I need a little more house hunting advice, please. (Lexington: for sale by owner, apartments)

[SAKaren]

Hi, I have a couple of more questions. First, what is the best way to find houses for sale by owner? Is there anything that can be done online, or does that mostly involve driving around neighborhoods?

Second, I've been focusing on Southland. Are there other areas that are walkable, safe and affordable (within 200K) that I should notice? I'm very attracted to Southalnd, but we have five children, and it seems like most of the homes there are smaller. We probably need about 1800 sq ft.

Thanks so much. You all are great!

SAKaren

[lexingtongal]

Sontewall comes to mind again. Did you see anything there? The homes there are primarily sprawling ranch style houses on large lots. Glendover has a mix of house sizes, not much to walk to though.

[SAKaren]

I"ll double check Stonewall and see what's available there. Glendover seems expensive (?). How would the traffic be as far as a downtown commute?

[lexingtongal]

From Glendover it would be no problem. Stonewall will be a longer commute, on busier roads, but still probably under 15 minutes.
You're right that it might not be possible to find a home under 200k though.
In that price range you can sometimes find a house in Lans-Merrick neighborhood. A lot of those houses need updating though. Lansdowne is another possibility and maybe even Zandale (though the houses tend to be smaller there).

[SAKaren]

I just checked the Stonewall listings and they are mostly above 200. Thanks and please let me know if you have other suggestions!

[SAKaren]

That question about commute was unclear. Actually I was wondering about the commute from Stonewall.

What about Gardenside?

[lexingtongal]

Stonewall commute would be aggravating to me. I lived there for 3 years and worked at Lexington Clinic at the time so I didn't go all the way into downtown. Though it isn't that far out the available routes to downtown/UK are limited. Clays Mill Rd is the most direct but has several schools along the way and lots of traffic. You could take Reynolds Rd to Nichoalsville Rd and going into town this will work fine. The outgoing traffic in the afternoon can be problematic (if it's during the typical rush hour). Obviously this route gets worse around Christmas time and the weekends due to the mall. Depending on where in Stonewall you are you could go over to Harrodsburg Rd and then into town. This wouldn't add that much time and might be a good alternative.
Gardenside-Just be aware that some apartments near that area are less than desirable. The further away from them the better. As far as traffic you have several options; Rosemont Garden to Harrodsburg Rd or on over to Nich Rd depending where on campus you are going, Versailles Rd (depending on where you are in Gardenside). I haven't travelled either route much at rush hour so hopefully someone else can comment in more detail on that.
One thing about Gardenside is that you will find that most of the houses will be on the small side. Also, I'm not sure of the school district for that area.
Do you have a realtor you're working with? If not I could give you several recommendations. I know for FSBO this wouldn't help but it might help with the leg work and specific subdivision questions.

[SAKaren]

If you would please send me names (DM), I would appreciate it. Thanks for your patience in answering so many questions.

[blossom4792]

Good advice from lexingtongal! I'm not a realtor, but I drive through Southland quite often and I could be on the lookout for signs (I see a lot, it seems). I'm having a terminology mental gap, but I think "Garden Springs" will get you into a great school triangle versus maybe "Gardenside". Garden Springs Elementary is well liked and Beaumont Middle and Dunbar high are highly rated. You might want to look more generally at zip 40514 which has some interesting options in that price range going to good schools. PS - there is a site called forsalebyowner; craigslist might have some by owner.

[SAKaren]

It would be wonderful if you would let me know of any houses you see as you drive through, especially FSBO. I've looked at Craig's List and will now check the FSBO site you mentioned. If you happen to see anything promising, please post about it here!

Thanks!
Karen