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Updated about 8 years ago,
Opinions on these neighborhoods for my first place?
I've been following these forums for a while and I'm finally ready to get started. For my first place, I am looking for a single family home or row home that is somewhat of a fixer-upper but doesn't require full gut rehab. I want to buy in a neighborhood that will appreciate significantly over the next 5-10 years. I plan to live there, but may rent it out eventually depending on where life takes me. (As a sidenote, I plan to make a 3 or 4 flat my 2nd purchase, but I want to ease into home ownership and become more experienced with fixing a place up before I become a landlord as well.)
My budget is somewhere between 150-250 depending on the level of reno needed, and realistically I should probably go for somewhere in the 200-225 range with light cosmetic rehab needed. (I can and have done a lot of that stuff already.)
Right now I am looking mainly in these areas:
Hermosa
Tri-Taylor/Near West Side
Humboldt Park/West Humboldt Park
Portage Park/Irving Park
Belmont Cragin/Belmont Gardens
West Humboldt Park seems to be the cheapest, and Portage/Irving the most expensive. However, I could find a place in any of them with enough patience, so I am most concerned with which would be the best investment. Does anyone have any input?
Thanks very much for the opinions and advice!