how much did you pay for your house?

[neeleymartin]

not trying to find out your financial status, but more how much you get/got for your money.

i was just watching house hunters and am always amazed at what you can get for the same price in another state. makes me nauseated.

we bought our 3bdrm 1bth ranch on .25 acres, built in 1978 in 2003 for 242,500. it is just about 1000sq ft. we had to replace the furnace, the hot water heater, the roof, basically anything important to keep up to date. this was the crappiest house in the 'hood. middle class. we wouldn't move for the world and this house was a killer deal at the time.

don't feel pressure to share, just wondering.

[kijip]

Very close to 300K. More on paper than in reality because we got a bunch of stuff from the seller included in the price, like a credit for appliances and also all closing costs. We bargained hard to get the price below 300. We were lucky to find something in that price range where we are. People in other states assume that that price equals a Mcmansion or at least a leafy street with a big yard. Nope, it's a small townhouse with a postage stamp for a yard. We love it. And even with the downturn, there is nothing similar in our area for less right now that is close to turn-key...there are some cheaper house out there than when we bought but not in places we would want to live or they need a lot of work that we don't have the time for.

[gordo]

I paid $179k for a 3bdrm, 2.5 bath townhouse in the far north burbs of Chicago (practically at the WI border) in 2001. It was 1600sf and built in 1999.

We just sold (for less than what we paid!) and have a bid on a short sale in a near north burb of chicago for $350k. Built in the 1960s but completely remodeled inside and out. 3 bdrms, 2 baths around 1500sf.

[wellyes]

$375k for a 3 bed, 1.5 bath cape (1300 sq ft) on 1/3 of an acre, and it was a bargain. Outside Boston in a non-wealthy suburb.

[MommyofAmaya]

We live in a very low COL area. We have a 1929 bungalow, 3/2 + converted garage which is our office (will be a playroom soon), 2000 sq. ft., large front yard, smallish back yard. We live in a transitioning neigborhood approximately 3 miles from downtown Houston. Most of our neighbors are working class families. We paid @ $125K. Our house is really precious. We've thought about moving, but would pay nearly twice as much even in other areas in Houston.

[KBecks]

$169k in 1999 for a solid but outdated 4br 1.5 ba.

[billysmommy]

~$550k in 2005 for a 3 bedroom/2 bath (~2400 sq ft) on 1 acre just west of Boston. We absolutely love our house and would buy it again :)

[AJP]

We bought in a suburb (city) north of Boston for 350k in 2000. The house was a 3 bed, 2 bath split with the kitchen, dining, family rm, 3 (smallish)bedrooms & bath on the main level and a family rm with bath & laundry, a large unfinished room & 2 car garage on the lower level. The house was built around 87 and had the kitchen redone & extended with the family rm and dining room & pool all added around 96. We were lucky to sell that in 05 for 550k when we moved on to new construction. We put some improvements in but mostly landscaping, paint etc. It was in an ideal part of the city (outskirts) bordering a really hot town with a nice quiet neighborhood. Of course if we were trying to sell now we'd only get about 400k if we were lucky (and had time to let the house sit!). Right after we sold the housing market there started to slow & stall. You don't get much for your $ up here in the Boston suburbs. I'm sure we'd be living in a mansion elsewhere for that 550k we sold for. We spent about 700 for where we are now.

[maestramommy]

We paid about $380K. Just under 2500 sq ft on a just under 1 acre lot. 4 bdrm, 2. 5 bath. Has an inground pool. Built in 1970. We did find that we had to do a few major repairs after we moved in. The seller did a lot of redecorating, but not much in the way of maintenance in the 5 years they were living here. Still we consider it to be a much better buy than anything we could've gotten in SoCal. Obviously. But it's all about location isn't it? Not everyone wants to live in NH. But a LOT of people want to live in SoCal.

[amandabea]

About $230K more than it is worth today! We have a 3 bdrm, 2.5 bath, 1600 sq ft single-family home in a gated community of several hundred (maybe more) homes. We literally live in the smallest model in the smallest plan in the community. We bought in 2006 at the top of the market. OK, now I'm depressed.

