# Survey: Housing Prices **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2007, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007 "2007-01-07T01:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/21 "2007-01-07T06:51:52Z")
Here in Silicon Valley CA, your house is around $500,000 in a half-way decent neighborhood. In a really nice area, it’s almost $1Megabuck. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/22 "2007-01-07T09:58:33Z")
I live in an obscenely expensive town. San Francisco and Manhattan are probably more expensive, but not by a huge amount. My house is 1.5 bedrooms and 1 bathroom in about 1000 square feet. It’s pretty much a ridiculously expensive hovel. I bought it at the end of 1993 for $215K at the very bottom of the market. Wow, there is actually a house for less than a million bucks in the neighborhood. Here’s the [cheap house](http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1070624659). ---
**Author:** ![Mame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@Mame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mame)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/23 "2007-01-07T11:10:26Z")
OK, this is an expensive suburb. [This house](http://www.domain.com.au/Public/PropertyDetails.aspx?adid=2005681334) is at the intersection of 2 very busy streets, and almost on top of the new expressway. 3br, 1 bath. $790K. It seems to be the cheapest 3BR house in the area - only 1bath, small land, poor location. The rest of the 3BR freestanding homes in the area (advertised on the SMH Domain website) are over $1.5million. [This one is rather nice](http://www.domain.com.au/Public/PropertyDetails.aspx?adid=2006092239) and $3.2 million. Still 3 br though. The next 2 suburbs are pricier. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/24 "2007-01-07T12:34:22Z")
I have 1400 square feet, 3 bedroom, 1 bath, living room, kitchen/dining room, small office, large backyard, detached garage, built in 1963 or thereabouts; paid $56,500 back in September. Closest equivalent I could find is 84k, a couple of miles away, a little ranch house built in 1959. Cheapest I could find was a 4 bedroom for $8,000, but I don’t think anyone but the most desperate would want to live there. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/25 "2007-01-07T12:42:02Z")
[QUOTE=Jonathan Chance] So I saw a thread in the Pit regarding housing prices in London. And I’ve seen similar things for other regions. And I figure we can do a survey here. So I’m looking for two things: 1. Cost for you where you live now and size/space/etc. 2. Search [http://www.realtor.com](http://www.realtor.com) or your local equivalent. Find a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath place and give us a price and link. Let’s get a feel for it. Here’s to start: 1. My place: 4 level about 3500 sq ft home in small town Southeastern Ohio. 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath (that last is under construction). Built in 1908 from yellow brick. I bought it in 2004 for $80K. 2. The cheapest I found that met the specs in my zip code was [$39,900](http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeListing.asp?snum=1&locallnk=yes&frm=byzip&mnbed=3&mnbath=1.5&mnprice=0&mxprice=99999999&js=off&pgnum=1&fid=so&stype=&mnsqft=&mls=xmls&areaid=45750&poe=realtor&zp=45750&sbint=&vtsort=&sorttype=&typ=1&typ=2&typ=4&x=104&y=9&sid=07DB8771ED30C&snumxlid=1072536680&lnksrc=00002) I figure there’ll be some interesting comparisons out there. So how 'bout it, people? Sing out your tales of pain and joy! [/QUOTE] Our house, 3 BR 1.5 bath, cost $92k when we bought it in 2000. It’s currently valued in the $130s. Currently, houses range from $119k-$299k in the same size. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/26 "2007-01-07T13:13:42Z")
[The cheapest](http://www.propertyfinder.com/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=500596081&f=0&p=10&t=res&ty=&fmt=&header=®ionid=5&c=77146399&snf=rbs&tm=1168175411) and [most expensive](http://www.propertyfinder.com/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=500882865&f=60&p=10&t=res&ty=&fmt=&header=®ionid=5&c=77146399&snf=rbs&tm=1168175411) three-beds from a brief search. US$270k and $1m respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/27 "2007-01-07T14:02:45Z")
[QUOTE=Jonathan Chance] 1. Cost for you where you live now and size/space/etc. [/quote] Converted barn, Cotswold stone, 2 bedrooms, very small bathroom, open plan ground floor with kitchenette, total area 900 sq ft. Bought for £74k in 1992, now worth £300k. Totally ridiculous. > [@](#): > > 1. Search [http://www.realtor.com](http://www.realtor.com) or your local equivalent. Find a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath place and give us a price and link. Can’t find a specific example. In this area much depends on actual location - desirability of village, view, etc. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/28 "2007-01-07T14:44:19Z")
