Due to its abundance of historic homes, Saint Paul's Dayton's Bluff neighborhood has been named one of the nation's 50 best places to buy an old house by none other than This Old House magazine. The magazine's staff gathered data about candidates from experts on old houses, state and local preservation groups and homeowners to make its decision. It was Dayton’s Bluff's commitment to the preservation of historic homes that bumped it onto the shortlist.
Dayton's Bluff in St. Paul is a large historic district with about 18,000 residents. The neighborhood overlooks downtown and the beautiful Mississippi River valley. Many of modest homes here were built during a growth spurt in the 1880s. Dayton's Bluff is a diverse urban community with plenty of restaurants, shops, and galleries.
Saint Paul has designated 600 houses and other buildings within this neighborhood as historic. There are also other vintage properties to choose from, including Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Arts and Crafts houses. While many have been lovingly restored, there are many fixer-uppers.
Selling prices range from $20,000 for an abandoned property to $50,000 for a historic house in need of work to $300,000 for a restored Queen Anne. This year, the average sale price of Saint Paul real estate in Dayton's Bluff was $192,684, according to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors.
So if you’re interested in owning an old or historic home, why should you buy now? Well, prices are relatively low. Additionally, right now there is help for home buyers. Restore Saint Paul, a private preservation group, provides low-interest loans to would-be owners of historic homes. The nonprofit Dayton's Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services offers down payment assistance, low-interest loans for repairs, and even help finding contractors. The Invest Saint Paul program is also helping to get people into housing within the city.
All of this added together to help Dayton's Bluff make the list, which includes Galena, Ill., and Lawrence, Kan. (see the full list for the Midwest here). There are beautifully preserved and well maintained older homes within financial reach in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood. There are also lower priced homes in need of repair for those who want to get their hands dirty. There are diamonds in the rough here available for low prices.
Browse for homes in Dayton's Bluff, St. Paul.
Information for buyers and owners
Dayton's Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services offers down-payment assistance, low-interest home improvement loans and assistance in finding contractors. For information call 651-774-6995 or visit
www.dbnhs.org.
Historic St. Paul, a nonprofit preservation group, provides low-interest loans for exterior improvements that enhance the character of owner-occupied homes. Call 651-222-3049 or visit
www.historicsaintpaul.org.
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