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What $1 Million Buys In Homes Across The U.S.

forbes.com — From Boston to Burlingame, Calif., sneak a peek at how much property seven figures will purchase.

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  • djdavey, on 02/16/2008, -13/+37I dugg the story, but I refuse to click on anything with Forbes magazine. They force a full-screen ad (that you can skip) but in my efforts to help stop obnoxious advertising, I boycott Forbes.
    • subliminalurge, on 02/16/2008, -1/+13You should click on this link. It's no longer an "ad" that they're forcing on you. The text at the top of the page quite clearly states "Skip this Welcome Screen".

      So, yeah, if it was still ads, I'd be right there with ya. But "welcome screens" are cool, right?

      /sarcasm
      • Arramol, on 02/17/2008, -1/+3That's almost as bad as when the HBO exec said they should refer to digital rights management as "digital consumer enablement." Ars Technica's line of "a turd by any other name still smells as foul" fits just as well too.
        • subliminalurge, on 02/17/2008, -3/+1Yeah, that's pretty much what I said.

          Sarcasm *****. Do You Speak It?
          • Arramol, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1I caught the sarcasm. Apparently you missed the part where I was agreeing with you.
          • subliminalurge, on 02/17/2008, -1/+3Guess I did. Sorry about that.

            Was in a bad mood to begin with, and I've probably had 6 or 7 more drinks than are normally recommended. Guess I was looking for a good argument, and this isn't where I'm going to find it.

            Oh well. ***** happens.
          • Arramol, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1That it does. No worries.
    • VikingoTJ, on 02/16/2008, -1/+2At least it isn't a popup or popunder! Still its is a bit annoying. The article is worth reading anyways.
    • iofthestorm, on 02/16/2008, -4/+11Adblock plus ftw.
    • McMaster88, on 02/16/2008, -0/+1don't follow the link immediately. open in a separate tab then read some comments.
    • zeblith, on 02/17/2008, -1/+3I hear ya. And Jesus Christ, I have a widescreen monitor for a reason. Why do they have to have a layout where everything's shoved over on the left half? :( Browsers are smart, web designers ought to be too. *gasp*
      • ryan83189, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1I think there are ads over there. I have seen them a few times on other peoples computers.
    • InsaneMachine, on 02/17/2008, -1/+6Noscript + Adblock plus FTW.
    • AROZ, on 02/17/2008, -0/+4The fact that the advertisement to the right is larger than the photo of the house is ridiculous.
      • loquedesea, on 02/17/2008, -1/+2the whole layout is horrid. only one skinny-ass third of the page width is dedicated to the actual article. bloated much...?
    • screwfanboys1, on 02/17/2008, -1/+1They call it a ***** welcome screen. thats just plain insulting
    • ShadowPt2, on 02/17/2008, -1/+1Okay, here you have a 15-year-old combining 1) his irrational dislike of full-page ads (perhaps he thinks Forbes survives on government grants), with 2) his irrational proclivity to upmod things without looking at them, with 3) his belief that Forbes cares whether a 15-year-old looks at its slideshows. This sort of sad lameness is actually what kills online discussions, not "trolling".
  • tundra721, on 02/16/2008, -2/+10Money really isn't the main issue anymore - It's getting approved for financing. To get approved for a $1 million home these days you either need to have paid off a home in the same price range before, or put up a down payment of more than 40% (along with having amazing credit).

    And even after all of that you still don't get a backyard (at least in Southern California).
    • franklymister, on 02/16/2008, -1/+13What's a backyard?

      (I live in Manhattan)
      • RandomGuySteve, on 02/17/2008, -6/+5Why does a 1 bedroom apartment cost a million in Manhattan?

        ***** you, thats why.
      • CoolHandLuke, on 02/17/2008, -3/+5In Alabama a backyard is where the in-ground pool and BBQ pit goes. :)
      • Rikkochet, on 02/17/2008, -2/+1South America
    • OriginalReplica, on 02/18/2008, -0/+1Money is still the issue because that's how you get approved for financing, by having lots of money. You can get a loan to buy an apartment in Manhattan but only if you already have $300,000 in the bank. Or from another perspective: if you can afford to save $30,000 a year, you can get your first place by the time you are in your mid-thirties. I live in NYC, and I can only afford to save about $10k a year, so I'll have to rent until I'm 63. The middle class is non-existent in the Major cities in America.
  • neptunebk, on 02/16/2008, -12/+1Lets see, 2000th time this has been on digg?
    Do you agree?
    • supermanred, on 02/16/2008, -1/+6Then why on God's green earth would you:

      1. Click on the story you've seen or read 2000 times.

      2. Take the time to comment on it.

      Are you of feeble mind? OR...

