Best Place to Buy if your budget is only $215,000 (Sacramento: middle-class, for sale)

[JenM1930]

Real estate prices seem to be all over the place in Sacramento. Can people recommend a good neighborhood to buy that is convenient to Downtown/Midtown? I don't have kids and I like to walk to places rather than being chained to my car.

[wburg]

JenM: If you want someplace convenient to Downtown/Midtown, I suggest looking in Downtown/Midtown. Check on the Sacramento Bee's "MetroList" Homes - sacbee.com and search for homes in the 95814/95816 ZIP codes.

If you can afford a little more, like around $225-275, beautiful Midtown bungalows start to appear. Below that point, right now there are either condos or serious fixers (as in places that aren't currently inhabitable.) But it's certainly do-able...and if you don't have kids and like to walk places, living in Midtown is where it's at.

[GLS]

Originally Posted by JenM1930

Real estate prices seem to be all over the place in Sacramento. Can people recommend a good neighborhood to buy that is convenient to Downtown/Midtown? I don't have kids and I like to walk to places rather than being chained to my car.

Sorry this isn't an answer to your question, but my first thought was, "I wonder how many people from other states browsing this forum are thinking: The budget is ONLY $215K!"

Good luck in your search.

[CityGirl72]

If your budget is low, and you don't have kids. I'd advise getting a condo. You'll get something VERY nice for $200K right now

[JenM1930]

Thanks for your answers. In my online search, I've seen that there are some places outside of midtown that seem to fit with my $215K budget. I guess I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on those neighborhoods. I don't really want to live in a condo. I wish I had more of a down payment so I could afford more for a house, but I probably could only get up to $225,000.

[wburg]

JenM: Tell us what neighborhoods you are looking at. Some are fine, some are...not fine.

If you can edge up to around $275 there are some very cute Midtown houses for sale these days.

[quickfingerz]

I live in Gardenland. Crime is relatively low despite being close to South Natomas and Del Paso Heights. Our consistently traffic-less drive to/from downtown is less than 10 minutes. $225K would buy you 2000+ sq ft, built within the last 10 years.

North Natomas would be your next best option, but commute times should average about 20 minutes depending on traffic.

[Mr. Ozo]

You can get a nice place in North Oak park, if you can tolerate the level of the neighborhood. Since you don't have kids, it might work, I know a lot of people who live there, and Midtown is a 5 min bike ride. It's really not that bad, and it's centrally located.

[camilleyun]

I recently looked at some homes in Tallac Village and the medical center (i.e. part of Oak Park?) recently. Some definitely needed work but some did not. And my price range was below this person's. I think he/she can find something, if motivated and you have a good real estate agent. Some of the homes that are <200k don't have central air...just window units with a centralized fan system in the home. There are some short sales around that have been totally fixed up inside that are <200k...most are tiny houses though (I mean <1000 sq feet and only 1 bathroom). I don't know about the school districts though...didn't chedk because I have no kids.

[wburg]

Tallac Village/Colonial Heights/Tahoe Park is kind of an inexpensive funky area, it's not particularly bad but definitely not hoity-toity. Technically Oak Park is on the west side of Stockton and farther north. The neighborhood used to be a streetcar suburb: the streetcar line ran down Stockton Boulevard and turned down 21st Avenue (there's a big grassy patch in the middle, freight trains actually ran there until the sixties.) They didn't build the houses very big because it was intended as middle-class housing, but they built them smarter then so they use space pretty efficiently. Pretty sure the schools are terrible.

It's not handy via public transit now, but it's a pretty close drive and the houses are cheap and have some character.