Buying a house and where to live

[SwampSurvivor]

Casing the area isn't a bad idea before buying a house. Or sometimes there's things that can work to your advantage.

I bought a house in the $50s in a $100k neighborhood. Needs a lot of work and is a fixer upper.

Nice view of the lake. There is a bar in my back yard. There were a few times when I was considering making an offer on the house that I rolled by the bar on Friday and Saturday nights and heard no noise. Surprisingly enough , after living there for a year, I'm convinced I live near the quietest bar ever.

Also near a race track, so there's lots of noise. I'm okay with it ... I often make a lot of noise in my garage so it masks me.


I'm a fan of cheap / no mortgage. But with kids it might be better to buy a fixerupper in a nice neighborhood than a [censored] neighborhood.

 

[BrianF]

look closely at the houses next door, across the street/back alley. See if they fit as garbage people, nothing worse then cashing out on a nice house but only to live near garbage.
Look at the age of the services as well. Old asphalt, old sidewalks, old sewer/water. Could be stuck with problems associated to aged services.

As for crime. How easily can your backyard be accessed? poor lighting on the street? Street parking only? Subsidized housing/apartments nearby? Rubbydub businesses nearby? Is the street a main road, side street? Even go speak with the local police and see if they can give some info on the area.

I lived in a few cities, several small towns and rather live out in the country. I have the best neighbours, they are good people and don't bother me.

 

[tenderloin]

Real estate? No matter where....Location...Location.....Location....

 

[JLTD]

I like to be out in the country, but within maybe 20-30 minutes of restaurants and such.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Originally Posted By: Schmoe
You want to know what kind of people are going to be in a new town you're thinking about. Go to the nearest, largest store in that area....Walmart or whatever....and then just hang out and look, watch and listen. That will give you pretty good mean of that town.


Is this a joke?


a weekend visit may be of help...
to case:
-traffic during regular day, Friday night , Saturday/Sunday night...
-how the neighborhood looks during those times...
-actual rush hour in stores...

Also since Ram_Man/Chevyboy/Dakota is a mechanic, he could see the late time open shops

If people park nice/new cars on the street, that could mean people have good credit/good money or considerate neighbors...

P.S. my only problem is all of us keep giving advice, and Ram_Man just disappears....

 

[ram_man]

I Haven’t disapeared.... so a lot of good points were brought up. The house in Leasburg is in a little neighborhood and is in town but the town has 338 population so it’s not really a town feeling. They do offer city water and sewer and the fire dept is right down the road. Sullivan Mo is 10 down the road for shopping and what not and for jobs. Rolla is about 25 mins I believe . So it’s kind of rural but access to important stuff isn’t to far. There is also a hospital in Sullivan. I grew up on a farm in Mo and we were a good 20-25 mins from the store.
I loved that life but now the current town I live in has its share of issues. Quite a bit of traffic through the main road so I constantly hear it. This area is having a lot of issue with the opioid epidemic as well. I think that epidemic alone has changed the area drastically.
The schools here are awful as well. We’ve been on the news a couple times for our severe bully problem and the teachers and Staff not curbing it/ participating in it. In Leasburg Mo the school district is bourbon Mo school district. I haven’t heard or seen much bad but I really need to do more research on that.

 

[pandus13]

Ram_man,
how about this:

-current job opportunities for you
-current job opportunities for wife
-learning opportunities for both (school/trade school/college around you)
-job opportunities where you may grow professionally
-is your fainting still a problem? this could be something to consider if driving too much...

If none of the ^^^ does not pan out in current location, you may have to move.
Probably 1-3 hour away, since you still want to be close to kids...

 

[supton]

338 people and it has town water and sewer? I'm impressed. I live in a town of 1,900 people and don't have that.

 

[LeakySeals]

Why stay in Missouri? Whats stopping you from a new start in a new state?

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/economy/employment

 

[ram_man]

I have kids and per the divorce decree and with my health issues I need to be reasonably close to family. I’m still having the seizures and stuff I have a brain tumor that’s inoperable so I can’t go to far away. I am treating the tumor so eventually hopefully I’ll be all better.

 

[blupupher]

Zillow shows 4 homes for sale in Leasburg.

How often do the trains run on that track? 2 of the houses are literally across the street from the train track.
Do you really want to be right across the road from a train track?
I am guessing you are not looking at the trailer on the north side?

Only 1 of those houses has a garage, and the 2 across from the tracks don't really even have a driveway from the pics.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: pandus13
Ram_man,
how about this:

-current job opportunities for you
-current job opportunities for wife
-learning opportunities for both (school/trade school/college around you)
-job opportunities where you may grow professionally
-is your fainting still a problem? this could be something to consider if driving too much...

If none of the ^^^ does not pan out in current location, you may have to move.
Probably 1-3 hour away, since you still want to be close to kids...


I think his health problems prevent him from turning wrenches.