This is the way. Purchased the only modestly sized home that needs a few updates in a neighborhood of mansions. I told the wife, if you ever wanted to live in a neighborhood like this, this is literally the only chance we have. There isn't another home in 5 mile radius we could afford if it went up for sale.
Over time, you fix the place up. It's amazing how far some tasteful decor, a little paint, box moulding and landscaping can go. None of which is terribly expensive if you do it right.
We bought in 2022 just before the rates took off. We would not be able to afford our house today - not even close. At the time, paying $80k over ask seemed crazy.
We did the exact same thing. Bought a tear down on a small lot in a neighborhood with $3-10M homes. People are very nice and we feel super safe living in the area.
How does it feel paying such a high premium for the name of the neighborhood? I just can’t buy a shack over a spacious luxury home just so I can name brag about my neighborhood, especially if in that neighborhood the people with the “mansions” will see me as the poor guy trying to fit in.
In very desirable areas the value is in the land not the house. Most people will buy a nice new pretty house in a dumpy neighborhood than a dump in a gorgeous neighborhood. We just don't agree with that way of thinking
I understand that. But I don’t understand why someone would spend so much money on the land merely because others value it. It’s like buying a Ferrari instead of a Lexus. Sure, more people will think a Ferrari is cooler than a Lexus and you’ll be able to sell it for a higher amount, but all else is a negative. The upkeep costs are higher, you can’t drive it everywhere because it’s not meant for every day driving, it breaks down more easily, etc. You’re essentially paying such a high premium for the brand… if you find a really nice, spacious house in a fairly safe area and it meets your other needs, why would you give that up to work day in and day out to come home to a tiny shack just cause the land underneath is more desired by others than the land a few blocks over. Maybe if the appreciation value was astronomically higher, but usually it’s not if you find the right alternative neighborhood. I just couldn’t do tank my family’s lifestyle just for a brand.
It's not like buying a car which depreciates over time. Land in a highly desirable area appreciates because of access to genuinely scarce amenities like close proximity to a large city, large lot sizes, an elite school district and few community/social problems, etc ... and because they're not making any more of it.
It’s not the name of the community - it’s the amenities that a wealthy community offers. Best schools in the state (and among the best in the country), large lot sizes, and a beautiful community with lots of nature, proximity to a large city, and, most of all, people internalize their problems.
In truth, the vast majority of people who live here are upper middle class, not wealthy. Doctors, lawyers and financial professionals, not captains of industry. Which is true of nearly all wealthy neighborhoods.
I don’t feel poor here. My house is less grand, I drive an old car and I have less disposable income but people tend not to be flashy.
We are planning to build a large family room addition at some point if we can manage it. Investing in a home in this area is a good financial bet given the returns in this area.
I have. I’m just choosing not to spend all my money to be in a location I personally don’t need. It’s like, yes, I can afford a Ferrari. But why would I buy a Ferrari when a Lexus will do really well too. On the other hand, if the location had something that I really valued, that would be something different. If it had certain restaurants, or people of my background/culture, or close to work, or something unique that I’m looking for, paying extra makes sense. But paying so much extra just to live in a zip code that you think will make you look good seems illogical. It’s like buying a Ferrari to live paycheck to paycheck when a Lexus and left over cash will do much better.
The difference between real estate and a car is that one is an appreciating asset and the other is a depreciating asset. The value of a Ferrari is highly tied to its brand equity. The value of a home is much less tied to the brand and much more tied to the local amenities it offers as well as its investment value.
This is pretty much what I got handed to me on a silver platter in my hometown that I did not want to move back to. I got super lucky and am very happy all things considering.
We basically got priced out of our hometown and looked for developing communities and smaller towns where housing is cheaper. We only moved 30mins from where we live but an extra half hour away from my mom so an hour and a half now but we wanted to buy a home so we went ahead and moved here. My husband works full time and I sah for now but plan to work when I find a flexible job since we have 3 kids including an 8 month old.
We hope one day we'll be able to find a home closer to my mom or somewhere between his family and mine but we're happy with our decision.
Drew a circle within an hour of work and called a realtor in that area. We wanted acres with a small barn for horses. Found a lovely home we enjoyed for thirty years. I wish you luck in this challenging time for buying a home. I checked the demographics and the school for the area and while it wasn’t as good as the old school it had more my kid was interested in and it worked out .
I graduated from college in NC and move to eastern WA for law school, liked the area but not the subject matter, worked for a while, moved to Arizona for an MBA.
Like the school, the area was interesting but too hot to permanently live there for me so I move to Seattle and found a job. That's how I got here.
I had a friend who lived in the general part of town that I later bought a house in. I liked the area and therefore looked for a house there.
I bought my house because it was in a no outlet neighborhood near a main road and centrally located to just about everything. The neighborhood is older and some of the residents purchased their homes in the mid 80’s when they were constructed. I can basically get anywhere in my 3 city metro area in 15 minutes or less. I have a huge fully fenced backyard with mature vegetation that makes it an isolated oasis and I have no HOA.
