US Property Envy

[Ionysis]

Any other non-USA members ever get stuff pop up in their IG feeds which makes you knaw your knuckles with envy over US houses and the price of them.

I’ve just seen an old colonial mansion in Missouri with four bedrooms, half an acre of garden, a stones throw from coffee shops and the restored courthouse, space for five cars - two in a double garage, and even a bloody white picket fence for less than $200k.

It’s so amazing I’d expect blood to run out of the taps, a resident poltergeist and a cemetery in the yard for that price.

I couldn’t even get a one bedroom apartment behind the railway station in my mother’s home town in the U.K. for that price.

I do get that the USA has a little more space to spread out than my birth country but really?!

 

[icy_jade]

All the time. For the price of a dinky government built flat that has 99 years lease in Singapore, I can buy a mansion in the US. Mansion!!!

 

[elizat]

It's all about location and what is available economically.

Like this house:

Beautiful!

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But so many properties like this are located in places that are small, economically depressed, and don't have a lot of opportunity for work for people that is a reasonable commute. Some of these places have crime rates way higher than normal as well, because there is so little economic opportunity, so they aren't desirable anymore.

 

[peacechick]

In the little Canadian town my in-laws are from, the property is so inexpensive. And they urge us to move there with them... But there are no jobs that match what we do. There’s not a lot to do. And you have to drive to get to even a grocery store. So we’ll just stay in the city in our box apartment in exchange for being able to nip downstairs for Starbucks and some food.

 

[missy]

It's all about location and what is available economically.

Like this house:

Beautiful!

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But so many properties like this are located in places that are small, economically depressed, and don't have a lot of opportunity for work for people that is a reasonable commute. Some of these places have crime rates way higher than normal as well, because there is so little economic opportunity, so they aren't desirable anymore.

So true. The desirable places are often extremely expensive with super high property tax.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

So true. The desirable places are often extremely expensive with super high property tax.

Oh yeah....NY and NJ! My smiles aren't working, so insert wide eyed horror face here.

 

[Ionysis]

Clearly there are some places where I would never in a million years contemplate living regardless of how mind blowing and inexpensive the property. Like Texas….

 

[seaurchin]

I came to feel like my larger house and yard took up too much of my life (time, energy and money) for a bunch of empty space. It was fun to feel like we'd finally "arrived" and could have all that for a while, but smaller is better for me.

 

[VRBeauty]

It's all about location and what is available economically.

Like this house:

Beautiful!

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But so many properties like this are located in places that are small, economically depressed, and don't have a lot of opportunity for work for people that is a reasonable commute. Some of these places have crime rates way higher than normal as well, because there is so little economic opportunity, so they aren't desirable anymore.

So true! During our travels two years ago we stopped in the small town, in northwest Minnesota, where my hubby’s family first immigrated from Europe. We saw signs in posted in the grocery store offering homes for $20,000 and $30,000 - cash only. Clearly distress sales. My hubby’s ancestors helped build that town, and his father (and his siblings) grew up in that town. I think it’s very telling that not a single member of his family lives there now.

 

[Ionysis]

Those old houses are so gorgeous they make me want to weep! I love the the idea of retiring to some small midwestern town in the US where I can spend half my day pottering in the yard, make sandwiches for the church bring and buy sale and know all my neighbours’ business.

My favourite books when growing up were all the Anne of Green Gables and the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. Sigh.

 

[whitewave]

I can get a 1.5 million dollar replica of Tara (gone with the wind) house around here, but only on about 2 acres or I can get a 4000 sqft house on A fourth of an acre in the New Orleans area for 1 million.

It just depends on where it is.

 

[whitewave]

Those old houses are so gorgeous they make me want to weep! I love the the idea of retiring to some small midwestern town in the US where I can spend half my day pottering in the yard, make sandwiches for the church bring and buy sale and know all my neighbours’ business.

My favourite books when growing up were all the Anne of Green Gables and the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. Sigh.

As they say around here, if you forget your business, someone will remind you of your business lol

 

[Ionysis]

I can get a 1.5 million dollar replica of Tara (gone with the wind) house around here, but only on about 2 acres or I can get a 4000 sqft house on A fourth of an acre in the New Orleans area for 1 million.

It just depends on where it is.

Only. ONLY two acres

 

[lala646]

Clearly there are some places where I would never in a million years contemplate living regardless of how mind blowing and inexpensive the property. Like Texas….

I was born & raised in Missouri, and I hate to tell you it's not terribly better than Texas right now.

 

[Ionysis]

I was born & raised in Missouri, and I hate to tell you it's not terribly better than Texas right now.

*sad emoji*

 

[missy]

I can get a 1.5 million dollar replica of Tara (gone with the wind) house around here, but only on about 2 acres or I can get a 4000 sqft house on A fourth of an acre in the New Orleans area for 1 million.

It just depends on where it is.

A two bedroom apartment in the Brooklyn building (where we have a 4 bedroom coop) sold for over 2 million. 1200 square feet. No outdoor space. Not a fancy building. And don’t ask what our maintenance is. Let’s just say it’s more per year than my annual salary when I first started working after graduate school.

It is expensive to live here.

 

[LilAlex]

old colonial mansion in Missouri

Hard stop right there.

It helps to know a little about the US to put these things in the right context. To live in these places, you have to live next to the people who live in these places.

For example, for that price you could also buy a whole block in Detroit. We even thought about buying an "investment" place there when DD was nearby -- and for less than the price of a typical e-ring on this forum . Again, even if it's a lovely home, your abutters are rat-infested condemned properties, meth-addict squatters, and vacant lots. And maybe a handful of bold revitalists like yourself. In the end, we were not that patient.

