Moving to Springfield (Ozark, Campbell: apartment, rent, crime)

[BigRedIdiot]

Hoping locals can offer advice and opinions.

Scenario:

Single male in 50s.
Will rent apartment while seeking job and older cheaper house to buy in Springfield.

Have not omitted possibly being a wee bit outside Springfield but want to avoid long commutes and want acces to city services such as water/sewage/etc.

Options: buy existing house in older part of town, up to 50K$ or, buy a dump really cheap and tear it down and.... 1. small stick-built basic box house or plop a small modular house there (is that allowed?)

Looking at west of Hwy 13. On the Web saw affordable places with fairly large lots.

Would install steel doors, deadbolts, bar the windows if necessary.

I am a husky keep-to-himself kind of guy who interacts with neighbors as little as possible.

Any advice about the "poorer" areas? Will stay away from the colleges. Are the zoning restrictions real strict in the "poorer" parts of town? If I build I would want a 500 or 600 square foot mini-house. Would like a finished basement to allow escape from noisy neighbors to allow decent sleeping.

Anyone with knowledge to share would receive immense kudos and accolades from little old me!!!!!

TIA

[8 SNAKE]

With the size of home and budget that you're working with, you should be able to find a home throughout Springfield and not be limited to "poor" areas. Honestly, Springfield doesn't have areas that require bars on the windows and steel doors. The community is pretty safe as a whole.

I'm afraid that I can't answer your question about zoning laws and modular homes. I would imagine that you'd find it most economical to purchase a home and live in it, rather than tear one down and rebuild. Perhaps you can find a home that needs a little TLC and fix it up while you live there. That may give you the best bang for your buck.

[aragx6]

Figuring there were at least a few options in that price range I hopped on realtor.com and was shocked to discover 62 homes in Springfield under $50k, some of them look downright cute.

[8 SNAKE]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Figuring there were at least a few options in that price range I hopped on realtor.com and was shocked to discover 62 homes in Springfield under $50k, some of them look downright cute.

Another good local site is gsbor.com (greater Springfield board of realtors).

[BigRedIdiot]

Thanks for the input.

[mrschilicook]

There are also lots of small towns around here that might fit your bill where you can still get city sewer and water. There are a couple of areas in Springfield I wouldn't care to live up around northern Springfield, but there are many older neighborhoods where the houses don't sit on top of each other (so you don't have to hear them).

There are zoning restrictions as far as modulars and/or mfg. homes depending on where your talking about both inside and outside of the cities.

I wouldn't worry about needing steel doors or bars on the windows. Most areas aren't that bad. And people here leave you alone unless you want to interact. This area if very respectful of the individual.

[C44]

I to am moving to Springfield. I have been searching and reading all over this forum for information. I have to say that most people sound like they really love Springfield.
Are there parts of Springfield that should be avoided at all costs when looking into property? I am looking for a very small place-60k to 70k, that's my budget. I know I'm looking at a fixer upper-that's ok, just want to avoid the really bad (high-crime rate) areas.
Also, are there any Asian grocery markets in Springfield?

[8 SNAKE]

C44 - there really aren't any high-crime parts of Springfield. The area feels much more like a small town (with a lot of people) than a city. In general, people will say that the northern half of town is less desirable than the southern half, but neither is a dangerous place to live.

With a budget of $60-70k, I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised at your housing options.

I'm not aware of any Asian grocery stores, but some of our local grocers have ethnic sections.

[Ozark-Baby]

Originally Posted by 8 SNAKE

C44 -
I'm not aware of any Asian grocery stores, but some of our local grocers have ethnic sections.

There is a nice little oriental market on Campbell that I like to frequent when I need some things for an oriental supper.

Seoul Oriental Market
2768 S. Campbell
417-881-2311

It is mostly Korean but they have plenty of other things and the fresh Korean fish rolls, like sushi, are to die for.

[8 SNAKE]

Originally Posted by Ozark-Baby

There is a nice little oriental market on Campbell that I like to frequent when I need some things for an oriental supper.

Seoul Oriental Market
2768 S. Campbell
417-881-2311

It is mostly Korean but they have plenty of other things and the fresh Korean fish rolls, like sushi, are to die for.

Cool! I wasn't aware of that store, so I'll have to remember it is there.