Luckily, we\u2019ve done the initial legwork for you, interviewing local experts with decades of experience and seeking out the top trusted sources to get all the vital intel you need for buying a house in New Orleans. Discover the best neighborhoods based on your wants and needs and learn how to manage the tricky New Orleans housing landscape with this comprehensive guide.<\/p>\n There are some traditional single-family home styles in New Orleans, but one of the most common home types is the shotgun house, where each room is laid out single-file in one straight line from front to back. This isn\u2019t an ideal setup for privacy: it requires walking through each room to get to the next. Some of these homes are also limited in closet<\/a> and storage space<\/a>.<\/p>\n But with some creative problem-solving over the years, New Orleans residents have come up with ways to address these challenges.<\/p>\n Other than the selling price, there are significant costs to consider when buying a house in New Orleans. Because of the city\u2019s close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico (and potential hurricanes), buying a house here poses some unique challenges. Entering the house hunt armed with realistic expectations will help eliminate unpleasant surprises and better prepare you for future costs and maintenance.<\/p>\n Two of the biggest expenses that New Orleans homebuyers should budget for include:<\/p>\n Many Americans prefer homes with a large yard or outdoor space<\/a>, whether that\u2019s due to the desire for extra room between neighbors or more land to expand or build on. However, in New Orleans, that can be hard to come by. Common lot sizes are 30 by 100 feet, and there is generally not much room between neighboring houses.<\/p>\n As a result, homeowners spend a lot less on landscaping<\/a> and lawn maintenance. What New Orleans homes lack in sprawling land and acreage, they make up for in charming courtyards and the abundant lush tropical plants that serve as built-in curb appeal.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t take much to dress up the natural available outdoor features on a given property. Details like string lights and old brick lining garden beds go a long way.<\/p>\n Modern and renovated New Orleans interior design tends to be on trend with a lot of other parts of the country. New construction and renovations are mostly all white and gray with white ceilings, gray walls, white trim, and white interior doors.<\/p>\n However, because New Orleans is a very historic, colorful, and whimsical city, a lot of buyers don\u2019t want that whitewashed look and prefer to embrace the character and historical aesthetic of the city. This usually means bright interior and exterior colors, pine wood flooring, exposed brick, restored old fireplaces, transoms above doors, and corbels on the exterior.<\/p>\n Popular exterior modifications depend on whether the house is in a historic district. There are a number of historic districts in New Orleans, some of which are regulated under full control and some of which are partially controlled. If it\u2019s a fully controlled historic district, you can\u2019t alter the exterior at all \u2014 including windows and doors \u2014 except for paint color.<\/p>\n Whether the houses on the market are newly constructed or historic, buyers want to see attractive, modern kitchens and bathrooms.<\/p>\n And whether a buyer should pay more upfront for certain cosmetic upgrades or execute desired modifications themselves after closing depends on the house and the modification, says Rosalyn Bryant,<\/a> who founded Bryant Appraisal Services in 2010 and was named NOMAR Affiliate of the year in 2019 as well as serving on several NOMAR committees.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s cosmetic, they for sure should do it themselves so they can make the home their own,\u201d Bryant suggests. In terms of necessary repairs, she recommends that buyers handle only the repairs that they feel comfortable managing.<\/p>\n Other than New Orleans being a magical place, the local economy is also in good shape. In the first five months of 2019, the city gained 6,900 jobs,<\/a> and it gained a total of 15,000 jobs in the past two years, according to the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (NOMAR).<\/p>\n They attribute the healthy housing market, high real estate demand, and thousands of New Orleans housing sales in the past year to this significant job growth.<\/p>\n According to NOMAR, the average price of a house in New Orleans in 2019 was $261,763. Since Hurricane Katrina, housing that was affected by flooding was categorized by fair\/poor conditions, but as NOMAR reports, \u201cas of 2019 there are not enough Fair\/Poor condition sales to substantially affect the housing price trend<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n New Orleans has largely rebounded from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, indicated in part by the absence of any significant amount of remaining damaged houses.<\/p>\n Housing prices decreased in 2019 in some of the most appealing neighborhoods to live in New Orleans, including Algiers Point, Marigny, Bywater, French Quarter, Mid City, and the Garden District. Some of these neighborhoods, including the French Quarter, Marigny, and Garden District, are among the most expensive to buy a house in New Orleans, so buyers who want to get a good deal in those areas should try to act (if they can) when home prices plateau or start to decrease.<\/p>\n Not sure how much house you can afford to buy? Use HomeLight\u2019s simple home affordability calculator to figure it out.