Buying our first home

[WrapperX]

Another wrench in the mix - How do I convince my wife to "settle" for a less nice home in an area that (I know) is better to live in when there are some really REALLY nice houses for cheaper then the "less nice ones" but they are in towns that are known for being "questionable" and/or are just as far away from friends and family as we are living now?

I guess the situation needs some explaining: My wife, son and I live about 60 miles from friends and family. We currently live 35 miles from my work and 58 miles from her work. I want to move to a part of the suburbs that is closer to work but more importantly closer to friends and family. However that means the towns are older and the houses aren't as nice - mainly because we are only pre approved for a certain amount(125K MAX). Surprisingly there are some nice ones out there in that area that fall into that catagory of price. But a majority in the areas closer to friends and family and still closer to work are, shall we say, "less then glamorous". MEANWHILE she's looking at towns that are known for being "not so nice" - screw it, I'll just say it - they are known for having a lower quality resisdents - trashy scummy people - nothing race biased about it - its universal - a majority of the people who live in some of these towns are scum. BUT there are some very nice houses in these area and they are cheaper then some of the houses in the areas that make more sense (to me) to live by. How do I convince my wife to settle for a home that is not as nice to be in a better area? Especially when all she sees are these nice new homes with the nice new appliances and fancy kitchens. And as it happens are still far away from friends and family and only slightly closer to our work?

This seems like a losing battle on my end.

 

[WrapperX]

Oh and for the record I think the OLD homes are gonna be out of the quesion. We just don't have the capablities to do the work we would want on them or the sitting capital to truly invest in them. Although I think they would be a great deal of fun - after the fact of course.

 

[WrapperX]

 

[Mike F]

How bad are we talking? If you don't feel that your family would be safe there, I'd put your foot down about buying in a nicer area, especially if there's gang activity.

 

[WrapperX]

It's mostly prominent gang activity that I'm worried about. Now how close to the areas she's looking at I don't know for sure. BUT even in the "nicer" parts of town gang activity is going to be noticed and felt. I'm more concerned with the schools where kids from all over the city converge. So just because a particular neighborhood is "safe" doesn't mean that our son (and future kids) won't be around it. Granted I went to a school with gang activity in and around. The school made it quite clear that no gang related anything would be tolerated but it was still there. And we -who weren't involved - just moved along and didn't get involved. But if I can keep my kids from that I would like to make every effort.

 

[Mike F]

Yea, that's a tough one. When/if I ever have kids, they'll probably be home schooled until college (if they decide to go to college), between the teachers and the students I don't trust public nor private education. Hell, my high school was so bad there was a police station in it, and I'm sure it's only gotten worse in the last 9 or 10 years. When I went through middle school I had friends that were smoking pot in 6th grade, dropping acid in 7th grade, and even smoking crack in 8th grade. Not to mention how many of the girls were total slores. I'm afraid to even think about what it's gonna be like by the time I find a decent girl and have kids.