New home prices.

[GailT]

An open house in my neighborhood is today. it is going for $400,000.00, the only difference is it has 2 full baths, I have a bath and a half. I just looked at new homes on the computer for Kissimee and the prices are so low. I have been thinking about moving to Florida for a long time, just dont know if I could take the heat. All you Florida people that live there, do you love it, help me out, convince me I would be doing the right thing?

 

[doxdogy]

Aside from the heat and humidity, living in Florida is not bad. Luckily, our cost of living is still relatively low in Northeast Florida. The best part, is no state taxes whatsoever! Here in Jacksonville, the price of a home depends on the side of town you live in. We paid 68K for our house 12 years ago. Houses in our neighborhood are going for a minimum of a 115K. My neighbors house is for sale, so come on down and be my neighbor!

 

[Pugdog007]

New home prices in our area are $250+ and I thought that was high.

I am thoroughly discouraged in our house hunting venture.

 

[laceemouse]

My DH is from Florida and we lived there for many years before moving here 3 years ago. We had serious sticker shock coming up here, and prices have soared since we came. Houses in our neighborhood are up 100,000 or so just since we came! I think the lower interest rates caused this. But keep in mind that anyplace where housing is cheaper SALARIES are usually much less too. It really depends on what you do, but most people up here make way more than our friends in the south do. Also, Florida has a very low unemployment rate, if you do get a job offer there the chances that they will pay to move you down are nill. We miss the south and are dying to go back. We would take Florida, Texas, Atlanta, or the Carolinas, but everything DH sees pays less and only wants local candidates. We may try again in a few years when we feel we can pay for the move, but DH would never want to take a big cut in pay or position. He does IT project management, it may be different in your field. Much of Florida is predominately service industry jobs. Good luck in you decision, we don't mind the heat so that is not a factor for us, it beats shovelling snow any day!!!

 

[lil mermaid]

Out here in the Bay area, for $400,000 you basically get an old shack. Things are crazy here!

 

[marlasmom]

I have posted this before. Our house was $120,000 - 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, great room, 2 car garage (with opener - I love that), screened pool and lanai on a fairly big (for Florida) lot. On the other hand insurance is more costly and so are groceries. Movies are cheaper and so are haircuts. Florida insurance companies are awful - your cost for a prescription will go way up. No heating costs true - but the air conditioning bill is high.

 

[rbuzzotta]

New homes in my neighborhood are goinng for 749,000 and the town next door 1.2 mil!!!!! OUCH!!!

(I was just reading the RE page before I logged on!!!)

 

[boston-yachter]

SMALL WORLD!

We live south of Boston too...and I know what you mean!
We've (my daughter and myself) made the decision to move south....and originally looked at Florida...but have decided on North Carolina, in the Raleigh area!
We'll be there early November...

Best of Luck to ya!

 

[jamsmom]

How the heck doe single parents make it in some of those towns? (I am thinking teachers!)

 

[Disneymoon04]

Here in Plano (it's north of Dallas) the new neighborhoods are roughly running at about $200k to the millions. If you buy one of the older houses (in east Plano - around 20 to 30 years old) most of those are selling for about $80-$175k.

I live in an apartment which is probably the same in rent than a lot of house payments, but no insurance or taxes.

 

[Evil Princess]

You guys should try suburban NYC on Long Island There are bidding wars to get into my development, its insane. Houses go for wayyyyyyyy more than they are worth.

Location, location, location.

 

[Snowysmom]

In my town, we sold our very small ranch (2 bedrooms, 1 bath) and they tore it down. They built a huge house and are asking over $600,000 for it! And it really doesn't fit into the neighborhood. I keep looking to see if they sell it and who can afford that kind of money for a house! Real estate prices in Mass are getting out ridiculous.

 

[JESW]

DS8 & I went to an open (new) house in our town (SE MA) today and it was selling for $650,000. Nice, but no real yard and not too different than ours (4 bedroom, 2 & 1/2 bath straight front colonial with attached family room) Nice extras in the moulding, tray ceilings and wood floors, but not enough to make me want to move. (But I did like the laundry room being on the second floor and having a mud room just off the entrance from the garage....and the master suite above the three car garage..)

Jill

 

[CarolA]

Well, I noticed the builder is building the same model house I have so I looked it up and found they want $10,000 more than I paid. I have ONLY been in this house since January and my house actually has several features that are not in the "market" home (including an expanded great room) I thought my lot had problems until I saw this one! NO back yard, just kind of a VERY STEEP incline onto your neighbors deck!

Houses around here run the whole price range. If I lived half a mile down the road they go up over $100,000 due to the school district (No kids, this did not really concern me except for resale and I decided to take my chances!)

 

[fkj2]

It will be interesting to see how rising interest rates will affect the market. People seem to have bought as much house as they could afford and if they've taken an ARM, their mortgage payments will soon go up.

 

[Pugdog007]

Originally posted by fkj2
It will be interesting to see how rising interest rates will affect the market. People seem to have bought as much house as they could afford and if they've taken an ARM, their mortgage payments will soon go up.

Who in their right mind would do an ARM when rates are so low?

 

[joeokw]

we just took out home equity loan.... 10 mos ago we refinaced with a 15 year loan... Our house rose 60,000 in one year.. Our house was apppraised for 450,000... it is a hi ranch nothing special.. We invesigated florida very seriously.. even picked out a school district in Seminole county (Lake Brantley) We were looking at houses in the 200,000 range.. but nursing salaries are half what we make plus crummy benefits as compared our union benefits that has fully paid medical, presrciption, fully paid defined benefits.. and I can retire in 14 years... so We will wait until then. to move to Oralndo area and work in the First Aid Station in WDW..

 

[Jenzebelle]

We moved to RI because there was absolutely no way we could afford a house in Southern Massachusetts. The area I grew up in (and within 20miles of) had no homes for sale for less than $250k. We're talking tiny 1-2 bedroom ranches and capes.

My parents built their large 4BR Cape on a 1/4 acrea lot 18yrs ago for $250k. It was just apprased at half a million dollars. It's insane how much prices are nowadays! A 1/4 lot in the area I grew up in is $100-$125k - just the land! The new houses are going for between $400k-$800k on these tiny pieces of land. And they look horrible - huge monstrosity of houses on these tiny lots.

This one house sold for $650k - it was a largeish gambrel on a corner lot on the busiest road in town and next to a doctor's office/emergency clinic.

So DH and I bought a house 20 miles away in the Blackstone Valley area. It's a nice area with homes built in the late 30's early 40's for mill workers. I never realized 20miles northwest would make such a huge difference in prices. The house we bought for $150k would have been doubled if we bought where we were originall looking.

 

[Crush]

I live in San Antonio in a 6 year old house with 2,250 square feet, four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, WBFP, and two car garage. I think it sold for about $115K.

Speaking of location, it's really not so bad here. Sea World and Six Flags are within 10 miles. There are three universities, three military bases, and every kind of shopping you could imagine.

It seems to be missing a few trees, though...

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by Crush
Speaking of location, it's really not so bad here. Sea World and Six Flags are within 10 miles. There are three universities, three military bases, and every kind of shopping you could imagine.

It seems to be missing a few trees, though...

We agree...........our cousin lives there and we have gone the last 3 summers to visit. He owns the Comfort Suites Airport North and the Holiday Inn Express in Hollywood.
You can't beat the "River Walk"!!