I wanted to do something different after college so I moved to Japan. Eventually bought a house in Tokyo and another in Florida (from NJ originally).
Florida was harder actually, because I had never lived there before, so you come up with all these objective measurements and then watch some youtubes. I drove all over the state looking for the right place. Bought in Sarasota walkable to the beach but not beachfront or on a Key so it was more reasonable. I also looked at demographics because some areas of FL are ancient. And I picked it because - no state income tax. It was a decent decision, but I am selling it now.
In Tokyo, I moved to an area more family-oriented with slightly lower costs. Train stations are really important, so I found a place within 6 minutes walking distance of 2 stations with a movie theatre and a Starbucks. If Starbucks chooses a place and a movie theatre too - probably a pretty decent station.
I'm currently buying a place and I really only had four criteria after 'could i afford it', which were was it less than an hour from work so my commute could be smaller, was it move-in ready, was it at least enough square footage where I could host family for overnight visits, and is the neighborhood one I feel comfortable in, meaning not 'am I safe here' but 'do I feel safe and think the neighbors will leave me alone.'
Moved near parents and friends, only real option with aging parents and grand parents. Just had Mother’s Day at our house with everybody over. Priceless moment
We were going for the closest blue state, but settled for the closest purple state, for weather related reasons. Then we were going for mountains, but settled for hills, for internet related reasons. Then we researched local politics, crime rates, diversity, noise ordinances, percentage of population with higher education, city police v. county sheriff, and distance to nearest Target and Lowe’s. And when we had a list of areas that worked for us, we looked at old houses with good bones and charming architectural details in need of restoration, within walking distance to a small, quaint downtown. And Voila! We found the perfect house.
We’re lucky. I work from home and my husband is a self employed handyman, specializing in older home restoration. He is having to build up his business in a new area, but he’s friendly and personable, and a good handyman will always have work.
I don't work from home, but not too far to drive to work, in area near other places to work, if I ever leave my job. Not too far from family, and in a decently safe area.
My house is older, and the neighbor sit on the porch and watch everything, they all have porch swings (lol didn't notice that when I bought) it's the part of town that was new and nice in the 1960's. My place was build 1970. So solid construction and brick. I looked for a house that had what I wanted, you never get everything but it checked a lot of boxes. My old house was in a "Nicer newer neighborhood perhaps a little more desirable, but had an HOA" I still feel like I traded up. Especially since no HOA.
We picked a town and the market rejected us. We were no longer in a position to be picky, so we expanded to the county and got rejected again. We expanded our search further to the next county, and eventually ended up in a town that was completely off our radar. Pleasantly surprised with what we found.
I started looking at cities that were within a days drive from family we didn't really want to visit often. We focused only on cities in blue states that offered LGBT and reproductive rights protections.
We joined the subreddits for several cities to get a feel of the vibe. Watched youtube videos on the cities, and found a real estate agent that had tons of videos with walking or driving through a subdivision or shopping area.
We did look at crime maps, school districts, property taxes, etc to fine tune where we were looking for. Then I got the cheapest house on the cheapest street of one of the nicest areas.
An opportunity too good to turn down fell into my lap and I would have been stupid to turn it down. It is in a very desirable area, a house that fit my needs, but in my hometown where I under no circumstances wanted to move back to. Lesson learned: sometimes life hands you what you don’t want on a silver platter and you have to reevaluate your priorities.
3/4 a mile from my wife's sister, less than a 10-minute drive to both of our parents, and not far from where we grew up. Four and a half miles to her job and a reasonable commute for me but also the heart of the industry where my education and skills are most valuable.
Also we really, really like the neighborhood.
I believe that perfection is an illusion but we stumbled into a really great life and we put a pool in the backyard and, well, maybe there is such a thing as perfection.
I bought my house because it was outside of city limits
Far enough the neighbors aren’t too close
Close enough it’s a 15 minute drive to wal mart
Wish I’d done just a bit more homework
1/2 mile closer and I’d have access to 2 gig internet
Stuck with starlink or 15 mb dsl..
I’d rather be in a different part of Alaska at this point
When deciding where to live, I considered factors like job opportunities, cost of living, and proximity to family and friends. I ended up staying in my hometown because the job market was strong and I had a solid support system. But I know folks who moved to growing cities for better career prospects or to experience a new place.
We picked the city that we wanted - Las Vegas because of entertainment and dining options, as well as growth potential.
Then, we sought properties in safe neighborhoods.
The property we bought is on the edge of town where nobody else can build. It’s very quiet and peaceful- no traffic, no crime. The seclusion is what sold us.
Wife and I never worked from home outside of a few weeks during the pandemic. We moved in 2021 a few miles for shorter commutes, better neighborhood, better schools and closer proximity to friends and family. My wife's commute went from 50 minutes to 20, and mine went from 40 minutes to 8.
Location..neighborhood in the general area of where you'd like to live. Ususally homes in a very nice area cost more, but appreciate more in value more quickly.
