Best neighborhood to buy a house for me (Louisville, Newburg: apartment, lease)

[s19297]

Hi All. I'm considering buying my first home in Louisville. Here are my answers to some relevant questions. I'd appreciate your guidance so I don't make the wrong decision:

What region or city, if known, are you considering?
I am mainly interested in east and southeast sides; east of Germantown and Audoban Park, north of Newburg and Jtown, and west of Genview and Lyndon
Have you been here yet?
I've been living in New Albany for 3 years now
Why are you moving?
for work
Where will you be working (location, not specific company)?
I work in New Albany but mostly online so will need to commute only a couple times a week and will be able to avoid rush hours even then
Are you looking for a suburban, rural, city, or urban area?
This is my biggest dilemma. I'm single so wish to be able to meet new people. But at the same time, I do want some privacy and relaxed life style.
Will you buy or rent?
buy
If buying, are you looking for a house, a condo, or a farm?
Definitely house, nothing semi-private or town-home, camel-back or shotgun style. Gotta have private space around the building
How much can you spend?
My budget is flexible from 150K to 300K. If approaching 300K, the house has better be 4 br
Are you looking for acreage?
at least 6000 sqft in lot size and 1200 sqft in living area
Are you married or single?
single in early 30s
Do you have children?
No, but wish to have a few soon
Do you prefer public or private schools?
private
Do you have pets?
No
Do you want or need a yard?
definitely, the larger and the more private the better
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?
in between, nothing crazy and jammed like German town of course
What do you want to be closest to?
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife
basic services and shopping

I'll be happy to answer any other questions

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by s19297

Hi All. I'm considering buying my first home in Louisville. Here are my answers to some relevant questions. I'd appreciate your guidance so I don't make the wrong decision:

What region or city, if known, are you considering?
I am mainly interested in east and southeast sides; east of Germantown and Audoban Park, north of Newburg and Jtown, and west of Genview and Lyndon
Have you been here yet?
I've been living in New Albany for 3 years now
Why are you moving?
for work
Where will you be working (location, not specific company)?
I work in New Albany but mostly online so will need to commute only a couple times a week and will be able to avoid rush hours even then
Are you looking for a suburban, rural, city, or urban area?
This is my biggest dilemma. I'm single so wish to be able to meet new people. But at the same time, I do want some privacy and relaxed life style.
Will you buy or rent?
buy
If buying, are you looking for a house, a condo, or a farm?
Definitely house, nothing semi-private or town-home, camel-back or shotgun style. Gotta have private space around the building
How much can you spend?
My budget is flexible from 150K to 300K. If approaching 300K, the house has better be 4 br
Are you looking for acreage?
at least 6000 sqft in lot size and 1200 sqft in living area
Are you married or single?
single in early 30s
Do you have children?
No, but wish to have a few soon
Do you prefer public or private schools?
private
Do you have pets?
No
Do you want or need a yard?
definitely, the larger and the more private the better
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?
in between, nothing crazy and jammed like German town of course
What do you want to be closest to?
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife
basic services and shopping

I'll be happy to answer any other questions

I think Lyndon may be your best bet of afforable, not too far out, and still soem older homes with up to a half acre.


Jtown is an option too.

[ServoMiff]

St Matthews and areas thereabout might fit your criteria, but what you're specifically asking for is more of a needle in a haystack in that price range and within your geographic bounds for the home style. Might be better off looking in Southern Indiana actually.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by ServoMiff

St Matthews and areas thereabout might fit your criteria, but what you're specifically asking for is more of a needle in a haystack in that price range and within your geographic bounds for the home style. Might be better off looking in Southern Indiana actually.

can't disagree but the market has somewhat softened. It's not a total seller's market although surprisingly seller's still have a significant upper hand.

I still think Lyndon is the best bet....there are some older 1200 sq ft 1950s homes on large lots off Whipps Mill etc.

