Living in the city of Lexington less than 200K?

[Tory]

to Micah Girl - Since you originated this thread, I just wanted to say a big "Thanks" for getting such a wonderful discussion going! I have learned so much from these posts and others. Hope your search in Kentucky goes well!

[ic-epi]

Tory -- I have good friends who moved from Iowa to Eugene, Oregon a few years ago. They love all of the outdoor activities! However they have found the public school system to be less than what they had hoped for (they have 2 elementary aged kids who they now send to private school) and they are frustrated with the cost of housing and the traffic.

[Micah Girl]

Originally Posted by Tory

to Micah Girl - Since you originated this thread, I just wanted to say a big "Thanks" for getting such a wonderful discussion going! I have learned so much from these posts and others. Hope your search in Kentucky goes well!

I must say I not only love this forum, I think I may be addicted!

[Tory]

to ic-epi - Thanks for your post about Eugene. My husband lived there for a few years when he was a pre-teen! (he's almost 55 now, so we're talking about 43+ years ago!!) You're so right about the cost of living being higher - as it is in Portland, too. We certainly won't get as much house for the $ if we decide on Oregon. That is one of the main reasons we are favoring Kentucky! But, Oregon is so beautiful we're going to give it one more look before we decide!

[Tory]

to Micah Girl - I totally agree that this forum is addicting!!

[Chief Suspect]

As a general observation; not pre-supposing you fit here: The problem with purchasing a home anywhere seems to be the desire to buy as much as one can afford in a nice place. Well and good. But, few take into consideration the need to maintain and upkeep and improve. Your new house doesn't stay that way automatically just paying the mortgage. One home in a neighborhood that is well manicured, upkept, clean of debris and weeds, goes light-years toward influencing surrounding others to attempt doing likewise. Plus .. with the present day crash of mortgage and realty markets using old Mark to Market evaluation of properties, it may be possible over the coming months and years to have a really pristine stand-out castle of a home surrounded by lesser evaluated homes. We're learning that homes are as individual as people. The notion of Location-Location-Location is falling by the wayside.

[timelesschild]

Originally Posted by Micah Girl

I have checked out lbarmls.com and realtor.com to look at houses in and around Lexington. I see that there are indeed 4 bedroom houses well under 200K available, but it's hard for me to know what the neighborhoods are like.

In general, can you get a decent house with 4 BR and a yard for the kids in a safe, nice neighborhood (not fancy, just nice) in Lexington city limits?

I am visiting next month and will be looking at houses but am still trying to figure out exactly how far our money can go in advance.

Thanks!

Absolutely. Look in Southland. Safe, nice, 4BR houses with 1/4 acre yards and some have basements. Walkable, a farmer's market and plenty of parks. Convenient to everything. And safe, safe, safe. In the 14 years total that we lived in Southland, we never locked a door, and never had a problem.

ETA: whoops, I just noticed that this was an old resurrected thread. Well, it's still true.