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Does anyone live in these areas? Care to comment?
Crestline, California
With the real estate boom the past few years it’s become difficult to find anything for $100,000 in the shadows of Los Angeles and Orange County. But it’s not impossible. Crestline is a small mountain community in San Bernardino County. Considering your next best shot is a mobile home in Hesperia (think really, really hot in the summer), Crestline is Valhalla. It’s an hour to Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead, popular for skiing in the winter and fishing the rest of the year. Crestline is also within an hour-and-a-half of Los Angeles and its myriad attractions — Santa Monica, in case you want to see sand with ocean attached to it, Palm Springs and its scores of golf courses, and Disneyland in Anaheim. Staying in Crestline has its own rewards with a nice mountain setting and a small nearby lake. It’s also not nearly as crowded as Big Bear/Lake Arrowhead. There’s a cute one bedroom, one bath home built in the 1930s on the market for $97,500. A similar aged and situated house is listed at $110,000.
Marysville, Washington
Nearly everyone in the state dreams of owning a place on one of the San Juan Islands, so you can imagine what the prices are like. Well, not to worry. Marysville is a growing community just a 40-minute drive north of Seattle. Its proximity not only allows access to the metro downtown area, but it’s only an hour drive to Anacortes where you can take a ferry to the San Juans and Sydney, B.C. A water-view house on Tualip Bay built in 1958 is on the market for $39,900. The one-bedroom, one-bath home has 572 square feet and a one-car detached garage. More importantly it has beach rights. Also in Tualip is a 2+2 with 1,204 square feet and water view built in 1955 for $89,000. If Marysville sounds too close to the city for you, check out Blaine. It’s a bit more than an hour north of Anacortes and there’s a 1+1 cabin built in 1954 on the market for $98,900, and it’s within walking distance of Birch Bay.
Fairfield, Idaho
Sun Valley, Idaho, known as “The American Shangri-La,” has been a destination of the rich and famous since it was started in 1935. To make it a Budget Shangri-La, you’ll have to head southwest to Fairfield, Idaho. The town of 392, a drop of three from the 2000 census, tabs itself Idaho’s best “undiscovered” small ski town. Fairfield is a little more than an hour from Sun Valley. On days you don’t feel like making the drive, you can head to nearby Soldier Mountain Ski Resort. The town, born in 1911, has a three-bedroom, one-bath home with 1,400 square feet for sale at $68,000. There’s also a 3+1 with 1,000 square feet and built in 1920 for $105,000. For the really budget conscious, there’s a 600 square-foot one-bedroom, one-bath built in 1948 for $55,000.
Wells, Maine
If you want to stroll through a National Register Historic District featuring architectural styles such as Colonial, Federal, Queen Anne, Greek Revival and Italianate or try to get a glimpse of massive seaside estates along Ocean Ave., then Kennebunkport is the place to be. But not to buy. At least not for those looking for a budget vacation home. Remember, Kennebunkport has been the summer home to movers and shakers in American history, including the Bush clan. But a mere 12-minute drive down the coast you will find Wells, which celebrated its 350th anniversary in 2003. The town was named after Wells, England, when it was incorporated in 1653. Motel condo-style units are popular along the coast. Most are seasonal, open from about March-December. Some have all the luxury of a Motel 6 while others exude a bit more charm or updated convenience. For $52,000, there is a studio with bath condo with an indoor pool. A furnished 2+2 consisting of two units of a converted motel is on the market for $69,500 and it has a kitchenette. For $99,990, there is a 2+1 condo with wood floors, stainless steel appliances and a gas fireplace. Or you could choose a cottage condo built in 1958 that offers one bedroom and a three-quarter bath for $105,000. It’s in nearby Kennebunk, but at cocktail parties you can just mumble the last part and everyone will think you dine on lobster with the presidents.
