Moving to Ft Wayne - couple 50s no kids (Fort Wayne: for sale, real estate)

[Cyounginnyc]

My company is relocating me from NYC to Ft Wayne. They are building a new corporate office downtown. We are not bar people but enjoy good restaurants. We are active and hike, kayak and golf. Housing budget is $150-250,000. We don't need a big house. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath. Some land would be really nice (but not a deal breaker). Any recommendations as to where to look?

[cdr18]

Housing budget of 150-250,000? You will LOVE Fort Wayne. You can find a very nice home for this!

The only area of the city to avoid is the southeast. Other than a few immediate downtown neighborhoods, the city is very safe. The northwest and southwest portions of the city feature the most variety of shopping and are the fastest growing parts of the city. Land is fairly cheap as well. The downtown is experiencing a rebirth so that might be some place to look as well. As far as hiking and kayaking.....well... you may have to travel for that.

[ischyros]

Like the previous poster said, most of the shopping and restaurants will be on the north side or southwest side. The northeast side around Dupont Rd and I-69 has really been booming as has the area on the northwest side around Lima Rd and Dupont. You won't have any problems finding a house for $150-200,000 at all. Especially only wanting 3 bedrooms. And most parts of the city you can be downtown within 15-20 minutes.

Based on what you've said, I would suggest southwest Fort Wayne. There seems to be a better selection of restaurants. There are several in the Glenbrook area on the north side but Coliseum Blvd can be a nightmare sometimes. On the southwest side you'd have quick access to some hiking at Fox Island County Park or you can hope onto I-69 south and go to Oubache State Park (pronounced Wabash) near Bluffton. The longest trail there is a little over 6 miles. I loved hiking that trail when I lived in Fort Wayne, and there's an old fire tower you can climb if you aren't scared of heights. They also have a large lake that I know you can rent paddle boats. Not sure if it's good for kayaking. The Wabash River runs along there and you might be able to kayak it. Otherwise a bit northwest of Fort Wayne is Chain O'Lakes State Park which has great kayaking opportunities along with some hiking. Both parks have camping if you're into that as well.

Hope this helps a bit!

[belovenow]

Originally Posted by Cyounginnyc

My company is relocating me from NYC to Ft Wayne. They are building a new corporate office downtown. We are not bar people but enjoy good restaurants. We are active and hike, kayak and golf. Housing budget is $150-250,000. We don't need a big house. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath. Some land would be really nice (but not a deal breaker). Any recommendations as to where to look?

Previous posters are on target. I moved here from NYC over 12 years ago... just be prepared for culture shock. You will be in the Midwest now, people are nicer but definitely different. I recommend moving to an apartment/temporary housing until you get the lay of the land (too many friends and my own family included, were rushed into buying a home by relocation-services timelines, only to learn later that spending more time investigating real estate pays dividends in this vicinity).

There are two zip codes in the SouthWest (SW) Fort Wayne vicinity. 46804 has older homes, land, woods, paths, etc (and thus better values in my opinion) over by Liberty Mills Rd and Coventry Rd. If you travel further from Downtown area (towards the west) there is 46814. Newer neighborhoods/homes and higher prices. There are some hidden gem neighborhoods in both zip codes that your realtor probably won't show you unless you find the listings yourselves... neighborhoods that offer upper-scale locations/large homes/lots of land hidden behind trees or in otherwise secluded areas. There's so much real estate for sale in and around Ft Wayne, that to be thorough in your search you will want to see a lot of properties. Keep in mind another thing, with rare exception, purchased real estate in Fort Wayne doesn't change value enough to recoup expenses unless you stay for many years, so it's not to be viewed as an investment (as it would be in NYC).

[tkhk3746]

you will be shocked at how much you can purchase for the money! Enjoy!

[Toxic Toast]

Don't overlook the area of 46807; there are a lot of nice older homes in that area and close to the center of Fort Wayne.