Best Choices of Affordable Housing Neighborhoods In OKC

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Ok, bear with me on this – I’ve never owned a home and I don’t know a great deal about Oklahoma City despite having lived in Newcastle for the last 8 years. Additionally, I am working for the state in the Capitol Complex and I have a pretty limited income. I’ve seen this forum come up in various searches on subjects dealing with OKC and thought I would throw this out there and see if I get any advice.

I hate to say it, but I really don’t think I’m comfortable with spending over about $60,000. I like the Paseo/Central Park area, but I think that area may be just out of reach for me. I noticed that there was an area over on 16th St. off of Classen that looked like it might be being revitalized. I spotted it on my way over to McNellies (love that place) and wonder if that area in general is picking up?

I don’t mean any offense to anyone here, but I’m not crazy about Midwest City/Del City or the South Side in general unless perhaps the area around the new crosstown on the South Side may have potential with the new bike path and parks coming in.

I would like to be near my work if possible, but if I have to go outside of the city to a suburb to find something I may be open to that as well as long as I don’t have to drive down a dirt road and can’t get DSL.

I’m not interested in a codo. I need to have a garage and prefer central heat and air. I’ll be blunt and say that I’m white and I don’t really want to be in the straight up ghetto. This all may be way too tall of an order, but if there are any suggestions on where to look I would really appreciate it.

I’ve gone to the Neighborhood Housing Services class on home buying and will likely be using some form of down payment assistance be it through them or the First Gold program which I know very little about.

Thanks for any light you all may be able to shed on my search! I intend to get with a realtor very soon and thought it might be to my benefit to get some advice from here first.

[Steve]

If you're willing to be an urban pioneer, The Plaza District area might have some options for you.

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I see from a search on here that the 16th St. area that I mentioned is the ‘Plaza District’? The post was a few years old and mentioned that they were trying to revitalize…..is that still happening or have things fizzled out?

http://www.okctalk.com/okc-metro-are...ct-update.html

[metro]

Well for $60,000 you won't get much. The area around NW 16th just west of Classen is called the Plaza District, as Steve briefly mentioned. There are houses in there over $100K easily, but you can find some fixer uppers for $60K range, especially if you go into the rougher side south of 16th, the more north you go, the more you're probably going to pay. Some of those blocks in there are hit or miss. Wayne Coyne, lead singer for the world famous band, Flaming Lips, lives south of 15th in there though. For 60K you are going to get a fixer upper or somewhat rough neighborhood, but depending on the area, it may have potential and be on the rebound. I can recommend a good inner city Realtor if you're interested. Good luck and welcome to inner OKC!

[Pete]

Here's one a block from the Paseo:

2810 N Lee, Oklahoma City, OK, 73103 - MLS ID#394623 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com®

Obviously at that price point and in those older neighborhoods you'd better be ready to do some work.

[EBAH]

I live in the Crestwood/Miller neighborhood directly west down 16th from where you are talking about (around Villa). If you're willing to work on a fixer upper there are some houses in the area that fit your budget. There also may be some forclosure/auction kind of deals as well. The neighborhood is quieter/"safer" than the Plaza district, but is also a bit of a hike to the capital( 1 more mile or so?). Although, I have seen the Plaza area improve quite a bit over the last few years and in the next 5 or so years it may be a nice spot to be. Just a thought, but you might also look at the area behind OCU (classen to Penn around 30th), it also is not the best place in the world, but there are a lot of smaller homes that may be in that price range and it is still just a few blocks from Paseo etc.

[Platemaker]

The are loads of shortsale opportunities in the Plaza area right now.

[westsidesooner]

I found this one north of sheperd mall though Im not sure about the neighborhood. Homes for Sale in West Point, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma $66,900 I realize its a little above your pricepoint and on the small side but might make a good starter.

You might also look north of 23 between may and I-44. Id also suggest watching goscout on ch22. Theres several listings on citydata and the site gives you alot of info on the neighborhoods. Oklahoma Bigger Cities (over 6000 residents) - Real Estate, Housing, Schools, Residents, Crime, Pollution, Demographics and More and OBEO has virtual tours.Obeo | Leading Virtual Home Tours Provider

Happy hunting!!

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Well, an update to my inquiry….. I have a contract on a place in Mayfair West. It was about the best neighborhood that I found in my price range in my opinion. Nothing fancy, but it does at least seem to be mostly void of the really ghetto dumps that I found in the other areas that I looked.

Comps in the area (9 houses) came back an average $85 a sq ft. All pretty small homes and so is this one. 848 sq ft, but actually laid out so that it doesn’t seem too bad. They countered an offer at $82 a sq ft and they’ll pay $2k in closing.

I appreciate the initial help here….. If all goes well I should be an Oklahoma City resident by the 16th of October.

[windowphobe]

Not a bad little zone. (I'm across May in the UCD; you can beat $80/sq ft over here, but only by giving up some serious amenities. On my block, only four of twelve houses have actual garages.)

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Thanks! Yeah, this place has a garage. As tiny as it is - it does at least still have it’s garage. I see a lot of garage conversions in the area. I absolutely have to have a place for my Harley to be locked up.

I think I’m going to like the area alright. I had visions of really enjoying being in Paseo/Central Park with it’s immediate access to several really nice little bars and whatnot, but I came to find a preference for an area that seemed like it might be marginally safer. Mayfair West is still just a hop skip and a jump from several cool spots to hang out. Compared to Newcastle - it’s practically downtown.

I’ve got routes plotted out to ride my mountain bike to the river and/or Hefner from my place. I’m hoping to finally get to ride that thing and get some exercise. I’m out here in the country of Newcastle right now and the roads are suicide on a bicycle.

