STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Kel · Coach

Average Price of Homes

bumblebee · Coach

WAY too much. a 1BD condo in my neighborhood (which is not the hood, but neither is it beverly hills--it's an older residential neighborhood near west hollywood) currently goes for about $500K. you can't get an actual house for less than $850-$900K, and that's an old (1930s, maybe with an 80s-renovated kitchen) 2 or 3 BD.

honey · Gucci

i think the average for an apt in nyc is around $500K though i'm not sure if that's for a studio or one bedroom, i'm thinking studio. in my neighborhood, you could probably get a decent one for around $250K. the prices are astronomical...

halleybird · Hermes

Everybody here keeps saying Phoenix will go the way of LA. I bought my house in April, and in June, a house exactly like it down the street (with fewer options) sold for $50k more. On one hand, it's nice because you build equity quickly, but on the other hand, it's hard on first-time buyers. If we hadn't bought when we did, we wouldn't have a house!

ILoveChoo · Hermes

I don't really know what the average is, but the cheapest you can find for a small (600 sq. ft.- way to small for me and my stuff) one bedroom condo is about $300,000

dot · Marc Jacobs

What I think is insane in my neighborhood (I live right outside of Manhattan in a bride/tunnel town), is that in a condo not every apt comes with a parking space. You have to buy one, which is then deeded to your apt. The SUV size one is about 35K, 30K for compact (which is seriously for Mini-Coopers ONLY)... prices may be higher now. I'm just remember what they were when the building was still under construction. I remember going to another building when I was looking at apts and they said that their spaces were 40K each! WTF? And if you don't have a car, you can easily rent your parking space for $250 a month. CRAZY.

A think a decent 1-bdrm is like $350-380K? It's so ridiculous. Someone sold a two-bedroom in my building for about $500K with no parking space! I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y!

bex · Chanel

In the trendy downtown area of Columbus, the condos/2 br. homes are going for around $250-300K... In the up-and-coming areas of suburbia you can get a 2-3 br. condo for around $150-200K

sfclinevandy · Coach

Where I am in Florida, anything on the water is sure to be expensive. The cheapest condos I've seen are about $100K but most are $300K and up. My friend bought an older 2BR/2BA house for $300K in a nice neighborhood, but it's not on the water. If you want something right on the water... condos start at $800K and houses $1M.

What's crazy is I went to Orlando this weekend to visit friends. My friend and her fiance just bought a new home with 4BR/2.5 BA for $185K. Apparently you can still get amazing deals in central Florida.

theotherjess · Chanel

sfclinevandy wrote:

What's crazy is I went to Orlando this weekend to visit friends. My friend and her fiance just bought a new home with 4BR/2.5 BA for $185K. Apparently you can still get amazing deals in central Florida.

This is pretty rare. It's still a lot cheaper than what you all have mentioned though. Our house is 5 BR/2.5 BA and we got it for $215K about 8-10 years ago. Houses in our neighborhood now that are way smaller and not as nice are selling for anywhere from $500K to $800K. We are not on the water, though.

Rica · Kenneth Cole

Ha, jeez, I'm never leaving my town. I live in West Texas and very nice houses in swanky neighborhoods start at $200K. We've got lots of money here (hi, oil and gas industry) and super cheap living so yay! I will never, ever complain about my $315 rent, haha.

Lilykind · Hermes

Rica wrote:

I will never, ever complain about my $315 rent, haha.

Wow...if my rent was only $315....the things I would be able to do on my salary!!!! Lucky!!!!

I live in a nice neighborhood in Los Angeles. Not Beverly Hills or anything, but there's nice amenities to be had, and the area is mostly filled up with either college students, young professionals, and old people who have been there since the beginning of time. I think the cheapest 2BR condo I saw was going for 695k. Houses are pretty much going to be at least 800k for a two or three BR place...there are mansions that easily go into the millions not too far away. On the news, they said once that the combined household income needed to own a place in LA is like $110k/yr. CRAZY!!!!

Cortney1982 · Chanel

Rica wrote:

Ha, jeez, I'm never leaving my town. I live in West Texas and very nice houses in swanky neighborhoods start at $200K. We've got lots of money here (hi, oil and gas industry) and super cheap living so yay! I will never, ever complain about my $315 rent, haha.

I have to say wow too! Houses here, start at $200k. That is for a house under 2000 sq ft. And this is more suberb/rural area. Though, if you go up just a little in price you will find nicer homes. Prices are climbing, so I am glad I will be moving much sooner than I thought. We were planning next year, but now it's going to be in the next few months since we have our eyes set on two properties we like.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

Rica wrote:

I will never, ever complain about my $315 rent, haha.

I hate you! Dude, can I move to west texas? $315 is like... 1/8 of my rent in a teeny tiny apartment.

JMR · Dooney & Bourke

Rica wrote:

Ha, jeez, I'm never leaving my town. I live in West Texas and very nice houses in swanky neighborhoods start at $200K. We've got lots of money here (hi, oil and gas industry) and super cheap living so yay! I will never, ever complain about my $315 rent, haha.

I think I just gagged on my lunch...are you serious - $315?!??!

That doesn't even cover my heat bill in the winter!

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

My bf paid $220K for his one bedroom plus den and parking space in an up and coming Chicago neighborhood about a little over a year ago. That bodes well for him though because one bedrooms in his building are currently going for $280K and that is without the den and the parking space. Bythe time he sells he is going to get a nice chunk of change. We have some friends that used to have a 2 bed 2 bath in Wicker Park. They bought when it was just getting popular and when they sold it 4 years later they made $150K!

Typical 1 bedrooms in Chicago can go from $190K (in a shady neighborhood) to $360K (in the nicest neighborhoods). Parking spaces range from $20K - $45K also depending on the neighborhood.

Most 2 bedrooms go for $390K and up and usually can include one parking space.

I know what your saying though. Where my parents live in Michigan their house was $70K and that is for 4 bedrooms. When I was at home my mom and I drove by a new subdivision full of (I am not kidding) mansions. My mom was like, "Aren't they beautiful? They are so expensive!" When I asked how much she said, "$200,000". I laughed so hard I was crying.

-- Edited by Farrah at 14:18, 2005-08-12

jj · Kate Spade

Ugh...condo/row house prices in DC are insane. We live in the city, and we bought our 2 br/2.5 bath condo for $440k, and now units just like ours are reselling for $650k. We laugh with our friends about how we can't afford to live in our own neighborhood anymore.

crystal · Kate Spade

i also live in LA (santa monica) & while condos here are insanely ridiculous, you can still find two bedrooms for around 300K in the "LA area". they may not be the nicest, but they are somewhat affordable (not to me tho).

on a side note: i thought my $600 rent was cheap, but $315?? that's insane! practically free!! i do live by the beach tho & really lucked out getting a rent controlled apt. (one bedroom). normal one bedroom apartments in my area are at least a grand, if not more.

Karina · Chanel

starting at 349k for a small 3br 1 bath

ayo · Coach

Since I'm sort of in the market again..my eyes have been re-opened.

Last year I would have said about $400k for a townhome..

haha! yeah right try $550k to $600..

If you want a single family..you are looking at $700k-1.5mil.

We need to buy before we are priced out!

erin · Chanel

pittsburgh is cheap. our house was 90k, and our neighborhood varies from probably 75-150k. ours is a 3 bedroom house with a finished attic. it's not the fanciest house ever, but we have stained-glass windows and the original hardwood floors (pine, which we had refinished when we moved in). plus i am getting a new free kitchen! (well free, as in i work at my mil's kitchen and bath place one day a week in exchange for "kitchen dollars")