Anyone from the Quad Cities? (Chicago, Moline: renting, high crime, affordable house)

[phatkhat]

We are desperately seeking to leave Arkansas, and the South in general. We're looking for an affordable house, as in $65K or less. A bit of a fixer is okay. The Quad Cities seem to be the blue island in the red sea, so maybe a good place? We are 70s, but still working, and would like to have a smallish one story house. We have pets, so renting is not on the table. (Chicagoland is too big, too hectic. Though a trip there now and then for the art museum and Shedd would be great.)

Are there areas to avoid, as in high crime, or is it pretty safe? How are the health care facilities and vet clinics? I know there has to be plenty of shopping, as big as the metro is. Weather events? Floods?

How is the West End? There seem to be a number of bungalows on the market. We would like a diverse and friendly neighborhood, so? Help us out, here!

[jasperhobbs]

Originally Posted by phatkhat

We are desperately seeking to leave Arkansas, and the South in general. We're looking for an affordable house, as in $65K or less. A bit of a fixer is okay. The Quad Cities seem to be the blue island in the red sea, so maybe a good place? We are 70s, but still working, and would like to have a smallish one story house. We have pets, so renting is not on the table. (Chicagoland is too big, too hectic. Though a trip there now and then for the art museum and Shedd would be great.)

Are there areas to avoid, as in high crime, or is it pretty safe? How are the health care facilities and vet clinics? I know there has to be plenty of shopping, as big as the metro is. Weather events? Floods?

How is the West End? There seem to be a number of bungalows on the market. We would like a diverse and friendly neighborhood, so? Help us out, here!

$65K for a house is not going to give you many options. Most likely in a bad area and needing lots of work.

[phatkhat]

Okay, where are the "bad" areas to avoid? We are working class people, so we aren't looking for a McMansion, LOL.

[jasperhobbs]

Originally Posted by phatkhat

Okay, where are the "bad" areas to avoid? We are working class people, so we aren't looking for a McMansion, LOL.

I don't live in the quad cities but think you have to look at over 100K for a home pretty much everywhere. Anything under that is sketchy.

[atler8]

Originally Posted by jasperhobbs

I don't live in the quad cities but think you have to look at over 100K for a home pretty much everywhere. Anything under that is sketchy.

This post is pretty much right on the ball as being helpful and accurate.

Often the $65,000 figure you mentioned op is only going to buy a plot of land and little more than that.
But in terms of the Quad Cities, I'd guess that it's more remote, outlying, rural oriented communities on it's fringe might offer you more opportunities to find an older fixer-upper home in that price range.

Overall the Quad Cities has not been in a growth mode in any sense for decades. That lack of growth has kept the housing price surges there tamped down as compared to the rampant increases found in numerous states and metros where housing demand (and costs) are driven by growth.

The reality is that it's only been on the Iowa side where any population growth has occurred since the economic debacle experienced in the Quad Cities in the farm crisis decade of the 1980's.

[Shhon]

Best place in America

[Panther728RF]

"The Quad Cities being a blue island in a red sea", Really? Only on the Illinois side and Governor Pritzker is doing a bang up job of ruining Illinois. People are leaving Illinois in droves. Best stick to Chicago's inner city if you like blue so much. You can open a booming business selling bullet proof vests there, too. Always a good business in blue controlled evrons.

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by Panther728RF

"The Quad Cities being a blue island in a red sea", Really? Only on the Illinois side and Governor Pritzker is doing a bang up job of ruining Illinois. People are leaving Illinois in droves. Best stick to Chicago's inner city if you like blue so much. You can open a booming business selling bullet proof vests there, too. Always a good business in blue controlled evrons.

Illinois actually gained population in the 2020 census. Barely, but it did. So "leaving in droves" is not accurate.

https://www.kwqc.com/2022/05/20/illi...ion-residents/

[wjj]

Originally Posted by Kmanshouse

Illinois actually gained population in the 2020 census. Barely, but it did. So "leaving in droves" is not accurate.

https://www.kwqc.com/2022/05/20/illi...ion-residents/

Not really. Illinois is losing population at a fast rate. Second worst in the nation on a percentage of population basis. Only NY is worse. Third worst on a raw number basis (only NY and CA are worse). This takes into account the revised census numbers. Illinois's population was increasing at a decent rate the first part of the last decade included in the last census, but has consistently fallen since.

https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illin...ng-out-faster/

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by jasperhobbs

$65K for a house is not going to give you many options. Most likely in a bad area and needing lots of work.

Unfortunately that's largely true in the Quad Cities. A smaller city might be a better fit with options like Galesburg. https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...sby-6?view=map

Otherwise stick to Moline-East Moline south of CR-92