[elephantmeg]

cape cod with 1200 sf finished, 800 upstairs unfishished 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bath (land not included-family land that we payed $5,000 for seperately-it's an acre and a steal for that price!) for 123,000. It was a modular that we built. Still don't have it completely finished. We have one room done, still need to do the second room and the bath upstairs. But we did get the HVAC system for the upstairs installed this summer!

ETA outside of a medium town in VA-prices are starting to get influenced by DC area people retiring out this way with tons of money/equity from their house sales.

[conniez]

We don't own a home yet, but when my parents bought their 2-story 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath home it was $750K. Decent backyard, but small bedrooms, small kitchen. We live in N. CA so the COL is very high! I watch that show, too, and I'm always disgusted that we get so little home here for the $ when people everywhere else would have a mansion with $750K!!! ugh!

[niccig]

OK, now I'm depressed.

Me too. We could buy a couple of people's homes a few times. We live in SoCal and didn't buy at the peak, but still I want to :crying:

[JBaxter]

350,000 in 2004, 5 bedroom all brick 2 full baths 2 half baths and a 3/4 baths on 1/3 acre lot. we wont have a back neighbor ever it backs up to a 13 acre property. We are in the top school 1 mile from DH's work. I think its 3500+sq ft built in 2000

[caleymama]

Our first house, in a sweet little community in upstate NY was about $53k. It was about 100 yrs old at the time and was just over 1000 sq ft, 3 bdrms and 1 bath, and on a small lot. It needed A LOT of updating, which we didn't end up doing because we were only there about 2.5 yrs.

DH's job brought us downstate (I grew up around here) and we bought in Westchester County in 2007. The house is a cape that's about 1200 sq ft (including a small addition the previous owners put on) on a 1/2 acre, 2 bdrms and 1.5 bath, built in 1940. Good school district and nice town, but high taxes. We paid about $390k which is well below average for Westchester.

[LD92599]

1999.....$167K in a NNJ suburb of NYC. 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 baths, LR, DR combo, "spare" room courtesy of a kitchen/bath remodel. We just did our basement too. Our "property" is 50' Wide x 100' Deep.

[Nooknookmom]

We have a 1910, 2 bd, 2 ba in the historical neighborhood in our town, which is in SoCal.

We paid about $178,000 in 2000. We have about 1200 sq ft, this USED to be a 3 bedroom but the last owners "remodeled" it. Wish I had that extra bedroom now b/c of DD2's suprise arrival!

I doubt we'll be moving around this area any time soon. I'd love to move down South, where my family is from but can't get DH to investigate (mainly b/c employment is not so hot). We could however have a much larger house on more land.

Maybe someday!

[Indianamom2]

We bought our house in northern Indiana in 2004. It was built in 1993. It is a two story colonial-style with a deck and pool, 1580 sq. ft., with approximately 600? sq.ft. unfinished basement. It has 3 large bedrooms, 2.5 baths and sits on a corner lot in a subdivision with maybe .25 acre of land.

We paid $132,000 five years ago and the house appraises today around $145,000. (I don't think it's gained in value, it's basically maintained, we just got a great deal because it had been on the market for a while.)

No regrets here.

Christina

FWIW, I love watching "House Hunters" type programs and am always amazed at how much other houses cost.

[ett]

We paid $450K in 2002 for a 1400 sq. ft. raised ranch on a quarter acre land (built in 1960) in a suburb of Boston.

[tylersmama]

We paid $230k for our 1600 sf, 2 br/2ba condo in 2003. It was brand new construction on an old air force base that is being redeveloped. We bought at the perfect time, as our area has become one of the more desirable areas in town and has really been very insulated from the housing market crash. Our unit appreciated about $70k as soon as our complex was finished, and has remained at that level, so it's worth about $300k today.

We could have bought the exact same model in a different development by the same builder, but out in the sticks, for $50-60k less, but the location was worth it to us as we're close to most of the major highways, close to downtown, surrounded by VERY nice older neighborhoods, lots of parks, and good access to trails. Thank goodness, as that area has NOT fared nearly as well.

