Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana and is situated on the Mississippi River. It is known for its friendly people, vibrant culture, unique food, and lively music. It is home to LSU (Louisiana State University) and Southern University which provide the city with exciting sports venues and entertainment.

Baton Rouge also has the farthest inland deep-water port on the Mississippi River, six deepest in the nation. It is ranked within the top ten ports when considering the cargo tonnage. Because of this port, Baton Rouge is the center for much commercial and industrial activity. There are many large industry and chemical complexes that support the local economy with other growing trades including travel, finance, insurance, and health care. The two main railroad lines further establish Baton Rouge as a center for transportation and industry.

There are approximately 90,000 households within the greater Baton Rouge area and the cost of living is only 87% of country’s average. There is an average of 214 days of sunshine during the year and mild temperatures averaging 80 degrees in the summer and 50 degrees in the winter. Current residents may entice you to consider making Baton Rouge your home with their welcoming attitude alone, but there so many reasons why this area is a great place to live and why it is a great time to buy.

Lenders are currently fearful of borrowers defaulting on their payments and so they are being much stricter when it comes to approving loans. It used to be that anyone could be approved for a loan to buy a house, even those with poor credit and no down payment, but now you must have decent credit (at least 560-580), money to put down, and proof of a sustainable income that will more than cover mortgage payments.

Many people worry about buying into a market that has crashed and is continuing to fall. This is not the case in Baton Rouge. Most of the southern states did not participate in the real estate boom to the same extent as the rest of the country and thus it did not fall as far. Some real estate agents are even reporting the market as healthy and stable. The Baton Rouge area is faring very well compared to the rest of the nation and ought to be considered when making your next real estate purchase.

Tags: Baton Rouge, Real Estate, Real Estate Market

This entry was posted on July 6, 2010 at 10:03 pm and is filed under Baton Rouge. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.