Condos for less than a new car

Price: $38,500

Beds: 1
Baths: 1
Square feet: 688

Description: With lots of room, central air, extra storage and garage parking, this condo on a grassy site about three miles west of downtown Des Moines has a lot going for it. There's new paint, fresh white kitchen cabinets and all the appliances.

The condo association does not permit smoking or pets, but the low maintenance of just $117 a month covers all upkeep of the halls and grounds. Taxes come to only about $700 a year.

In this part of Des Moines, called Waterbury, prices have stayed fairly stable through boom and bust. Right now, they have only lost about 14% from their peak, according to the real estate website Zillow.

For more information: Trulia

NEXT: Fargo, N.D.