1. We bought a 2 bedroom rowhouse (built in 1920s) with garage in Washington, DC in 2005 for $340k. 2. Similar houses in our neighborhood are going for $380k to $400k depending on their state of repair. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/29 "2007-01-07T16:50:54Z")
My house is just over 2000 sq feet in a decent neighborhood. 4Br, 1.5Ba. When I bought it in 2002 I paid $570k. Refi last year, broker did a “back of the envelope” calculation and figured rough worth then was $700k. Happened to look at Zillow two days ago and it showed $750k. Most other houses around me are a bit less, high $500k-high $600k, probably because they’re a little smaller than mine. House built in 1946, addition in 1950s. Nothing special, just regular Bay Area housing prices. Oh well, at least tofu is cheap out here 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/30 "2007-01-07T18:11:13Z")
Oh, forgot the first bit…small mid-19th century terrace, living room & kitchen, one bedroom upstairs plus another tiny room, in need of renovation, and flood-prone. Probably about $200k. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/31 "2007-01-07T19:41:54Z")
I own a 1920 craftsman-style [foursquare](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foursquare) in one of Atlanta’s intown neighborhoods. It has been divided into a duplex, and also has a garage apartment. (I live in one of the units in the main building.) I bought the place in 1995 for $164 K. Looks like the current price range for similar multi-family homes in this general vicinity is [$370,000](http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeListing.asp?snum=65&frm=bymap&nearbyZp=&lid=Enter+MLS+ID&ss_aywr=&st=GA&mls=xmls&mnbed=0&js=on&mnsqft=2250&fid=so&poe=realtor&mnprice=0&ct=Atlanta&zp=&primaryZp=&mxprice=99999999&typ=4&exft=iaoh51plus&exft=i2sty&exft=0&exft=0&mnbath=0&areaid=1412&sid=07DC7D72920AC&sbint=1&sblo=0&pgnum=7&snumxlid=1070637121&lnksrc=00001) to [$624,500](http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeListing.asp?snum=18&frm=bymap&nearbyZp=&lid=Enter+MLS+ID&ss_aywr=&st=GA&mls=xmls&mnbed=0&js=on&mnsqft=2250&fid=so&poe=realtor&mnprice=0&ct=Atlanta&zp=&primaryZp=&mxprice=99999999&typ=4&exft=iaoh51plus&exft=i2sty&exft=0&exft=0&mnbath=0&areaid=1412&sid=07DC7D72920AC&sbint=1&sblo=0&pgnum=2&snumxlid=1069651157&lnksrc=00002). Hmm. Pretty broad range. Lot of variables with these older multifamily houses, I guess. My place looks pretty similar to the latter home, but has fewer units and doesn’t bring in as much rent. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/32 "2007-01-07T20:10:09Z")
[realtor.com](http://realtor.com) shows a 3br., 1.5 bth. in my area goes for a bit over 200K. I bought this place in '84 for 69.5 and it recently appraised for 235. ---
**Author:** ![theater\_in\_a\_crowded\_fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@theater\_in\_a\_crowded\_fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theater_in_a_crowded_fire)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/33 "2007-01-07T20:12:11Z")
We’re in Booneville, MS. It’s a small town about an hour south of the Tennessee border and the location of a community college and several decent sized industries. We bought our house just over two years ago for $61,000. It’s three bedrooms, one bath, approximately 1,700 square feet and sits on just over an acre which includes about a half-acre that’s actually the house lot and another half-acre that’s solid woods. It was built in 1996 and is in a pretty decent neighborhood. Our house may not be completely typical of the local market because we bought it from a guy who had bought it as a foreclosure and just did some basic remodeling. He got it for an absolute steal at auction (less than $40K IIRC) and so even with us getting a decent deal he still made plenty of money on the property. The closest thing I can find on [Realtor.com](http://Realtor.com) to the OP’s question is a 3-bedroom, 2 bath with 1,366 square feet built in 1935 for $47,900. [House Listing](http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeListing.asp?snum=1&locallnk=yes&frm=byzip&mnbed=3&mnbath=1.5&mnprice=0&mxprice=99999999&js=off&pgnum=1&fid=so&stype=&mnsqft=&mls=xmls&areaid=38829&poe=realtor&zp=38829&sbint=&vtsort=&sorttype=&typ=1&x=38&y=9&sid=07DC85E544F0C&snumxlid=1073363488&lnksrc=00002) ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/34 "2007-01-07T20:12:52Z")