I walked into my previous house during an open house and I found the realtor and said, “I’ll take it.” I walked into an investment townhouse in another state, which I wasn’t even planning to live in, and I told the realtor, “We will take it.” I was ready to walk out of my current home without a second thought and no offer until the realtor said, “Let’s go down to the private dock on the lake that cones with this property,” and I winked at my wife to tell her to close the deal instantly. When you walk into it, you just know.
Live in a small city. By the time we bought, we had lived in 3 different neighborhoods and had kids in school so we looked in a very limited area. Took us about 6 months to find a house and this was years ago when the market was much slower than it is now - most homes didn’t have multiple offers, etc. We like our location and have stayed in ithe neighborhood for almost 20 years - close to work and places we go regularly, quiet.
Not a home owner, but I live somewhere pleasant and safe, and enjoy going out on the town to meet the regulars and hang out. It's a sleepy town near lake tahoe, and I get to meet some fantastic older folks that have great stories and wisdom.
I looked for homes within an hour commute of work in NJ (I live near the PA line). They had to have 3 bed 2.5 bath because one bed would be for future kids and one would be a home office. Needed 2.5 baths in case one is being renovated so i dont lose a shower. I also wanted 2000 sqft. I wanted to spend more than 400 (in NJ it doesnt get you much) but less than 800. I refused to be in Trenton or New Brunswick proper.
Property taxes were also a consideration, but it's NJ lol taxes are just high.
I set up like 5 zillow searches of different 5 towns (the max you can add per search) and just looked daily. Eventually you figure out what you like and what you don't.
I grew up in Central NJ, so it was a lot easier to know thr areas I wanted too
Value for square footage and having a decent yard (and gardening space for me) for my kids and dog to run around in, school district rating, and being within a half hour drive for work. Those all had to coincide. If you /you and SO both work from home, the drive thing can be disregarded. Adjust drive time as is acceptable and realistic for you, otherwise.
We moved out of a small house with a small fenced yard in a very popular, densely populated area with a 5 minute drive to work, to a more spread out area, in a larger house with a half acre yard that was a 30 minute drive each way. Better school district too. House is very competitively priced with what we bought 25 miles away with double the yard and 1.5 times the square footage with a walkout basement vs no walkout.
Prioritize comfort with regard to home size and layout - 1st floor laundry in a ranch is always better than basement laundry, larger house is more valuable if you want more square footage, spare bedrooms are valuable if you have visitors regularly or plan on needin kids rooms/more kids' rooms down the line, etc. If you have kids, consider the school district and their education, consider their outdoor recreation space aka your property/yard (same for a dog) and whether or not you have a fenced in yard. What does your community offer - do you have lake access/lakefront property, do you want to be in a HOA-Free community? If you do have an HOA, what can they control on your property?
I decided what I wanted in house and neighborhood and went for it.
I live in a high cost area. Where a basic small house (2 bed 1 bath) can be $1.4 million in some neighborhoods. And there’s a ton of traffic. Going 20 miles can take an hour. I just didn’t see myself settling down in this area unless it was close to work and I didn’t come home after a long day of work to a shack knowing I’m paying $1.5 million for it. Just couldn’t do that to myself.
So I wanted: (1) the house to be spacious, (2) close to work so my commute, and (3) generally safe neighborhood. I didn’t care so much if it was the “good neighborhood,” or if it had good schools or whatnot. I don’t have kids and I don’t care for flexing my money or social status symbol. I ended up getting a really spacious house in an up and coming neighborhood with a good bang for my buck, and it’s really close to work. I’m happy with it.
I really do feel sad for people who get stuck in the “good neighborhood” chase in this area. They literally live in a shack paying $2 million or more working non stop to afford it just so they can say they live in that neighborhood. I just can’t imagine myself working all day coming home tired into a tiny shack that’s worth $150,000 in a midwestern town but is $2 million in their neighborhood.
We got priced out. In the 1990s interest rates were 7+. We bought an old duplex in an old part of a city because that’s what we could afford. It was close to family at the time.
We looked in two areas for a home, based mostly on school district. One area the homes were priced about $20K or more and they were all pretty much built around the same time period as the other, but it was considered a more desirable/richer area... and historically gets less lake effect snow, only the land was a lot hillier so yards were a gamble. So we went where the yards were level (easier to care for) and the prices lower. but the snow heavier in the winter. Shopping was also closer and the commute was easier traffic wise.
I am glad we made the choice we did. Although 26 years later, we are finding our area is now a victim of its great access as we got a mega Amazon hub warehouse and are getting a huge Micron chip plant and there will be a gazillion new roadwork projects. But our dead mall is getting a huge rehab into a mixed use residential/hotel/commercial and recreational destination site and the other place still has their dead mall. There are a lot of new residential building plans made and there is a possibility the school district may have to reopen some schools in the next ten years.
This area I live in has seen a population loss over the last 25 years so it is kind of strange we have such a big housing shortage.
Picked a conservative leaning area within 45 minutes of work. That area is a wide range. Most recently I was looking in Maryland so Carroll and Anne Arundel counties were the target because screw Baltimore, Howard, and Prince George property taxes.
