Philadelphia local Looking to buy, and hackhack home in Delaware.
Real Estate Agent · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2015 · 5 posts · 1 vote
Hello BiggerPockets,
I am looking to move out of the Philadelphia area, and visits to Delaware have inspired me to move to Delaware. Where in Delaware would be a good place to find a home for 60k or under, that I could fix and househack. I am not opposed to living in a harder neighborhood than most. Not saying that I would like to live in the "hood", but I am not afraid of a C+ neighborhood. This big city life has worn me down, and I would like to get out of Philadelphia.
Thank you, I know this is a general question.
Derek
Hey Derek,
I focus on Newark and Bear, and would recommend them except you would need a little more money to buy something in a decent area. For 60 k you could get something in Sparrow Run, an area I avoid due to higher crime rate... New Castle and some areas in Middletown are a little lower priced and still decent, you might want to take a look at them.
I am currently working on a 3 bedroom 1.1 bath 1225 sq ft townhouse in Newark and a 4 bedroom 1.1 bath in Bear (fourth bedroom was a garage at some point, I assume), let me know if you want to take a look at them. I will be happy to share how I purchased them, for how much, and what rehab cost me if you think it might be useful to you.
Rumen
Hey Derek,
I focus on Newark and Bear, and would recommend them except you would need a little more money to buy something in a decent area. For 60 k you could get something in Sparrow Run, an area I avoid due to higher crime rate... New Castle and some areas in Middletown are a little lower priced and still decent, you might want to take a look at them.
I am currently working on a 3 bedroom 1.1 bath 1225 sq ft townhouse in Newark and a 4 bedroom 1.1 bath in Bear (fourth bedroom was a garage at some point, I assume), let me know if you want to take a look at them. I will be happy to share how I purchased them, for how much, and what rehab cost me if you think it might be useful to you.
Rumen
Hello Derek,
I would agree with Rumen. I would focus in bear in the Appoquinimink Scool District. As far as Newark goes stay out on the main line of Kirwood Highway. You may also want to look in Newport but stay towards the south end towards Christiana. They are the target areas that are established but are low crime. If you need anything else I would be happy to help where I can.
Hi Derek! I am a newbie in this, but find that there are quite a few available houses in Wilmington that may be around your price point. I've lived in Newark / New Castle suburbs my entire life, but fell in love with this area (North Side) and the houses on this street ... older, larger twin houses, stone facade, and seemingly nice neighbors LOL I'd visit the area at different times of the day to see what activity was going on. Even walked around a couple of the blocks to check the scene. This is a house that is available ... not sure of the condition due to lack of pics, but it's just a few doors down from a house that I wanted to purchase, but I wasn't able to afford: http://www.zillow.com/savedhomes/for_sale/20971858...
If you are wondering what other areas in Wilmington are decent, but still in the city, I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you :) Best of blessing in your home search!
Hey Derek,
I focus on Newark and Bear, and would recommend them except you would need a little more money to buy something in a decent area. For 60 k you could get something in Sparrow Run, an area I avoid due to higher crime rate... New Castle and some areas in Middletown are a little lower priced and still decent, you might want to take a look at them.
I am currently working on a 3 bedroom 1.1 bath 1225 sq ft townhouse in Newark and a 4 bedroom 1.1 bath in Bear (fourth bedroom was a garage at some point, I assume), let me know if you want to take a look at them. I will be happy to share how I purchased them, for how much, and what rehab cost me if you think it might be useful to you.
Rumen
Hello, firstly thank you all for your responses. When you mentioned Sparrow's run what types of crimes are we talking about if you know. The reason I ask is because places like NY, and ATL have gangs, but Philadelphia has a high crime rate with no gangs to speak of. I would be very interesting looking at your most recent purchase, especially in terms of rehab costs.
Thank you,
Derek
Hi Derek! I am a newbie in this, but find that there are quite a few available houses in Wilmington that may be around your price point. I've lived in Newark / New Castle suburbs my entire life, but fell in love with this area (North Side) and the houses on this street ... older, larger twin houses, stone facade, and seemingly nice neighbors LOL I'd visit the area at different times of the day to see what activity was going on. Even walked around a couple of the blocks to check the scene. This is a house that is available ... not sure of the condition due to lack of pics, but it's just a few doors down from a house that I wanted to purchase, but I wasn't able to afford: http://www.zillow.com/savedhomes/for_sale/20971858...
If you are wondering what other areas in Wilmington are decent, but still in the city, I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you :) Best of blessing in your home search!
I'd be very interested in discussing areas in Wilmington. A current coworker of mine was telling me to avoid certain areas(6th street I believe), because while living there she was robbed, car jacked, and had a pretty bad time there. The thing that worried me was that she said Philly was safer.
If anyone has any free time in the coming months, I am looking to visit Delaware to check out Wilmington, and other areas. I could potentially buy you lunch or coffee in return for advice on areas to avoid etc.
