User Panel
Posted: 9/28/2020 9:38:56 AM EDT
Well, that was a fun 1.5 years in the fozen/rioty/burny north that is the twin cities. Wife and I are getting the heck out of dodge and coming back to IA, but this time to Des Moines. Luckily it comes with a promotion. Likely looking at the W/NW side as it seems that's the place to be. Also want access to the Ankeny Ikes and potentially ISU w/ the wife looking for a position there. Will be working on the N side (Euclid).
Will have an assigned realtor here shortly, but any areas specifically we should look into/avoid? Hoping to find a small acreage (no kids, 4 dogs), but realize the housing market is upside-down right now. Thanks all and see you at the next non-Covid gun show raffle. |
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[#1]
Acreage in the northwest quadrant will difficult and expensive. Might want to consider Bondurant Altoona area. Growing decent area. Ankeny is on fire. Crazy market.
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[#2]
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[#3]
I just sold my Runnells home and seven acres for $500k in four days. Rural properties will be expensive and you must be ready to act quickly.
Take a look at Story & Boone Counties. |
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[#4]
Quoted: I just sold my Runnells home and seven acres for $500k in four days. Rural properties will be expensive and you must be ready to act quickly. Take a look at Story & Boone Counties. View Quote Story will be just as bad. Boone maybe but that's getting to be a bit of a commute to DSM. Maybe far west side of Dallas County. Like west of Adel. Anything east of there is pretty much the western burbs. Country living in the metro area will be a challenge. |
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[#5]
Got it.
Was the same way up here, was hoping DSM being slightly smaller might give us a shot at it, but oh well. |
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[#6]
All I can say is welcome back and good luck.
Id love to have an acreage like what I grew up on, but short of winning the lotto that aint happening anywhere in the Polk/Story area Moved here from IL three years ago and the housing market here still blows my mind. |
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[#7]
Welcome back Sam! Check out Jasper County, we're just east of Polk County and prices are generally cheaper as are the property taxes. Lots of old homes with character (ours is an 1883 Victorian that we'll be selling next year...no acreage but two lots and one is a corner) as well as farm homes with land as Newton is the largest town in the County and lots of rural/farm land. Let me know when you'll be in the area and I'll try and help you out if you want.
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[#9]
There is some building going on in the Sheldahl area. There were some one acre lots just south of town in Polk County. The next best spot would be Polk city.
kwg |
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[#10]
Quoted: There is some building going on in the Sheldahl area. There were some one acre lots just south of town in Polk County. The next best spot would be Polk city. kwg View Quote Thanks again. We seem to have found a few spots in Polk City as far NW goes. Everything else seems to be on the east side. Any info on Mitchellville area? Seems to be quite a few places out that way. Good, bad, ugly? |
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[#11]
I agree with Jasper Co. I'm about two miles west of the Polk/Jasper line. At the time we bought our house the market was hot and stuff was pending the day it went for sale. Got lucky to be in a small town but not on an an acreage yet and when we do get the chance it'll more than likely be in Jasper Co.
There have been a few deals in the Mitchellville area for acreages. There was a 3 bed 2 bath with 10 acres for $359k a few months ago. It sold in a few days. They do pop up but one has to be quick. |
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[#12]
Quoted: Thanks again. We seem to have found a few spots in Polk City as far NW goes. Everything else seems to be on the east side. Any info on Mitchellville area? Seems to be quite a few places out that way. Good, bad, ugly? View Quote I probably should've read all of the replies before posting. I'm in Mitchellville. It's quiet. One bar and grille with another family restaurant opening soon. Casey's and Dollar General and an elevator. That's about it. Quick access to I80 and bigger cities are only 10-20 minutes away that offer full amenities. The water quality isn't great though if you're in town. |
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[#13]
Inspector we're in the same general area as we'll be moving into the MIL's house and acreage there in Mitchellville probably next year before/after we sell our house there in Colfax. I agree that the water in Mitchellville isn't great but it tastes better than Colfax water. I'll type more later.
ETA: Our niece has been renting our BIL's house but she just a new built house there in Mitchellville on the NE side (only subdivision in town) and will be closing on it the end of this month. Then we have to sell it as it's part of the BIL's estate and my wife doesn't want to deal with renting it out anymore. Team 36 is a nice little bar/restaurant that has good food and didn't know about the other restaurant potentially opening/being built in Mitchellville. As was mentioned before there's a Casey's, Dollar General, elevator as well as a small gun shop, library, nice little city park, American Legion Post, couple good body shops (for when you hit deer/other cars), Pumpkinville and Cornmaze that has a hay rack ride where you can go out and pick your own pumpkins (it's who I sell our Hedge Apples to ), right off I-80 but not so close that you can hear the road noise, Thomas Mitchell Park is just a few miles away (camping, hiking trail, picnics, fishing, creek and playground) and there's an elementary school in town that's part of the Southeast Polk School District (big). There is about 200+ acres for sale between I-80 and the town which is surprising because the town is surrounded by farm land owned by large family farming operations and the Mitchellville Women's State Prison (forgot to mention that in the above paragraph ). Mitchellville in general is a small sleepy little town that has not/cannot have the rapid growth of homes compared to it's neighbor to the West...Altoona. Feel free to contact me if you want a tour guide when you come down and check out the area as I'll IM you my #. |
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[#14]
Quoted: Inspector we're in the same general area as we'll be moving into the MIL's house and acreage there in Mitchellville probably next year before/after we sell our house there in Colfax. I agree that the water in Mitchellville isn't great but it tastes better than Colfax water. I'll type more later. View Quote Cool! The water doesn't taste bad like you said but some days if you fill the tub it looks like you're brewing tea in it. We bought a water cooler for drinking water. |
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[#15]
Northern story co had good water.
