What $90K Will Buy in the "Country"

Okay city folks, I know how you feel about people who live in the "country". I used to live in NYC, where Queens is considered country and the Hamptons is down right rural. In fact, I went back to visit NYC once and sitting in a movie theatre during the African film festival a friend whispered to me that this must be such a different experience from where I now live. What's so different, I wondered, the running water, flush toilets, and popcorn that we can't gain access to outside of New York City?

I digress. Sorry city slickers, this post might break your heart. Last week I went for a drive through a suburb of my city looking for foreclosed houses in neighborhoods where saving a few homes could have a huge impact on ensuring stability for its residents.

This suburb is what city folks would call the "country". We even call it the country here in the city where I live. It's a good 25 to 30 minutes outside of downtown. I didn't see cows, but there were horses, lakes, and a slower pace of life than we are used to in more urban surroundings.

Do you want to know what $90,000 will buy you 25 to 30 minutes outside of town? This!

and this: and this too:

I know! I was shocked too. And the last house sits on about 1/2 an acre of beautiful lawn in a subdivision.

These pictures are of the side yard and backyard. The house had FIVE bedrooms and three and half bathrooms. It also had a bay window:

and a beautiful fireplace: Out of control. We saw another house like it in a subdivision with tennis courts, a pool and a rec center. It was also $90,000.

There is definitely a trade off between living out in the exurbs and living in a city. You can't walk anywhere but to your neighbor's house and you're far from the center of the action in the city. However, these houses are a prime example of the "drive til you qualify" mentality. People seeking larger houses who couldn't afford 2500 sq ft in the city just kept pushing out into the suburbs and exurbs until they found a house that fit their desires in their price range. Of course, no one ever factors in the cost of gas and car maintenance for a 90 minute or more daily commute into the city to work. And no one ever factors in the quality of life sacrifice to be caught in traffic for so many hours each day. The environment suffers and so does your personal life. Still, for people who live work and play in the exurbs, these deals are a steal. I guess theyse homeowners could also use what they saved on a mortgage to buy a helicopter. I hear those can get you across long distances in a hurry.