Another "where should we search for houses" thread (Minneapolis: foreclosures, renting)

[wenzel_777]

Good evening all,

My wife and I are currently considering a move to Minneapolis/St. Paul area. But, having been removed from the area for quite some time, I was hoping that someone could potentially relate to our current situation and offer some exceptional advice.

1) We're looking to start a family. 5+ years removed from WI/MN, we're ready to move back closer to family and friends.

2) We're young, but we're not "hipsters" (nothing against hipsters), but we're moving into our 30s, and we're done with "trendy, live-young lifestyle" and want a slower, more relaxed lifestyle. (A safe place to raise a family, still have access to conveniences, but not deep in suburbia}.

3) We want a mix of suburban/city within 30 mins. We're looking for a gem. That place that gives us close-enough access to enjoy it, but with the understanding that we'll be spending more time in the backyard bbqing, grabbing the occasional coffee (not a starbucks) with friendly neighbors, and catching a movie without having to be 30 mins away.

4) We're outdoorsy. We both grew up in a small city, so we truly appreciate the outdoors. We love walking, hiking, boating, kayaking, etc., (and we'd love an area w/ nearby access for those sat. morning workouts). We aren't looking for downtown-trendy.

5) Budget. I'd love to say it was close to $250,000 (as it seems like you can basically move into a number of nice neighborhoods at that price and get what you want). But, a realistic budget will be between 150K-200K.

6) We're not agaist foreclosures or sweat equity. Any advice on areas to zone in on would be extremely helpful.

Thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to any/all responses

[golfgal]

Any place in the metro is going to give you want you want. Outside of rush hour you can pretty much get from one end of the metro to the other in 40 minutes or less. Find out where you will be working and we can narrow down choices. Your budget is going to cause issues but if you are ok going with the foreclosure mess you will have an easier time finding something in that price range.

[wenzel_777]

Sounds strange, but proximity to where I'll be working is fairly irrelevant at this time for us. Let's just say "the heart of Minneapolis". We plan on spending more than 10 years in our home, and one of the major reasons we're moving to Minneapolis is because there is a lot of good-paying work all over the city. It's unrealistic for me to consider that I would have the same job year-after-year with all of the economic instability. I could very well be working downtown for 2 years, get fired, switch jobs and be on the N/S/E/or W edges of the city.

My family mostly lives in Western Wisconsin. So, if it's not too much trouble, maybe you could point us to some of the better areas over there?

Appreciate your input!

[golfgal]

Stillwater would be first on my list if you want to be on the east side of the metro. Proximity to work, however is important because you could move to Stillwater but find a job in Minnetonka and now you have an hour commute during rush hour. If you don't mind that then no, it's not a big deal but there isn't any one place in the Twin Cities that is going to give you easy 30 minute access to all places during rush hour.

[wenzel_777]

Thanks for the mention, golfgal. Appreciate it. Not sure if Stillwater is close enough to the center of Minneapolis. Anybody else have any recommendations? South or Southeast of the city?

[missashe]

We recently bought a home in Northeast after renting around the Uptown area, so I'll put in my two cents. We're also in our early 30's and thinking family, but not there yet - we wanted to still be able to hang out with friends, but the reality is we stay in more than we go out these days. We wanted something in the city, walkable/bikeable, near a bus line, with character for under 200. There are definitely houses in that price range, obviously the lower end need more work, but our house was pretty much move-in ready.

Pretty much every neighborhood will have outdoor space, but if want to be near a lake for kayaking, etc that will increase the home price or decrease the size. That said, we're near Columbia Park and I don't think there's anything we want to do in Mpls that's more 15 minutes away (non-rush hour).

Finally, I'll add that my boyfriend is from a small town and he loves that NE has a small town vibe. I'm still adjusting to the quiet, but on the whole it's a good balance for us.

We couldn't look at S Mpls or St Paul due to commute issues, but would have checked out Longfellow, Nokomis and Como if they had made sense for us. I'd suggest you look at those areas, as well as maybe Roseville, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale - the communities just north of St Paul by the fairgrounds. St Anthony is lovely but won't be in your budget and the other inner ring burbs might be getting too far west given your desire to be close to Wisconsin.

Good luck!

[wenzel_777]

Thanks for the great input, missashe! Really good summary & some good things to look for. Much appreciated.

[fwsavemoney]

I'd say St Louis Park would fit your needs the best. It is close to downtown Minneapolis, uptown, lake Calhoun. The only problem would be your house budget. These days it is very difficult to find a single family home in that price range in a good neighborhood.

[aus1ander]

We had a very similiar list of things we were looking for when we bought. Your budget, however, is too low to find a home to build a family in within the desirable neighborhoods in Minneapolis or St Paul. Most small 3br homes will range from 250k-350k in either city, depending on how updated they are.

We like Highland and Mac-Groveland in St Paul, has many of the things you're looking for, but I don't think your budget will work in those neighborhoods.

[Pisces69]

At that price point, look near Lake Nokomis.