250k to buy a home, where in the US should do I get the best deals?

you're right, check my answers:

1) Do you want to live in or very close to a city (urban or suburbs) or do you want privacy and control of your property. The two are basically mutually exclusive and you may be surprised how much this changes as you get older, I sure was.
I prefer to live downtown. I hate traffic. However being ~10 mins away from downtown is acceptable too, considering I could still bike or walk there. For example I liked Brooklyn in New York, the part close to the water though.

2) How much do you like driving vs using public transportation.
Hate driving downtown. Public Transit is ok, but I prefer walking/biking.

3) How much of a factor is weather for your really. Do you suffer from SAD? Can you handle very consistent weather (like the sun in Denver or the rain in Seattle) or will you go crazy without variation? Can you handle extremely humid summers or 6 months of winter (Florida or Michigan)
I prefer hot over cold weather. Hate the rain though. I like the idea of having 4 seasons, as long as I can still jog outside in winter, so fuck the north.

4) Where do you have friends and family? I assume you have some.
All over the place. It doesn't matter really because I see them once or twice a year at Christmas and family reunions.

5) How will where you live affect your networking prospects and ultimately your business or career
None. I work online so I could be working from Uganda and it wouldn't affect my business. (lol well maybe not Uganda)

6) How well will you fit in with the local population? For example, if I had to live in Ohio I would probably kill myself.
I'm an open-minded guy that likes traveling, tryin new foods, listening to different types of music, which is why I like a city like San Francisco. Not sure I would fit well in the midwest.


Thanks for the suggestions so far, definitely checking a few of them out.
 


Round Rock (15 miles North of Austin) Texas I hear is super nice and very affordable. ...and if you have a dell and it breaks- you can just knock on Dells door rather than calling overseas :P

Austin I hear is also super banging. Great music scene...

-=Chipmunk
 
If you choose san diego, let me know. Got great connections. Im from NJ and after getting out of the military out here in SD, lets just say it was an easy choice to stay here. The 3-W's as I say: Women, Weather, Wealth!
 
not ny... unless you want to live in an extremely bad neighborhood near the city.... or upstate

you are looking at double that for a decent 1 bedroom
 
Can get a 3000+ sf house where I am in a booming area with actual stuff to do for 250k. Greenville SC area. Low taxes too

Carolinas are still some of the cheapest, and have major airports. Charlotte is a hub.

I agree with the Carolinas. Texas is another option.

Here are some new builds that I looked at around Charlotte in 2006... and this was before the bubble popped...


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I agree with the Carolinas. Texas is another option.

Here are some new builds that I looked at around Charlotte in 2006... and this was before the bubble popped...

Those houses are gross. Cookie cutter homes in the burbs make be want to barf. Been there, done that, never again.

There are so many fantastic and affordable character/heritage homes in that part of the world, why would you subject yourself to a pop up house that's a carbon copy of every other neighbour's place?
 
Those houses are gross. Cookie cutter homes in the burbs make be want to barf. Been there, done that, never again.

There are so many fantastic and affordable character/heritage homes in that part of the world, why would you subject yourself to a pop up house that's a carbon copy of every other neighbour's place?

Everyone has different tastes. Some like larger newer homes in the suburbs, some like older places in the city. I just posted those as examples of what is/was available for the price. I looked at older homes too, but the pictures don't have prices. I ended up leaving Charlotte before I bought anything.

When you see "fantastic and affordable character/heritage home", somebody else looking at the same place might see shitty insulation, old messed up plumbing, lead paint, old electrical wiring, a roof that needs to be replaced, squeaking floors, tiny closed off rooms, etc.

I lived in an old place just outside of downtown with no driveway when I was in my early 20's. It was fun back then, but I probably wouldn't want to do it again now.
 
If you buy a house, go older. The tiky tacky crap in pop up communities will rot all the way through in no time. Complete trash.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiM2U6sR9L8]Rise Against - Little Boxes with Lyrics - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVyVp0qMpOk]Little Boxes-Weeds - YouTube[/ame]


Related. Fuck yeah, weeds. Can't wait for season 8, even if it's starting to get a little long in the tooth with Nancy.
 
If you want the baller lifestyle id go with vegas. A lot of badass houses for dirt cheap, but there are a lot of mixed opinions about living in vegas.

But if your the kinda guy who likes the outdoors or you want some privacy you should take a look at some places up north. Get a nice house with a big plot of land and do what ever you want.

or you could move to the Carolinas and turn pale like papajohn.
 
Move to Vegas if you want 90% of the people to be touristy douche bags, in a city with zero authenticity. Vegas is the worlds biggest circle jerk.

I hate the city so much. I return for Defcon. That's it.
 
I really like where I live, Vancouver, but you might have to drop just a wee bit more than $250K

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Move to Vegas if you want 90% of the people to be touristy douche bags, in a city with zero authenticity. Vegas is the worlds biggest circle jerk.

I hate the city so much. I return for Defcon. That's it.

That's because you've never lived there. You're referring to the strip, which is about 5% of the city. The shitty parts of the strip full of retard tourists suck, but there is fun shit to do and great places to to eat almost 24/7, and it's an awesome place to live if you can stand the heat :P