Suburbs of Louisville... (Lexington, Shelbyville, La Grange: apartments, rentals, low crime)

[ladyalicia105]

If I dont want to live in the actual city but within 15-20 minutes, where would I be looking if I wantd a house worth about 250,000, around 3,000 sq ft, maybe on an acre, new construction, low crime, good schools, catholic churches, lots of borading/riding stables??? What towns surrounding Louisville match this criteria? Im on different realtor sites to see whats avaibale for rent and I dont know what towns to put in their search engine that are just outside the city.I put in Louisville and it brings up mainly apartments. Are there specific towns I should be looking in?

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by ladyalicia105

If I dont want to live in the actual city but within 15-20 minutes, where would I be looking if I wantd a house worth about 250,000, around 3,000 sq ft, maybe on an acre, new construction, low crime, good schools, catholic churches, lots of borading/riding stables??? What towns surrounding Louisville match this criteria? Im on different realtor sites to see whats avaibale for rent and I dont know what towns to put in their search engine that are just outside the city.I put in Louisville and it brings up mainly apartments. Are there specific towns I should be looking in?

If you want that much acreage, be prepared to pay for it. This home meets all your criteria:

Farmhouse style home on 1.5 acres

Towns to search include Prospect, Crestwood, La Grange, Buckner, PeeWee Valley, Orchard Grass Hills, Goshen.

Tomocox, are you still around?

The craigslist site I linked you to has a map where you can search by location. That entire I-71 corridor near I-265 meets your needs. Keep in mind Louisville is a "merged city." This concept is not common where you are from, but essentially the city of Louisville "annexed and merged" with dozens of small cities in Jefferson County, KY. The county is relative small (less than 400 sq miles) yet many folks with a "Louisville" address do not live in a true city like area at all, but rather a subdivision or suburb.

The urban area of Louisville is inside the loop contained by I-264, and as has been mentioned here, there are great opportunities in that area for folks who like good food, culture, architecture, the arts, etc.

Another example, much more in line with the going rate for luxury rentals, but you do not get land (but rural areas are just minutes away)

http://louisville.craigslist.org/apa/3429518580.html


Still another option, even cheaper:

http://louisville.craigslist.org/apa/3476252062.html

In LaGrange, which has a cute little downtown with railroad tracks and feels more like a "small town" you would see in the NE, although its decidedly southern with of course horse farms and rural areas all around nearby.

http://louisville.craigslist.org/apa/3460713346.html

Ladyalicia, you really need to plan a trip out to the area. Believe it or not, this can be done affordably. There is a newish website where you can rent from local homeowners across the globe. While most listings are in downtown type areas, here is a very chap way to check out the area for a few days:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/306102

[rbryant]

LaGrange. Great school system and a Catholic church in town. Plenty of land around town and towards neighboring Henry county.

[ladyalicia105]

So both of you say La Grange? can someone tell me how to pronounce that? Short or long A?

Anyhow, Peter whats funny is the first link is a house for 2500 on 1.5 acres and over 3000 sq feet. I currently pay 2200 for a 1600 sq foot house with only enough land for a pool. You see why I have to move? I can get so much more down by you

[Akb1013]

What do you consider "new construction"? I'm assuming you mean built within the past year? We have friends moving out here that had criteria similar to yours and ultimately found something close but after a painstaking search, they had to make a few compromises.

For that price, you can either find the new construction or the land, but not both. It comes down to what is most important to you. I agree that La Grange is the way to go to get the bang for your buck, but it is about 30-40 minutes from downtown Louisville. Our friends found a house on 1 acre built in 2005 listed for $260,000 (and negotiated down to $240,000).

If you want to talk new construction, we are building a 2700 sq. ft. house in East Louisville (25 minutes from downtown) for just over $200,000, but our lot is 1/4 of an acre. If you have kids, Oldham County is the way to go for schools (La Grange, etc as I mentioned above), BUT if you do your research and want to gamble on hopefully getting in, you can find some great schools in Jefferson County as well. My husband and I are currently childless and both work in the city so we didn't want to go that far out, but bussing in the JCPS school system is always in the back of our minds and a bridge we'll cross when we get to it.

If you think about what's most important to you and make some slight compromises, you'll find what you're looking for - just most likely not all of it. Good luck!

[ladyalicia105]

Originally Posted by Akb1013

What do you consider "new construction"? I'm assuming you mean built within the past year? We have friends moving out here that had criteria similar to yours and ultimately found something close but after a painstaking search, they had to make a few compromises.

For that price, you can either find the new construction or the land, but not both. It comes down to what is most important to you. I agree that La Grange is the way to go to get the bang for your buck, but it is about 30-40 minutes from downtown Louisville. Our friends found a house on 1 acre built in 2005 listed for $260,000 (and negotiated down to $240,000).

If you want to talk new construction, we are building a 2700 sq. ft. house in East Louisville (25 minutes from downtown) for just over $200,000, but our lot is 1/4 of an acre. If you have kids, Oldham County is the way to go for schools (La Grange, etc as I mentioned above), BUT if you do your research and want to gamble on hopefully getting in, you can find some great schools in Jefferson County as well. My husband and I are currently childless and both work in the city so we didn't want to go that far out, but bussing in the JCPS school system is always in the back of our minds and a bridge we'll cross when we get to it.

If you think about what's most important to you and make some slight compromises, you'll find what you're looking for - just most likely not all of it. Good luck!

When I say newer construction I mean 0-15 years old so hopefully that will open up availability for me a bit. I definitely dont want to live in the thick of the city and never want to gamble with schools. I have 5 kids! Thats why Oldham sounds better to me. But by what you just said, I should be able to get a larger home on an acre as long as its a bit older.

One thing that bothers me is from what I researched there is a higher chance of tornadoes near Louisville than Lexington. And being by the river with flooding.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by ladyalicia105

When I say newer construction I mean 0-15 years old so hopefully that will open up availability for me a bit. I definitely dont want to live in the thick of the city and never want to gamble with schools. I have 5 kids! Thats why Oldham sounds better to me. But by what you just said, I should be able to get a larger home on an acre as long as its a bit older.

One thing that bothers me is from what I researched there is a higher chance of tornadoes near Louisville than Lexington. And being by the river with flooding.

The river does not flood inland in Oldham County. The difference in tornado risk is essentially negligible. Do not let that affect your move.

[NekkidFish]

I built a home in Spencer County (Fishierville address) and still miss that area! A lot less traffic than other areas, and more bang for your buck!

Good luck! Jules

[ladyalicia105]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

The river does not flood inland in Oldham County. The difference in tornado risk is essentially negligible. Do not let that affect your move.

Well thats good news!!

[rostroup]

Shelbyville, KY