What $250,000 Buys You Around the Country

[Happy Panther]

$250k has gotten me three foreclosures in greensboro worth almost $400k. the latter of which should be just about right to land me ~50 acres in southern guilford county to build my commune :)

 

really one of the better places in the country (and even the state) to be right now IMO

I wish I could've taken advantage of the foreclosure market. Was overseas when the "great recession" hit but we did manage to buy our own house at the bottom. There were lots of foreclosures in our neighborhood but all gone now.

[PhillyB]

I wish I could've taken advantage of the foreclosure market. Was overseas when the "great recession" hit but we did manage to buy our own house at the bottom. There were lots of foreclosures in our neighborhood but all gone now.

 

yeah i grabbed the first one in 2011 as the market bottomed out, then two more this year. it's still a buyer's market, and there's still great deals out there, but the days of obscenely low prices in the foreclosure market are pretty much done. i'll try to grab maybe two more within the next couple of years and then that's it… i'll rent, pay off, and liquidate.

[Happy Panther]

yeah i grabbed the first one in 2011 as the market bottomed out, then two more this year. it's still a buyer's market, and there's still great deals out there, but the days of obscenely low prices in the foreclosure market are pretty much done. i'll try to grab maybe two more within the next couple of years and then that's it… i'll rent, pay off, and liquidate.

Remind me. You have your commune land picked out?

[PhillyB]

Remind me. You have your commune land picked out?

 

not really. i check landwatch every couple of months to see what's available in guilford and neighboring counties, just to stay abreast of prices and developments, but realistically i'm not going to be in the market for buying until 2016. i doubt too much that's for sale now will still be available then, so there's not much sense in over-planning until that time comes.

[Anybodyhome]

not really. i check landwatch every couple of months to see what's available in guilford and neighboring counties, just to stay abreast of prices and developments, but realistically i'm not going to be in the market for buying until 2016. i doubt too much that's for sale now will still be available then, so there's not much sense in over-planning until that time comes.

 

You should check in the incorporated areas just outside Greensboro such as Pleasant Garden, Ramseur, etc. where the local governments have taken action to prevent Greensboro from annexing them. Property values just across the Guilford County line in Randolph County are pretty good, too. The NC62 corridor between 220/73 and 421 has some nice property areas as well.

 

 

[BuffaloBills62]

What is $250k in somewhere like Wilton, Iowa or Appleton, Wisconsin?

 

We all have an idea what it'd get you in Matthews or Ripley... but not where the rest of America lives.  Where I live it'd get you 4,000sq ft on 3 acres.

[PhillyB]

You should check in the incorporated areas just outside Greensboro such as Pleasant Garden, Ramseur, etc. where the local governments have taken action to prevent Greensboro from annexing them. Property values just across the Guilford County line in Randolph County are pretty good, too. The NC62 corridor between 220/73 and 421 has some nice property areas as well.

 

yep, i've looked pretty extensively throughout randolph county as well. that's the rub though; i want something that's far out enough to be cheap and avoid urban sprawl over the rest of my life, while yet being close enough to the city that i can live/work/hang out with people there without inconvenience.

[Anybodyhome]

yep, i've looked pretty extensively throughout randolph county as well. that's the rub though; i want something that's far out enough to be cheap and avoid urban sprawl over the rest of my life, while yet being close enough to the city that i can live/work/hang out with people there without inconvenience.

 

Could always go north of Greensboro as well. Although there are essentially 2 Greensboros- the Battleground/airport/north side and the Holden/High Point Rd/I-40. Kind of depends on which part of Greensboro you spend the majority of your time.

 

But there's also the 220 north corridor on the other side of Summerfield, up toward Madison and Stoneville. I personally never thought that was a bad drive. I lived in Martinsville for 13 years and could get to the airport in less that 45 minutes.

 

40 acres in Madison/Mayodan area: $139k

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/Virginia-St_Madison_NC_27025_M52571-92297

 

[PhillyB]

Could always go north of Greensboro as well. Although there are essentially 2 Greensboros- the Battleground/airport/north side and the Holden/High Point Rd/I-40. Kind of depends on which part of Greensboro you spend the majority of your time.

 

But there's also the 220 north corridor on the other side of Summerfield, up toward Madison and Stoneville. I personally never thought that was a bad drive. I lived in Martinsville for 13 years and could get to the airport in less that 45 minutes.

 

40 acres in Madison/Mayodan area: $139k

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/Virginia-St_Madison_NC_27025_M52571-92297

 

 

i don't know why but i've always been more attracted to the area south of greensboro than north of it. for some reason madison and beyond just feels to out-of-the-way to me (and summerfield is horrifically expensive unless you sneak up into rockingham county and beyond.) i think i would take randolph county over rockingham, and south guilford co. over north guilford. the julian/liberty area is actually fairly attractive to me.

 

of course this is all subject to change radically over the next two years depending on various factors like price. i don't want to lock myself into one spot versus another based on dumb prejudices about certain towns or areas and potentially screw myself out of the best possible setup.