First home purchase next year need help (Memphis, Bartlett: short sales, foreclosures)

[SippiStateBulldogs]

The wife and I are ready to purchase a home. We currently rent a house on the edge of Hickory Hill. We are African-American I am mixed (Black,Scots-Irish, Choctaw/Cherokee)but one drop rule you know. That being said we do not want to live in another neighborhood like our current one. Our max budget is $99,000. We also plan on having kids. So far only 38125 is in play. I already know about some of the negatives of 38125 but we already have family living there and are familiar with the area. As said before we are Black so we can deal with that neighborhood since most of the people there work. We just do not want live around the ghetto people with no jobs, single parent homes, and scores of teenage Black boys who just roam the streets when they should be in school. East Memphis and Mid-Town are not in play because we like space and do not want to be in the city. Those areas are nice and many people from my job try to convince us to move there. We prefer to live outside the city limits somewhere where republicans have more political power as we are conservative. So can y'all recommend some areas/cities in Shelby county that are okay with houses under $99,000? I would just move to desoto county but my job requires I live in Shelby county. I saw a couple of houses in collierville for under $99,000 but they were in the southeast part near byhalia road. I have heard people on here say that area is not to good. I thought all of collierville was good. So I figured the reason it must not be so good according to people on here is because more Blacks live there. What kind of diversity are we talking about here ghetto or middle class? I can do middle class but I refuse to do ghetto. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[eastmemphisguy]

Memphis is annexing Southwind on Jan 1, so if you don't want to be in the city, keep an eye on the annexation boundary. Honestly, you don't sound very enthusiastic about your area. What areas do you like? Would you consider a condo in an area where the houses are above your budget? I'm guessing no because you because you said you want space, but you could afford a unit in Germantown's Fountain Square, which isn't so far from 38125. I know you said East Mem is out, but I'd urge you to take a look at my neighborhood, just north of White Station Middle. We often have houses in your price range and we have excellent schools and a very stable neighborhood. Bartlett will have some houses too, but that's getting far from your area. Good luck to you!

[SippiStateBulldogs]

Yea your right forgot about annexation. That is probably why our aunt is selling her house over there. She wants to move to Collierville, Piperton, or Olive Branch. I am not to enthusiastic about my neighborhood. Yes I would be willing to do a condo or townhome. I want space but I also mean where the neighborhood/area was not crowded. So I could do a condo in a town that is spread out. I will look at the area near white station. 38125 though is not the area I am trying to stay around. It is just somewhere I am considering. I prefer under $99,000 but can do $120,000. And actually after touring shelby county on a sunday afternoon I found I really like Arlington. So anymore advice would greatly be appreciated. Thanks. Any part of shelby county is in play.

[eastmemphisguy]

The hard thing about housing advice is that everybody likes different things. I wouldn't want to commute from Arlington into town, but you may have no problem with that. A lot of people would say my house is small, but it suits me fine. Less to clean, furnish, and heat. One thing I would say is to figure out a budget first and stick to it. Easier said than done, I know. Everybody wants a nice house they can be proud of. But it's such a long term cash commitment! You never know what life is going to throw at you, and you have to make those payments no matter what happens down the road. Try to leave yourself some breathing room financially.

[tigerphan]

Any parts of Cordova excite you? Hacks Cross/Winchester area isn't a bad place to start your search but expect highe property taxes (and thus lower property values) after annexation. I wouldn't buy anything that didn't have that priced in.

I'm not a big fan of condos really and I'd avoid them if they weren't along the Poplar corridor.

Only problem with Arlington (or Collierville) is the commute. If you've got a fuel efficient car, this might work. I could run down a particular street in Collierville and report back if you have any questions but don't feel like driving out here. There are two streets in C'ville that concern me but the whole town is incredibly safe and quiet. The cops here are awesome too.

[Tigertate]

Bartlett, Cordova, and The Hacks Cross area come to mind. Its is going to be hard to find anything that is not really old or really small anywhere else in Shelby County in that price range. You may also want to check out the 38114 area near Holmes Rd and Riverdale. That area is not in the City and is still pretty nice (mostly black middle class homeowners).

[eastmemphisguy]

^^^^^^^^
That's 38141. 38114 is Orange Mound, not where I'd send anybody.

[butterfinger2004]

Cordova is a good place to look. My husband and I moved here a few years ago from out of state and knew nothing/very little about the area, so we ended up settling in Cordova. When we decided to purchase a home, our budget was around 100,000 and we ended up getting a 4bdr, 3ba home for around 103,000. It was a short sale, so we got a great deal on it! You can definitely find a home out here for under 100,000. You may also want to check out short sales and foreclosures for good deals. But be careful because sometimes you may have to put a lot of work into it depending on the condition of the home

[SippiStateBulldogs]

Originally Posted by Tigertate

Bartlett, Cordova, and The Hacks Cross area come to mind. Its is going to be hard to find anything that is not really old or really small anywhere else in Shelby County in that price range. You may also want to check out the 38114 area near Holmes Rd and Riverdale. That area is not in the City and is still pretty nice (mostly black middle class homeowners).

I already live in 38141. Also I do not mind if the neighborhood is majority Black or not. I am looking for a neighborhood where most of the people have jobs or are retired, good schools (public/private), if a lot of children in the area then stable two parent homes, no grafitti, etc... I do not care what color the people are. I just put out the disclaimer to let those know giving me advice that I am comfortable with a predominately Black area so long as it is not ghetto. I live in 38141 and it is a little to ghetto for my taste. Some blocks are nice then you go another block over and there are groups of Black male teenagers hanging out in the middle of the day with their pants sagging, using profanity, etc... My neighbor is 13 and his brother is 15 and I have never seen them go to school. When I am on vacation or off on a weekday they ask me for cigarettes at 10am. Also I had my $25 dollar bbq grill from Fred's stolen while on vacation in Orange Beach, Alabama from my backyard. So it is a little to ghetto for me. Also as stated I am looking for an area with more republicans and or conservatives in it. I believe politics do matter and I have seen all I need to see from the Black run democratic political machine in Memphis.

[Tigertate]

Originally Posted by eastmemphisguy

^^^^^^^^
That's 38141. 38114 is Orange Mound, not where I'd send anybody.

Meant 38141, my bad