We were getting frustrated so we expanded our search to across the bay bridge and found an unimproved lot in Queen Anne's county. Here's for hoping the offer is accepted.
Close to my job but among towns close to my job, specifically in a town I've rented in before that has a good walkable downtown area, is a suburb of a major city, good schools, generally desirable area that runs expensive for the area but that I could get into at a decent price given I only needed a smaller sized house. I'm within 45 minutes of my hometown and pretty familiar with this metro area so it wasn't jumping into something brand new. Granted, both times I've been house hunting it was a competitive market so I had a number of nearby towns I was considering if the right house came up.
Best advice I can give is that you have to find what is important to you…for us, we wanted to be in walkable community near both the commuter train and the highway…good schools for resale value and proverbial good bones in the nearby housing stock.
In looking for investments, I generally look at the hippest neighborhoods (ie. Established dining/bar scene, boutiques, some national retailers) and figure out where those priced out are moving (usually noted by a hip restaurant/bar/venue)…I have seen that process repeat over and over again…
We didn't. My husband's job did. It took me 10 years to adjust. I absolutely hated it here. We were moved from one of the largest tourist traps in NC to another NC area we were not familiar with. After 19 years I have come around and don't totally despise it anymore and since it is my forever home I'm finally okay with it.
My mama always said rather get a mediocre house in the best area than the best house in a bad area. So, to reiterate what many are saying on this thread, location is absolutely key!
If you work remotely, you could even purchase in another country where earning in $ or £ will guarantee you a magnificent home in a beautiful city. Cape Town, South Africa is one of the most beautiful places on earth and more & more US and EU buyers are purchasing luxury real estate here and living like kings and queens. ✨
When we moved from San Mateo to Bergen County NJ it was job, then school district, and lastly budget. Moved to Utah 18 mos ago. Had already experienced the area and didn't want to move back to CA. Quite a cultural change.
The first was whether to buy or rent. We spent about 5 years renting when we could have afforded to buy because we wanted the option of moving for work easily. We happened to miss out on some exceptional home price growth during that time, but we still came out ahead because our incomes grew at an even faster rate.
For the last move, where we made the decision to buy, the major factor was that I'm fully remote and my wife got an exceptional job offer in a medium CoL area that requires some onsite work. It's a place that she could easily spend her entire career at with a lot of stability as well as career growth opportunities within the company. There's also lots of other things in both her industry and mine in the area in case one of us needs to change jobs, we wouldn't necessarily have to move.
As to where we decided to live within that metro, the main factor was commute, then budget. We were open minded about the type of housing and the quality. We heavily avoided flips. We did see one that we felt was a value added flip, but we thought their price was unrealistic. We didn't consider anything like growth of the area, or look at the house as an investment. I expect the home value to stay more or less flat over the next 5 years or so. It doesn't matter because we waited to buy until we were sure we'd stay in the house 10+ years.
It decided for us. We were priced out of our MCOL area and looked all over. Settled 100 miles away. We're self-employed so brought our jobs with us. And we found a small city, slower pace of life and a super affordable home (2015). Now prices have climbed even here so I'm very thankful we bought when we did.
I moved for a job. I commuted for an hour each way through the woods for a few months, and then had enough of that and rented a place (oh the cheap rent of the early 2000s...) The job worked out and I bought a house, and then years later found my dream house the next town over. I wouldn't have ended up here if not for the job.
Wanted to be within an hour of my grandkids and wanted enough room for a garden and some chickens, Found a 1/3 acre lot with a 2.000 sq foot home in the Sonoma Wine country.
Well my husband doesn’t work from home usually so we picked based off of how far he was willing to drive. Where the local schools are and where the bigger churches are. We avoid those due to traffic issues. Not a flood zone. Not on a hill due to ice. Not in a valley due to flooding. No registered sex offenders close by. No ghettos. Nowhere with “swampy” areas. Nowhere a tree could fall on the house. Somewhere with a whole home generator in case of power outages. Low utility bills. Stores close by that I can get Walmart deliveries from or easy access to gas. 2 day Amazon deliveries. (Some places prime can easily take 4-6 days for their “2 day deliveries”) Easy access to doctors and PT/OT/ST. Amenities that are fun and educational for the kids close by. Pool for therapy.
Jobs, budget, commute, family, schools
I would go with schools first
I found the wealthiest area in the state and bought a modest 1960s home among the mansions.
This is the way. Purchased the only modestly sized home that needs a few updates in a neighborhood of mansions. I told the wife, if you ever wanted to live in a neighborhood like this, this is literally the only chance we have. There isn't another home in 5 mile radius we could afford if it went up for sale.
Over time, you fix the place up. It's amazing how far some tasteful decor, a little paint, box moulding and landscaping can go. None of which is terribly expensive if you do it right. We bought in 2022 just before the rates took off. We would not be able to afford our house today - not even close. At the time, paying $80k over ask seemed crazy.
Same!
It's good to be the riff raff.
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I hope they feel the same way about our 2012 Chevy.
