@Dean,

i guess its purely an personal an emotional decision, based on the fact, that i am at a point in my life, where i just want to have something that i can call my own. If i break even at the end of the 3 years, hey i am good. If i don't, we'll see. In the world of the world travelling expatriates, nothing is certain anyway. So sometimes, you just take a gamble :O)


@Sherry: thanks for these listings, but thats where i am picky. I really want something that is not built after 2001-2002, just from a maintainable perspective. Hence here is where my question comes into play. Do i go for a house or a townhouse, or do i go for a detached townhouse even. Off course none of us can look in the future, but having as much information as possible would really help me make my decision.

Sorry about the confusion on the area!

If it is a celebrity villa, townhome or single family home I think you will still have the issue of too much inventory. You could also still be competing with their new construction homes.

Have you checked out any of the more established areas in the Northwest part of Omaha? Today you can get more square footage as well as a more unique property that might suit you better for resale. Even some of the older celebrity neighborhoods have floor plans that they are not currently building.

I have provided a link below to show you some examples of what is available. Let me know if you might be interested in looking at some of these...
If the link does not open let me know and I will send you the MLS id numbers.

If I were your consultant, I would ask this question: Is it a good idea to buy and sell a home in a 3 year period or is it better to rent? Part of the answer is a very personal one. The other is a matter of economics and/or finances.

Purchasing a home today for $140,000 today, would require selling it for about $152,000 in 2012 to break even. That is because there will be about 6-10% in closing costs when a sale is made. This means a home would have to appreciate about 3% a year. This has been an "historic" reasonable expectation in the Omaha market until the last couple of years. Today's market is slowly working it's way out of a depreciating market.
There are many good reasons to own a home; ie., privacy, life style, tax deductions. These are important considerations in making your final decision. Hopefully, your list of advantages to owning will outweigh the disadvantages.
There are three possible outcomes to any action. 1) We benefit. 2) We break even. 3) We are burdened. If you are ready to handle any one of these future outcomes, you are ready to buy or rent.
Good luck!
Dean Uhing
Prudential Ambassador Real Estate
402-709-0727

Sherry,

i have been looking into the northwest Omaha neighborhoods as that's the closest to my work.

example A: a single family house:

http://www.cbshome.com/Listing/ListingDetail.aspx?listing=38…

Example b: a detached townhouse:

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/15218-Saratoga-St-Omaha-NE…

example 3: a standard celebrity attached townhouse

http://www.cbshome.com/Listing/ListingDetail.aspx?Search=96d…


Now out of 3, i really like nr 3. But when i think about exactly what you write, the rule of selling and many more people selling maybe the same type of house that i will be in 3 years, i get a little bit nervous.

hence i am asking the question here.

Location,Location,Location. It's always the best rule to follow if resale in a short amount of time is important! Quantity of "product" is the next thing I would ask you to think about. Some of our local builders have overbuilt their townhomes...when it comes time to sell you may be one of many which could hold prices downward. What detached townhomes for 140 are you finding in the old market? I can think of one in midtown that might be a good buy...there are only 13 possible units. Give me a call (or have your Realtor give me a call) at 402-706-9949.

If I am not mistaken...a townhome is always two stories...but not too wide....almost like shotgun homes in new orleans..but two story.......I dont know the Omaha market but I would think a single family home would hold resale better.....

Not sure how things are in Omaha, but here in Ohio townhomes or condominiums don't increase much in value. That said, many people opt for townhomes/condominiums/landominiums so they can enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle without a lot of yard care or exterior maintenance.

Let's hope an Omaha agent gets you an answer quickly on values and availability!

Gina Kay Landis
ginakay DOT landis AT realliving DOT com
Follow me on Twitter: @ginakay