Brunswick, Georgia
The Golden Isles on the Georgia Coast have offered upscale clients vacation homes since the Civil War. The United States hosted the G-8 Summit of world leaders on Sea Island in 2004. You would have to shell out big bucks to get a place on Sea, Jekyll, St. Simmons and Little St. Simmons islands. But you can be within a half hour of the islands by searching for a place in or around Brunswick, an historic city of about 17,000. Brunswick’s streets were laid out following James Oglethorpe’s Savannah Plan in 1771. A one-bedroom, one-bath recently converted condo with 698 square feet is on the market for $97,500 in North Glynn County, about a half hour from the sea islands.
James Island, South Carolina
Charleston, S.C., is steeped in history and most of it is still alive through its architecture and historic sites. The Civil War started in Charleston with the assault on Fort Sumter in 1861. Its Southern charm, obedience to manners and proximity to the coast also makes it popular with tourists. Although crime can be an issue in certain areas of Charleston and its environs, there are opportunities to purchase a condo or townhome within striking distance of the coast. James Island, a town within Charleston, has a one-bedroom, one-bath, 750 square-foot condo for sale at $104,000. There’s also a 2+1 with garage condo for $110,000. It’s definitely a buyer’s market in the Charleston area, so be ready to bargain. In Hanahan, about a 15-minute drive northeast of Charleston, there is a relatively nondescript brick-faced condo of two bedrooms and two baths in 1,000 square feet in the mid-$90,000s.
Las Vegas, New Mexico
The Land of Enchantment’s signature city of Santa Fe was recently voted the No. 2 vacation destination by readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Its cultural offerings are abundant, even if water and greenery are not. If you don’t mind a condo, you can probably find one for about $85,000 with two bedrooms and a bath in about 900 square feet. But if you want to experience more of the wide-open spaces but still be close enough to Santa Fe, head about an hour northeast to Las Vegas. No, not that Vegas. Las Vegas, N.M. is a town of about 15,000 that has more than 900 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and is popular as a movie location, most recently having "Astronaut Farmer" with Billy Bob Thornton filmed in the area. There are about a dozen homes listed between $70,000 to $100,000, mostly two bedrooms and a bath in about 1,000 square feet.
Crestline, California
With the real estate boom the past few years it’s become difficult to find anything for $100,000 in the shadows of Los Angeles and Orange County. But it’s not impossible. Crestline is a small mountain community in San Bernardino County. Considering your next best shot is a mobile home in Hesperia (think really, really hot in the summer), Crestline is Valhalla. It’s an hour to Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead, popular for skiing in the winter and fishing the rest of the year. Crestline is also within an hour-and-a-half of Los Angeles and its myriad attractions — Santa Monica, in case you want to see sand with ocean attached to it, Palm Springs and its scores of golf courses, and Disneyland in Anaheim. Staying in Crestline has its own rewards with a nice mountain setting and a small nearby lake. It’s also not nearly as crowded as Big Bear/Lake Arrowhead. There’s a cute one bedroom, one bath home built in the 1930s on the market for $97,500. A similar aged and situated house is listed at $110,000.
Marysville, Washington
Nearly everyone in the state dreams of owning a place on one of the San Juan Islands, so you can imagine what the prices are like. Well, not to worry. Marysville is a growing community just a 40-minute drive north of Seattle. Its proximity not only allows access to the metro downtown area, but it’s only an hour drive to Anacortes where you can take a ferry to the San Juans and Sydney, B.C. A water-view house on Tualip Bay built in 1958 is on the market for $39,900. The one-bedroom, one-bath home has 572 square feet and a one-car detached garage. More importantly it has beach rights. Also in Tualip is a 2+2 with 1,204 square feet and water view built in 1955 for $89,000. If Marysville sounds too close to the city for you, check out Blaine. It’s a bit more than an hour north of Anacortes and there’s a 1+1 cabin built in 1954 on the market for $98,900, and it’s within walking distance of Birch Bay.
