Because the only small price homes are the ones still damaged and they have to sell first. Since there are still way too many, your quest will be difficult. My $250,000 house sold for $34,000!

The reason is construction costs are high...in three days Post Katrina the price of copper more than doubled in 3 days...this is a worldwide issue. On the local front, insurance and workers comp for licensed contractors in Louisiana is some of the highest in the nation.

When considering Chalmette, go to googlearth.com and take a close look at what is left of Chalmette. You may notice how close the Gulf of Mexico is. If you still want a house there, make sure it is raised...really high...because next time no insurance company is going to change their rules.

If you are looking for something small..in order to avoid high insurance on a single family home you may want to consider a condo. There are several in neighbourhoods convenient to malls, etc. We have several that offer relatively low condo fees and new construction. On my website, I have a checklist for folks buying in New Orleans...print out a page and take it with you when you go house hunting.

Kami,

I have a great listing in Meraux for $139,500 at 2901 Legend Drive in Story Park Subdivision 3/2 1,550 sq. ft living with granite countertops, high vaulted ceilings, breakfast nook, large utility. It really was nicely done. Is that in your price range? Is Meraux close to where you want to be? I have two more listings in the area so check them out under "Featured Listings".

Actually, there are many affordable homes available in the St Bernard area. I have been doing a lot of business in the St Bernard area and I can tell you that as of today there are 209 homes on the market between 79K and 599K with square footage of between 850 and 1800 square feet. I am currently involved in a project that will bring over 200 new condos and townhouses to the area. I believe that St Bernard will come back stronger an better than it ever was. I am a Realtor from Metairie, but I enjoy working with St Bernard residents and have researched this area and have worked with many investors that have renovated and sold many properties in this area. If you have any questions or are interested in finding any of these homes, I will be more than happy to help you out. You can contact me at anytime. My name is Susanne Christoffersen and my contact information is (504) 621-6711 and my email is alijoshathome@aol.com. I am with Specialized Real Estate Services. I look forward to helping you.

As you may know almost 70% of all homes in St. Bernard Parish were destroyed with Hurricane Katrina. The lagging Road Home Program has left many homes just sitting empty because several thousand individuals just don't want the threat of losing everything again. I have two agents in my office that transferred up to the North Shore after Katrina and still do some business in the Chalmette area. They tell me it will be some time before things return to normal. There are a lot of gutted homes that can be picked up relatively cheap and the road home program should be looking to sell some of their properties as soon as they can get themselves in some order. I hope this helps and good luck in your search in "THE PARISH".