      Oh wait, I get it you are a Submission Duplicate Nazi.
  • yivkX360, on 02/16/2008, -18/+5penis
  • lukemandese, on 02/16/2008, -5/+2wow, nice ad forbes.
  • Awspire, on 02/16/2008, -2/+32Forbes sure knows the meaning of real estate, cause 85% of their site is rented out. Turn on ad block before going to their site, cause it looks like a nascar body on crack.
  • cledford, on 02/16/2008, -0/+9In San Franciso 1 mil barely buys you a condo...
    • cgruber, on 02/16/2008, -7/+6So live somewhere else.
    • MonkeyFarts, on 02/17/2008, -2/+6My dad just recently got a job offer in San Francisco. It would have been a $40,000/year pay raise, but he'd be living in a freaking cardboard box since he'd only get $600,000 out of his home here. Needless to say, he turned them down. The equivalent of our home here would be like $1.5 to $2 million in San Fran.
      • franklymister, on 02/17/2008, -0/+3$40,000 was the total price of the home I grew up in in Iowa. My parents bought it in the '70s, but still.
  • cavie2002, on 02/16/2008, -6/+9Come to san antonio Tx and you can buy yourself a mansion with that much money
    • franklymister, on 02/17/2008, -4/+37The only problem is that the mansion is in San Antonio, Texas.
    • AROZ, on 02/17/2008, -3/+8Rule of thumb: The smaller the home for the same money, the more desirable the location is.
  • Somnabot, on 02/16/2008, -2/+7The good part: http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/14/homes-million-pro ...
  • 0xbaadf00d, on 02/16/2008, -4/+18Wow, ads on the internet... Why do people get so mad about ads? It's no worse than 20 minutes of commercials in an hour of TV. You probably spend more time whining about it than actually looking at the ads.
    • Akyan, on 02/17/2008, -3/+2Some people don't have that much advertising on their TV.
    • Uranium118, on 02/17/2008, -0/+4Why do you think so many people pirate instead of watching TV? I don't even have cable anymore, but I do have huge capacity hard drives.
    • sgtpppr, on 02/17/2008, -0/+2Whining gives people something to do. Everyone is a business genius here and if they ran the world everything would be utopian.
  • mohamed3ayed, on 02/16/2008, -9/+0www.ghawy.com
  • DiggzDE, on 02/16/2008, -0/+6In my home town in Northern California, $1 million dollars could barely buy you a two bedroom/ 1 and a half bath, home. The average price for houses in my area was around 2 to 3 million dollars. Now that I live in L.A. I'm surprised at how cheap houses are here in Southern California compared to up north.
    • st3vo, on 02/16/2008, -0/+5Come visit Orange County.. you will be in for a surprise.
      • kenplaysviola, on 02/17/2008, -1/+4My parents live in the O.C. When they bought their house 18 years ago, they got it for over $200k. Now it's up to about $800k. It's a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house. It is nice, but there is no way I would pay $800k for it. My parents ended up turning my room into a storage room ever since I moved out for college. :(
        • DiggzDE, on 02/17/2008, -0/+2Yeah. A friend of mine grew up in Irvine. His family bought a house (before it was built) in a private development for 200k and it has only been 5 years and it is now worth over 2 million. OC, Beverly Hills, etc seem to be exceptions to the majority of the L.A. area.
      • tundra721, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1Only thing you'll be surprised about is the amazing price. I've lived in Orange County all my life (right now in Irvine). NOW is the time to buy. I know $1 million seems like a lot, but it's not that much over a 30-year loan period.

        http://lennar.com/findhome/city.aspx?CITYID=ORA&BR ...
    • ScottMitchell, on 02/17/2008, -0/+3Isn't San Francisco and the Bay Area middle California? There's a whole heckuva lot of real estate north of San Francisco and south of Oregon.
      • milliamp, on 02/17/2008, -0/+2But few jobs. It would be a good place for a startup, I am sure there are more than a few people that would be willing to relocate there.
  • DeadMeatUK, on 02/16/2008, -2/+11Some nice houses there for £500,000.

    Try buying for that in London.
    • aelfwyne, on 02/17/2008, -0/+4Well some of the biggest were in Houston and Dallas... both of these cities are in flat areas, and have basically limitless land to expand, so land isn't at a premium. California is mountainous, so the cities are more confined along the coasts, thus, higher land prices, thus more expensive homes. Manhattan is an island, no land left to expand to, so the prices go up.

