Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I can get you a new house <$200,000.
You need to decide if it is WHERE you want to live.
The farther out you get, the cheaper the dirt and development.
I can get you a new house <$200,000.
You need to decide if it is WHERE you want to live.
The farther out you get, the cheaper the dirt and development.
Not really. You have to get into rural places like West TX, Kansas, Okla, etc. Anywhere around DFW is now way beyond most builders building a $200k home. It's hard to build a home here much below $300k but can be done.
A home that was costing $350 just a few years backis now running $500+.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,186,228 times
Reputation: 57821
They build to suit the demand, and price at what the local market can bear, after land and construction cost to maximize profits. Our newest development underway nearby is 140 homes. They start at $849,000, and are 5-6 bedrooms, 4,000 sf and up. A 5,000 sf vacant lot here would go for over $200k. Less than 50 miles away, in places with few jobs, less desirable schools, and more crime, you can buy new homes for under $300k.
My ex and I bought a brand new 900 s.f. starter home back in 1980, and for us it sounded better than it lived. It was our first home and the last thing we needed on top of a crushing mortgage was to have to buy window coverings (for a whole house, they add up!), build terraces and put in topsoil and a lawn (the yard was just rocks and unimproved), and do the many other things we needed to do in order to make the house comfortable. The house didn't even have a hook to hang my bathrobe from in the bathroom or anywhere else in the house. OK, that's a little thing but it was kind of a last straw for me. All these things would have been done already if it had been a used house. For example, if we had bought a used starter home instead, we could have specified in our offer that the window coverings had to remain. I dunno, it just seemed like we were "bleeding money" for the first few months with that house.
I am just a homeowner and not a real estate expert. However if I was just starting out, I think I'd buy a 50+ year old small house with one bathroom as my starter house. Those one bathroom houses can be a lot cheaper than two bathroom houses and the extra money could be saved or used to pay off the house early. Then, after some equity is built up one could probably move to a brand new house more easily.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
