What $85,000 buys you in New Orleans right now

Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a column that explores what one can rent or buy for a set dollar amount in various New Orleans neighborhoods. Today’s price: $85,000 (or thereabouts). Vote for your favorite below.

Today’s price won’t get you a lot of house in New Orleans—but it will get you three bedrooms, a screened porch, and a huge, oak-shaded lawn in Kenner. This 979-square-foot home has tile floors, a fresh white coat of interior paint, and some interesting ceiling angles in the kitchen. It’s asking $85,000 on the nose.

It’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on with this double shotgun in Holy Cross, but the listing does warn that it is “in distress” and “requires some rehab.” Each unit has two bedrooms and one bathroom, and the home sits on a 2,464-square-foot corner lot at 5727 Royal Street. It’s asking $83,000.

So you want to live in a gated community, but you don’t qualify for a six-figure loan? This West End condo is for you. Yes, it’s got a Metairie address, but this is basically Lakeview—it’s just on the wrong side of the 17th Street Canal (or the right side, considering that it’s the side that didn’t breach in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina). Anyway, the 755-square-foot condo has two bedrooms and a bathroom with plenty of stylish touches, including stainless-steel appliances, hardwood floors, and a breakfast bar. HOA fees are $220/month and get you pool and laundromat access. The asking price is $89,000.

Gentilly is a hotspot for homeowners without a lot of cash to blow. Quiet, shady, and a stone’s throw from downtown and the University of New Orleans, the neighborhood is home to Tudor cottages, Mediterranean Revival-style homes, and stucco cottages, including this one. At 832 square feet, it has one bedroom and one bathroom, plus a garage and utility room. We’re feeling the arched doorways, wooden floors, and circa-1968 bathroom, which has vintage tile work, a wall-mounted gas heater, and a laundry chute. The listing cautions that the home “needs some TLC,” but who among us doesn’t? It’s asking $85,000.

Not every home at this price point is a fixer-upper. This two-bedroom, two-bathroom shotgun was recently renovated. In addition to its snazzy hot-pink exterior, it features granite counters, wood floors, solar panels, and a walk-in tub. The fenced yard has what appears to be a young magnolia tree. Built in 1937, this 1,110-square-foot St. Claude home asks $88,500.