      Much of the U.S. laughs at the kind of prices people in NY and Manhattan pay, since they could come to a city like Houston, or Atlanta, etc, and have a mansion for what they pay for an apartment.

      In the U.K. though, your entire country has been parceled up for much longer than real estate here, so it is understandable that real estate is at a premium. Different economies and all ya know. But from what I understand, the congestion charge is getting so high in London that most people wouldn't be able to afford to live there anyway if they have to drive, so maybe prices will go down..
      • DeadMeatUK, on 02/17/2008, -0/+0Agreed - it's all about the space. We also have a lot of green belts around cities which limit building space.

        As for congestion charge - if people can afford to live there and run a gas guzzling 4x4 then I'm not entirely sure it'll hit that hard. You don't need a vehicle to live in London - only for when you want to leave the city. I can see rental firms and garage space just outside the zone cleaning up
  • Livebold, on 02/20/2008, -14/+12Look at the picture slideshow. Check out the "homes" in SF, LA, Chicago, and NY.. WHAT A F'ing joke. $1M for those rat traps.

    Now, check out what $1M can get you in Dallas.

    God, I love living in the central US. you leftcoast and rightcoast folks get reamed constantly. and don't give me the old, "everything is relative" line...

    Because there is not a single person in the world that would rather live in that piece of crap in san fran versus the mansion you get for the same cost in dallas.

    If you pay $1M for a house and it looks like the one pictured in SF, you might as well shot yourself in the head because you lost at life a long time ago. Regardless of whether you can afford that house or not.
    • dlsspy, on 02/17/2008, -4/+7Uh, there are millions of them in the Bay Area. If they wanted to live in Dallas, they would. Prices are high here because people see value in it.

      I have a friend who lives in the Dallas area who came out to visit recently. He was amazed at how much better the culture is for what he wants (but still is obsessed with having a large house). My priorities are quite different from his.
    • DimensionalPunk, on 02/17/2008, -5/+11If you've never lived anywhere else you couldn't possibly know. There's not a house in Texas nice enough to make me want to live with Texans. It's worth it.
      • psbpv3o, on 02/17/2008, -1/+2We're talking DFW. It's not the hickville that the rest of texas is (except austin, which is really badass).
    • JeffH, on 02/17/2008, -1/+3Size =/= quality either

      Just becuse that house in San Fran looks rundown and small doesn't mean it's a bad house. If you go to Seattle, San Francisco, L.A, etc. You see a ton of these. They're old houses but they renovate well and the interiors are usually very luxurious.

      Plus having lived in Dallas and Seattle, I can tell you that the house they list in Seattle is actually right next to the city, while the one they list in Dallas is probably a good 20-30 minutes outside of where the city really begins. So it may not technically be in a suburb of Dallas, but it might as well be.
    • creoleplane, on 02/17/2008, -2/+2I'd much rather live in an area like SF than anywhere in Texas though. It's relative because when buying a home the 3 major rules are Location Location Location.
    • AROZ, on 02/17/2008, -1/+2SF is one of America's best cities with a lot of culture. I'd rather live in a smaller dwelling that's in a vibrant city, where I can walk to some interesting places, or take advantage of a good public transit system. To hell with sprawl and traffic.
    • senatorpjt, on 02/17/2008, -0/+3Despite what these people say about "Culture", the real deciding factor is whether you can get a job that will pay you enough to buy a $1 million house in Dallas. It's a lot easier to get a job like that in these other places.
      • aelfwyne, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1This is very true. I lived a year in Utah, where real estate values were much higher than back in Houston where I'm from originally... but work was readily available for anyone who was breathing... Now I live in Beaumont TX... I can barely pay my rent, even though the cost of living is so low here, because work pays so little here when you can find it.
    • oldgal, on 02/17/2008, -2/+2If I wanted to live in a foreign country, Texas wouldn't be my first choice - wouldn't even make the list
    • trer, on 02/17/2008, -2/+3You obviously don't understand the #1 rule in Real Estate: Location, Location, Location.
      The reason why the little "rat trap" is more expensive in San Francisco is because you're paying to be in a part of the country that 1. has culture, 2. is a world city known on the world stage, 3. is the epicenter of modern technology from the internet to biotech, 4. is home to world-class universities 5. beautiful coastline 6. diversity where you can eat chinese food on monday, mexican food on tuesday, french food on wednesday, itatlian food on thursday, and still have a good ol fashion American burger and milkshake on friday. That's in contrast to Mcdonald's on Monday, KFC on Tuesday, Burger King on Wednesday, Taco Bell on Thursday and Jack in the Box on Friday.

