Looking to move to the city

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by Amylville

Thanks for all the replies! I will look into those areas mentioned. BTW what I mean by " unrenovated home" is one that doesn't have all the beautiful woodwork removed or painted and walls all ripped down to make it more "open". On the other hand if the electrical and windows have been upgraded..well I wouldn't complain...re Tower Grove South I have read that some areas are sketchy. is that true?

Tower Grove Heights (http://towergroveheights.com/) is the best part of Tower Grove South and will have the caliber of home you're looking for. Occasional property crime can be expected as with all the other areas you're looking at, but violent crime is very very rare. Tower Grove East has some marvelous homes as well, but is definitely somewhat more sketchy.

[3240Redo]

Also consider Old North St. Louis. There are unrenovated homes available for a range of prices and the crime rates are similar to or lower than the CWE and other neighborhoods mentioned here.

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group | Working to build an Urban Village on the Edge of Downtown St. Louis :: HOMEBUYERS There are some helpful links on the right of the linked page.

[flynavyj]

Originally Posted by 3240Redo

Also consider Old North St. Louis. There are unrenovated homes available for a range of prices and the crime rates are similar to or lower than the CWE and other neighborhoods mentioned here.

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group | Working to build an Urban Village on the Edge of Downtown St. Louis :: HOMEBUYERS There are some helpful links on the right of the linked page.

ehhhhhh...if i was prepped to drop 450k on a home, I don't know if Old North St. Louis is where I'd do it. The area is making a very vibrant turn around, but depending on the economy, feasability, and future desirability it might continue or just end up as a small neighborhood in the middle of North City. I've got a friend who owns up there, and she loves it. Same time, they purchased their warehouse for $1.00 from the city, and preceeded to renovate it into a single family home...now that they have eh...6000 ish square feet of home, garage, and work area they're plenty happy...but even the renovation was significantly less than 450k...I'd rather invest in that crappy 1980's renovation in Lafayette Square, or the cheapest of houses in any of the previously mentioned suggestions.

[aragx6]

^But it's not in the middle of north city. It damn near abuts downtown. As cities gentrify -- and that's of course where the argument comes in; I believe St. Louis will continue to do so -- accessible locations with beautiful housing stock are unlikely to be a bad investment.

For current livability I'd frankly have a hard tme giving up CWE or Lafayette Square if I could afford it, but ONSL really does have a ton going for it, and in my opinion, will only continue to get better.