Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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My Yom Kippur Miracle (Repost from 2010)
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Wednesday, May 7. 2008

Maggie's Real Estate: Home prices from Topeka, KS to Greenwich, CT

"The national median home price for existing homes is just over $200,000 right now. Knowing how difficult it is to find a home for that price in some areas of the country, I decided to do a little research to see how much it would cost to buy a '$200,000 home' in different cities."

That median house in Topeka: $115,000. In Greenwich: $1,400,000. Average home prices, at A Comparison of US Home Prices. (h/t, Wall St. Fighter)

Photos: Larger photo is a $1,495,000 home in Greenwich, CT. The other is a $109,000 home in Topeka, KS.

I believe I could have a fine life in anything with a roof, as long as I have my fireplace, my broadband, and a place to grow tomatoes.

Posted by Bird Dog in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 12:01 | Comments (7) | Trackbacks (0)

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"we don't talk about crass things such as money, mr. hughes, and we don't care about it." mrs. hepburn

"that's because you've always had it." howard hughes

the aviator.
#1 kab on 2008-05-07 17:35 (Reply)
Great contrast, BD.
#2 Assistant Village Idiot (Link) on 2008-05-07 18:24 (Reply)
The house in Greenwich is on a wooded 1.02 acre lot, has 4 bedrooms & 3 baths, is almost 3000 sq ft, and 42 yrs old;
The house in Witchita has only 3 bedrooms, 1 (ONE!) bathroom, is only 2000 sq ft, sits on a much smaller lot (~1/5 acre), and is 8 years older. I know, I know, the LOCATION is the main difference in price, but not the ONLY one.
What would help is to take a very similar model, say a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, split level that was built all over the country, and compare the price of that same model house in different markets...
#3 cas on 2008-05-08 00:25 (Reply)
Didn't have the time - just found a rough approx.
#3.1 BD on 2008-05-08 06:09 (Reply)
I guess I've just been looking at this issue closely, since my wife and I finally think we can afford to buy a house...hopefully before the end of the year (or before prices start rising again)
#4 cas on 2008-05-08 08:53 (Reply)
Location, location, location. Have young doc friends in Greenwich and Westchester. Friends and family hoping they will move upstate when they finish training. Can buy some very nice houses for much less. Was told docs are well paid upstate too.

BD, can grow tomatoes on the balcony of a 30th floor studio apartment. Have recently heard a few people say that hanging tomato plants produce large yields.

Growing Tomatoes Upside Down
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/tomato2.html

The third floor is about as high as I would usually live. Have a slight fear of heights and not real fond of elevators. Until I need one that is. Knew some young folks in NYC in a fifth floor walk up. Would hate to move their couch.

Sipp explained once how a house is up some in price, but it is the land costs that have put so much housing out of range. Seems local ordinances can drive those costs. In many places people used to be able to build on an acre, then it was 2, then it was five. Or the bank will not finance a $100,000 house on a $300,000 lot. And one backhoe owner told me he can install services like water and sewer for 25 cents on the dollar compared to the city. Good contractors do not try to circumvent the laws and ordinances of the places they work. Would not be in business long. Like all costs, business must pass them on to the end user, i.e., the homeowner or else go out of business.
#5 Patina on 2008-05-08 11:42 (Reply)
You're buying the land, not the house, in the expensive places, so the house doesn't matter much in the price.

Elderly owners their house for some enormous amount and the buyer promptly tears it down.
#6 Ron Hardin (Link) on 2008-05-09 11:33 (Reply)

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