      Add all that up and you'll understand why people would trade in the "big backyard" to live in that "rat trap" in San Francisco. We're not the same people who like big trucks and rodeos and that's what keeps this country exciting.
      • Livebold, on 02/20/2008, -2/+3wow, i didn't realize there were restaurants besides mcdonalds and wendys here in the midwest? thanks for enlightening me.

        i thought my original comments were a little slanted, but wow, you just blew my comments out of the water.

        keep deluding yourself into thinking that the left coast is the only place to find "culture" or food that isn't fried.. and I'll keep enjoying the midwest with all it has to offer.

        you're probably one of those people that pays $200 for t-shirts.
        • AROZ, on 02/17/2008, -1/+2Yeah! The midwest has Chicago! Seriously, there are quality urban centres through America, and some which are very boring places because the majority chooses isolating suburban living.
    • HPMNick, on 02/17/2008, -0/+0Its my dream to move out to the country side in a nice, open, area with a huge yard and 3 stories... Of course, I can't. To do so, I'd need to pay for a $350,000 a year house in the country side.. I'm already paying that now, and easily making mortgage payments.

      The problem is, there is no way I can live in the country and make those mortgage payments. I'd need a job that pays the same, and I'm not going to get it in an area where the average population per town is 1000 people.

      Also, when I bought my house, I had the option to get a much much bigger house that is much nicer... with a nice sized yard and everything.. except it was in an area that wasn't nearly as nice. I chose the better area. This plays into it to.
  • Divals, on 02/16/2008, -7/+1And this is why I will probably always rent. Loans and mortgages are evil, as are banks in general... I don't want to spend my life being owned by faceless corporations, so I will only buy a house if I can pay for it, up front, in cash.
    • cgruber, on 02/17/2008, -1/+8Lmao.
    • Xel565, on 02/17/2008, -1/+3Yeah why waste your money with an investment that doubles every 10 years. Just give it away for no return.
      • Divals, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1How's it an investment if it's never actually mine?
  • danthespiceman, on 02/16/2008, -2/+8I hope the market tanks rock bottom... mainly because I think that real estate agents are parasites that take way too much money from home sales while contributing not too much to society. I know that doesn't relate directly, but Its just what I think after reading that.
  • ronpaul20008, on 02/16/2008, -10/+1we're all slaves. just to have basic shelter, it's a 30 year loan to the bankers w/ interest. a million dollar loan @ 5% is $50,000 a year, just in interest...freedom? HA! democracy? HA! slaves in our office prisons.
    • franklymister, on 02/17/2008, -0/+4You know your screen name is off by 18,000 years?

      Oh, and you're not loaning the money to the bankers, they're loaning it to you. Anyhow, you're free to buy a home for much less than $1,000,000. "Basic shelter" is not the same thing as a million dollar home.
  • DjOverEZ, on 02/16/2008, -0/+8"Chicago, Ill.: Evanston..."

    Wow, I didn't know the Winslows lived in a $1Million home! Way to go Carl and family. Apparently you can get a lot on a Chicago policeman's salary.

    I guess the downside is living next to Steve Urkel.
    • Markp487, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1I'm from evanston and that house is on Sheridan Ave. You're lucky if you get a house there for a million. The Winslows lived on the west side of Chicago home of the Superdog, Harlem (how you get to o'hair) and other various crimes.
  • replaysMike, on 02/17/2008, -0/+14Ok but what will $17 and some loose rubber bands get me?
    • HP844182, on 02/17/2008, -0/+5One red paperclip
    • aelfwyne, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1Detroit, Mi. I'm sure someone would give you a house for $17, and let you keep the rubber bands.
    • SheilaNoya, on 02/17/2008, -0/+2The $17 will pay your cover charge at an L.A. fetish club and you can wear the rubber bands as your outfit.
  • Richandler, on 02/17/2008, -1/+5Every home in North California has an extremely inflated price. Prices are dropping now that foreclosure is kicking everyones ass. Don't buy a home until you know you can afford it on a regular loan. Also consider moving somewhere that isn't Northern California.
  • kahrytan, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1Try buying a house or condo in Downtown honolulu. Any size.

