Character Home, Garage, Historic
1920 Johnson City House with Garage and a Bonus Lot — $139,900
6
out of 10
HousesUnder150K Score
Property Merit 50% · Condition 25% · Price/Sq Ft 15% · Market 10%
| Category | Wt. | Score | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property Merit | 50% | 7 | 1920 home, enclosed porch, garage, bonus lot, BU/highway proximity — solid package |
| Condition | 25% | 6 | Bath remodeled Sept 2024, new floors, freshly painted; as-is with 15-yr-old roof |
| Price / Sq Ft | 15% | 3 | Listing $112/sqft vs zip median $80/sqft — listing is 40% above median; thin data noted |
| Price vs. Market | 5% | 6 | $139,900 is ~22% below zip median $179,947 — meaningful discount |
| Market Conditions | 5% | 6 | 27.9% price drops is a positive signal; DOM 56, sale-to-list 99.7% — balanced |
The extra lot is what got my attention. Most listings in this price range are asking you to squeeze into whatever footprint you get. This one comes with an additional 40x120 parcel included in the price, sitting alongside a 1920 house that already has an oversized 20x20 garage with an opener, a fenced yard, an enclosed front porch, and a rear deck. That is a lot of property for $139,900.
The house itself is 1,254 square feet across what appears to be two floors, with three bedrooms and one bath. The first floor got some work recently: the bathroom was remodeled in September 2024, the kitchen and living room have new floors, and the whole floor was freshly painted. That is the kind of shallow renovation that makes a place livable without necessarily telling you much about what is underneath, but it is not nothing. The second floor has a walk-in attic used for storage.
The price per square foot runs about 40 percent above the zip code median, which sounds bad until you factor in the lot. The overall ask of $139,900 is roughly 22 percent below the zip median sale price, so in that sense you are getting more land for less money than the market would typically hand you. The math is a little uneven, but the combination of house, garage, and buildable lot is the actual product here, and it is priced like a house alone.
What you need to know plainly: the roof is 15 years old and the house sells as-is, appliances included. The chimney is supposed to be repaired before closing, which is worth confirming in writing. The driveway is shared.
For someone who wants a foothold in Johnson City near Binghamton University and Oakdale Commons, and who has use for a big garage or a second lot to sit on, park on, or eventually build on, the price makes a lot of sense. The house needs watching. The land is the argument.
