On Wednesday, the New York Times, as part of a continuing series of features, took a look at what type of home $250,000 would buy in three different states.
This article featured Ohio, Iowa and Arkansas. And the results were a bit surprising.
It seems you get less for your money in the Natural State-at least if you take what was printed in the Times at face value.
A quarter million would buy you a nice, two-story 1,760-square-foot 1910 vintage Victorian in a Cleveland suburb. Big porch, three bedrooms, two and half baths. Recently remodeled.
You could get a historic, 2,136-square-foot historic 1915 four-square in Cedar Rapids for that money. Three bedrooms, two full and two half baths. Big wraparound porch. Lovely neighborhood.
And in Arkansas? An 1,150-square-foot cottage with two bedrooms and two bathrooms northwest of Little Rock. Nice porch, nice neighborhood. But c'mon? That's the best they could do?
Yes, Arkansas has its trendy areas where housing is high. But, we also have plenty of bargains for those fleeing more expensive states and cities. A look at listings around Texarkana show many lovely homes with more square footage at prices well under $250,000. Some under $100,000.
The same can be said for the Texas side as well. But Arkansas does have an advantage when its much lower property taxes are taken into consideration.
That's the problem with these type of articles. Yes, they are interesting. And yes, it's nice to look at the photos of the houses, inside and out, that go along. But don't mistake them for a realistic picture of the market.
And for any New York Times subscriber who wants to get out from under the high cost of living wherever they are, we have a suggestion where you can take advantage of low property price tags and low taxes to boot. Take a look at what Texarkana has to offer.