[jenmcadams]

$490K for a 3200 sq ft (incl basement), 4 BR (1 bedroom in basement and is considered non-conforming), 3BA in a suburb west of Denver in an amazing elementary school zone. Nice house, mostly updated (bamboo, slate, nicer carpet for flooring; granite/stainless kitchen; modern bathrooms, etc.); 1/2 acre of land with a great view backing to rough of a golf course. It was a great deal...we were looking in a very wide range from $400 - $600K in a number of different neighborhoods and this was nicer than anything else we found. We bought in 2006 and it recently appraised for $625 (although I think the appraiser was crazy and we could probably more realistically get $550 for it).

[Puddy73]

(1999) $126,500 for a 3 bedroom, two bathroom 1975 ranch style on a half acre with a pool. Appliances and closing costs were included. It did (and still does!) need updating, but is a pretty solid house in a desirable neighborhood close to school and shopping.

[brittone2]

A little under 5 years ago we paid 180,000 for 3 BR, 2.5 baths, 1800 sq feet on 1.3 acres, now backs up to a state park (was privately owned wooded land when we first bought).

Our house was built in the late 90s and the builder lived in it himself for a while.

It could use some updating, but is constructed well. We'd like to go bigger when DH finishes up his degree, but I love our mortgage and I love our yard/location. We're in NC.

Before buying this house we sold our first home (about the same size...1800 sq feet, a little newer construction, 3 beds, 1.5 baths on only 0.18 acre in PA for substantially more than this one cost.

[dcmom2b3]

Approx. $430K in 2001 for a 3000 sq. ft. 3 BR 3.5 BA rowhouse w/garage in a "transitional" neighborhood. It's a traditional Federal-style rowhouse built in 1909 that was a bombed-out shell before rehab. It was fully renovated and a 1500 sq ft addition was tacked on -- so it lives "modern" -- open floor plan, master suite, big kitchen etc. etc. I paid a location premium; from our roof you can kinda see FOJ fireworks from the Mall, and hear the report of the canons they use to punctuate the 1812 Overture. Which is so cool it moves even (slightly cynical) me.

I should put it on the market and move for better grade 6-12 schools, but I love our neighbors and urban lifestyle so much that can't imagine us living anywhere else right now.

[lilycat88]

Indianapolis suburb. About $315,000 almost 2 years ago for a 4,800 sf tudor style (stuco, stone and cedar siding) on 1/2 acre in an established neighborhood. House was built in 1982 and we're just starting the updating process. We replaced 2 HVAC systems last summer. We're in one of the highest rated school districts in the state and have relatively low taxes compared to other rapidly growing areas due to some excellent planning by the town govt. Even with all of the updating, we got an excellent deal on our "forever" home.

[Happy 2B mommy]

Small town WI. In 2002 we bought our home for $158,000. It was 5 years old. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (1 bath is a 3/4 in the basement) ranch. 1350sq feet on the main level with a full basement that has one finished room and the 3/4 bath. Lot is about 1/3 acre with an UGLY backyard - 3 utility boxes and the neighbors molding, falling apart fence! We just replaced most of the windows, which we knew were cheap when we bought the home, but the rest of the house is decent quality. I love the layout of the house - when I first walked into it I said "this is home".

We are a few blocks away from Lake Michigan and at night I can hear the waves.

[citymama]

I'm just :ROTFLMAO:at the idea of owning a home where I live. Where a teeny tiny 2 BR CONDO (with ginormous monthly dues) would sell for oh, maybe $650-700K - and that's after the housing market crash; it would have been $800K for the same place 2 yrs ago. Or maybe that should be :gloomy: coz I don't know if we could ever afford to own a place in NoCA.

[Aarohismom]

We recently sold our home in the baltimore,md suburb which bought in 2005 for $420K. It was a 4br/ 2.5 bath colonial on 1/3 acre lot . We are renting in SoCal.

[GraceH]

$87k for a 1934 1 bed (yes, 1!), 1 bath, 650sf (if measured generously and including the basement) house back in 2006.
Yeah - it's kinda depressing - love the neighborhood, but the house is too small for a family

[LexyLou]

A lot. And it's worth about $100K less than we paid 3 years ago AND we're being transferred because of my husband's job so we are taking that loss. It's painful.

