Craftsman house for max $100,000 (Salem, Baker City: houses, neighborhoods, buy)

[Topo]

Looking for an area in OR that I can purchase an older craftsman house for under $100,000.....I like nice riverfronts, and cutesy, nostalgic downtowns, but I don't know if there is anywhere in OR that I can still afford. Does anyone know of a reasonable place to live in OR?

[bobmulk]

No, not in this state.

[freedom]

If you found one close to that it would most likely need 100k in remodeling.
Land is tough to find for under 100k.

freedom

[little peg]

Originally Posted by Topo

Looking for an area in OR that I can purchase an older craftsman house for under $100,000.....I like nice riverfronts, and cutesy, nostalgic downtowns, but I don't know if there is anywhere in OR that I can still afford. Does anyone know of a reasonable place to live in OR?

The market is really high in the state, 25 years ago you could have found what you are looking for but I highly doubt is now, do you need to stay in oregon?

[Topo]

No not really just researching the NW area.......! Did you have a suggestion or two?

[SeattlitefromNC]

Originally Posted by Topo

Looking for an area in OR that I can purchase an older craftsman house for under $100,000.....I like nice riverfronts, and cutesy, nostalgic downtowns, but I don't know if there is anywhere in OR that I can still afford. Does anyone know of a reasonable place to live in OR?

If the housing price is the main consideration, look east (eastern Washington and eastern Oregon).

The trade-off is that you'll be further from some of the "cutesy downtowns", as it were. But, you'll definitely be able to afford a lot more in land.

[goozer]

Originally Posted by Topo

Looking for an area in OR that I can purchase an older craftsman house for under $100,000.....I like nice riverfronts, and cutesy, nostalgic downtowns, but I don't know if there is anywhere in OR that I can still afford. Does anyone know of a reasonable place to live in OR?

I agree with all of the posters -- it will not be possible to find what you are looking for in the state of Oregon. You have two strikes against you regarding your goal: First, Oregon does not have much in the way of single family homes that can be had for $100k. Second, craftsman-style homes are very popular and generally more expensive than similar sized homes in the same neighborhood that are not craftsman style. In fact, you will see a trend in many neighborhoods in cities throughout the country to build nouveau craftsman style houses that are new construction and have a craftsman style exterior, but also have 3000+ square feet of living space (unlike the smaller originals that were built from 1910-1940. This trend is fed by the fact that a LOT of people admire the craftsman style architecture, as it has much more character than the bland cookie cutter homes found in many new suburban neighborhoods.

I think you will need to think about whether you would rather live in Oregon and spend more than 100k on a house, or whether you might consider living somewhere else, and even get a craftsman-style house, in a state that is not Oregon. For instance, Youngstown OH has the lowest median home price (for a mid-size or larger city) in the United States (something like $89k). Also, as a depressed rust belt city that still has a lot of architecture dating to the early 1900s, you might be able to find a craftsman-style home in your price range. I realize that Youngstown ain't Oregon, but it is (unfortunately) your best bet for a 100k craftsman home.

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by SeattlitefromNC

If the housing price is the main consideration, look east (eastern Washington and eastern Oregon).

The trade-off is that you'll be further from some of the "cutesy downtowns", as it were. But, you'll definitely be able to afford a lot more in land.

You are right about housing being more affordable in Eastern Oregon. Here in Baker City you can still buy a very livable house for $100,000. If the original poster is willing to wait, a Craftsman style house might come on the market.

Just go to realtor dot com and search for zip 97814.

Baker City does have a very nice restored downtown with a lot of beautiful historic buildings. I don't know if you would call it "cutsey" - that's how I might describe Sister's downtown, with the faux old-time store fronts.

Baker City downtown:
http://historicbakercity.com/
//www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv1579.php
http://www.geisergrand.com/temp/index.html

Of course, this part of Oregon might not be to everybody's liking, with the change of seasons and limited rainfall. Click on the first 14 links on this Web site (starting with "Baker City, Oregon" and ending with "Phillips Lake") to see what it is like:
http://www.oregonicons.com/

[jm21]

Don't forget the weather in eastern OR is very different from western, as is the culture, and the scenery as well...further from the beaches...I wouldn't want to live there.

[Silverfall]

I don't think there is anything along the I-5 corridor that would support that price. As house on Court St in the Historic District in Salem with NO FOUNDATION sold not too long ago for $125,000 and it needs over $100,000 worth of work.