[bluedogok]

I lived in the Mayfair area (a block south of 50th on Independence) before I moved to Austin, even on as busy of a street as Independence it was a pretty nice neighborhood that was pretty affordable. I liked the area and would have considered buying there.

Congrats on the new place, hope you enjoy it. It is pretty convienent to many areas.

[OKCMallen]

nm

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I lived in the Mayfair area (a block south of 50th on Independence) before I moved to Austin, even on as busy of a street as Independence it was a pretty nice neighborhood that was pretty affordable. I liked the area and would have considered buying there.

Congrats on the new place, hope you enjoy it. It is pretty convienent to many areas.

Thanks! Congrats on your move to Austin! I’ve lived there for a couple years on and off in the past. Loved it!

Yeah, you were on the side that I’m on…..I think that’s all referred to as Mayfair West. I think I’m really going to like it there too. I’ve never actually lived in the city limits – just with my parents in Newcastle. It should be nice to not have to tack on a twenty minute drive to almost everything I do.

[neverontime]

Congratulations on purchasing your house. If for some reason you decide not to close. Consider the Paseo/Jefferson Park area again. I moved from Norman to OKC in 2006 as I also work in the Capitol Complex. I came to realize that the area is not as bad as many people think it to be. Matter of fact, the area has improved exponentially since I moved there. I bought my house for $104,000 with down payment assistance from Neighborhood Housing Services. 3 years later the county assessor has the value assessed at $139,000. A pretty nice jump in home value also. Oh yeah, I've never had a break in or any problems with crime either.

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Thanks! I just never found a place in the Paseo that wasn’t too run down that I liked while I was looking. I do still think it’s a neat area. Close to so many neat little places. You’ve got a sweet commute! You could ride a bicycle!

[Pete]

Congrats to you! It's always fun and exciting moving into a new place, making it your own, getting to the know the neighbors and exploring the surrounding area.

It's still amazing that you can buy a home of your own in OKC for such a reasonable amount. That's generally a good thing.

[foy0613]

I live across May in Mayfair Heights and we really love the location. We were in Crown Heights before and loved the bicycle access from there but we can still get downtown by bike pretty easy, going under the highway on Youngs (?) and taking 30th over. I sold a house in your part of Mayfair Heights about a month and a half ago that was cute, maybe 1150 sf for 107,400, first week on the market.

I think people are really cluing in that this part of town is super accessible and still affordable. We can walk to the bike shop, Target, Indian food, the liquor store, Walgreen's.....good place to live when the ice storm hits. LOL There are still plenty of homes in OKC for 60k. I see them all the time. Some are cute as a button, just on the outskirts of pretty cool hoods like Miller Blvd, Paseo, Plaza, Denniston Park and so on.

Good luck with closing. Was that a FSBO? I think I know the house you are buying.

I have info on the down payment assistance programs (DPA) available on my blog Living Green in OKC if anyone else is looking for info.

[PennyQuilts]

Well, an update to my inquiry….. I have a contract on a place in Mayfair West.

Congratulations! That is super. From your post, it sounds like you are single? That gives you tons more options. I bet it is a great move and I wish you the best.

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Thanks everyone! This place was offered through Keller Williams. I just did the inspection yesterday and got to look it over again. It needs a few things - floors could stand to be redone and some paint here and there, but it’s really mostly pretty livable just as it is. I really think I’m going to be happy with it and I think I’m really going to appreciate the area. The bike shop (Wheeler Dealer) is where I bought my bike and they have rides to Hefner every Tuesday I think they said? Anyway, it should be fun!

[CCOKC]

I lived in Mayfair Heights 10 years ago and needed a little bit more space so we moved to a bigger house exactly one mile west. It seems we really could not tear ourselves from this part of town. There was a time for about a five years that my job, my kids school, my bank, Target, and the grocery store, home depot were all within a 5 minute drive from my house. Also, with the I-44 and the Lake Road so close there is literally no place in the city I can't drive to within 15 minutes barring a major wreck. The only downside is that all of the street traffic is so busy that I wish I could ride my bike to the grocery store or Target but I am not a strong rider and I would be killed trying to share the road on 50th, NWE, Portland or May. Hell, sometimes trying to get out of the Buy for Less in a car is like taking my life in my own hands.

[foy0613]

The only downside is that all of the street traffic is so busy that I wish I could ride my bike to the grocery store or Target but I am not a strong rider and I would be killed trying to share the road on 50th, NWE, Portland or May. Hell, sometimes trying to get out of the Buy for Less in a car is like taking my life in my own hands.

Friday, I rode my bike from Mayfair Heights (on side streets) up to 50th, over the highway to Tulsa and didn't encounter much in the way of problems. Most drivers went right around me. I have never had a problem riding up Portland to the lake either. I think you would be fine! It just takes some getting used to...but cars in our area seem to be pretty kind when it comes to sharing the road. MapMyRide.com lets you map out routes and will tell you the distance as well. You might try to do a trip to Target using as many side streets as possible.

Buy 4 Less, now that is a whole 'nother story! That is where we shop as well and it is an absolute nightmare to get back east. Poor planning but good produce selection!

[CCOKC]

Thanks for that link. Don't know if I am ready to ride to Target from my house at 44th and Portland though. Like I said, I am terrible at bike riding. I will however use my bike the next time I go to Braums to get an ice cream. That way the calories don't count do they?

[Pete]

Please wear a helmet!!!

[CCOKC]

Don't worry about that one. I don't ride in my driveway without a helmet.