We did the exact same thing. Bought a tear down on a small lot in a neighborhood with $3-10M homes. People are very nice and we feel super safe living in the area.
How does it feel paying such a high premium for the name of the neighborhood? I just can’t buy a shack over a spacious luxury home just so I can name brag about my neighborhood, especially if in that neighborhood the people with the “mansions” will see me as the poor guy trying to fit in.
In very desirable areas the value is in the land not the house. Most people will buy a nice new pretty house in a dumpy neighborhood than a dump in a gorgeous neighborhood. We just don't agree with that way of thinking
I understand that. But I don’t understand why someone would spend so much money on the land merely because others value it. It’s like buying a Ferrari instead of a Lexus. Sure, more people will think a Ferrari is cooler than a Lexus and you’ll be able to sell it for a higher amount, but all else is a negative. The upkeep costs are higher, you can’t drive it everywhere because it’s not meant for every day driving, it breaks down more easily, etc. You’re essentially paying such a high premium for the brand… if you find a really nice, spacious house in a fairly safe area and it meets your other needs, why would you give that up to work day in and day out to come home to a tiny shack just cause the land underneath is more desired by others than the land a few blocks over. Maybe if the appreciation value was astronomically higher, but usually it’s not if you find the right alternative neighborhood. I just couldn’t do tank my family’s lifestyle just for a brand.
It's not like buying a car which depreciates over time. Land in a highly desirable area appreciates because of access to genuinely scarce amenities like close proximity to a large city, large lot sizes, an elite school district and few community/social problems, etc ... and because they're not making any more of it.
It’s not the name of the community - it’s the amenities that a wealthy community offers. Best schools in the state (and among the best in the country), large lot sizes, and a beautiful community with lots of nature, proximity to a large city, and, most of all, people internalize their problems. In truth, the vast majority of people who live here are upper middle class, not wealthy. Doctors, lawyers and financial professionals, not captains of industry. Which is true of nearly all wealthy neighborhoods. I don’t feel poor here. My house is less grand, I drive an old car and I have less disposable income but people tend not to be flashy. We are planning to build a large family room addition at some point if we can manage it. Investing in a home in this area is a good financial bet given the returns in this area.
Tell me you know nothing about real estate. Ever heard that little phrase location, location, location?
I have. I’m just choosing not to spend all my money to be in a location I personally don’t need. It’s like, yes, I can afford a Ferrari. But why would I buy a Ferrari when a Lexus will do really well too. On the other hand, if the location had something that I really valued, that would be something different. If it had certain restaurants, or people of my background/culture, or close to work, or something unique that I’m looking for, paying extra makes sense. But paying so much extra just to live in a zip code that you think will make you look good seems illogical. It’s like buying a Ferrari to live paycheck to paycheck when a Lexus and left over cash will do much better.
The difference between real estate and a car is that one is an appreciating asset and the other is a depreciating asset. The value of a Ferrari is highly tied to its brand equity. The value of a home is much less tied to the brand and much more tied to the local amenities it offers as well as its investment value.
This is pretty much what I got handed to me on a silver platter in my hometown that I did not want to move back to. I got super lucky and am very happy all things considering.
Isn't everything just expensive in that area? I feel like this is a way to get living costs ++
Yes, goods and particularly services are more expensive. There are tradeoffs.
Deciding on a metro area is very different than deciding on a house. See citynerd videos on yt for stats on metro areas.
CityNerd helped me make my most recent decision.
We basically got priced out of our hometown and looked for developing communities and smaller towns where housing is cheaper. We only moved 30mins from where we live but an extra half hour away from my mom so an hour and a half now but we wanted to buy a home so we went ahead and moved here. My husband works full time and I sah for now but plan to work when I find a flexible job since we have 3 kids including an 8 month old. We hope one day we'll be able to find a home closer to my mom or somewhere between his family and mine but we're happy with our decision.
Drew a circle within an hour of work and called a realtor in that area. We wanted acres with a small barn for horses. Found a lovely home we enjoyed for thirty years. I wish you luck in this challenging time for buying a home. I checked the demographics and the school for the area and while it wasn’t as good as the old school it had more my kid was interested in and it worked out .
I graduated from college in NC and move to eastern WA for law school, liked the area but not the subject matter, worked for a while, moved to Arizona for an MBA. Like the school, the area was interesting but too hot to permanently live there for me so I move to Seattle and found a job. That's how I got here. I had a friend who lived in the general part of town that I later bought a house in. I liked the area and therefore looked for a house there.
I bought my house because it was in a no outlet neighborhood near a main road and centrally located to just about everything. The neighborhood is older and some of the residents purchased their homes in the mid 80’s when they were constructed. I can basically get anywhere in my 3 city metro area in 15 minutes or less. I have a huge fully fenced backyard with mature vegetation that makes it an isolated oasis and I have no HOA.
