Need help deciding which house to buy in Columbia (Maryland Heights: neighborhoods, college)

[jdizzle]

We're hoping to make an offer on a house in Columbia next week...we just haven't find "the one" yet! There are several subdivisions on our "finalists" list:

Dakota Ridge
Maryland Heights
Springdale Estates
Greystone (Lake of the Woods exit)

My fiance and I are young (25), no kids (but plan to in the future). We are planning on staying in this house for 5-10 years and then upgrading, so resale value is a concern for us. We also have a dog, so pet-friendly neighborhoods would be ideal. I'd also like to live near other young families (not college students). Safety is also important.

If you live in one of these subdivisons, or have friends/family who do, please share your experience.

We're also open to other suggestions. As we're just starting out, we're mostly looking in the $130-$160K range. I haven't done a lot of research, but I don't think we can afford to live comfortably in the SW with that money. Thoughts?

Oh, and we're also looking at a few homes in Ashland. How is the resale value on these homes? How's the commute?

Thanks!

[aragx6]

you're probably right that the SW side is a bit out of your price range, but down south along K near Rock Bridge SP could work really well for you. I thought this house looked very nice: Single Family Home - 1110 W AZOROS DR, COLUMBIA, MO, 65203 - Realtor.com

Not sure about specific subdivision names (I'm not always so good at names!) but the one of Lake of the Woods seems like it could be a very good investment. It's growing up quickly there, but I like it better than the north side already and it's a bit less overbuilt.

With the Stadium extension finally seeming to be making progress (perhaps others know more about this than I do) you'll be far closer to the "action" over the course of time, but I haven't seen too much student-type housing go up over there (as compared to the north side)

Personally, with the way Mizzou is growing, I think most areas are a pretty solid investment right now. There was some massive overbuilding, and it's going to take a little while to stabilize, but if you know you'll be in your house 5+ years, I feel pretty confident that you will be fine.