    Also, it's better just to watch "What you get for the money" on HGTV.
  • d3dm, on 02/17/2008, -0/+9And this is exactly why I don't understand how the federal goverment can pick some arbitrary number for tax rate increase or the issuance of "economic stimulus checks". The cost of living (esp. housing) varies widely across this country, so why isn't that taken into account when setting tax rates, or determining who gets a rebate check?

    • ScottMitchell, on 02/17/2008, -1/+2And what's frustrating is that those who pay the most tax (the top 5% of income earners in this country) don't even get a rebate check! How's that fair?
    • sbywater, on 02/17/2008, -3/+1Because, although we pay more tax in dollars, we pay less taxes as a percent of our income. We're on top. Lets not be asses about it.
      • SpykerSpeed, on 02/17/2008, -0/+2Obviously you're not in that bracket, and it's questionable you even live in America since you're not aware of the progressive income tax.
  • ghotli, on 02/17/2008, -4/+1Boycott Forbes.com!
  • listrophy, on 02/17/2008, -2/+5Money's best place to live in America: Middleton, WI. Here's a nice place there for just under $1.2mil: http://tinyurl.com/36zc8c

    8550 sq feet, 3 acres, 4 (yes, 4) fireplaces, 20x40 inground pool, prairie conservatory behind backyard. "Priced below replacement cost"
    • IHaveIssues, on 02/17/2008, -2/+2Really, who needs that much house?
    • senatorpjt, on 02/17/2008, -0/+3Great, now all I need to do is try to find a job in Middleton, WI that will let me afford a $1.2mil house.
    • bmystry, on 02/17/2008, -0/+3at least that house looks like its worth a million, I don't understand why people would pay a million for a house that looks like crap.
  • Felco, on 02/17/2008, -10/+4Buried for being a gross example of America's elite wasting money on accommodations no one needs and they will probably never use.
    • JeffH, on 02/17/2008, -2/+4Comment buried for you being retarded.

      Hey guys, don't spend money you earn. Buy bread, water and shacks for shelter. ***** the American elite!

      China is just across the globe my friend.
      • Felco, on 02/17/2008, -4/+1Its people like you that make the rest of the world hate America! Spend your money within your needs and means, live nice, further the economy, but keep in mind people in the rest of the world are starving , hell there are people IN OUR OWN COUNTRY that are starving, and dying because they don't have health care while our rich elite waste their money on basketball courts and gyms in their houses they will never use instead of furthering the human race. It makes me sick.
        • CoolHandLuke, on 02/17/2008, -0/+4That's the real beauty of America... people can spend their money on anything they want! Maybe you should think about the needs of the "dying" the next time you are in line at the drive thru. If your heart aches for the starving so much then why don't you sell your computer and give the proceeds to the poor?

          I think it's funny how all these bleeding hearts love spending other people's money.

          • Felco, on 02/17/2008, -2/+0How can you be so cruel hearted? and not give a crap about another human being? this is what is wrong with this world. I am thankful for all that I have and don't take things for granted. I go without when I know I don't need them, I don't have money to donate, I am in debt thanks to America's wonderful education system, but when I'm out of it and have the time and money to do something about the worlds problems, I will do what small part I can for it, I am already planning on enlisting in the peace corps, while you sit and enjoy and take for granted the great things you have for being born into a wealthy country and attack me for trying to do something good with those great things and opportunities I was given. When your dying you can look around at all the nice things you have, while I can find peace in myself that I at least tried to do something.
        • brokencode, on 02/17/2008, -0/+3It sure ain't my problem!
        • CoolHandLuke, on 02/17/2008, -0/+3Here we go...

          #1. You ASSUME that I take things for granted.
          #2. "When I am out and have the time..." you'll save the World. Yeah, let me know how that works out.
          #3. You ASSUME I have nice things. Do you know me?
          #4. "I can find peace in myself that I at least TRIED..." Tried is the key word here. Here's a tip Slick. the sick and poor will always be on the Earth.
          #5. It would stun you if you saw my tax return and actually knew how much money I donated last year. It was a little over 15% of my income.
          #6. Your computer has got to be worth SOMETHING. Sell it now and give the money to some homeless person.

