If you are moving to Des Moines and buying your first home, the city usually gets you more character and a shorter commute for the money, and the suburbs usually get you newer homes and lower maintenance at a higher price per square foot. Neither is better. The right one depends on what your daily life actually looks like.
The Des Moines metro is small enough that most places are within 20 to 30 minutes of each other, which surprises people moving from bigger cities. That means you get to choose based on lifestyle, not survival. Do you want to walk to a coffee shop, or do you want a bigger yard and a newer kitchen? A 1940s bungalow under old trees, or a 2015 split-level with an attached garage?
The trade-off is commute and character versus newer and lower maintenance. Suburbs like Ankeny, Johnston, and Altoona tend to have newer homes at higher prices. The city has more variety and more value per dollar, but older homes need a clear-eyed look at their systems, and the city’s property tax rate is higher, which matters to your payment.
What I typically see with relocating buyers is that they pick the suburb their new coworker lives in before they have seen anything else. Spend one Saturday driving city neighborhoods and one in the suburbs before you decide. The feeling you get on a Tuesday evening drive home is worth more than any ranking list.
As one example, a buyer relocating for a downtown job might compare an updated home in Beaverdale with a newer, more expensive home in Johnston. The Johnston house has the bigger garage and newer systems. The Beaverdale house is about ten minutes from work, close to shops, and costs less. Both can be good answers. The wrong answer is choosing without seeing both.
My job is to advise, not to push you toward one answer. I will tell you what I see in each area, including what I would not buy, and you make the call.
My Buyer Working Relationship Standard spells out exactly how I work with buyers, including relocating ones. When you want to talk it through, grab a time that works.
Related Resources: Is an Older Home a Smart First Purchase in Des Moines? and How Much Are Property Taxes on a Des Moines Home, and How Do I Estimate Them Before I Buy?.
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Written by Jason Huffey, REALTOR with RE/MAX Revolution (License S73436000), serving Des Moines and the greater Des Moines metro. Call or text (515) 606-1227. The Best Is Yet To Come.
