Where does $500K buy you a nice house right now...

[Anonymous]

DC proper. Zip codes 20019,20020 and 20032. I would say be careful but crime is all over the city.

[Anonymous]

Shorewood and Whitefish Bay, WI
Friend of mine has been looking here. Not a ton on the market, but has seen some cute upgraded homes for less than $500k.

our fave: 450k
https://housetohometeam.com/4528-n-morris-blvd-shorewood-wisconsin-53211/

490k

https://www.klapperichrealestate.com/homes-for-sale/4147-N-Farwell-Ave-Shorewood-WI-53211-211436490

430k
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5134-N-Elkhart-Ave-Whitefish-Bay-WI-53217/110757177_zpid/

[Anonymous]

One thing that I’d highly recommend you take into consideration is proximity to good healthcare. If you have to get cancer treatment or surgery, do you want to have to drive 2+ hours away to get it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In Clark Summit PA (right outside of Scranton Pa) for $449K: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/803-Green-Tree-Dr-Clarks-Summit-PA-18411/9532667_zpid/

$450K in Waverly, which is the next town over:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/107-Upland-Ter-Waverly-PA-18471/2067741002_zpid/

$399K in an exburb of NYC:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/97-Ehrhardt-Rd-Pearl-River-NY-10965/32389777_zpid/

$449K in Manilus NY, near Syracuse:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/169-Edwards-Falls-Ln-Manlius-NY-13104/119164510_zpid/

My sister lives in Manlius! Too cold and snowy for me, but it's a lovely area. I think it is pretty popular among SU professors. Schools are fabulous.

[Anonymous]

$350K in Oakland Ca:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1514-9th-St-Oakland-CA-94607/24739078_zpid/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shorewood and Whitefish Bay, WI
Friend of mine has been looking here. Not a ton on the market, but has seen some cute upgraded homes for less than $500k.

our fave: 450k
https://housetohometeam.com/4528-n-morris-blvd-shorewood-wisconsin-53211/

490k

https://www.klapperichrealestate.com/homes-for-sale/4147-N-Farwell-Ave-Shorewood-WI-53211-211436490

430k
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5134-N-Elkhart-Ave-Whitefish-Bay-WI-53217/110757177_zpid/

Lovely homes! I like the second one best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC proper. Zip codes 20019,20020 and 20032. I would say be careful but crime is all over the city.

20019 resident here. It'll get you a nice rowhouse or semi-detached, but even EOTR the days of renovated, sub-$500K SFHs are over.

Still a great place to live as long as you don't have to worry about schools.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Upper midwest

Chicago suburbs, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee, Indianapolis

Chicago suburbs are questionable and depends on your definition of ‘nice’ and size requirements. You can probably find an 80s track home in an exurb for 500k or a slightly closer in small 60s/70s build that was maybe last renovated in the 90s for 500k. But you won’t find anything renovated and ‘nice’ by most people’s standards and definitely not in the more desirable suburbs. I think Chicago suburbs generally would require closer to a 700k budget and for the most desirable suburbs 1M+ .

Milwaukee area would have more.

This house in Oak Park is kind of boring, but I would be perfectly happy to own it.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/948-Hayes-Ave-Oak-Park-IL-60302/3798436_zpid/?

Good god, half a million for a small, hideously ugly, extremely dated house with an hour+ bus to rail commute downtown?

RIP affordable Chicago.

Yea these PPs recommending Chicago suburbs are delusional as affordable. 95% of the houses under 500k are tear downs and the rest are either exurbia (I.e 90+ minute commute) or are like 1000 sf.

Nothing meets the criteria of Nice and updated inside at that price point. Plus taxes are high which adds to the in affordability.

Not saying the chi suburbs aren’t nice, they’re very nice with great schools, but it’s not cheap to live there in the way tier 2 and 3 midwestern and southern cities are.

Brookfield is a real hidden gem. It's not as picturesque as some of the "marquee" suburbs (Oak Park, north shore, etc.) but very safe, schools are quite good (not quite New Trier level, but still good), and is a speedy commute downtown. It's nestled among some of the most desirable suburbs of the metro - Riverside, LaGrange, Western Springs, Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills. Plus it has a zoo!

This house is just an 8 minute walk to the Metra station. Sort of small, but updated. It's a 30 minute ride from Hollywood Station to Union Station.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3849-Arden-Ave-Brookfield-IL-60513/3790935_zpid/

La Grange is also delightful (more desirable than Brookfield on the "suburban hierarchy") and can be downtown in less than 1/2 hour on the train. This home is small but not too outdated and 10 minute walk to the train station.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/21-Poplar-Pl-La-Grange-IL-60525/3890703_zpid/

[Anonymous]

Chicago for sure. You can DEFINITELY get a 3 or 4 bedroom in a good school district in either the city or close in suburbs with Metra access for under $500k.

-Lifelong Chicagoan currently living in the suburbs. 5b/2a corner lot, fantastic school district, walkable to metra that has express trains in the morning taking 28 mins to downtown, great community. Paid $335k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remember that PA property taxes can be super high.
My parents pay over $14k a year for their house that is valued well under $500K
Just mentioning since the OP said lower taxes.
.

What parts of PA have high property taxes? I think Yorks are pretty high where else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chicago for sure. You can DEFINITELY get a 3 or 4 bedroom in a good school district in either the city or close in suburbs with Metra access for under $500k.

-Lifelong Chicagoan currently living in the suburbs. 5b/2a corner lot, fantastic school district, walkable to metra that has express trains in the morning taking 28 mins to downtown, great community. Paid $335k.

Which suburb?!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:DCUM has a hard-on for the suburbs

Well what big cities have single family homes for $500k?

All of them

What planet do you currently reside?

Depends on where you’re willing to live in a city. In NYC, for example, you can find SFH at that price in Queens, the Bronx & SI.

Of the 1320 properties available on SI right now, exactly 8 of them are SFHs $500k and below. Behold: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/75-Lansing-St-Staten-Island-NY-10305/32328145_zpid/

What a gem!

There are more in the Bronx & Queens

Please stop talking since you clearly don't know what you're talking about at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM has a hard-on for the suburbs

Well what big cities have single family homes for $500k?

All of them

What planet do you currently reside?

Depends on where you’re willing to live in a city. In NYC, for example, you can find SFH at that price in Queens, the Bronx & SI.

Of the 1320 properties available on SI right now, exactly 8 of them are SFHs $500k and below. Behold: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/75-Lansing-St-Staten-Island-NY-10305/32328145_zpid/

What a gem!

Very nice for a half million too!!!

The poster you're responding to has no clue at all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC proper. Zip codes 20019,20020 and 20032. I would say be careful but crime is all over the city.

20019 resident here. It'll get you a nice rowhouse or semi-detached, but even EOTR the days of renovated, sub-$500K SFHs are over.

Still a great place to live as long as you don't have to worry about schools.

NP. How's the crime over that way? We're feeling priced out of NW DC as we're not willing to go into Col Hghts, Petworth, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Virginia is honestly one of the cheaper states in the country. Pretty much everything outside of NOVA is very reasonably priced.

Not everyone is a big fan of the state of VA.