An example in the same neighborhood- West Central, there is a row home that has units on either side.
The new Harrison Square condos price release has been delayed, but I can assure you that this 2000 sqft row house is within the prices of the new condos, and price per square foot is much lower than the condo. This unit has been on the market for some time now and the price has been lowered to 150k.
I realize that the row house doesn't have the view of the city or the ball diamond, but will that be enough of a draw to pull in purchasers in the price range of 120k-250k?
I hope I'm proven wrong, and someone has over looked this option. If someone is interested, its MLS#2713968
34 comments:
CFW, do you own that house?
We live in Fort Wayne because we like yards! IF we didn't, we'd live in New York City.
Get with it!
An older person must have posted that comment.
The house isn't owned by CFW (I don't think). It is right around the corner from me in West Central. It was on our West Central Home Tour a couple of years ago, and it is beautifully done inside.
West Central doesn't have many row houses, so I don't think this will be an issue of competition. Remember, too, that many subdivisions have condos, so it isn't a matter of being ready for connected living. It's already here; we are just looking at establishing it in a unique location.
Hello neighbors!
I, too, live just a couple of blocks from this house and have watched the for sale sign change many times over the past year (or two?)...
My wife and I own our home in West Central and it has no yard. It does, however have a lot of character and charm, and doesn't look exactly like all the other homes in the neighborhood. (We also have lots of windows and a great front porch...) For us, living downtown has been extremely rewarding.
I work downtown and we are members of a downtown church, so I'm able to walk to and form work and we can walk to church when the weather's nice. We'll often walk to one of the downtown restaurants for dinner, or to the library for books or a DVD, or even just to Starbucks for a coffee (shame on Higher Grounds not staying open later)...we really do enjoy the benefits of living downtown.
I believe there are other people who are willing to embrace the lifestyle my wife and I enjoy. A lack of a yard doesn't matter to an active childless couple who travel...it's actually a plus! Right now, there just isn't much in the way of affordable single family homes that I would consider buying in the downtown area, at least none I have seen.
Adding more housing options will allow more people to discover and appreciate the benefits of life off the cul-de-sac.
Then why don't you move to Indianapolis or New York. People in this city like space and yards!!!
Yeah - Get with it ! Go live in New York City !!
I love my yard - what's wrong with yards ? Why are you picking on yards now ?? Yards are good. God fearing people love yards.
Leave yards alone !! Yards are good for the economy and private sector. Go ask Toro and Snapper what they think of yards. Go do it !! I already know what they will tell you. They will tell you yards are great.
And NO I'm not going way just because Matt lost this round.
Kelty's Goodness - Glad to see you're not gone! Really appreciate your insights!
Seriously, if yards didn't have so many indictments against them...wait, wrong line of thought...
We're not opposed to yards, we actually are considering moving within the next two years so we can have a yard...but for the past five years living downtown has been perfect for us!
Fort Wayne ceases to amaze me that we are arguing about yards! Isn't it typical... While the rest of the world embraces change and diversity, Fort Wayne struggles to keep the status quo. This town needs help!
We have 2 small kids and need a bit of yard so we passed on this beautiful row house. If the kids were a bit older, it would have been harder to pass up. Right now we live in an area where we too can walk to restaurants, library, several stores, post ofc, etc. It's quite nice. Those same things offered downtown made the row house a maybe. But with the kids needed a bit of space.
Why would risk walking downtown from this area? Do you know how many murders occur downtown each year?? I'm a 50 year old man, and I would never walk around at night downtown. It's just not a safe area for kids or any other citizens. There are several areas on the northside of town where people can walk to restaurants and stores. Have you ever hear of DuPont/Pine Valley? Lots of people walk to the stores up there and there is no violent crime. There is a reason why downtown housing is cheap. Show me the money, honey.
Jessup,
Rather can making assertions about murders occurring downtown, provide some stats.
Also, yes, I'm sure that walking down the side of Coldwater and Dupont (no sidewalks) is much safer than walking around the streets of downtown Fort Wayne.
Its funny, I don't recall seeing foot traffic around the Pine Valley area.
I looked at this row house. It is VERY nice inside. It's appealing to me for several reasons, including: location, size, and being very up to date. However, I don't like how there is no bathroom downstairs. It could be a project to undertake possibly, I'm not sure.
If it is still available next summer, I might revisit the idea again.
I will try to find stats. I will be contacting FWPD to get the stats.
I lived in Denver after I graduated from college near the West End area downtown. Downtown FW has what, five bars and a few restaurants. Why would anyone want to live there?
People move to Fort Wayne to live in the suburbs, that's a fact. That's why strip malls, something CFW loves to criticize, are all over the place. People don't like walking places (3rd fattest city in the USA)
You should get your facts straight before going after me!
