Am I asking for too much? (West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens: best neighborhoods, for sale, real estate)

[FromUpstateNy]

Here's my current situation. I'm working in North Palm and taking night classes in Boca. I'm looking to buy somewhere in between there, preferably closer to north palm (gardens area).

Budget is around 150 or less. The only things that are important to me are an updated kitchen and a fenced backyard in a relatively safe neighborhood. My girlfriend and I have 3 dogs (2 small, 1 lab/rott) and are currently renting in Boca for a lot more than I would be spending on house payments. I'm a cash buyer and this would be my first real estate purchase.

The problem I'm having is the realtors that I've been in touch with think it's impossible to find a single-family home that suits my needs. They've told me that they generally deal with "high-end" customers and pass me off to someone else who ends up saying the same thing. Since there are so many HOA communities, it's been difficult to find a place that will accept the dogs. Pretty frustrating so far... I've done a lot of research on my own but obviously need the help of a good realtor to see things through.

I'd just like to know if what I'm looking for is realistic...and I'd also like to find a good realtor. Skylinet seems to give good advice from what I've read on here.

[skylinet]

What you are looking for is harder to find, by no means impossible, but you better get moving! Only have a couple weeks left for the credit.
There's a lot of high end properties in the NPBC area and some realtors only focus on that.
There's a couple properties that may work for you DM me and I can meet you this week some time.

[Blondie621]

I am looking for something in the 150 to 200 range of any nice area in West Palm Beach or Palm Beach Gardens.

[Ellwood]

Everything I have read, and saw when in FL this winter, appears there is a large amount of homes for sale. Can't believe the attitude of the realtors; apparently they aren't very hungry.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by Blondie621

I am looking for something in the 150 to 200 range of any nice area in West Palm Beach or Palm Beach Gardens.

Two or three bedrooms?

This is a listing in Grandview Heights (right next to Flamingo Park, and just a few houses away from the dog park at Howard Park):

736 New Jersey St, West Palm Beach | Grandview Heights | Florida Home

It's a 2 bedroom, but has a guest cottage.




You may also want to expand your search to the "South of Southern" area of West Palm Beach, which is a area of homes South of Southern Blvd.... there are a few options in the sub 200 price range. Stay east of Dixie Highway for the best neighborhoods. (Generally, a house number starting in "3" or lower, with addresses beginning in "1s" being closest to the intracoastal).

Examples:

301 Hunter St, West Palm Beach | South of Southern | Florida Home

[skylinet]

Originally Posted by Ellwood

Everything I have read, and saw when in FL this winter, appears there is a large amount of homes for sale. Can't believe the attitude of the realtors; apparently they aren't very hungry.

There's a few problems that happen in this price range. First is that often a home is only on the market for a matter of days and in many cases gets multiple offers. So buyers, as well as realtors, have to be on the ball or else they will miss out. The glut of inventory is usually represented by short sales that are still active on the market, but have offers. If a property is on the market over 60 days there's a good chance it is overpriced or poorly marketed.

Second is many buyers are expecting to get a 300k home in todays markets standards for 150k. While the value compared to a couple years back is much lower, if a house is listed at 200k you probably aren't going to get it for 100k.

Third is that most of the inventory in this price range is short sales. While the process is getting better, the amount of waiting and garbage a realtor (not to mention buyer/seller) have to deal with is awful.

If you are using FHA financing it's tougher to get your offer through in many cases because that usually means you need seller credits towards closing costs.

I just had a couple who I showed probably 40-50 homes to and submitted six offers with over 5 months. I found out from a friend that they called a listing agent and are buying a home through them.

It's very easy for a realtor to get discouraged with the expectations and problems that happen in the market. If you find a good realtor that is willing to work hard for you please show them some loyalty as well.

Sorry to rant, have a nice day!

[Reedsmit]

There are neighborhoods in Palm Beach Gardens that are not in gated communities. These would be older homes - between Northlake to the south, Military Trail to the west, Burns Rd. to the north and Alt A1A to the east.

These are family orinated neighborhoods. Holly Drive tends to be high traffic due to P.B. Gardens High School being on Holly Drive and Military Trail. But there are many side streets such as Daphne that have very nice homes. I am sure a drive through the neighborhoods will turn up "For Sale" signs.

Good luck.