a less expensive neighborhood go in behind them.

I know a few good Winchester realtors. PM me if you want their names.