Jessup -
And I quote from you- "There are several areas on the northside of town where people can walk to restaurants and stores. Have you ever hear of DuPont/Pine Valley?"
I'll agree with your strip malls statements- thats why we're called CFW (Change Ft Wayne), not STCFWIHWFYTL (Stay The Course Fort Wayne, It Has Worked For You This Long)
So, if the only reason people move here is for the burbs, we should just give up on the core and ignore the reports of the desire for urban living?
Reports for the desire of Urban Living? Not in Fort Wayne my friend. Why are housing costs so cheap downtown? Supply and demand.
Housing costs are cheap everywhere in Fort Wayne, give me a break.
Relative to national prices, all housing in Fort Wayne is cheap. Where else in the nation is it practically expected for 20 year olds to own property.
go to the City's website- click on "2006 Downtown Housing Potential Study"
Right now, the housing downtown is cheap for a couple of reasons.
1. The units are neglected
2. The slow influx of people can not support the existing housing marke - due to the endless counts of building permits.
3. I'll concede that there are a handful of rentals, to some that would be considered undesirable.
Right now the median price of homes is 101k in Fort Wayne. The example shown in the post is 50k above average, so I guess downtown living isn't too cheap.
If you're wondering why there hasn't been a boon of downtown residences popping up, its due to the lack of available units.
Try purchasing one of the buildings for rehab downtown - its near impossible.
Here's another challenge, buy a Midtowne Crossing condo. Matt Kelty considers it a failure, but I've been trying all summer to buy one.
Stop wasting your time on the gems that exist now. Instead, let's see how far out we can sssspppprrraaaaaawwwllll!!!
Sprawl out! Sprawl out! Sprawl out! Sprawl out!
I got my twin engine John Deere, seat back
Me and my neighbors, chit chat
We rollin on big yards, with a dirt bike track
So much cement, you can't stop that
Sprawl out! Sprawl out! Sprawl out! Sprawl out!
CFW,
In the "big cities" the developers purchase buildings that can not be converted to Condos and knock them down. Then they build new condo buildings. All done without one penny of tax dollars.
Jessup-
Wow. Basing your opinion of downtown on the experience you had when you graduated from college after saying you're 50 makes it easy for me to understand why you're so out of touch!
The West Central neighborhood is very safe - I don't know where to find the stats, but I believe there's less crime here than in the Pine Valley area. I would be terrified to walk anywhere near the Dupont / Coliseum intersection where Pine Valley shopping center is located due to the amount of traffic not to mention that it just wouldn't be a nice walk - there's no greenery, the houses look the same, etc.
Last spring I was walking home from work and wound up speaking with a man who had a loved one in the hospital. He'd purchased a cup of ice cream and was walking West on Berry St. He couldn't stop commenting on how beautiful everything was and couldn't believe it wasn't one of the city's premier neighborhoods.
Visit downtown sometime to stop into the main library - I believe it's on par with any major library in any large city - or simply take a wal and appreciate the architecture of the many gorgeous churches we have.
Then walk a few more blocks and have dinner or lunch at Toscani, JK O'Donnell's, the Dash-In, Double Dragon, Pint 'N Slice, the Loaf and Ladle, Coney Island, or one of the other places within a radius of a few blocks and I promise, you'll have a wonderful afternoon.
Please revisit the area before you assume you know it.
Show me some stats. This neighborhood is not a place I would want my kids at night.
Just show me some stats
Jessup -
"Just show me some stats" - What does that even mean? Statistics about what?
He wrongly assumes crime is worse where the cul-de-sacs and strip mall banality doesn't exist.
This is something suburbanites need to get through their assumption-making skulls:
Crime levels are pretty much the same across the entire city
The only difference comes in the way of petty crimes like breaking into cars, which happens anywhere there are high-rates of children (teenagers) in an area.
It never ceases to amaze me the lack of knowledge Ft. Wayne area residents have about the downtown area. I worked in downtown FW for over ten years and never *once* did I feel threatened! I often had to walk (gasp!) some three blocks to my car, and never had a problem. I can remember only twice that panhandlers approached me, once with my spouse in tow, and both times a firm "no" made them go away.
Is there petty theft in downtown FW? Hell, yes! There's petty theft everywhere in FW. This whole metro area is lousy with thieves. How do you avoid it? Well, for one thing you can clean all that crap out of your vehicle, take the keys out of it and start locking the doors!
Are there areas of FW that I would avoid late at night? Uh, yep. But that statement applies to just about any town in America.
No, sadly, the number one reason so many of the locals fear downtown is because they fear getting near people who don't look like or talk like them.
"No, sadly, the number one reason so many of the locals fear downtown is because they fear getting near people who don't look like or talk like them."
Winner.
Bingo on the "look like-talk like" comment.