Thanks,
Derek
Hey Derek, @Rumen Mladenov is right on. I would also suggest some other options. The Overlook Colony neighborhood in Claymont and Edgemoor Gardens just north of Wilmington city limits could work too. You can find stuff rowhome type houses there for that price range. They are lower income and will have what usually comes with that, but not war zones. There are also some small pockets of Wilmington where crime isn't too bad. Go onto Redfin/Zillow/realtor and look up 1611 Howland st Wilm 19805. $75k foreclosure that you can prob get lower cause it's been on market 80 days. Needs some work but houses within a few blocks are going for over 100k. If you have questions about certain areas of Wilmington feel free to reach out. If you aren't opposed to staying in PA there are some spots in DE County just north of border that could be in your price range. Good luck.
I lived in Claymont for 28 years. My parents still live there. I would stay out of Wilmington ( city ) but as Eric said there are places in north Wilmington you could look around but may sit for an extended period of time. This is how I base my geo area. Where are the companies that are moving people in and out like around Rt. 202 or as I said in my last post towards Christian where the hospital & banks are. I worked with banks for a few years doing REO rehabs and did a lot of work in the city. I have done plumbing and came back and been ripped out. So could cost you time and money in the long run. If you come down just send me a msg. I will make time to meet with you if it would help you. Good luck
Hi Derek! I am a newbie in this, but find that there are quite a few available houses in Wilmington that may be around your price point. I've lived in Newark / New Castle suburbs my entire life, but fell in love with this area (North Side) and the houses on this street ... older, larger twin houses, stone facade, and seemingly nice neighbors LOL I'd visit the area at different times of the day to see what activity was going on. Even walked around a couple of the blocks to check the scene. This is a house that is available ... not sure of the condition due to lack of pics, but it's just a few doors down from a house that I wanted to purchase, but I wasn't able to afford: http://www.zillow.com/savedhomes/for_sale/20971858...
If you are wondering what other areas in Wilmington are decent, but still in the city, I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you :) Best of blessing in your home search!
I'd be very interested in discussing areas in Wilmington. A current coworker of mine was telling me to avoid certain areas(6th street I believe), because while living there she was robbed, car jacked, and had a pretty bad time there. The thing that worried me was that she said Philly was safer.
If anyone has any free time in the coming months, I am looking to visit Delaware to check out Wilmington, and other areas. I could potentially buy you lunch or coffee in return for advice on areas to avoid etc.
Thanks,
Derek
HAPPY FRIDAY Derek! 6th street up and down is rough! Idk if I'd say that Philly was safer. Wilmington is much smaller so you may find the crime rate is higher for that reason. You have to do some homework to see what areas are good for you to invest in. Not sure if you just want to house hack for one to three years ... then upgrade yourself to something better, but still keep the property as a rental? Within the city there are decent blocks, but just a few streets away you could find crime. The house on Howland St. is in Little Italy which is a nice, quiet area. Good for an investment and nice square footage.
My aunt owns her home in Sparrow Run (used to be Brookmont Farms ... nicknamed Crookmont for a reason) and has been there for at least 30 years. I don't hear about as much crime as I used to. I'd consider it as a decent house hack then keep as a rental property.
Let me know when you want to link up for lunch to chat ... I'm not a coffee drinker :)
Take care,
Cassandra
@Derek Rivera - When you say house hack are you looking to live in part of the house and then rent out part of the house, or will you be looking to do more of a live in flip? I think this may also direct you better.
Some of the areas other folks have mentioned are more conducive to live in flips, but if you're looking to buy a small multi-family and live in part and rent out part then areas outside the city may not be as well suited for this.
A lot of the 3 bedroom houses in the city have been converted to a 2/1 and 1/1 style duplex. If you're comfortable living in the 1/1 part of the unit you could comfortably rent out the 2/1 side for 750-800 which would more than pay the mortgage and expenses thereby allowing you to live without housing expenses and start acquire additional property more quickly.
@Derek Rivera - When you say house hack are you looking to live in part of the house and then rent out part of the house, or will you be looking to do more of a live in flip? I think this may also direct you better.
Some of the areas other folks have mentioned are more conducive to live in flips, but if you're looking to buy a small multi-family and live in part and rent out part then areas outside the city may not be as well suited for this.
A lot of the 3 bedroom houses in the city have been converted to a 2/1 and 1/1 style duplex. If you're comfortable living in the 1/1 part of the unit you could comfortably rent out the 2/1 side for 750-800 which would more than pay the mortgage and expenses thereby allowing you to live without housing expenses and start acquire additional property more quickly.
This post like the others is a great help. I will research on what the cost difference would be in buying a small multi like you were saying. That actually sounds great. It would probably be much more expensive to convert a three bedroom to a 2-1/1-1 as well, but I will also investigate that. I'm sure there are permits that would only add to the costs.
I am looking to house hack however if there was an opportunity for a live in flip, I wouldn't shoo it away. The numbers would just have to make sense. I have construction experience but not sure I could take on a whole flip as a first project.
One more thing i'm wondering is if Delaware is that much different than philly. Maybe people there aren't as willing to live three random people in a house like here. All the more reason for a visit. If that's the case that's fine I'll just have to adjust my strategy to one of the above.