[s19297]

Thank you both for your valuable input. I can increase my budget to 300K. I have narrowed down to these areas below. Will you please choose the top 2-3, especially with regards to potential future price appreciation, school, and neighborhood's classiness and safety?
1. Lyndon
2. Jtown
3. Douglas Hill
4. Audobon park
5. St. Matthews
6. Hikes point
7. Poplar level
8. Top Sawer state park
9. Middle town

[ServoMiff]

Originally Posted by s19297

Thank you both for your valuable input. I can increase my budget to 300K. I have narrowed down to these areas below. Will you please choose the top 2-3, especially with regards to potential future price appreciation, school, and neighborhood's classiness and safety?
1. Lyndon
2. Jtown
3. Douglas Hill
4. Audobon park
5. St. Matthews
6. Hikes point
7. Poplar level
8. Top Sawer state park
9. Middle town

School isn't a guaranteed thing - not super important to you as a single person, but read up on JCPS and why it's one of the worst public school systems in the nation. There's a reason the city has the highest per-capita private school enrollment rate in the nation. People who buy in Jefferson County aren't really looking at a location for the schools exactly.

My ranking based on the other criteria you mentioned:

1) Middletown
2) St Matthews

those 2 by far, then

3) Douglass Hills
4) Jtown
5) Lyndon

Forget the rest. Sawyer Park isn't a neighborhood, and the neighborhoods around there are okay but not one I'd pick for any of your criteria.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by ServoMiff

School isn't a guaranteed thing - not super important to you as a single person, but read up on JCPS and why it's one of the worst public school systems in the nation. There's a reason the city has the highest per-capita private school enrollment rate in the nation. People who buy in Jefferson County aren't really looking at a location for the schools exactly.

My ranking based on the other criteria you mentioned:

1) Middletown
2) St Matthews

those 2 by far, then

3) Douglass Hills
4) Jtown
5) Lyndon

Forget the rest. Sawyer Park isn't a neighborhood, and the neighborhoods around there are okay but not one I'd pick for any of your criteria.

Those two neighborhoods are the nicest but also $$$$. Lyndon is still IMO the best of all worlds. That or Jtown. I like Lyndon because it is still east end but more affordable.

[ServoMiff]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

Those two neighborhoods are the nicest but also $$$$. Lyndon is still IMO the best of all worlds. That or Jtown. I like Lyndon because it is still east end but more affordable.

I am with you Peter - however, the OP asked specifically about best area for price appreciation and neighborhood classiness and safety - and using that criteria and not my own reasons for ranking, that's why I put them in the order I did.

Jtown is certainly coming up in the hip category, especially in the downtown area, but not sure it's got the same level of class that the 3 I put above them do.

Lyndon is more affordable, but dependent on WHERE you are in Lyndon. (right off Shelbyville Rd perhaps is a good spot, but IMO not near the RR tracks).

There are parts of the east end that are more affordable still for a reason. Subdivisions or areas which were super cheap 20-ish years ago who have people living there who bought when the homes were sub $100k and live like the entire neighborhood is still worth that much. Since Louisville hasn't had the transient population to shift people out of areas like that with enough speed over the last 20-30 years, it makes some of those neighborhoods much less desirable.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by ServoMiff

I am with you Peter - however, the OP asked specifically about best area for price appreciation and neighborhood classiness and safety - and using that criteria and not my own reasons for ranking, that's why I put them in the order I did.

Jtown is certainly coming up in the hip category, especially in the downtown area, but not sure it's got the same level of class that the 3 I put above them do.

Lyndon is more affordable, but dependent on WHERE you are in Lyndon. (right off Shelbyville Rd perhaps is a good spot, but IMO not near the RR tracks).

There are parts of the east end that are more affordable still for a reason. Subdivisions or areas which were super cheap 20-ish years ago who have people living there who bought when the homes were sub $100k and live like the entire neighborhood is still worth that much. Since Louisville hasn't had the transient population to shift people out of areas like that with enough speed over the last 20-30 years, it makes some of those neighborhoods much less desirable.

Good analysis Servo. Cannot disagree on anything.

[cubedeathk]

i would just buy in germantown surrounding areas, if you're young and single and don't just want to be around a bunch of families and old people. Nowhere in Louisville is manhattan. Every house in germantown has a yard and none of the houses are attached to one another, some with very large yards. All the inner city neighborhoods are literally just more neighborhoods of single family detached homes with some multi-family mixed in, not that radically different from anywhere more suburban, but with a slightly different population, and the "privacy" is no different. your friends and lovers will all live closer in, and all the activities that interest young people are closer to downtown so you'll be travelling that way all the time anyways, not to mention the benefit of living closer to New Albany. I've met a ton of young people who moved here to some suburban wasteland apartment because they could easily shop it online who couldn't wait to get out of the lease and buy or rent elsewhere.