A Great Home for $150K or Less Yes!
But don't think you can never get a piece of that dream for your family. Thanks to the historic housing downturn, some really great homes cost as little as $150,000 – in fact, we've found a dozen of them.
True, they're not mansions. And you might have to relocate. But most of these homes have plenty of elbow room. Some are in places people actually pay to vacation. (Steamboat Springs, Colo., anyone?) And each one has a great feature that makes it stand out.
So take a tour of what a modest mortgage can get you. And start dreaming big with a smaller price tag.
NOTE: All descriptive information is courtesy of listing agents. Properties were on the market and listed as available at the time of publication unless otherwise noted.
2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Price: $150,000
Best feature: Golf course
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Have you always wanted a home on a golf course, but thought you could never afford it? This condo sits on the handsome 12th fairway, right on a lake — OK, so it's more like a large water hazard. Still, it's pretty. The 1,060-square-foot unit, built in 1987, is bright and cheerful, with high ceilings, updated bathrooms and flooring, and fresh paint. The community has low fees and a nice swimming pool.
3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
Price: $150,000
Best feature: The view
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How would you like this to be the view from home? Hollywood is a city of about 140,000 people between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, right on the golden sands of the Atlantic Ocean. This huge (the agent says it's roughly 2,000 square feet), two-story condo is in a historic, beachfront building. It has ridiculous 180-degree views — of the ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway and downtown Fort Lauderdale in the distance. So what's the catch? It's a foreclosure, so no appliances are included in the purchase.
3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
Price: $150,000
Best feature: Big back patio
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Where to begin with all that this has for $150,000? Just 9 years old, the 1,600-square-foot home has tons of upgrades, including a large, eat-in kitchen with upgraded cabinetry and stainless-steel appliances; 9-foot ceilings; and walls of windows that help showcase the open floor plan and show off the nearly half-acre lot outside. We particularly like the trellised back patio where the adults can sit and watch the kids play.
3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
Price: $150,000
Best feature: A lot for your money; also, the kitchen
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Your dollar sure stretches around the block in the Sunshine State these days: This short sale is a 2,652-square-foot home that's just 7 years old. It's in the Ballantrae neighborhood of Land O' Lakes, a city of about 30,000 people on the Gulf side of the Florida peninsula. The home, on a fenced corner lot, has a kitchen with stainless-steel appliances, 42-inch cabinets with a beaded panel design, a double oven and a custom cooking island. Upstairs is an oversize master bedroom and master closet with custom shelving.
2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Price: $147,900
Best feature: All-around cutie
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Sometimes a home stands out because it has it all. This 1,287-square-foot, brick-front home in St. Charles, a city of about 65,000 people on the Missouri River just northwest of St. Louis, sits at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac near several highways. The home was built in 2000, and got new carpeting and paint in the past two years, as well as a new furnace. The vaulted dining room/great room boasts a chandelier and large windows. An open staircase leads to the finished lower level, which has a huge rec room, an office/sleeping area and a full bath.
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Price: $147,500
Best feature: Koi pond
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If you're looking for a getaway, prop up your feet beside the burbling water of your personal pond in Stony Point, a small town in western North Carolina. The owners installed a custom pond with koi and a waterfall in the backyard of this all-brick ranch home, with a huge awning overhead to shield you from those blazing Southern afternoons. If that's not enough, the barn-style storage shed is a "man cave."
3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Price: $150,000
Best feature: Front porch
View this listing: Just sold
Sometimes it's surprising just how much handsome home $150,000 can get you — in this case a little less square footage, but plenty of character. This 1920 home has 1,125 square feet of living space and a front porch with a swing facing a quiet street. Inside is a ceramic-tiled foyer, new carpet, a lighted cedar closet and a fully enclosed, four-season rear porch.
3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Price: $150,000
Best feature: All-around sparkler
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Bridgeton is a suburb of St. Louis with about 11,000 people. This cute split-level on nearly a half-acre shines because so much of it has been updated. The kitchen features detailed cabinets, upgraded appliances and laminate inlay flooring. The rest of the home has updated carpeting, nice windows, a deck and garage.
3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Price: $150,000
Best feature: All-around sparkler
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Bridgeton is a suburb of St. Louis with about 11,000 people. This cute split-level on nearly a half-acre shines because so much of it has been updated. The kitchen features detailed cabinets, upgraded appliances and laminate inlay flooring. The rest of the home has updated carpeting, nice windows, a deck and garage.
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Price: $150,000
Best feature: Big backyard
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Do you (and the kids, and the dog) need room to roam? You can have it in the expansive, fenced backyard of this Memphis-area home. The one-story home on a quiet street has a split bedroom plan, so the master bedroom, which has a large bath, double vanity and walk-in closet, is away from the others. The great room has a vaulted ceiling and skylights. The home also has an oversized garage, a 12-by-10-foot workshop and a covered patio to fend off the heat.
1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Price: $150,000
Best feature: Skiing
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Looking for a reasonably priced ski-town getaway? This stylishly remodeled, 760-square-foot condo in a 1972 building is just the place to come home to after a day of skiing Steamboat's "champagne powder." The home has a completely renovated, L-shaped kitchen with recessed lighting, a center island, glass tile and bamboo flooring. There's also a gas fireplace. The complex, in a neighborhood of higher-end single-family homes and luxury town homes, has a heated pool and a hot tub to soothe those aching muscles.
5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Price: $150,000
Best feature: It's huge and has a pool
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Everything's bigger in Texas, including this 3,064-square-foot home on a corner lot in Rockwall, a Dallas suburb of about 38,000 people. The home, built in 2003, is an REO/foreclosure property, so it needs a little TLC — some new carpeting and some floor trim. Overall, though, it's a pretty big value. A large living area downstairs overlooks a backyard pool — great for those hot Dallas summers.
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