[lchang25000]

We live in northeast Orem in a great neighborhood (just south of SLC). We just bought this 5200 sq ft home for $450K in May and just moved in 2 weeks ago.:yay: It was built in 2005 and there are 5 bedrooms and 4.5 baths split between the main level and basement. We ended up finishing the family room of the basement and did some renovations to the kitchen and master bath/bedroom so that cost us another 25k. We got a great deal considering back in 2007 when the market was still good, they received an offer for almost $700K when they had put it on sale then, but in the end, decided not to sell the house. The previous owner is a builder and he built his own house.

[JTsMom]

It really is amazing when you see the discrepencies, huh?

Right when things were seriously heating up in S. Florida, we were looking for a home- probably a condo or townhome, but we did go under contract for 1 single family house (this was late 04/early 05). Mainly we were finding 2 or 3 bedrooms, usually outdated, but also some newer ones for about $230. One important thing to remember though is that the taxes and insurance were insane, and we also had to consider the high HOA fees, so figure another $700-800/month on top of mortgage there ($300+$300+100 min).

Now we're in the southern Atlanta burbs (but barely- we're pretty far out) shopping again. We're trying to stay in the low 200's, and will likely end up with 4 bedrooms/2.5 baths, new or new-ish construction, good schools, decent yard, upgraded goodies inside (granite, wood or laminate flooring, lots of trim) for that price. Taxes and insurance are much more reasonable here, and b/c we're talking SFH instead of condos/townhomes, HOA fees are usually minimal.

The home that we're currently renting is a 3/2 ranch, almost brand new, some upgrades, small but decent fenced yard. It would likely sell for about $165-$170.
We really like it, but we're less than thrilled with the neighborhood (it's not bad or unsafe, but there are markers that it will not stay nice forever), and the schools are good, but not great.

[ThreeofUs]

Just over $400K for a turn-of-the-century brick. About 4000 sq ft, 3 floors, 4 br, 4 full and 2 half baths, and a wonderful layout. It doesn't have that many rooms, but all the rooms feel really good and are spacious. The front hall is just wonderful.

It's one of the smallest houses in the neighborhood, awful schools, high taxes, and a corner house - but was the best we could find at the time. We didn't want to move into an apartment.

We've replaced almost everything replace-able, and are slowly working our way through the rooms and woodwork to strip all the paint to remove lead.

Oh, and we bought in 2002, at the top of a market swing. *sigh*

[Melaine]

We paid about 115K for 3 bedrooms 2 baths. We are pretty much in lowest COL area you could find.

[dylansnan]

Earlier this year we bought a 2600 sq/ft home (custom built in '91) for $242k. It's 3BR, 2 1/2 Baths, with a bonus loft space, huge laundry/mud-room, and has a 1600 sq/ft unfinished/ walkout basement. We are on 3 acres- about half wooded. We are in the country but 20 min from a great down- town area with everything you could need. We are in Michigan though, which is why it is such an amazing deal.

[KpbS]

We just moved and have more house than I initially wanted but because we went from a single story to a two story and b/c of the layout it doesn't feel like more. We have a 5 bd (really 4+ playroom) 4 ba brick house. We are on a cul-de-sac w/ only a greenbelt (woods) behind us. I really like the quiet and privacy even though we are very much in town. We paid $360.

Our first house was a 2 bd 1 bath we bought in 2001 for $63,000. Not a fixer upper--things just cost less here.

[Elilly]

Indianapolis- Broad Ripple area : 1950s 3 bed, 2 ba ranch (1800 sq ft) with finished basement on 3/4 of an acre in 2000 for $134k. Even with the propery value dip as of late, we could still sell for close to $200. The previous owners were really busy with kids and hadn't done much updating. We were lucky to find such a deal in the area.

