Halstead Property

Brian Lewis
Exec. Vice President
Westside Office
Tel: (212) 381-2252
blewis@halstead.com

How Much Does 500K Buy

By Christopher Solomon of MSN Real Estate

A half-million bucks sounds like a lot of money — unless you're trying to buy a decent-sized home in a pricier market such as San Francisco. But your half-million goes further these days in most of the U.S., thanks to the "late unpleasantness."

How much further? We teamed up with our partner Realtor.com to show you what that amount can buy in 12 U.S. markets. Would it buy you a comfortable home where you live?

NOTE: All descriptive information is courtesy of listing agents. Properties were on the market and listed as available at the time of publication, unless noted otherwise. This slide show was published on Feb. 21, 2012.

New York City
1 bedroom, 1 bath
610 square feet
Year built: 1957
Price: $535,000
This condo in the Kips Bay neighborhood on the east side of Manhattan has been gut-renovated, with new oak floors, new plumbing — the works. The apartment faces a courtyard with a view toward the Empire State Building, and the windowed, revamped kitchen has dark-wood custom cabinetry, stainless-steel appliances and a large pantry. The building also has a doorman and a live-in superintendent. "This price point is a very active one in New York City," says Brian Lewis, executive vice president for Halstead Property, but properties had "better be investor-friendly and done to the nines." Which this condo is, Lewis says.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012