What You Get for ... $280,000

WHAT: A town house with two bedrooms and two-and-a-half-baths HOW MUCH: $269,000 SIZE: 1,380 square feet (estimated) PER SQUARE FOOT: $194.93

SETTING: This stand-alone town house is in Thomas Square, a neighborhood just south of 30-acre Forsyth Park. Since the neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, many of its homes — including this one — have been renovated. There are several art galleries within a half-mile, and shops, restaurants and grocers around Forsyth Park (including a farmers’ market inside the park itself).

INSIDE: Built circa 1910, the house was renovated by the owner, who bought it as a shell in 2004. Enough of the original heart pine flooring remained to install it throughout the main level. Other salvaged materials include chalkboard slate in the sunroom and glass Vitrolite tile, taken from a condemned building, in one of the bathrooms. On the main level, a long open living area, once two distinct parlors, leads to a kitchen and an adjacent sunroom with floor-to-ceiling windows. The two bedrooms, both upstairs, have en suite bathrooms, one with a walk-in shower stall, the other with a salvaged claw-foot tub.

OUTDOOR SPACE: Off the dining room, there’s a deck with a metal pergola. TAXES: $1,666 annually (estimated) CONTACT: Scott Hinson, for sale by owner (912) 484-2840; historicproperties. ST. LOUIS WHAT: A three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath house HOW MUCH: $279,900 SIZE: 1,904 square feet PER SQUARE FOOT: $147

SETTING: This house is in Compton Heights, a neighborhood of brick homes set on curving streets in southern St. Louis that dates back to the late 1890s. The house is about two blocks from Compton Hill Reservoir Park, a 36-acre space containing playgrounds, decorative fountains and a nearly 200-foot-tall water tower built in the late 1800s. South Grand Boulevard, a mix of the alluring (martini bars) and the everyday (barber shops), is a half-mile away.

INSIDE: The house was built in 1921, and has been occupied by the owner for over 25 years. The main level is built around a center hall, with a living room (and fireplace) on one side, and a dining room and kitchen on the other. There’s a sunroom off the living room. All the woodwork — including the floors — is original, and the kitchen retains its original glass tiles. Off the master bedroom is an office, reached through a set of French doors. The finished third floor could be used as a playroom or an office.

OUTDOOR SPACE: There’s a deck accessible by the sunroom and kitchen. There are also front, back and side yards. TAXES: $2,986 CONTACT: Dawn Griffin, Circa Properties (314) 413-7086; 2941russell. SEATTLE

WHAT: A one-bedroom, one-bath co-op HOW MUCH: $268,000 SIZE: 734 square feet PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT: $365.12 SETTING: This 1909 building is in Eastlake, a neighborhood on the eastern side of Lake Union. The area is residential, with many smaller, early-20th century apartment buildings, duplexes and triplexes.

Eastlake Avenue, two blocks away, is lined with restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, florists and home décor boutiques. The University of Washington campus is about five minutes away by car.

INSIDE: This second-floor unit is one of 21 in the building. At one end of the apartment, there’s a living and dining room with a closet, a bay window and an arched doorway leading out to a deck. At the other, there is a bedroom with a closet and view of Lake Union. A bathroom and a kitchen separate the two spaces. The walls are 22 inches thick, which, according to the agent, helps keep the building quiet. The unit comes with a storage locker in the basement.

OUTDOOR SPACE: There’s a deck off the living and dining room. The building also has a front porch, and a communal patio that can be reserved for parties.