Looking for the best neighborhoods in Iowa City? Well, you're in the right place!
I often have clients that are moving to the Iowa City area and they're really
not sure which neighborhood or which community they want to focus their home
search on. That's normal, because they just aren't familiar with the Iowa City
area. Today I'm gonna break down the major areas of Iowa City in order to
help you determine what would be the best fit for your next home. Welcome back
to my channel. My name is Emily Farber and I'm a Realtor® with Lepic-Kroeger, Realtors®
in Iowa City, Iowa. I create videos on YouTube and publish them every
Friday all about Iowa City and real estate. My goal is to always create
better educated buyers and sellers, so I would love to have you join me. Be sure
to hit the subscribe button down below, and pro tip, ring the bell that way
you'll be notified every time I publish a new video. I wouldn't want you to miss
anything. One more thing-- if you're thinking about relocating to Iowa City
be sure to download my free relocation guide. The link for that is in the
description box right below this video. The greater Iowa City area is more than
just Iowa City. When people say "Iowa City" what they're often referring to is Iowa
City, Coralville, North Liberty, and Tiffin, which are all growing communities that
share at least one border with each other. Today's video is going to focus
all on Iowa City and future videos I'll dive deeper into Coralville, North
Liberty, and Tiffin. Iowa City, in many people's minds, is divided to the west
side and the east side with the Iowa River being that dividing line between
the two. Additionally each side of Iowa City is broken down into other distinct
geographic areas or neighborhoods. East side homes near downtown, and north end
homes on the north side of Iowa City, are going to be mostly older character homes.
This was the area of Iowa City that was developed first. These tight-knit,
quaint neighborhoods are often loved by people who want to be close to the
downtown area for work, or entertainment and culture reasons, or people who want
to live near the east side of the University of Iowa campus. Many people
love the trees and the alleyways, not to mention the walkability and bikeability
of these neighborhoods. Home prices will vary in these neighborhoods and often
the homes are a bit smaller, although there are a few streets with pretty
grand homes, such as Summit. Home prices in 2019 in these areas have ranged from
the upper $100,000s for a small home that probably needs quite a bit of
updating to some pretty grand and stately homes who have seen high quality
renovations selling for upwards of $600,000. If you love the look of older
homes but not so much the upkeep of them, you may want to consider the Peninsula
Neighborhood, which is a unique neighborhood in Iowa City. It is a
planned, mixed use neighborhood, build off the principles of new urbanism. All of
the homes in the area have been built with pretty strict design standards so
they all look like throwbacks to a bygone era. The neighborhood is very
pedestrian-centric so you won't find any driveways at the front of houses.
Driveways are all in the rear off of alleyways and garages are in the rear of
the homes, Yard space in the Peninsula is very small but there is a dog park in
that neighborhood for people who have dogs that need a bit more space to run.
Condos and townhomes tend to start around the $200,000 mark and
single-family homes in this neighborhood begin at around $300,000. Heading east in
the Iowa City you'll find many neighborhoods with homes built in the
50s 60s and 70s. Iowa City started developing close to downtown and then
headed eastward. The architectural styles in these neighborhoods will vary, but
most likely include ranches, split foyers, and traditional two-story homes.
One of the great things about east side neighborhoods is that they are often
walking distance to schools and they are pretty quiet neighborhoods.
You're just far enough out from the downtown campus area that the rental
load won't be too much. Because housing prices in Iowa City are more expensive
and a lot of people realize many of these east side neighborhoods offer
nice-sized homes at price points that make people comfortable. A modest home in
one of these east side neighborhoods, that maybe needs a bit of updating,
is probably going to start around a $150,000. Larger homes
that have been updated are going to run up to the upper to mid $300,000s,
with possibly a few running even higher. On the very far east of
Iowa City you'll find some of the newer still growing neighborhoods in our area.
These homes are modern architectural styles. If you're looking for a home on
the east side of Iowa City that's less than twenty years old you're probably
going to end up looking on the far east side. This area of town also offers some
condos and townhome options for people. Small condos in this area start at
around a $120,000 and modest single-family homes
are going to begin around $270,000 with larger
more nicely appointed homes running up to around $600,000.
Homes on the southeast side of Iowa City were established in neighborhoods
beginning in the 1950s 60s and 70s. Home styles in this area are much like the
rest of the east side of Iowa City with ranches, two stories, and split foyers
being common. These slightly older homes in Iowa City are some of the most
affordable housing in the Greater Iowa City area with prices beginning around
$125,000, although at that price you should probably expect some updating.
Newer homes on the southeast side of Iowa City near the Terry Trueblood
Recreation Area are going to run around $300,000. If you're looking for a
small condo in order to downsize, or maybe it is a starter home for you, there
are some on the southeast side of Iowa City that
you can get into right around $100,000. Much of the west side of Iowa City saw
its development happen later than the near-downtown east side of Iowa City. The
style of these homes will be similar to the styles you find on the east side of
Iowa City, but the price point may be a bit higher. You won't really find a
concentration of older homes on the west side of Iowa City, like you do on the
east side, except for perhaps Manville Heights and parts of University Heights.
Manville Heights, which is near City Park, has some real stunners. They were grand
homes when they were built and because of topmatch upkeep and renovations they
continued to be highly desirable homes for people who want to live close to the
west side campus and the downtown area, not to mention the University of Iowa
Hospitals and Clinics and the VA Hospital. Homes and Manville Heights tend
to start around $300,000 and can go upwards of $1,000,000. University Heights
is an area that a lot of people focus on when they first get to town here because
of its a very close proximity to the west side campus and Kinnick Stadium, as
well as the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Homes in University Heights
range from older, modest ranch-style homes to bungalows, all the way up to
very modern, very sleek, condos. The price point for University Heights is steeper
than a lot of other areas but that's what happens when you have a prime
location. The east and the west side of Iowa City have great neighborhood
options, price points, and home styles. What is the best neighborhood for you
really depends upon what you're looking for in your next house. In order to get
down to the brass tacks of what is going to make the best neighborhood for you,
you really need to get clear on what are your priority items.
Whether that is distance to your job ,distance to school, shopping opportunities, distance
to the interstate for travel purposes... It's gonna be different for each person,
so be sure to check out this video I did hear all about making the right choice
when choosing your next home. Hey, remember if you're thinking about moving
to the Iowa City area be sure to download that relocation guide. I've left
the link in the description box down below, and if you think a detailed, in
person conversation, would really help kick-start your home search
I would be happy to chat with you. Be sure to give me a call, text, or email. All
of my contact information is, you got it, right down there in the description box.
Hey, thanks so much for joining me on today's video. It's been fun and I'll
catch you next time.