[hellokitty]

We live in a low COL area (stix, as in there is corn growing across the street from us and tractors driving past our house during farming season). Paid 190K for a 4 bdrm, 3 bath house, with partially finished basement and 4 season room (play room for the kids), 6.5 yrs ago. About 2500 sq ft on a 2/3 acre lot in a subdivision. However, the outside of our house is all vinyl and I hate the look of it... can you say generic vinyl box? It's an early 1990's house, we've probably spent another 16K+ on remodeling (so the inside looks a lot nicer than the outside), but with how bad the market is in our area right now, I think we would be lucky to get what we paid for the house if we listed it, even though a few yrs ago, we could have sold our house for 210K. There are so many foreclosures in our area, I wish I were a first time home buyer right now and didn't have to unload a house first, b/c we'd definitely upgrade to a house with more acreage.

[elliput]

12 years ago I purchased 2200+sq home for $70K. 4BD, 2 full baths, eat-in kitchen, sun room, detached 1 car garage with separate 1 stall car port on a corner lot. It is up for sale if anyone is interested. ;)

[frgsnlzrds]

We bought our first house a year ago for $86,000. 3 bedrooms, one bath and a bonus room, extra family room and second (needs work) bathroom downstairs.

[niccig]

No one move to Los Angeles. We're just outside and in our city the median price for a single family home is $535,000. The median for foreclosures is $450,000. I just looked on relator.com and I can get a 1 bedroom 1 bath 560 sq foot house for $229,000
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/406-E-Elk-Ave_Glendale_CA_91205_1104476576
This is the cost of some 4 bedroom homes in other parts of the country. And remember this is near the bottom of the price range. This house would probably have sold for more 2 years ago.

Friends were looking to move here from MI, and they visited us for a weekend. We drove them around and showed them houses. The DH turned down the job offer as they couldn't imaging paying 3x the price for 1/3 the house they have in suburbs of Detroit. To live here, you have to get used to spending a lot more for housing and get a lot less... and it's why we want to :crying:

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

In 2000 we bought our 1900sqft house. 2bdrm/2 bath for $63,500. I'm still pretty happy with the neighborhood and the house but it was orig. a duplex and just isn't built for a family and there's a lot of wasted space.

We'll be listing for $115K if anyone wants a house in south st.louis city in a new historic district.

[smiles33]

We're in the SF Bay Area, grew up here, and both our entire families are here. With that said, I'll start throwing out some scary numbers. For some context, I should note that I was in college before I realized you could buy a home for under $300,000 as homes in my parents' neighborhood cost at least that much since I was in 3rd grade.

Our first home, which we sold in 2005, was 15 years old, 1700 sq ft, had standard builder's grade appliances and finishes (tile counters, carpet, and linoleum floors) and sat on 0.04 acre. That's not a typo. It was basically a narrow strip of land around the house in a planned development. Fortunately, we didn't share any walls with the neighbors and had a backyard the size of an apartment balcony. Sold for $675,000 at the height of the market, netting us a hefty $200,000 profit (minus realtor fees) after 2 years of ownership.

Our current house, which has dropped $400,000 in value (so we're waaaaay underwater), is 12 years old, 3000 sq ft, sits on a 6,000 sq ft lot, and is in a "working class city" with below average public schools. Plis, we're 40 minutes from SF. We live here because DH's small business is 10 minutes from here. This house, too, is builder's grade (though the seller upgraded to hardwood floors in the kitchen). Bought it for $1.1 million. Neighbor just sold their house for $750,000. I don't mind losing the equity we got from selling the first house (as that was easy money) but it hurts knowing we're $200K in the hole on the mortgage. Scary times....

[happy2bamom]

What is COL?

thanks

[tylersmama]

COL= Cost of Living

[khalloc]

We paid $370k in 2006 for a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath colonial-ish house in the Burlington VT area. Its 2600 sq feet above ground and sits on 1/3 acre. It has a 2 car attached garage and a screened-in porch. That was right when the housing market was going south. Our new neighbors at the time said that if we had bought a year before we wouldn't have gotten the house for less than $400k.

The COL here is high, not like NYC or LA high, but definitely pretty high for the salaries being paid here.

[AnnieW625]

We paid $513,000 for an 1100 sq. ft. home in the Long Beach area of Southern California, 30 minutes south of downtown LA (and 45 mins from where NicciG is). We bought in 2005 about a year before the market peaked. Had we waited six months longer we would still be renting. Similar homes in our hood sold for $545K in 2007 before the market really died. Friends of ours are buying homes for under $500K now in the Long Beach area, but some are foreclosures and others are fixers. One did buy near us for $375K last year for a semi fixer, but the owner was nuts and didn't like her neighbors so she listed her house for a really low price just to screw the neighbors over.

