However, Silicon Valley is by no means immune to the depressed property market and prices here have come down a heck of a lot. Which is rather unfabulous for those of us who bought in 2007 (yes, me), but rather spiffy for those who did not. The home my friend likes is a cute craftsman bungalow, close to downtown San Jose, which is the third-largest city in California. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, has had significant work done to bring it up to building codes, and is genuinely move-in ready. OK, so the neighborhood is somewhat gritty, and there is aircraft noise from the nearby airport, but at $395,000 I thought it was an incredible buy for this area.
So, this got me thinking, what does $400,000 or equivalent buy you elsewhere? Here are some options in the US and Europe.
Top row, left to right:
Kansas City, KS: 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, 3168 square feet, $399,000. For some reason, the interior does not look quite as impressive as outside.
Chicago, IL: 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, short sale, $400,000.
Middle row:
New Orleans, LA: 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, $399,000. Apparently it's been totally renovated, but the photos don't really wow me.
Edinburgh, Scotland: very sleek 1 bedroom flat with underfloor heating, which will be a definite plus in the winter, as will the underground parking. Edinburgh is a lovely city but prices are very high compared to most of the US. £249,000.
Montpelier, VT: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 75 acres of land, $399,000. The exterior views are lovely, but watch out for the decor inside.
Bottom row:
Stow on the Wold, England: 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom in an achingly beautiful part of the English countryside. But before you fall in love, be sure to look at the kitchen photo... oh dear. £245,000 .
Almeria, Spain: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a swimming pool. €269,000.
I feel I could be rather content with the Edinburgh flat plus the Almeria villa for weekends. But that takes us just a little over budget.
Which would you pick? What does $400,000 buy in your area?
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8 comments:
I would just love to own an american home, they are so spacious and light compared to UK homes.....
You just keep rubbing it in what I can't have....sigh....and I keep coming back for more.....
What does that say about me????
I would take just about any of those.
For fun, I just looked on realtor.com for my area. I put in a range of $375 to $425K and got 4 listings. One house that needs a lot of help and 3 dinky lots. Blah!
Prices haven't gone down here, but listings are up for a long time.
oooh, every friday night I watch, A Place in the Sun, Home and USA. it's my fave programme. A happy couple view some houses here in the UK and then some in the US, to see which they would rather buy. I'm always gobsmacked at the US ones, so much grander and more gorgeous than ours!! and soooooo much more for the money.
Sorry, I'm going on a bit! x
I hear everything is more expensive in the UK. But I think with our US economy problems we may be not far behind in rising costs.
My fave house is the VT one, but do NOT like all that wallpaper inside ;)
The house in San Jose may be nice but who can put up with airport noise? Number one for me is a quiet place!
Porch Days, that's a very good point about the importance of a quiet place to call home. I used to work at London's Heathrow airport so I guess I'm less sensitive than average.
Charlotte Sometimes & Shopaholic, you should take comfort that at least your home won't fall down in an earthquake. I realize not all the US is at risk, but for us it's a very real possibility, if and when the big one hits. That will make my stylish mutterings look very trivial!
Well I'm not actually sure we are that much better off as the UK is falling in to the ocean bit by bit though.....sneaky.
It is slightly worrying since it's only a fairly small bit of land in the first place!! One day we might all have to live on houseboats here.
Actually, I like the idea of that....mind you, I'd probably be seasick! lol
Airports are a problem?? I grew up next to one and not far from the railway either!
It is quite amazing what you get used to.
Location, Location, Location! I would take a California bungalow over anything, airport noise and all.
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