          It's a little easier for me to be "cruel hearted" because I know how many hours a week I have to work to keep a roof over my head. The bottom line is that you shouldn't be the judge on what people do with their hard earned money. When you see a basketball court or tennis court at someone's house all you see is money wasted. When I see stuff like that I think about the jobs it created and the little guy who ended up getting a paycheck at the end of the week because someone decided to hire a contractor.
          • Felco, on 02/17/2008, -2/+0ok

            1. you ASSUMED I go to fast food and not even think about those who are starving. I cannot eat anything without being greatful for it, and I hate to see any food get wasted
            2. you ASSUMED I have a nice computer that is worth something, when in fact it is a 1st gen Imac with a 6gb hard drive. Ya i could get a lot of money for that! I think its worth more in that in the end when I'm able to get through school because of it I'll be able to do something with my life.
            3. you ASSUMED I think I can save the world and all the poor and hungry people when I know well that all I can do is MY BEST, and maybe help a few people out.
            4. I NEVER said you had nice things, but your arrogance came off like you did and it didn't matter that others don't even have clean water.
            5. The fact that you donated 15% of your income tells me NOTHING. You could have gotten all that money back in tax breaks, or gotten even more money than you donated depending on to who and where it was donated. Taxes are a game of donating to get money back from stuff, things, money getting overtaxed. and if none of this IS true, then kudos, I am glad to hear that you care.
            6. You ARE right about the little guy in the basketball court. That is the foundation of capitalism. But I just have a hard time seeing all those dollar signs, when I think what else could be done with that money. Not all rich are bad though, look at Bill Gates.
        • CoolHandLuke, on 02/17/2008, -0/+3"1. you ASSUMED I go to fast food and not even think about those who are starving. I cannot eat anything without being greatful for it, and I hate to see any food get wasted"
          *Being "grateful" never fed a hungry child.

          "2. you ASSUMED I have a nice computer that is worth something, when in fact it is a 1st gen Imac with a 6gb hard drive. Ya i could get a lot of money for that! I think its worth more in that in the end when I'm able to get through school because of it I'll be able to do something with my life."
          *It's not very much fun when people tell you what to do with your money or your things is it?

          "4. I NEVER said you had nice things, but your arrogance came off like you did and it didn't matter that others don't even have clean water."
          *You have mistaken honesty for arrogance. It's ok, it happens all the time.

          "5. The fact that you donated 15% of your income tells me NOTHING. You could have gotten all that money back in tax breaks, or gotten even more money than you donated depending on to who and where it was donated. Taxes are a game of donating to get money back from stuff, things, money getting overtaxed. and if none of this IS true, then kudos, I am glad to hear that you care."
          *So exactly what percentage of your income did you donate last year?


    • senatorpjt, on 02/17/2008, -0/+3yeah, no one needs a one-bedroom apartment.
      • Felco, on 02/17/2008, -3/+0You obviously missed the point of my comment.
  • CayoHuesoDude, on 02/17/2008, -8/+3Our home in Key West is currently $100,000 a square foot. We bought it at $26.50 a sq. ft. in 1982. I don't care which way the market goes.... we're soaring high above our initial buy in.
    • mlavergn, on 02/17/2008, -1/+4I ***seriously*** doubt your home is worth $100K a square foot unless it's made of gold with platinum inlays. Did you mean to type $1K a square foot maybe?
    • ScottMitchell, on 02/17/2008, -0/+4$100,000 per square foot!?! Is that possible? That would mean a 1,000 sq. ft. place would sell for ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS - $100,000,000. I'm going to call BS. Perhaps you meant to use a decimal place instead of a comma?
    • Half-Fast, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1Always wanted to party in Key West. I assume you have spare bedrooms you wouldn't care to lend out......a hammock on the porch.....sleeping bag in the front yard....scratch that....gators and sleeping bags don't mix. Oh well, call me when you need comic alcoholic relief.
  • solidsnake1298, on 02/17/2008, -2/+4My parent's house is 4,000 sqft., all brick exterior, cement blocks under the brick, plaster walls, high ceilings, solid oak wood and tile floors, 2 car garage, finished basement, and it is on the water and my parents paid $175,000 in 1996. I will admit that there was a bit of work that needed to be done to the house, but the housing market is still ridiculously overvalued right now.
  • danielplainview, on 02/17/2008, -1/+3Everything is bigger in Texas... still true!
  • ofenza, on 02/17/2008, -1/+4Whoa, not a single pretty house for all that money, damn.