If we had paid $500K in Sacramento (our home town area) in 2005 we would've gotten the standard 2100 sq. ft. ranch with 3 or 4 beds plus 2 baths and near the river. We'd have a bigger house but would be even more upside down there than we are now. As an example my BIL bought in a trendy DINK yuppie (dual income no kids) neighborhood in a gated community, I think they paid $675K (had sold a prior house to do so) and spent another $100K on the pool/landscaping, they could probably barely sell their house for what they paid for it even with all of the upgrades.

[AnnieW625]

We're in the SF Bay Area, grew up here, and both our entire families are here. With that said, I'll start throwing out some scary numbers. For some context, I should note that I was in college before I realized you could buy a home for under $300,000 as homes in my parents' neighborhood cost at least that much since I was in 3rd grade.

Our first home, which we sold in 2005, was 15 years old, 1700 sq ft, had standard builder's grade appliances and finishes (tile counters, carpet, and linoleum floors) and sat on 0.04 acre. That's not a typo. It was basically a narrow strip of land around the house in a planned development. Fortunately, we didn't share any walls with the neighbors and had a backyard the size of an apartment balcony. Sold for $675,000 at the height of the market, netting us a hefty $200,000 profit (minus realtor fees) after 2 years of ownership.

Our current house, which has dropped $400,000 in value (so we're waaaaay underwater), is 12 years old, 3000 sq ft, sits on a 6,000 sq ft lot, and is in a "working class city" with below average public schools. Plis, we're 40 minutes from SF. We live here because DH's small business is 10 minutes from here. This house, too, is builder's grade (though the seller upgraded to hardwood floors in the kitchen). Bought it for $1.1 million. Neighbor just sold their house for $750,000. I don't mind losing the equity we got from selling the first house (as that was easy money) but it hurts knowing we're $200K in the hole on the mortgage. Scary times....

are you in or near Livermore? DH used to live in the East Bay from 2000 to 2002 and we briefly looked at buying a condo for him in 2002 and we would've made a killing, but the dot com bubble laid DH off and he moved out of the area.

[almostmom]

Another Boston suburb home owner here. Depressing.

We bought our 1550 sq. ft. house in 2003 for 390K. We really felt like we got a deal, getting a house for under 400K! 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, on an acre. About 40 minutes from Boston with no traffic. Built in 1950.

Schools are fabulous, the land is great, but the house, well, it works. On a semi-busy street, so no neighborhood feel. I'd love another full bathroom someday, but we'll just have to see.

I think we could sell it for the same amount today, or for 450K if we put in another bathroom, which we could do. But there are SO MANY HOUSES for sale in our area it's ridiculous!

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

In 2003 we spent $285,000. It was brand new 3/2 2,000sf. I think it could easily sell for $325,000 in this market. It appraised for $350,000 recently.

We sold a 50 year old 827 sf 2/1 in the Bay Area for $400,000 to buy our home.

[ellies mom]

We paid $270 for a 4 bed, 2.5 bath three years ago (1900 sqft). We really lucked out because it was a "divorce house" and they weren't patient about selling so they dropped the price $30K the day we seriously started looking. The other houses in that price range were 1400-1500 sqft 3bd 2 bath houses in neighborhoods we didn't like as much (we have restaurants, shopping and coffee in super easy walking distance).

The previous owners had the house built and they didn't do a lot of the upgrades that we would have (more lighting mostly, better flooring and counter choices) so we get pretty annoyed sometimes but overall we lucked out an got a lot of house for the money. The prices in the area have dropped but since we aren't going anywhere for a few years we should be fine in the long run.

[codex57]

Our house was $490K nearly 3 yrs ago. 2775 sq ft and 4bd/3bth. Across the street, same house with only slightly less upgrades is being offered for short sale for $200K. BIL is looking at a neighboring city right now. Cuz of the awesome school district, 3000 sq ft 4bd/3bth home is going for around $400K. 3500 sq ft 5bd/3.5bth is about $460-470.

