Buying a house in Mississippi, chat?

FreeRepublic.com ^ | 7/26/2021 | self

[Mr. K]

I am looking at an absolutely gorgeous house in Greenwood, Mississippi. In California this would be a $2vmillion dollar place.

It is selling 'as is' for $200K or best offer. I called, the real estate agent said it was in a 'bad area'.

It is the former offices of the a garden society, and was in a movie called "The Help"

With the right security and many dogs, could this be a good move?

Just how bad is it, 2 blocks from downtown? Market street in Greenwood, Mississippi

[Mr. K]

Got to get out of the peoples republic of NY state. So I dont have to spend $5000 a year TO LIVE IN MY OWN HOME

[dinodino]

I strongly suggest you hop on a plane and go see the property before making an offer.

[Glennb51]

I would find a reputable contractor who is willing, for a fee, to go thru the house, top to bottom. I found out the hard way about some housing inspectors.

[Trumpet 1]

A bad area. If you build a fence and never leave home?! You can find a nice house in Mississippi in a nice area for a very low price. Do not choose a bad area.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Excellent advice.

And it’s a sad fact of life, that every city has its bad neighborhoods. There are some fine older homes located in bad neighborhoods. Every one of us here, can tell us where the bad neighborhoods in their own hometowns are located.

It all comes back to location, location, and location.

[Carpe Cerevisi]

This house?

https://hookedonhouses.net/2017/05/22/skeeters-house-the-help-for-sale/

[Leaning Right]

> With the right security and many dogs, could this be a good move? <

If you think you’ll be needing guard dogs, maybe you should take a pass. An old real estate rule of thumb: Better to buy the worst house in a good neighborhood than buy the best house in a bad neighborhood.

But I’ve never been to Greenwood. So what do I know?

[Gay State Conservative]

Having done a bit of traveling in Mississippi I can easily imagine that there are bad areas there. I'd say google “richest neighborhoods in Mississippi” and you'll get at least a few hits...most of them would probably be near the capital or near the Gulf.

[LIConFem]

Only $5000.00? We pay just a few $$ shy of $10,000.00 for a 0.2 acre plot with a 2br 1 1/2 bath single story slab house, in a town that raises taxes every year, while discontinuing services.

[FamiliarFace]

There may be a very good reason why the garden society doesn’t have it’s offices there anymore. If I were you, I’d be looking at the house, the town, and the area in general first hand.

We are considering a move in the next 5-10 years, but we will need to go look at places first, to see if they would be suitable.

[ShadowAce]

I called, the real estate agent said it was in a 'bad area'.

I'd run.

With the right security and many dogs, could this be a good move?

This is the kind of question I never ask. "Right security and many dogs" is NEVER a "good move."

[Red Badger]

DON’T EAT ANY PIES!...........................

[posterchild]

http://www.city-data.com/city/Greenwood-Mississippi.html

[ladyjane]

Location. Location. Location.

[Cottonpatch]

It’s an old house. The repairs will never end. You won’t be safe no matter what.

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

You need advice on buying a house in a bad area of a town? You wanna buy some magic beans?

[fwdude]

I’ve found that the area under consideration makes or breaks the viability of a sale. You cannot be there 24/7/365, and opportunistic thieves will watch for the one instance you leave.

It’s also an axiom that good people cannot improve a bad neighborhood/community. It’s like the analogy of a thimbleful of raw sewage in a barrel of otherwise pure water. The influx of more pure water won’t neutralize the sewage contamination. Of course, no analogy is perfect, and there are bad elements in every area (or the bad elements travel there) so the best you can do is use discernment.

[dynachrome]

[Leaning Right]

Here’s a link with some stats on Greenwood’s crime rate. On a safety scale of 0 to 100 (100 is safest), Greenwood only gets a 3. A list of Greenwood’s best areas is there also. But it’s worth remembering that good areas can go bad in the blink of an eye.

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ms/greenwood/crime

[freeandfreezing]

Beautiful old mansions are attractive, but if you even notice spending $5,000 in taxes per year you shouldn't be moving into a 5,000 square foot mansion in a poor rural community. You will need lots of money just to maintain the house, and unless you are a very energetic person looking to improve a neighborhood and a city you won't find the experience as pleasant as thinking about it.

Greenwood looks like a small city which could have a lot of opportunity for the right person. The commercial district has a lot of solid buildings, and it has a hospital which can help anchor a small city.

But it also has a very high percentage of people living below the poverty limit, a shortage of adult males, and a high crime rate.

I would suggest careful research and a visit before such a move. Tour the entire city on Google maps using street view. Take a look at the statistics on city-data.com:

Greenwood.

Probably a good place for someone with a lot of energy familiar with southern culture and weather, and ready to do what it takes to revitalize a house and contribute to rebuilding the economy in a small southern city.