Thank you,
Derek
Hi Derek! I am a newbie in this, but find that there are quite a few available houses in Wilmington that may be around your price point. I've lived in Newark / New Castle suburbs my entire life, but fell in love with this area (North Side) and the houses on this street ... older, larger twin houses, stone facade, and seemingly nice neighbors LOL I'd visit the area at different times of the day to see what activity was going on. Even walked around a couple of the blocks to check the scene. This is a house that is available ... not sure of the condition due to lack of pics, but it's just a few doors down from a house that I wanted to purchase, but I wasn't able to afford: http://www.zillow.com/savedhomes/for_sale/20971858...
If you are wondering what other areas in Wilmington are decent, but still in the city, I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you :) Best of blessing in your home search!
I'd be very interested in discussing areas in Wilmington. A current coworker of mine was telling me to avoid certain areas(6th street I believe), because while living there she was robbed, car jacked, and had a pretty bad time there. The thing that worried me was that she said Philly was safer.
If anyone has any free time in the coming months, I am looking to visit Delaware to check out Wilmington, and other areas. I could potentially buy you lunch or coffee in return for advice on areas to avoid etc.
Thanks,
Derek
HAPPY FRIDAY Derek! 6th street up and down is rough! Idk if I'd say that Philly was safer. Wilmington is much smaller so you may find the crime rate is higher for that reason. You have to do some homework to see what areas are good for you to invest in. Not sure if you just want to house hack for one to three years ... then upgrade yourself to something better, but still keep the property as a rental? Within the city there are decent blocks, but just a few streets away you could find crime. The house on Howland St. is in Little Italy which is a nice, quiet area. Good for an investment and nice square footage.
My aunt owns her home in Sparrow Run (used to be Brookmont Farms ... nicknamed Crookmont for a reason) and has been there for at least 30 years. I don't hear about as much crime as I used to. I'd consider it as a decent house hack then keep as a rental property.
Let me know when you want to link up for lunch to chat ... I'm not a coffee drinker :)
Take care,
Cassandra
Cassandra, I will definitely be taking you up on this in the near future.
Thanks,
Derek
Hi Derek! I am a newbie in this, but find that there are quite a few available houses in Wilmington that may be around your price point. I've lived in Newark / New Castle suburbs my entire life, but fell in love with this area (North Side) and the houses on this street ... older, larger twin houses, stone facade, and seemingly nice neighbors LOL I'd visit the area at different times of the day to see what activity was going on. Even walked around a couple of the blocks to check the scene. This is a house that is available ... not sure of the condition due to lack of pics, but it's just a few doors down from a house that I wanted to purchase, but I wasn't able to afford: http://www.zillow.com/savedhomes/for_sale/20971858...
If you are wondering what other areas in Wilmington are decent, but still in the city, I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you :) Best of blessing in your home search!
I'd be very interested in discussing areas in Wilmington. A current coworker of mine was telling me to avoid certain areas(6th street I believe), because while living there she was robbed, car jacked, and had a pretty bad time there. The thing that worried me was that she said Philly was safer.
If anyone has any free time in the coming months, I am looking to visit Delaware to check out Wilmington, and other areas. I could potentially buy you lunch or coffee in return for advice on areas to avoid etc.
Thanks,
Derek
HAPPY FRIDAY Derek! 6th street up and down is rough! Idk if I'd say that Philly was safer. Wilmington is much smaller so you may find the crime rate is higher for that reason. You have to do some homework to see what areas are good for you to invest in. Not sure if you just want to house hack for one to three years ... then upgrade yourself to something better, but still keep the property as a rental? Within the city there are decent blocks, but just a few streets away you could find crime. The house on Howland St. is in Little Italy which is a nice, quiet area. Good for an investment and nice square footage.
My aunt owns her home in Sparrow Run (used to be Brookmont Farms ... nicknamed Crookmont for a reason) and has been there for at least 30 years. I don't hear about as much crime as I used to. I'd consider it as a decent house hack then keep as a rental property.
Let me know when you want to link up for lunch to chat ... I'm not a coffee drinker :)
Take care,
Cassandra
Cassandra, I will definitely be taking you up on this in the near future.
Thanks,
Derek
You're very welcome! Look forward to hearing back from you. Best of blessings in the new year :)
Derek,
I think it's feasible to find something in that price range in Hilltop and Cool Springs neighborhoods in the the city of Wilmington. There are definitely blocks in Hilltop that I would stay away from, but there are blocks on 5th and 6th street that as a city girl I do not find to be too bad. Some areas are crime ridden and some are inhabited by honest working people that simply can't afford to live in other areas. There has been A LOT of improvement in this area over the past few years and the neighborhood associations are working hard at continuing the progress.
I think in these areas you may be more likely to find people who are willing to rent a room in a house and I know people who have have househacked there and had good experiences, just do your best to vet who rent to. Good luck!
In the event comes across this forum with a similar question in year 2018. That price range in Middletown or appoquinimink district, let me be frank, that’s gonna be a tough one! It’s possible but maybe just a shell. You can swing down to central delaware, There are some properties in that region that will be close to that price range. Reach out to me if you need some assist.