The best. Everybody knows it, the best water... probably anywhere. Believe me. |
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[#16]
My grandparents lived in Nevada and its water SUCKED when we went up there as kids.
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[#17]
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[#19]
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[#20]
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[#21]
View Quote Thanks! It's on our list already That hill has 'doze a shelf into me and shoot me up!' written all over it. |
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[#22]
Sam: As far as ISU is concerned go slow. We are having major budget issues due to COVID. There is a soft hiring freeze. No raises this year or next. There have been a handful of layoffs. We anticipate more. Benefits are getting a very hard look. Retirement contributions have been scaled back.
Have a Plan B. |
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[#23]
Quoted: Sam: As far as ISU is concerned go slow. We are having major budget issues due to COVID. There is a soft hiring freeze. No raises this year or next. There have been a handful of layoffs. We anticipate more. Benefits are getting a very hard look. Retirement contributions have been scaled back. Have a Plan B. View Quote Copy, appreciate the info, sorry to hear it. |
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[#24]
Good to see you coming back Sam. Either I've missed the FB posts, or they haven't been there. I definitely missed something in you and Sarah's posts. I'm on the southside of DSM, and the wife and I have some ground 40 minutes south. Call if I can be of assistance. I'm not at the IAHTF often, so a call is best. 515.554.7338.
Glad to see you back in the area. Also, your welcome to shoot at my place. Give me a holler when you get relocated. |
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[#25]
One nice thing is that coming home-ish isn't what it would be if you were going home-ish to Virginia. It has made me die a little inside when I've seen what is happening there.
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[#26]
It's everywhere.
We looked at some new construction in Norwalk, but I don't want to listen to nail guns for the next 2 years. Every acreage we had on our list in the Mitchelville/Bondourant area was sold, usually well before we got there and left up as free advertising for the listing agent. Right now likely get stuck in the suburbs, possibly as far out as Adel. Woo-hoo |
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[#27]
Quoted: Good to see you coming back Sam. Either I've missed the FB posts, or they haven't been there. I definitely missed something in you and Sarah's posts. I'm on the southside of DSM, and the wife and I have some ground 40 minutes south. Call if I can be of assistance. I'm not at the IAHTF often, so a call is best.. Glad to see you back in the area. Also, your welcome to shoot at my place. Give me a holler when you get relocated. View Quote Will do sir! (Saved the # and redacted in case you want to delete it). |
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[#28]
Keep checking Jasper County Sam...one thing to remember when you live west of Des Moines is going in to work in the morning you're fighting traffic and the sun in your eyes and the same thing depending on how late you'd work. The sound of nail guns will be heard anywhere west of Des Moines for quite some time to come.
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[#29]
Eastern Story or Northern Jasper might have something but you're looking at a pretty long commute to the metro.
I've known several folks over the years that wanted a place in the metro that they could shoot on. I don't think any ever found a place. |
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[#30]
We ended up making an offer on a cookie-cutter place in Ankeny with a small (to us) yard. Everyone will soon hate us via our 4 dogs, but so be it.
We'll get settled in and start looking for an acreage in time and hope the housing market calms down a little bit. Willing to take a 20-30k hit on the house to save 100k or even find the right acreage. Lance, will shoot you a text. I have a ton of steel I may not have a use for up here. |
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[#31]
Where about in Ankeny are you Sam? Graduated from Ankeny and grew up on the S/SW outskirts of town almost in Saylorville. Our mom passed away in July and the tag sale is this coming weekend (23-25) for her estate...let me know if there's anything in particular that you may be needing to purchase like tools, generator, snow blower, kitchen stuff, etc...
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[#32]
Quoted: Where about in Ankeny are you Sam? Graduated from Ankeny and grew up on the S/SW outskirts of town almost in Saylorville. Our mom passed away in July and the tag sale is this coming weekend (23-25) for her estate...let me know if there's anything in particular that you may be needing to purchase like tools, generator, snow blower, kitchen stuff, etc... View Quote I'm on the southeast side, just a few blocks from SouthEast elementary. Where is your mother's tag sale at ?? I'm mostly interested in tools. kwg |
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[#33]
Quoted: Where about in Ankeny are you Sam? Graduated from Ankeny and grew up on the S/SW outskirts of town almost in Saylorville. Our mom passed away in July and the tag sale is this coming weekend (23-25) for her estate...let me know if there's anything in particular that you may be needing to purchase like tools, generator, snow blower, kitchen stuff, etc... View Quote NW corner. Sorry for your loss, Boog. I'm always in need of tools and stuff, but we're getting ready to go to market up here, life going to be a little wild for a while. Appreciate the offer though. Not excited to move back to the 'burbs, but am excited to be part of the IA firearms community again. Tons of shooters up here, but very little organization/community. Now time to fire up an Ankeny Ikes application. Looks like it's only a 15 minute drive. Score. Sam |
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[#34]
Welcome back Sam! I try to avoid central Iowa at all costs these days but I do hope to see you again at some future events.
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[#37]
I told him he should've wore a condom... Strongarm's always good for spreading some kind of disease at least once a year.
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[#40]
I own a safe mover like this one if you want to borrow it, flat surfaces only though.
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[#41]
Appreciate the offer, but I likely need a truck with a liftgate to get it off the moving truck and then it's either got to go down a set of wide stairs or around back down a hill to the walkout.
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