    Hah, here's what less than a milion buys you in Portugal.
    http://tinyurl.com/2vculr

    plus, we can see tities on tv.
    • pak314, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1But could the average family afford one of them houses?
      • ScottMitchell, on 02/17/2008, -0/+4No, but can the average American afford a $1 million dollar house? No.
        A good rule of thumb is to buy 3x-4x your annual income. Seeing as the average family income in the US is just north of $40,000, that means that the average family can "afford" a house in the $120k-$160k range. Granted, the nationwide median price - $220,000 - is a bit north of this range, but we are in the midst of a housing bubble. We still have a bit to come down until the fundamentals line up (another 20-30%).
        • aelfwyne, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1Well-thought out reply, true. It is amazing how the "average" American is trying to live like a king. My sister's family earns an "average" wage, yet they put themselves into a $300k home, and now they can't afford to pay half their bills, so no satellite, no running the AC in summer (despite being in the Houston, TX area), etc. If they'd gone with a home half the price, they'd be able to afford a lot more comforts.
  • zantos420, on 02/17/2008, -3/+3who cares i'm not a millionaire
  • solarweasel, on 02/17/2008, -12/+3nobody needs a $1 mil+ house. period.
    • Awspire, on 02/17/2008, -0/+4A marxian if I ever heard one.

      Maybe not, but its an incentive that makes me want to achieve, rather than sit on my ass just getting by.
    • Jforsyth89, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1That is true, but can also be said of most of the things that people buy.
  • salinemist, on 02/17/2008, -1/+5I don't think any of those houses would go for more than 400k tops in Midwest.
  • ofenza, on 02/17/2008, -3/+15Whoa, those are some ugly houses.

    Here's what a milion buys you in Portugal: http://tinyurl.com/2vculr

    plus, we can see tities on tv, and don't have to bear with religion on every politic speach.

  • Lixie, on 02/17/2008, -2/+11I'd like them to show what a million dollar house in Florence, Kentucky would buy you: A brand new house with 12 bedrooms, 7 full baths, indoor elevators, below ground pool, 20 acres of land, and a fleet of robotic maids to serve your every need.

    Or a million dollars would buy you a dilapidated crack house in downtown San Fransisco.
    • AROZ, on 02/17/2008, -0/+8At least you're in a city. There's the history and culture, variety of retail and employment at your fingertips. Plus the money and environmental savings of not having to rely on a car as your chief mode of transportation. At the end of the day, for many people, that's a lot more desirable than all those hollow excesses. And besides, it's Florence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Florence-yall.j ...
      • franklymister, on 02/17/2008, -6/+3Shush!

        People like that think that America's cities are filled with crack houses and muggers, with roving gangs of Warriors dressed like clowns in baseball uniforms attacking innocent citizenry at night.

        Please, let him keep thinking that - we like it here without a bunch of Kentucky rednecks moving in!
  • jhuebel, on 02/17/2008, -1/+4OK, seeing what we can get for $1M is great, but what does $100K to $200K get the average middle-income family now? The middle of the US will win that too. I can get a really nice 3500+ square foot house for under $200K.
  • Darkhacker, on 02/17/2008, -1/+3I remember the first time I found out about home prices in California. I live in Kansas City and I came downstairs one weekend morning to see my mom watching some "Flip this House" program or something of the same type. I nearly ***** my pants when I glanced at the screen. They were asking about a million dollars for a freaking shed! In KC that would get you into a gated community and pretty damn near mansion status.
    • ScottMitchell, on 02/17/2008, -0/+2Ditto for the rental market. When I lived in the Midwest, you could just walk up to an apartment complex and ask for a room, and it was yours after they ran a credit check and got the down payment. When I drove out to CA, with all my stuff in the back seat, and went to a variety of places and asked for a room, and got responses like, "Sure, we have a vacancy opening up in seven weeks."
  • makkaveli19, on 02/17/2008, -0/+2you should see how expensive it is in West vancouver british colombia. the cheapest empty lot you can get is 1.8 mill
  • tuxidomasx, on 02/17/2008, -1/+6i really hate the automatic slideshow. is it really too much to put them all on one screen, Forbes? Seriously. The pics arent even that big. It's just annoying.

