South/Southwest Minneapolis Neighborhoods? (Eden Prairie, Edina: houses, buy, construction)

[Ceolas]

Hi, Everyone,

My husband and I may be relocating, and the potential job is in Eden Prairie. We have no kids (and no need for a large lot, in fact, we prefer the smallest lot we can find), in our early/mid-30s. I really like Bryn Mawr, but the square footage for the money gives me the chills (1800 sq ft including the basement, 1 garage space, 1.5 baths, 350K, anyone?). If the job works out, we may just suck it up and find something in that neighborhood anyway, but I'm wondering if I could get some suggestions as to other similar areas that may be a slightly better value in terms of price and space. I keep finding great houses in the Central neighborhood, but I'm thinking those may be too good to be true. I'd love some opinions, so please feel free to let 'em rip!

Thank you...

[becky609]

I LOVE SW Mineapolis - we just moved from NYC and bought here. It is a 2 bed 1 bath , small yard and a basement - but oh so close to everything from the Lakes to shopping!! Just had to let you know. I can't comment on the other areas becoz I am still relatively new.

[Ceolas]

Thank you for letting me know. Everything I've seen so far tells me it's a great area. If you don't mind telling me, I'd love to know which neighborhood you've ended up in...

[Slig]

If you're looking for more affordable housing, check out Powderhorn, Longfellow and Nokomis. A house with those specs in good shape will run you about half of what you'll pay in Bryn Mawr.

[Ceolas]

Thank you! I will check those out now...

[becky609]

Originally Posted by Ceolas

Thank you for letting me know. Everything I've seen so far tells me it's a great area. If you don't mind telling me, I'd love to know which neighborhood you've ended up in...

We live by 50th & france - I think it's on the border of Edina...

[Camden Northsider]

You're right to be questioning that price for the square footage. Although it is a great area close to tons of amenities, and it has seemed to retain high property values throughout the tenuous market decline, in my humble and non-professional opinion I would assume the values there have peaked and are not likely to be increasing anytime soon, but that's just a laymen's theory.

Our neighborhood is awesome, and the housing stock is very similar to what you would find in Bryn Mawr, however the people here would likely be fairly different - the neighborhood is definitely not hoity-toity (for lack of a better term) like areas of SW and people here are likely much more down to earth, diverse, and probably younger on average (although there are a fair amount of retirees in the neighborhood so maybe not) - the neighborhood similarly is close to parks, lakes, and shopping.

I am taking some license as your post asks about S/SW Mpls and our neighborhood (Victory) is actually in the NW corner of Mpls, but I chose to bring it up as Bryn Mawr straddles the western border between North and South Mpls - IMO going 30 - 40 blocks directly north of there isn't too big of a deal for commute time to Eden Prairie as Hwy 100 is a very close and easy access (in 3 different locations) from here - it would actually be faster to E.P. than most South Mpls neighborhoods as you have much less city traffic to deal with before acessing an actual highway.

To see what your price range would get in our neighborhood, check out the following MLS listings currently on the market (note that a number of these are on Victory Memorial Parkway which further increases their value, moving inland in the neighborhood would get you even more for the $):

Listing # 3541436 - 3 bed, 4 bath, 2826 SF - $389,900
Listing # 3507843 - 3 bed, 2 bath, 2792 SF - $299,995
Listing # 3546029 - 4 bed, 2 bath, 1650 SF - $299,900
Listing # 3544196 - 3 bed, 2 bath, 1732 SF - $284,900

[Ceolas]

Thank you! I will check those now. The more I look at all of the little neighborhoods (from Edina, all the way into the city, both north and south), the more excited I am about the possibility of a move to the area. There seems to be a ton of character no matter what you choose, it's just a matter of finding the right fit it seems...

Are there any neighborhoods that would be considered somewhat unsafe, or that you'd just generally caution against for safety reasons?

[nick is rulz]

Why not buy in Harrison just bordering Bryn Mawr? I live there, and its quite nice south of Glenwood.

[Clifford63]

I lived in Fulton for 15 years and it is wonderfull for living, shopping and very safe. Linden hills is a little more money, but closer to the lakes. Armatage is also a good neigborhood and has some more affordable homes. I would also suggest St. Louis Park, but your really do want to avoid higway 100 as it is a parking lot during rush hour even after the upgrades. 169 is probably just as bad and those are the two ways to Eden Prairie. Some areas of Edina are on par with SW Minneapolis on price, so that is worth checking. Specifically south of 54th street and east of France. Some have wells, which is a surprise you need to watch for. I worked in Eden Prairie, and best route from SW Minneapolis is 62 West to 212. Better going out in the morning, than home in evening, but not a bad commute at all. 10 minutes out 20 minutes back. Construction on 62 near 35W will skew things a bit, and this is a very long range project. There are routes to Eden Prairie that avoid highways, but they are less than straight forward and not likely to save time unless there is a big wreck.

Prices are down lately, but still pretty steep for the sq footage. Comes down to what you value more. Time or Space. Further you drive the lower price per sq foot. With gas prices likely to stay high, you can easily add $300 a month for travel costs pretty quick. Might be worth some crunching to see what your gas savings will add to your purchase price. Sticking money in the house instead the tank is a good thing and you also get more tax deductions for interest and property tax. Figure $4000-$5000 as ballpark for property tax in SW Minneapolis. Higher than most suburbs by a fraction of a percent which amounts to a few hundred bucks or so.