> Last year I bought a fixer-upper house last year on a bike trail and river in a small town outside of Pittsburgh ($40k - still possible here)
On a slightly related question if you don't mind answering, were you able to get homeowners insurance with flood coverage for it? What's your relative level of risk from the river? And what are you paying if you did get coverage?
But you can get general homeowners insurance sans flood coverage? Does the lack of flood coverage also not cover events like municipal sewer (reverse flow) floods?
I've periodically looked at real estate in some similar "$40k for a whole house?" rust belt towns, but only as a place where I might want to live in part time for a very quiet remote work environment. None of them look like a place where I would ever want to have to engage with the local economy to find a local job in the region.
That's basically the situation for me in Saltsburg PA. But it's just 30 mins from bigger suburbs with good employment opportunities. I'd retire there. The folks are super nice.
For now it's a "therapy project" house for me. I go and work on the house and then go biking or kayaking. It's 150 years old and one of the few brick houses from that era.
Edit: Yes. I will be able to get insurance sans flood. The issue is that Fema doesn't often update flood maps.
On a slightly related question if you don't mind answering, were you able to get homeowners insurance with flood coverage for it? What's your relative level of risk from the river? And what are you paying if you did get coverage?