    /rant
  • shinigami052, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1Hah they forgot one of the most expensive places to live...Hawaii.
  • Syric, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1I don't think I've ever seen a house in Burlingame that looked so plain as that.
  • KaiserBob, on 02/17/2008, -1/+0$1 million houses? Thats it? Its a slideshow for New Money.
  • LuxFX, on 02/17/2008, -0/+3I think that if they really want to cover "America" they need to show some places outside of the big cities. America is more than just big cities, you know. Some people (like me) like rural country life, and the $$ value is amazing compared to those wallet-gougers they've listed. Take a look at what just $600,000 buys in my neck of the woods: http://www.blueridgelandandauction.com/list26.html
    • Half-Fast, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1Oh man.....that's my dream house right there when I hit the lottery (I don't even play). I want a custom built log home in the "old homeplace" style with porches around all four sides on top of my own mountain here in West Virginia. There would be no "Almost Heaven" anymore.....it would fully qualify.
  • adamwho, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1This list is dated, I just looked at an open house in a NICE area of San Jose 2600sqft, $900k and I think it is over-priced by $100k. The median home price in the Bay Area is ~$530k.
  • Diddy321, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1Wow. Forbes should do this same slideshow for Canada. In Vancouver a million bucks gets you a moldy, rat infested 60+ year old house. 500sq feet shoe boxes run about half a million.
    • Quickstrike, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1Calgary is getting pretty bad too. Need ATLEAST 500k to buy something decent.
      • Senchou, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1Yeah, I have a friend in Calgary who is looking to buy a house. I showed him the one we are buying in Kansas for about $230K, and it almost convinced him to move.... almost. Then he remembered it was in Kansas. The ones he was showing me in the same price range looked like little hovels.
  • HPMNick, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1I went to Ireland this summer, and the real estate market there is an absolute mess. People in this thread are complaining about what you'd get for a million in San Fran...

    Now, there is absolutely nothing throughout most of Ireland. No real sources of income outside of the Northeast (Dublin)... I saw 1000 sq foot homes for a million dollars, and they didn't even look that nice (for that size)...

    I heard most of their youth has to move out of the country because they can't afford to live there. I can't really understand it. Most of the areas I went to have large amounts of unused land and no real economy. Why prices aren't cheaper, I don't know..

    I hear similar markets exist throughout some other portions of Europe... so, our housing market isn't exactly as bad as it seems at first glance..
    • 93ex, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1I also went to Ireland over the summer, and noticed a very similar situation. I was told the youth of Ireland would leave, for school, or for jobs, since for the longest time there wasn't much there. Now it's starting to pick up job wise, but the housing prices make no sense whatsoever in my mind. 1 million + houses that were smaller then my 189k house? Who is supposed to be buying these things?
      • HPMNick, on 02/17/2008, -0/+0I wonder if there is any sort of plan or motive behind the prices? Really, supply of land is very high, and it would be very easy to build more.. Maybe the townships in general are against any forms of industrialization or maybe they just want their rustic old communities to stay rustic old communities. I don't know.. All I do know is that there is a massive amount of land which is only used by a handful of sheep.

        Outside of Limerick, Shannon, and Galway I saw nothing but 99% open space.
  • sheepyzors, on 02/17/2008, -0/+2where i live, you can't buy a house for $1 million. they are all $1.5 million-$10 million. mine was $5 million
    http://www.weichert.com/IL/cook/Kenilworth/

    Single Family
    $11,500,000
    5 Bedrooms
    8 Full Baths, 2 Half Baths KENILWORTH, IL
    MLS #/Web ID 06761921
    COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL

    Single Family
    $3,995,000
    6 Bedrooms
    5 Full Baths, 2 Half Baths KENILWORTH, IL
    MLS #/Web ID 06761277
    COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL

    Single Family
    $3,699,900
    5 Bedrooms
    4 Full Baths, 1 Half Bath KENILWORTH, IL
    MLS #/Web ID 06675601
    COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL
    360 Tour

    Single Family
    $3,695,000
    5 Bedrooms
    4 Full Baths, 1 Half Bath KENILWORTH, IL
    MLS #/Web ID 06574668
    KOENIG & STREY GMAC REAL ESTATE
    360 Tour

    Single Family
    $3,695,000
    7 Bedrooms
    5 Full Baths, 2 Half Baths KENILWORTH, IL
    MLS #/Web ID 06761500
    COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL

    • NoVABaller, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1So how about all the houses selling for less than that in Kenilworth, Il.? You even linked to them you *****.
      • mempko, on 02/18/2008, -0/+1Now now, don't use foul language. That hurts you just as much as it would hurt him.
  • dylangaine, on 02/17/2008, -0/+2i better get moving on making my millions - whats the megalotto paying out, anyone?
  • jeshjohn, on 02/17/2008, -0/+1In Headland, Al for $824,000 you get a 5 Bed/6 Bath 4870 Sq Ft. House. With 43 Acres of Land
    http://www.dothanidx.com/agent_specific_listing.ph ...
  • reselltalk, on 02/18/2008, -0/+0www.reselltalk.com

    the newest and best way to make money on the secondary market from the comfort of your own home.
  • djin1986, on 02/23/2008, -0/+0great web...
  •  

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