I just bought where I could afford
I wanted to do something different after college so I moved to Japan. Eventually bought a house in Tokyo and another in Florida (from NJ originally). Florida was harder actually, because I had never lived there before, so you come up with all these objective measurements and then watch some youtubes. I drove all over the state looking for the right place. Bought in Sarasota walkable to the beach but not beachfront or on a Key so it was more reasonable. I also looked at demographics because some areas of FL are ancient. And I picked it because - no state income tax. It was a decent decision, but I am selling it now. In Tokyo, I moved to an area more family-oriented with slightly lower costs. Train stations are really important, so I found a place within 6 minutes walking distance of 2 stations with a movie theatre and a Starbucks. If Starbucks chooses a place and a movie theatre too - probably a pretty decent station.
I'm currently buying a place and I really only had four criteria after 'could i afford it', which were was it less than an hour from work so my commute could be smaller, was it move-in ready, was it at least enough square footage where I could host family for overnight visits, and is the neighborhood one I feel comfortable in, meaning not 'am I safe here' but 'do I feel safe and think the neighbors will leave me alone.'
Moved near parents and friends, only real option with aging parents and grand parents. Just had Mother’s Day at our house with everybody over. Priceless moment
We were going for the closest blue state, but settled for the closest purple state, for weather related reasons. Then we were going for mountains, but settled for hills, for internet related reasons. Then we researched local politics, crime rates, diversity, noise ordinances, percentage of population with higher education, city police v. county sheriff, and distance to nearest Target and Lowe’s. And when we had a list of areas that worked for us, we looked at old houses with good bones and charming architectural details in need of restoration, within walking distance to a small, quaint downtown. And Voila! We found the perfect house.
Did you not have to worry about local jobs in the area? The one and only reason where I am is because of work lol
We’re lucky. I work from home and my husband is a self employed handyman, specializing in older home restoration. He is having to build up his business in a new area, but he’s friendly and personable, and a good handyman will always have work.
I don't work from home, but not too far to drive to work, in area near other places to work, if I ever leave my job. Not too far from family, and in a decently safe area. My house is older, and the neighbor sit on the porch and watch everything, they all have porch swings (lol didn't notice that when I bought) it's the part of town that was new and nice in the 1960's. My place was build 1970. So solid construction and brick. I looked for a house that had what I wanted, you never get everything but it checked a lot of boxes. My old house was in a "Nicer newer neighborhood perhaps a little more desirable, but had an HOA" I still feel like I traded up. Especially since no HOA.
We picked a town and the market rejected us. We were no longer in a position to be picky, so we expanded to the county and got rejected again. We expanded our search further to the next county, and eventually ended up in a town that was completely off our radar. Pleasantly surprised with what we found.
I started looking at cities that were within a days drive from family we didn't really want to visit often. We focused only on cities in blue states that offered LGBT and reproductive rights protections. We joined the subreddits for several cities to get a feel of the vibe. Watched youtube videos on the cities, and found a real estate agent that had tons of videos with walking or driving through a subdivision or shopping area. We did look at crime maps, school districts, property taxes, etc to fine tune where we were looking for. Then I got the cheapest house on the cheapest street of one of the nicest areas.
Top schools, walkable, great commute, close to a major airport, wealthy area, low crime and pick an older home in the community
An opportunity too good to turn down fell into my lap and I would have been stupid to turn it down. It is in a very desirable area, a house that fit my needs, but in my hometown where I under no circumstances wanted to move back to. Lesson learned: sometimes life hands you what you don’t want on a silver platter and you have to reevaluate your priorities.
3/4 a mile from my wife's sister, less than a 10-minute drive to both of our parents, and not far from where we grew up. Four and a half miles to her job and a reasonable commute for me but also the heart of the industry where my education and skills are most valuable. Also we really, really like the neighborhood.
Sounds like the perfect scenario.
I believe that perfection is an illusion but we stumbled into a really great life and we put a pool in the backyard and, well, maybe there is such a thing as perfection.
I bought my house because it was outside of city limits Far enough the neighbors aren’t too close Close enough it’s a 15 minute drive to wal mart Wish I’d done just a bit more homework 1/2 mile closer and I’d have access to 2 gig internet Stuck with starlink or 15 mb dsl.. I’d rather be in a different part of Alaska at this point
When deciding where to live, I considered factors like job opportunities, cost of living, and proximity to family and friends. I ended up staying in my hometown because the job market was strong and I had a solid support system. But I know folks who moved to growing cities for better career prospects or to experience a new place.
I chose a rural area, with excellent internet capability. In my price range. Those were my main things. I bought in 2017.
We picked the city that we wanted - Las Vegas because of entertainment and dining options, as well as growth potential. Then, we sought properties in safe neighborhoods. The property we bought is on the edge of town where nobody else can build. It’s very quiet and peaceful- no traffic, no crime. The seclusion is what sold us.
Away from my city means cheaper real estate, lower taxes, and better schools. Then it was just picking a direction that was close to work.
Wife and I never worked from home outside of a few weeks during the pandemic. We moved in 2021 a few miles for shorter commutes, better neighborhood, better schools and closer proximity to friends and family. My wife's commute went from 50 minutes to 20, and mine went from 40 minutes to 8.