[lowrioh]

We just paid $345K for a 5 bedroom 2.5 bath 1960's split level (~2500 sqft) just outside of DC which was a steal....not a great school district but we love our town! It's on a fifth of an acre and has off street parking.
We bought our previous 1100 sq ft house in 2001 for $166K. Similar houses sold for $375K in 2006 and we got $250K last month.

[o_mom]

not trying to find out your financial status, but more how much you get/got for your money.

i was just watching house hunters and am always amazed at what you can get for the same price in another state. makes me nauseated.

we bought our 3bdrm 1bth ranch on .25 acres, built in 1978 in 2003 for 242,500. it is just about 1000sq ft. we had to replace the furnace, the hot water heater, the roof, basically anything important to keep up to date. this was the crappiest house in the 'hood. middle class. we wouldn't move for the world and this house was a killer deal at the time.

don't feel pressure to share, just wondering.

To give you a comparison, the house across the street from our former house was about that size, age, maybe slightly larger (1200sqft?), on a lot twice that size, similar repairs and they paid about $140,000 in 2003.

For that price, you could get a 4 BR, 2.5 bath on 1/3-1/2 ac in many areas around here. Some would be older homes or smaller lots in the more desirable school districts, but I know I could find somewhere that I would feel safe with decent schools for under that price.

[purpleeyes]

First off, I live outside of DC. Even with the recession/drop in values, it is still not a realistic comparision to other pleace-we are *so* inflated here.

Last June, we bought a 3500+ square foot house with 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, finished basement, 2 car garage, and lots of upgrades for $575,000. It is a *wonderful* house.

Unfortunately, for personal reasons, I'm going to have to put it on the market sometime next summer. The market in my neighborhood isn't so bad, esp. for those of us who bought at the beginning of the end. I think, priced right, I'll do ok. I had a friend who put up their townhouse in July and had 7 offers in one weekend!! And their price was fair-no lowballing.

I have a love/hate relationship with the house hunting shows. I absolutely love to see what other houses look like, but I HATE to see how much more of a house I could get if I lived somewhere else!! ;)

I think property virgins is my favorite. I love the host!

ETA: Oooh, this is my 999th post, yay! Now, must find something else to respond to...

[doberbrat]

'nother Boston burb here. very nice neighborhood in a middleclass town. less than 30min from downtown.

12yrs ago, we paid <200k for a 1200sq ft house 2br, 1ba on 1/10 of an acre built in 1930s that was a cosmetic fixerupper.

today we could get 350 for the house having done very little to it. the house next door sold 2ish years ago for 500k. it has 3br, same amt of land and a basement that leaks- substantial amts of water - you can hear the "river" being pumped out after a rain.. that house is more updated and bigger but still 1/2 million dollars for a moderate house in an average town when the downturn had started seems utterly rediculous to me.

and dont get me started on the hosue on the corner - $675 for a 2br 1ba house about 900sqft on 1/2 the size of our lot. granted that house was totally redone and is beautiful inside, but its teeny tiny with NO land. I doubt they could put up a picnic table in their "back yard".

[smiles33]

are you in or near Livermore? DH used to live in the East Bay from 2000 to 2002 and we briefly looked at buying a condo for him in 2002 and we would've made a killing, but the dot com bubble laid DH off and he moved out of the area.

Nope. We're in the Fremont/Newark/Union City area, so closer to SF and a lot cooler than Livermore (which hits 100 degrees regularly in the summer!).

[SnuggleBuggles]

The COL where I am is so nice that even though I would love to live somewhere else, I am so spoiled that I don't think I could spend that much! Seriously, after you pay your mortgage and expenses how is there $ left to do anything fun? Again, I am quite spoiled and I know it. And I also highly envy those you who live in kick a$$ places like the Bay Area though. We'll head there when we retire and go for a smaller home.

<$200K for 1880sf, 3 bed, 2.5 bath, older home with very good bones. Missing some upgrades and the house was built in the 1920s so no central air. But, it has served us well, except the school district could be a lot better. 10 minute drive into the city and close to many attractions and activities though.