<\/a><\/p>\n Because New Orleans is a city full of life and activity, where you choose to buy a house will reflect that \u2014 in some neighborhoods more than others. The French Quarter is bordered by the Mississippi River on one side and is located right in the height of the action, including Bourbon Street and other major cultural corridors like Royal Street and Chartres Street.<\/p>\n Here, you\u2019ll find street performers, groups of tourists exploring, ghost tours, shopping, galleries and of course plenty of restaurants and bars. While this is truly the neighborhood that doesn\u2019t sleep \u2014 quite literally: there are many places open 24 hours \u2014 there are still residential sections where many people proudly call the French Quarter home.<\/p>\n New Orleans is a city with a long, rich history, and many neighborhoods have their own preservation societies to protect that. The French Quarter is a 100%-historic district, and just past it is the Marigny.<\/p>\n The Marigny is a beautiful, quirky neighborhood with two of the best strips for music, entertainment and dining: Frenchmen Street and St. Claude Avenue. Within the neighborhood are beautiful and unique historic homes.<\/p>\n The Garden District, upriver from the French Quarter, is another lovely historic neighborhood with some of the more grand homes in New Orleans and lush with tropical plants and ornate home gardens. In between the Garden District and the Warehouse District is the Irish Channel, another fully historic district and the headquarters for St. Patrick\u2019s Day festivities each year.<\/p>\n Other major historic districts with covetable homes include St. Charles Avenue, Treme and Bywater.<\/p>\n Mid-City is one of New Orleans\u2019 largest neighborhoods that\u2019s more affordable, laid back, located by the expansive City Park and has great schools, according to its A rating on AreaVibes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lusher Charter School is consistently rated the top public school in New Orleans, located in Uptown close to the university area, where Loyola and Tulane are located.<\/p>\n Another top-rated public school is the International School of Louisiana in the Lower Garden District. Benjamin Franklin High School, located on the University of New Orleans campus in Lake Terrace, is another one of New Orleans\u2019 best schools.<\/p>\n Luxury housing market prices started softening in New Orleans<\/a> in 2018, when there was a surplus of homes in New Orleans above the $700,000 price point<\/a> that were on the market for 14 to 24 months, significantly longer than the average 3 to 6 months in the city.<\/p>\n If you have a larger budget, the time to find a deal on a beautiful, 4,000-square-foot home in a sought-after neighborhood is when price growth has stagnated in these neighborhoods: the Garden District, Uptown, French Quarter, Marigny, and Bywater.<\/p>\n If swanky digs don\u2019t happen to be in line with your current financial situation, there are plenty of other opportunities to find a deal when buying a house in New Orleans.<\/p>\n Breithaupt says the neighborhoods with the best housing deals in the $200,000 to $300,000 range as of 2019 are Central City, Hollygrove, New Marigny, and New Bywater. For a step up in price point, \u201cgenerally homebuyers can get something pretty great in the $400,000-$450,000 price point as far as single-family homes in most areas of New Orleans,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Generally the spring months of March, April and May \u2014 as long as it\u2019s after<\/i> Mardi Gras \u2014are when the market is traditionally the busiest. During this time is when there are the most inventory and options for buyers, but they might also end up paying more.<\/p>\n Purchasing a home is one of the biggest financial decisions that most people make in their life, so it\u2019s critical to be as informed as possible about each step of the process and to hire an agent who knows the New Orleans market inside and out.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/buy-house-new-orleans-house.jpg\")
<\/a>Know your shotgun storage options in NOLA housing<\/h2>\n
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Floods and pests<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/b>According to Kara Breithaupt<\/a>, a top agent in New Orleans who\u2019s sold over 360 single-family homes in the area (and counting), flood insurance is a \u201cmassive factor.\u201d She notes that ideally you\u2019ll be in an X flood zone where flood insurance is optional, but you should always carry it.”In those low-risk flood zones, insurance would be about $450 a year, but some people pay $6,000 or $7,000 a year in an A, or high-risk, flood zone. In those areas, any new construction<\/a> is required to be built above the base flood elevation<\/a> \u2014 that\u2019s where you\u2019ll see a lot of substantially raised homes.”<\/li>\n
\n<\/b>The main pesky critters to plague New Orleans homes are the dreaded wood-eating termites. \u201cIt\u2019s not a question of if there are termites, it\u2019s a question of when,\u201d explains Breithaupt. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to get a termite inspection<\/a> in addition to the standard home inspection<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/buy-house-new-orleans-courtyard.jpg\")
<\/a>The great outdoors in New Orleans<\/h2>\n
In NOLA, style matters<\/h2>\n
The current state of New Orleans housing<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Choosing the best New Orleans neighborhood for you<\/h2>\n
If you want to be close to all the action<\/h3>\n
If you have your heart set on a historic home<\/h3>\n
If you want to be near the best schools<\/h3>\n
If you can afford a luxury pad<\/h3>\n
If budget comes first<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>The best time to buy a home in New Orleans<\/h2>\n
Why use a top agent to buy a house in New Orleans?<\/h3>\n