Buying a house in Iowa...
- Thread starter demoncore1031
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I only mentioned Elsworth because the OP was looking for cheaper housing and some place he could continue his job with Uber Eats. Personally, I grew up in Story City. It was the best of both worlds. Small town, yet 15 minutes from everything Ames has to offer. It was a great place to grow up in the 70s and 80s. Housing is not cheap there though.
Both of my parents are originally from Ida Grove. I was born in the Ida Grove hospital. I have fond memories of visiting my grandparents there. There are 4 things I remember about the town, from a child’s mind.
1. The yearly air show. It was absolutely amazing. I think it was stopped after a B52 crashed sometime in maybe the mid-90s.
2. The skating rink. Every damn Saturday we were there
3. The swans at the park next to the Pizza Hut. Someone else commented about this Pizza Hut.
4. For some reason, I remember a dang rocket slide and a park that we always visited. I’m pretty sure it was across the highway or near where the Pizza Hut was.
Anyway, other than my grandparents acreage outside of Ida Grove, these are my fond memories of that town. All are probably gone.
I'm unique (just like everybody else). I have 4-5 acres right across the road from my place that is enrolled in the wildflower pollinator project. If I tried to replicate that on my acreage it would not only be redundant, but before long I would have the issue of cleaning up noxious weeds (ragweed, Canadian thistles, etc.) that I don't believe add any intrinsic beauty or value to my property besides all the volunteer trees that would inevitably take over with the amount of nut trees I have, let alone mulberries and such that the birds seem to bring me. I don't mind sharing my little corner of the world with the wildlife but don't feel responsible enough to them to create an environment for them that's better than what it is for me. Call me vain, but I would rather people drive by and think "Wow, that's a nice looking place" rather than saying "What a dump". People also confuse efforts to accommodate wildlife with providing a place to concentrate them for easier access by predictors.
My wife's family is from Ida Grove. Visited many times. It is full of unique architecture for a small Iowa town, and the people I have met are very nice. One thing you learn very quickly about Ida Grove is that it is very diverse in income levels. You have the very wealthy in the Lake LaJune and new home area on the South edge of town, and then the poorer homes that make up a large area of the rest of the community. If the Godberson family ever pulled out of Ida Grove it would be devastating.
If you live in Johnston, which is lower than Des Moines and most suburbs, you would pay $7,720 on a 400k house. If you live in Papillon it would be $7,920. Ames would be $6,160. Albuquerque would be $4,200.
Both Nebraska and Iowa have high property taxes.
I'll always remember the castles and your list is perfect.
A friend's aunt and uncle lived out there growing up and I'd go out there with them during the summer.
My question based off that info is: are those all comparable homes? Does $400k buy you, for example, a 4 bedroom, 3 bath on a 1/3 acre built in the last 25 years in each of those cities?
You could always do feet videos on OF for a 2nd job
You obviously havent priced acreages in Iowa lately. They have skyrocketed in price and rarely last on the market more than a few days, no matter where they are.
For instance My last place was an acreage, close to a tiny town, closest "big City" was over 2 hours away. I had people wanting to buy my place before I even got it listed. They heard I might be moving and started calling. I put a price on it, and it sold instantly on a private sale(probably could have gotten a lot more). It is almost impossible to get an acreage there, because they sell before even going to open market. And in the last few years the price of acreages has doubled. An acreage that you paid 150K for a few years ago is now being listed for well over 300K, if not 400K+. And that is in an area about middle of nowhere there is.
Close to the DM metro, you wont touch a decent acreage for that, there are a few sub 500K, most good ones are north of 1M.
But to each his own. Some love the small town atmosphere, way more than city living.
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Only problem with adding those areas close to a house, you invite more "critters". Mice, rats, which also brings snakes, as well as other critters, that are more than happy to invade your home and buildings. And dont forget bugs.
These areas are great but close to buildings and houses CAN cause issues if not managed well.
200k would be what that house would be in Whittemore probably. I appraised houses just north and east of that for awhile and now 250k is considered a just above average house. Price to build has skyrocketed, so your choices are build, find a house less from 1980s or newer that is probably 260-350 or find a crackhouse. The older houses are becoming ran down and need a lot of work so options are limited.
Maybe ten years ago, a run down acerage in my neighborhood (maybe 3 acres) sold for $240000. The windbreak grove around it was on it’s last leg. The only thing it had going for it was it was on a hard surface road. The buyer leveled the place and started over, so he essentially paid a quarter mill for the lot. Looks nice now though
ive been looking into the legalities of selling my harvested skintags.
I lived in Elkhorn and the taxes are $8,200 this year on the house I sold. I paid $5,400 this year on the house I live in Ames. The current assessed value for the house I left is about 390k and my Ames house is about 350k.
Isnt Elkhorn probably the highest priced place to live in the entire state of Nebraska?
Not really an apple to apples comparison. Ames is on the high end but not the highest in the state.
Also are you sure you are not paying on what the assessed value was before you purchased. Taxes are a couple years behind and can be a shock when you realize they jack the assessed value to the purchase value on a home purchase, but it comes a couple years later because of the delay.
Look, I just related my experience and I know how property taxes work. I don’t know why you want to argue with me about it.