[realtor.com](http://realtor.com) shows a 3br., 1.5 bth. in my area goes for a bit over 200K. I bought this place in '84 for 69.5 and it recently appraised for 235. This is SW Washinton, lots of people working in the Portland area are buying here. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/35 "2007-01-07T20:24:11Z")
We rent an apartment (as does something like 80% of the people in this neighbourhood!). It’s in the vicinity of 1100-1200 sq ft, rented for 950$ CDN a month, plus utilities. I was just checking the mls yesterday and “similar” units being sold as condos in the area seem to be going for 215 000$ - 280 000$ CDN depending on condition and location (though most seem to be in the 800-950 sq ft range). I think this particular apartment would be on the high end of that, if the landlord ever decided to sell the building as condos. Compared to the other places we saw for rent, we are getting a very nice place for a very nice price! ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/36 "2007-01-07T20:33:40Z")
Oh, missing details, of course! The apartment is a 5 1/2, so it has a double living room (with french doors!), a dining room, a bed room, a kitchen (large for this area of Montreal) and a bathroom. It also has a storage locker room inside the apartment. Second floor of a six-plex, typical Montreal building. ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/37 "2007-01-07T20:41:34Z")
1. Right now I’m paying $815 a month for a 500-square-foot apartment with one bedroom and one bathroom. It was the least expensive apartment that I could find in a safe neighborhood. Slightly larger apartments in this area (West Palm Beach, FL) rent for $900-$1000 a month. 2. The best bargain I’ve found for housing around here is a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom townhouse in Palm Beach Gardens, built in 2006. It’s 1,400 square feet and is selling for $224,500. [Listing.](http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeListing.asp?frm=byxmls&xlid=1065936507&fh=on&lnksrc=feathome&poe=realtor) It’s times like this that I envy my parents. Two years ago they built a three bedroom, three bath, 3,700-square-foot house in west central Florida for $191,600. Many of the smaller homes in their area are selling for about $75,000. I could easily afford to buy something in that neighborhood. Unfortunately my employer doesn’t allow telecommuting. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/38 "2007-01-07T20:50:54Z")
Dallas, TX. I live in a 2 bedroom 1 bath condo which we rent for $816.00 per month. We get a discount because of my partner’s employer. A 3 bedroom condo typical of the area would be here and would cost about 250-300K. I think some of the prices on [realtor.com](http://realtor.com) are a bit optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/39 "2007-01-07T22:39:01Z")
[This](http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeListing.asp?snum=1&locallnk=yes&frm=bymap&mnbed=3&mnbath=1.5&mnprice=0&mxprice=99999999&js=off&fid=so&stype=&mnsqft=&mls=xmls&areaid=55693&poe=realtor&ct=Glen+Ellyn&st=IL&sbint=&vtsort=&sorttype=&typ=1&x=77&y=8&sid=07DCAACFB2D8C&pgnum=1&snumxlid=1066108195&lnksrc=00002) is the cheapest 3 bed 1.5 bath I found on [Realtor.com](http://Realtor.com) in my town. $239.9K. My town is long and narrow - houses in the north half - closer to the train and downtown, are probably at least 50% more than the south half. A buildable lat - 50x150, can easily go for $300K and up. I would be very surprised to find new construction in my area for under $800K, with most over $1 mill. Most new houses impress me as showy mini-mansions, built on too small lots. We have a 5 bed, 2.5 bath, on a 50x200 lot, on a busier street. 2-story, cedar sided, w/ attached 2 car garage. Not sure of the square footage, but the rooms are smaller than most new construction. You know - no 2-story entry, master bath only has a shower, no walk-in closets or dressing rooms. Were recently thinking about listing it, and were recommended to list it around $650K. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007/40 "2007-01-08T01:54:34Z")
We recently bought a 3br/2.5 bath 1600sq ft bi-attched townhome in a suburb of Des Moines. It has an unfinished basement and we own the lot. Paid just under $150K for it. Single-family dwellings of similar size in my neighborhood (nice, newer family subvision) run about $175K to $190K, but older homes in worse neighborhoods can be had for under $100K. I wouldn’t recommend them unless you love a DIY challenge, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survey-housing-prices/387007.md?page=3)