housing costs,,,,,highest in IA are in Ames...3 bedr ranch ( 1 small) with

[bobbieinok]

2 bathrooms (1 in basement) and attic ca $120,000 ....(bought for $29,500 in 1972/73)

older house next to railroad ca $60,000 in 1998

these prices seem crazy for IA....what's going on in Ames???


(prices courtesy of family members)

[rox63]

1. That would be dirt cheap where I live

In northeastern Massachusetts.

[madrchsod]

2. my parents built the house i

live in ,in about 73-4. they paid 30,000 for a 1700 sq foot slab. i bought it and was appairsed at 100,000. houses with basement here are about 110,000. so the price isn`t that far out of line in ames because college towns usually have higher house values. midwest house prices are reasonable compared to the east and west coast.

[pstans]

3. Sounds right for a University town

I live 30 min away from Ames and those prices sound pretty right. I bought my house for $80,000 a year ago. It sounds similar to the house your described (3 BR, 1.5 baths). We did a lot of work and will probably be selling it within the next year and plan on asking $110,000 for it.

I just looked at a house in Iowa City that was 3 blocks from Kinnick Stadium and the University Hospital that had 3 BR's, 1 bath and was listed at $250,000. The house was built in 1939, didn't have a finished basement, had some past water problems in the basement. It was in really nice shape, hardwood floors, decent sized yard, 2 car garage, and a nice privacy fence.

[AngryAmish]

4. My folks bought 2 bedroom in 1965 for $16,500

In a nice suburb of Chicago. Put on an addition. Now 3 bedroom 2 bath. The house recently sold for $340k without any improvement for 30+ years.

Be thankful Iowa is so cheap.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. My parents bought a house in 1965

for 27,500. Sold it 40 years later for 10 times that amount. No remodeling, just routine updates.

[Lilyhoney]

6. where I live this house you speak of

will cost 1 million dollars. No shit. Ahhh beautiful santa barbara.

[fooj]

7. Hi Lily...welcome to DU!

Same here up the coast (Santa Cruz County)...it's crazy, isn't it?

peace.

[Lilyhoney]

9. Crazy is a good word

I would have to be crazy to pay $800,000 for a 2 bed 1 bath termite infested tear down. But location, location, location.

[annabanana]

8. Maybe you're on the road to "Long Island"

(2 bedroom, 1 bath, 30 x 100' lot.. 290k)

[Lilyhoney]

10. You can't get a trailor for under that

in santa barbara

[FrankBooth]

11. You couldn't buy a tar paper shack ...

... in my neighborhood for $120,000, so those prices seem really cheap to me.

[Historic NY]

12. Near me that price wouldn't even get you a house in the ghetto......

and I'm 60 miles north of NY City. My neighbor just sold his 3brm, 1 1/2 bath ranch style house with a pool for 319k my house is similar except I have a 3 car garage & no pool. He was asking 295k and would have taken 285k. Nothing around here is affordable for young people even new condos are going for 279+.