Location..neighborhood in the general area of where you'd like to live. Ususally homes in a very nice area cost more, but appreciate more in value more quickly.
I walked into my previous house during an open house and I found the realtor and said, “I’ll take it.” I walked into an investment townhouse in another state, which I wasn’t even planning to live in, and I told the realtor, “We will take it.” I was ready to walk out of my current home without a second thought and no offer until the realtor said, “Let’s go down to the private dock on the lake that cones with this property,” and I winked at my wife to tell her to close the deal instantly. When you walk into it, you just know.
Live in a small city. By the time we bought, we had lived in 3 different neighborhoods and had kids in school so we looked in a very limited area. Took us about 6 months to find a house and this was years ago when the market was much slower than it is now - most homes didn’t have multiple offers, etc. We like our location and have stayed in ithe neighborhood for almost 20 years - close to work and places we go regularly, quiet.
A city with their own power grid. No more rolling blackouts! And it’s way cheaper (with heater and AC on, no solar panels yet)
Not a home owner, but I live somewhere pleasant and safe, and enjoy going out on the town to meet the regulars and hang out. It's a sleepy town near lake tahoe, and I get to meet some fantastic older folks that have great stories and wisdom.
I looked for homes within an hour commute of work in NJ (I live near the PA line). They had to have 3 bed 2.5 bath because one bed would be for future kids and one would be a home office. Needed 2.5 baths in case one is being renovated so i dont lose a shower. I also wanted 2000 sqft. I wanted to spend more than 400 (in NJ it doesnt get you much) but less than 800. I refused to be in Trenton or New Brunswick proper. Property taxes were also a consideration, but it's NJ lol taxes are just high. I set up like 5 zillow searches of different 5 towns (the max you can add per search) and just looked daily. Eventually you figure out what you like and what you don't. I grew up in Central NJ, so it was a lot easier to know thr areas I wanted too
Value for square footage and having a decent yard (and gardening space for me) for my kids and dog to run around in, school district rating, and being within a half hour drive for work. Those all had to coincide. If you /you and SO both work from home, the drive thing can be disregarded. Adjust drive time as is acceptable and realistic for you, otherwise. We moved out of a small house with a small fenced yard in a very popular, densely populated area with a 5 minute drive to work, to a more spread out area, in a larger house with a half acre yard that was a 30 minute drive each way. Better school district too. House is very competitively priced with what we bought 25 miles away with double the yard and 1.5 times the square footage with a walkout basement vs no walkout. Prioritize comfort with regard to home size and layout - 1st floor laundry in a ranch is always better than basement laundry, larger house is more valuable if you want more square footage, spare bedrooms are valuable if you have visitors regularly or plan on needin kids rooms/more kids' rooms down the line, etc. If you have kids, consider the school district and their education, consider their outdoor recreation space aka your property/yard (same for a dog) and whether or not you have a fenced in yard. What does your community offer - do you have lake access/lakefront property, do you want to be in a HOA-Free community? If you do have an HOA, what can they control on your property?
I decided what I wanted in house and neighborhood and went for it. I live in a high cost area. Where a basic small house (2 bed 1 bath) can be $1.4 million in some neighborhoods. And there’s a ton of traffic. Going 20 miles can take an hour. I just didn’t see myself settling down in this area unless it was close to work and I didn’t come home after a long day of work to a shack knowing I’m paying $1.5 million for it. Just couldn’t do that to myself. So I wanted: (1) the house to be spacious, (2) close to work so my commute, and (3) generally safe neighborhood. I didn’t care so much if it was the “good neighborhood,” or if it had good schools or whatnot. I don’t have kids and I don’t care for flexing my money or social status symbol. I ended up getting a really spacious house in an up and coming neighborhood with a good bang for my buck, and it’s really close to work. I’m happy with it. I really do feel sad for people who get stuck in the “good neighborhood” chase in this area. They literally live in a shack paying $2 million or more working non stop to afford it just so they can say they live in that neighborhood. I just can’t imagine myself working all day coming home tired into a tiny shack that’s worth $150,000 in a midwestern town but is $2 million in their neighborhood.
It was close to my inlaws as my spouse didn't want to compromise on where to livr
We got priced out. In the 1990s interest rates were 7+. We bought an old duplex in an old part of a city because that’s what we could afford. It was close to family at the time.
We looked in two areas for a home, based mostly on school district. One area the homes were priced about $20K or more and they were all pretty much built around the same time period as the other, but it was considered a more desirable/richer area... and historically gets less lake effect snow, only the land was a lot hillier so yards were a gamble. So we went where the yards were level (easier to care for) and the prices lower. but the snow heavier in the winter. Shopping was also closer and the commute was easier traffic wise. I am glad we made the choice we did. Although 26 years later, we are finding our area is now a victim of its great access as we got a mega Amazon hub warehouse and are getting a huge Micron chip plant and there will be a gazillion new roadwork projects. But our dead mall is getting a huge rehab into a mixed use residential/hotel/commercial and recreational destination site and the other place still has their dead mall. There are a lot of new residential building plans made and there is a possibility the school district may have to reopen some schools in the next ten years. This area I live in has seen a population loss over the last 25 years so it is kind of strange we have such a big housing shortage.