Fairfield, Idaho
Sun Valley, Idaho, known as “The American Shangri-La,” has been a destination of the rich and famous since it was started in 1935. To make it a Budget Shangri-La, you’ll have to head southwest to Fairfield, Idaho. The town of 392, a drop of three from the 2000 census, tabs itself Idaho’s best “undiscovered” small ski town. Fairfield is a little more than an hour from Sun Valley. On days you don’t feel like making the drive, you can head to nearby Soldier Mountain Ski Resort. The town, born in 1911, has a three-bedroom, one-bath home with 1,400 square feet for sale at $68,000. There’s also a 3+1 with 1,000 square feet and built in 1920 for $105,000. For the really budget conscious, there’s a 600 square-foot one-bedroom, one-bath built in 1948 for $55,000.
Wells, Maine
If you want to stroll through a National Register Historic District featuring architectural styles such as Colonial, Federal, Queen Anne, Greek Revival and Italianate or try to get a glimpse of massive seaside estates along Ocean Ave., then Kennebunkport is the place to be. But not to buy. At least not for those looking for a budget vacation home. Remember, Kennebunkport has been the summer home to movers and shakers in American history, including the Bush clan. But a mere 12-minute drive down the coast you will find Wells, which celebrated its 350th anniversary in 2003. The town was named after Wells, England, when it was incorporated in 1653. Motel condo-style units are popular along the coast. Most are seasonal, open from about March-December. Some have all the luxury of a Motel 6 while others exude a bit more charm or updated convenience. For $52,000, there is a studio with bath condo with an indoor pool. A furnished 2+2 consisting of two units of a converted motel is on the market for $69,500 and it has a kitchenette. For $99,990, there is a 2+1 condo with wood floors, stainless steel appliances and a gas fireplace. Or you could choose a cottage condo built in 1958 that offers one bedroom and a three-quarter bath for $105,000. It’s in nearby Kennebunk, but at cocktail parties you can just mumble the last part and everyone will think you dine on lobster with the presidents.
Brunswick, Georgia
The Golden Isles on the Georgia Coast have offered upscale clients vacation homes since the Civil War. The United States hosted the G-8 Summit of world leaders on Sea Island in 2004. You would have to shell out big bucks to get a place on Sea, Jekyll, St. Simmons and Little St. Simmons islands. But you can be within a half hour of the islands by searching for a place in or around Brunswick, an historic city of about 17,000. Brunswick’s streets were laid out following James Oglethorpe’s Savannah Plan in 1771. A one-bedroom, one-bath recently converted condo with 698 square feet is on the market for $97,500 in North Glynn County, about a half hour from the sea islands.
James Island, South Carolina
Charleston, S.C., is steeped in history and most of it is still alive through its architecture and historic sites. The Civil War started in Charleston with the assault on Fort Sumter in 1861. Its Southern charm, obedience to manners and proximity to the coast also makes it popular with tourists. Although crime can be an issue in certain areas of Charleston and its environs, there are opportunities to purchase a condo or townhome within striking distance of the coast. James Island, a town within Charleston, has a one-bedroom, one-bath, 750 square-foot condo for sale at $104,000. There’s also a 2+1 with garage condo for $110,000. It’s definitely a buyer’s market in the Charleston area, so be ready to bargain. In Hanahan, about a 15-minute drive northeast of Charleston, there is a relatively nondescript brick-faced condo of two bedrooms and two baths in 1,000 square feet in the mid-$90,000s.
Las Vegas, New Mexico
The Land of Enchantment’s signature city of Santa Fe was recently voted the No. 2 vacation destination by readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Its cultural offerings are abundant, even if water and greenery are not. If you don’t mind a condo, you can probably find one for about $85,000 with two bedrooms and a bath in about 900 square feet. But if you want to experience more of the wide-open spaces but still be close enough to Santa Fe, head about an hour northeast to Las Vegas. No, not that Vegas. Las Vegas, N.M. is a town of about 15,000 that has more than 900 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and is popular as a movie location, most recently having "Astronaut Farmer" with Billy Bob Thornton filmed in the area. There are about a dozen homes listed between $70,000 to $100,000, mostly two bedrooms and a bath in about 1,000 square feet.