 

[Ionysis]

Hard stop right there.

It helps to know a little about the US to put these things in the right context. To live in these places, you have to live next to the people who live in these places.

For example, for that price you could also buy a whole block in Detroit. We even thought about buying an "investment" place there when DD was nearby -- and for less than the price of a typical e-ring on this forum . Again, even if it's a lovely home, your abutters are rat-infested condemned properties, meth-addict squatters, and vacant lots. And maybe a handful of bold revitalists like yourself. In the end, we were not that patient.

I freely admit I am not well informed on US geography / sociology and most of my mental imagery is based on made for TV movies from the 1990s.

 

[LilAlex]

and most of my mental imagery is based on made for TV movies from the 1990s.

Well so you might not be too far off! Hollywood, on the other hand...

 

[nala]

So Cal here and definitely not the envy of anyone. I bought my first home at 25, great area and paid 150k 1209 square feet on a 6000 sq foot lot. 3 room 2 baths. Conveniently located. It was considered a starter house. That same house is now selling for 750k. I don’t live in it anymore bc I sold it and bought what I consider my dream home 20 years ago. 2 story. 4 bed/2 baths, pool, even better area. I would not be able to afford my own house now at today’s prices.
My nephew had to move out 30 miles to save 300k plus. So he will take the train in rather than sit in 1.5 hours in traffic. But he did get a starter home like my first home. My niece didn’t sacrifice commute so for the same price as his home, she has a studio condo—800 sq feet and yeah, 100 sq feet patio.

 

[PinkAndBlueBling]

@Ionysis There's no way in hell I'd move to some of these US areas. I love watching HGTV and seeing the houses fixed-up in Indiana, Alabama, Texas, etc., but given the demographics, no thank you.

Years ago we had an opportunity to move to Savannah, GA. It's a lovely, quaint town- at least the historic district. My husband reminded me it had everything I can't stand: segregated "white kids go to private school," bugs, and the Bible Belt to name a few. Hard pass for me!

I also have zero desire to live in an area where everyone knows my business. That's just feeding the nasty gossips, and I have enough of that where I live in So Cal. Think of Mrs. Oleson from Little House...

 

[Austina]

Clearly there are some places where I would never in a million years contemplate living regardless of how mind blowing and inexpensive the property. Like Texas….

As someone who is about to move to Texas, I can tell you there are parts that are definitely NOT inexpensive, and if only the place we’re buying was $200,000. House prices have rocketed since the beginning of the year, and property tax isn’t cheap either.

 

[diamondringlover]

I currently live in a smaller town in the midwest, its a village..our house was built in 1913 and its approx 1400 square feet, we have a half acre lot and our neighbor owns the 2 acre lot directly behind our house...our property value has skyrocketed in the last few years....right now our house would probably sale for around $150,00 to $170,000 (ours needs alot of work). Small towns have good and bad to them, I hate having to drive 20 miles to different grocery stores or malls, we only have 1 decent restaurant and it just opened a year and half ago...and EVERYONE knows EVERYONE's business...once again sometimes good and sometimes bad lol

 

[qubitasaurus]

Oh my god we tried to buy a small 1000-1300 sq foot apartment last week for 2 million dollars (plus 200k taxes). It has less than 99 years left on the lease before it reverts to the government. Its not in the city. We basically offered list price within 24 hours of seeing it -- we did not try to low ball them. The owner withdrew the sale (according to the agent they're in the US and wanted to sell so they could purchase US property, but decided they'd prefer to hold their property here a little longer? Idk if this is bs.). Now we're trying to work out how much more above the list price, we should pay them to get them to go ahead. I don't know what to say, even in my home country we could buy a nice house for the cost of the tiny apartment which is not in the city and only belongs to us for 90 years, that we may one day be lucky enough to own here.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

It is also crazy how US lenders will try to lend you much more money than you want to spend. It can be so tempting.

 

[Mreader]

@Ionysis There's no way in hell I'd move to some of these US areas. I love watching HGTV and seeing the houses fixed-up in Indiana, Alabama, Texas, etc., but given the demographics, no thank you.

Years ago we had an opportunity to move to Savannah, GA. It's a lovely, quaint town- at least the historic district. My husband reminded me it had everything I can't stand: segregated "white kids go to private school," bugs, and the Bible Belt to name a few. Hard pass for me!

I also have zero desire to live in an area where everyone knows my business. That's just feeding the nasty gossips, and I have enough of that where I live in So Cal. Think of Mrs. Oleson from Little House...

Awww Savannah is amazing though (and blue). Hard to compare that town to some of the more depressed tiny towns in the US. But yeah - bugs. Haha. As for property values, I spend some months in Nashville each year and whoa the properties are getting crazy expensive. I’m so glad I held onto my Mom’s house when she passed. People are paying above asking, cash, sight unseen.

 

[Dandi]

Wowsers. Our house is only 15 years old but the rest of the details match what you described in your original post @Ionysis, and nothing around here would be under $1.5m (I'm in Australia).

 

[maryjane04]

I love love love the renovation shows. I'm so envious of the house prices in certain areas. Waco, Texas for example and Fixer Upper - you could buy a decent house and have a renovation budget for like 300k! Then there are cabins in Maine, or lake houses across the country! I love the diversity of properties available.

I tried searching for lake houses or something by the beach in Australia and there's nothing that's under 1 mill. Unless you're getting an apartment it's just not achievable. Also I don't think we have many lakes here either haha.

 

[icy_jade]

I love the old Victorian houses in Australia by the way. So pretty!!

 

[maryjane04]

I love the old Victorian houses in Australia by the way. So pretty!!

Most of those are in the inner city Melbourne! Haha I think they would easily be 1.8M+.