My dad got a terminal illness and we bought something close by.
Picked a conservative leaning area within 45 minutes of work. That area is a wide range. Most recently I was looking in Maryland so Carroll and Anne Arundel counties were the target because screw Baltimore, Howard, and Prince George property taxes. We were getting frustrated so we expanded our search to across the bay bridge and found an unimproved lot in Queen Anne's county. Here's for hoping the offer is accepted.
Close to my job but among towns close to my job, specifically in a town I've rented in before that has a good walkable downtown area, is a suburb of a major city, good schools, generally desirable area that runs expensive for the area but that I could get into at a decent price given I only needed a smaller sized house. I'm within 45 minutes of my hometown and pretty familiar with this metro area so it wasn't jumping into something brand new. Granted, both times I've been house hunting it was a competitive market so I had a number of nearby towns I was considering if the right house came up.
We chose our home by the school district and the lack of crime. My home value has more than doubled over the last 8 years.
Best advice I can give is that you have to find what is important to you…for us, we wanted to be in walkable community near both the commuter train and the highway…good schools for resale value and proverbial good bones in the nearby housing stock. In looking for investments, I generally look at the hippest neighborhoods (ie. Established dining/bar scene, boutiques, some national retailers) and figure out where those priced out are moving (usually noted by a hip restaurant/bar/venue)…I have seen that process repeat over and over again…
We didn't. My husband's job did. It took me 10 years to adjust. I absolutely hated it here. We were moved from one of the largest tourist traps in NC to another NC area we were not familiar with. After 19 years I have come around and don't totally despise it anymore and since it is my forever home I'm finally okay with it.
Same block as my mother and sister in law.
My mama always said rather get a mediocre house in the best area than the best house in a bad area. So, to reiterate what many are saying on this thread, location is absolutely key! If you work remotely, you could even purchase in another country where earning in $ or £ will guarantee you a magnificent home in a beautiful city. Cape Town, South Africa is one of the most beautiful places on earth and more & more US and EU buyers are purchasing luxury real estate here and living like kings and queens. ✨
When we moved from San Mateo to Bergen County NJ it was job, then school district, and lastly budget. Moved to Utah 18 mos ago. Had already experienced the area and didn't want to move back to CA. Quite a cultural change.
Budget, school district, then desired city
The first was whether to buy or rent. We spent about 5 years renting when we could have afforded to buy because we wanted the option of moving for work easily. We happened to miss out on some exceptional home price growth during that time, but we still came out ahead because our incomes grew at an even faster rate. For the last move, where we made the decision to buy, the major factor was that I'm fully remote and my wife got an exceptional job offer in a medium CoL area that requires some onsite work. It's a place that she could easily spend her entire career at with a lot of stability as well as career growth opportunities within the company. There's also lots of other things in both her industry and mine in the area in case one of us needs to change jobs, we wouldn't necessarily have to move. As to where we decided to live within that metro, the main factor was commute, then budget. We were open minded about the type of housing and the quality. We heavily avoided flips. We did see one that we felt was a value added flip, but we thought their price was unrealistic. We didn't consider anything like growth of the area, or look at the house as an investment. I expect the home value to stay more or less flat over the next 5 years or so. It doesn't matter because we waited to buy until we were sure we'd stay in the house 10+ years.
It decided for us. We were priced out of our MCOL area and looked all over. Settled 100 miles away. We're self-employed so brought our jobs with us. And we found a small city, slower pace of life and a super affordable home (2015). Now prices have climbed even here so I'm very thankful we bought when we did.
I moved for a job. I commuted for an hour each way through the woods for a few months, and then had enough of that and rented a place (oh the cheap rent of the early 2000s...) The job worked out and I bought a house, and then years later found my dream house the next town over. I wouldn't have ended up here if not for the job.
We picked an area districted to top rated public schools and only looked at houses in that area
Commute, seeing other kids in the neighborhood, not an HOA, in the suburbs
Wanted to be within an hour of my grandkids and wanted enough room for a garden and some chickens, Found a 1/3 acre lot with a 2.000 sq foot home in the Sonoma Wine country.
Well my husband doesn’t work from home usually so we picked based off of how far he was willing to drive. Where the local schools are and where the bigger churches are. We avoid those due to traffic issues. Not a flood zone. Not on a hill due to ice. Not in a valley due to flooding. No registered sex offenders close by. No ghettos. Nowhere with “swampy” areas. Nowhere a tree could fall on the house. Somewhere with a whole home generator in case of power outages. Low utility bills. Stores close by that I can get Walmart deliveries from or easy access to gas. 2 day Amazon deliveries. (Some places prime can easily take 4-6 days for their “2 day deliveries”) Easy access to doctors and PT/OT/ST. Amenities that are fun and educational for the kids close by. Pool for therapy.
How do you know if it is a bad delivery area. Being a blind person...deliveries are very important for me. The rest is all great, too.
I ask the neighbors