Beth

[smilequeen]

I am always amazed how much less you get in other places, especially since I'm perfectly happy in the midwest :)

We are in SW MO right now, we paid 525K for our house 5 years ago and we can't sell it for that now. We'll get under 500K for it for sure. It's a 6300 square foot house, 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms. That includes the finished basement b/c that's just what they do here.

We just built a house in a suburb of St. Louis (moving this week actually) that is slightly bigger. 7000 square feet if you count our basement. It's more upgraded, but not that much more. It's on more land, with a pretty view of the rolling hills though. We paid about 1.4M for it. The COL there is not high, but it's extraordinarily low where we are right now.

[elektra]

Seriously, after you pay your mortgage and expenses how is there $ left to do anything fun?

This is why I have CC debt! I actually feel a little less guilty about not having my 6 month savings in the bank after reading about most of the home prices here.
DH and I are making progress on the CC's though and I'm hoping to have them all paid off by the end of the year.
I paid $701k for my house a year ago. It's a 2200 sq. ft 4 bedroom 50's ranch with a big backyard. We only put 5% down so if you do the math our monthly mortgage payment is pretty dang high.

I actually wonder what everyone does with all their leftover money after the mortgage is paid. Do you buy designer clothes and bags? Go on awesome vacations? Just save?
The saving and clothes are where I don't have enough left to do much about these days.

[shilo]

not trying to find out your financial status, but more how much you get/got for your money.

i was just watching house hunters and am always amazed at what you can get for the same price in another state. makes me nauseated.

we bought our 3bdrm 1bth ranch on .25 acres, built in 1978 in 2003 for 242,500. it is just about 1000sq ft. we had to replace the furnace, the hot water heater, the roof, basically anything important to keep up to date. this was the crappiest house in the 'hood. middle class. we wouldn't move for the world and this house was a killer deal at the time.

don't feel pressure to share, just wondering.

we're in the heart of silicon valley (just north of san jose, a bit south of san francisco). our starter home is a 1400 sq. ft 3bdr/2 1/2bath zero-barrier (think town home with no shared walls on a postage stamp lot) was a _steal_ at $470K in 2001. at the height of the boom, other homes on the terrace were going for about $750-780K+. right now we'd conservatively get $675K for it - mostly due to the location (no commute) and the schools. we've updated it a little bit and put in a/c after sam was born, but it's still got a lot of the original 'builder's special' bones.

the house we bought the next town over that we're building on? umm, you don't want to know. probably more than anything else in this thread by a factor of 2 for just the lot (altho i haven't read the whole thread). because of the specific town/neighborhood/schools that we bought in, the property itself has actually gained a small amount, despite the downturn even without the house we're building on it. that's silicon valley for you tho. the salary's are high here, but the COL is higher. i was born and raised here and chose to come back after college/grad school tho, b/c there's no place else i'd rather be.

[MelissaTC]

Houses in my suburb of Raleigh neighborhood range from $275-$399 with the recent drop in the market. My home is on the smaller size for the neighborhood. In 2000, we paid $181k for a 2000sq ft, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2 car garage two-story home on 0.38 acres. It needed some work but we were able to get into a great area with good schools and close proximity to Research Triangle Park. We have done updating, with new hardwoods, redone kitchen, new master bath, etc... We are hoping to sell it within the next two years and get $285k or so.

[stella]

$159k plus $60k for extensive remodeling to a 1938 cottage in a medium-sized town in Texas. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths (that need to be updated). 2400 square feet plus a guesthouse and 3 car garage. On two lots. I'm not going anywhere.

[C99]

we're in the heart of silicon valley (just north of san jose, a bit south of san francisco). our starter home is a 1400 sq. ft 3bdr/2 1/2bath zero-barrier (think town home with no shared walls on a postage stamp lot) was a _steal_ at $470K in 2001.

That is a steal! DH and I moved to Chicago in 2002 after realizing that we'd never be able to afford a decent place in SF/Bay Area. We bought a 100-year-old 3 bedroom/1.5 bath, 1400 sf American Foursquare on a 25x125 lot for $330K.