Downtown Fort Wayne is nice and safe and will only get better with more investment, both private and public.
And yes.. it's near impossible to get into a condo at midtowne right now. I know several people that have tried for the last 8-9 months.
Like another poster mentioned, I would strongly consider this row house. I haven't been inside, but I would be thrown off a little by no bathroom on the first floor. I wonder if it's possible to add one without undertaking loads of $?
I moved to West Central 13 years ago this January. I now own the home I rented initially. I wouldn't trade my home for any other part of the City.
If you want to get a sense of the crime stats, you can either look in the Sunday paper - it contains a section with the City divided into segments and gives the listing of the crimes that have occurred.
Or you can also go to the FWPD website and look at daily log records. Either way you will see that there is petty crime in all areas of the City.
West Central is a great place to live.
Hey CFWers,
As a frequent reader and occasionally poster on your site, I thought you might appreciate to see the Fort Wayne Hall of Fame blog I've been tinkering with over the last month. I've been known for spewing my random Fort Wayne facts in polite discussion, so I figured I should just write them all down so they can live on in infamy.
http://fortwaynehof.blogspot.com/
OH YEAH. I'M BACK!
WHAT THIS TOWN NEEDS IS A GOOD CASINO.
BUILD IT RIGHT DOWNTOWN
GO GAMBLE AT THE BEAUTIFUL HARRISON SQUARE CASINO RESORT HOTEL
DON'T LET THE SHERIFF SEE YOU THERE
TAKE A STROLL ON THE BEAUTIFUL ANTHONY WAYNE RIVER BOAT
EAT SOME SHRIMP AT THE LITTLE TURTLE RESTUARANT
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN-GIGGLES
MORE DETAILS AT x-wire.blogspot.com
JUST GO THERE FOR INFORMATION
hey- thanks for the free plug!"roach said imposter..or is that poster?
anyway-
contray to current "big-lie" propaganda- housing costs in FTW are not cheap. rents everywhere are sky high, and then the slumlords will not fix anything, and take you to court when you move out.
the real-estate market is stagnant- lots of realtors are depending on their spouses fast-food- factory- retail jobs, to scrape by.
a homeowner owned home is merely a mirage to most locals, as nobody can afford anything but a sub-prime, adjustable, no-money down, lnad contract, forclousere, or repo trailer in molester road mobile home park.
I dont knwo where you all got your rose- colored glasses, or what you've been smoking, but i want some too, so I can at least smile in my squallor, poverty , and misery. (crying in my beer)
I guess I'll just have to move back in with my freaky, kinky, stripper girlfirend... (giggle)
SHOW ME SOME STATS!!!
Here ya go: "Fort Wayne was ranked as the safest city with at least 75,000 residents in Indiana"
http://www.fortwayne.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/SE/20071119/NEWS/711190322
As someone who is from FTW and now lives in NY (Long Island) to take a job that was well worth it - I must say these few, simple things:
-FTW is cheap CHEAP!
-Tax on a huge house in FTW (I say 3-4k sq. ft.) approx. $3/4K yearly? Tops? (I'm generalizing)
-Tax on the avg. 3 bd. home here? - (Not NYC either) = $15-20K yearly! plus some village taxes around 1500-3K.
-FTW is a great place to raise a family - own tons of toys - motorcycles - boats - lake homes - and the like - great fun
-It's all about what you want in life
-Downtown FTW is so safe I'd let my grandma or anyone walk along at 10-3am anytime (try this in NYC or my downtown of a local beach community!)
-150K for that row house is a steal! Here = around 1.5 mil
-West Central has charm - class - history - looks different from the blocks with addresses in Pine Valley
-I've worked on Dupont - Cook - near Pine Valley - great place - not fun to walk - I've done this and with no sidewalks - hard to do
-No matter what you choose in FW it's a good deal and provided the lazy and scared in FTW support the ongoing downtown development, the existing property will be huge!
-The definition of crazy is to keep doing the same thing and expect different! - change is good, otherwise we'd be in a cave people.
LIVE LOVE - talk a walk in west central - go to castle gallery - have dinner and the newly non-smokey Henery's - bike by all the "First Homes" of FW or look at Midtowne (where I lived for a year prior to moving).
Great place - hands down - as I'm young - I'm exploring but, may be back someday and hope to see the booming downtown and not another cast of Carmel or Nobelsville
Perhaps a more forward thinking city more concerned about other's air quality than their right to smoke or concerned about growth than just status quo
You're right - people knock down houses here to build condos - no tax (well some tax credits yes but not much) but - the momentum is here already - why? somebody started it - how do you think FTW will get started?
Try helping!
Salute to all
Good blog
However - keep this in mind - you don't know how safe - nice - easy life is there.... and CHEAP!
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