Three cities, three homes, one price: What $800,000 buys

We're in the peak of the 2025 spring buying season, and major markets across the U.S. are facing severe housing shortages.

Americans are showing strong demand for single-family, condominium and co-op properties — despite a limited number of homes available for sale. To be sure, what today's house hunters can get will vary depending on the neighborhood and how much competition there is among other potential buyers.

Here's a snapshot of the housing market — in Alabama, New York and Texas — if your budget is $800,000.

This two-story Colonial-style cottage is directly across the street from Saratoga Lake. The house was part of a summer camp years ago but is now a single-family home. Buyers of this property will own the sloped land the home sits on and a separate waterfront parcel across the road with a patio, fire pit, mooring and a staircase to the lake. Inside, the house offers hardwood floors, a fireplace, and an unfinished basement.

Saratoga Springs is New York's hub for thoroughbred horse racing, and the city houses the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The city is also widely known for its natural mineral water springs, including the baths at Saratoga Spa State Park. The home's current owners are empty nesters who use it as the family gathering spot. In the summers, their children meet them at the property, and everyone boats and swims at the lake and hangs out by the fire pit at night, watching the sun set.

This two-story Colonial comes with a game room, home theater and office. The first level features a wood-floor living room and a sunken dining room. That latter space leads out to the deck in the fenced-in backyard. The property is within 4 miles of Houston's major universities and 20 miles of the city's two airports.

The home sits in Houston's MacGregor neighborhood, which is home to the city's artists and other creatives. MacGregor also houses Texas Southern University and a free electric-powered light rail for anyone to use. Affluent Houston businessman Henry Frederick MacGregor developed the area in the 1920s, which became a majority Jewish neighborhood and then a predominantly Black community by the 1960s.

Three local investors bought this home years ago when the property was in ruin, and they poured thousands of dollars into renovating it, including rebuilding the kitchen as well as adding a pantry, utility room and detached garage. One of the investors bought out his other two business partners and, once the renovations were done, he used the place as a short-term rental. The investor said he's looking to sell now and use the returns generated to fund future projects.

The one-and-a-half-story home sits in a cul-de-sac suburb just outside Birmingham, Alabama. The state's second-largest city is known for being the epicenter of the Civil Rights Movement and the hometown of former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. It features a covered patio and a fenced-in backyard that are perfect for entertaining in private, while the front of the property welcomes visitors with bright red double doors. The owner can use the three-car attached garage.

The study can be converted into another bedroom. The unfinished basement is a walk-out.

The home belongs to a physician who worked at the University of Alabama Birmingham. He and his wife moved to the area from out of state 40 years ago. The couple used the home as their primary residence and have fond memories of hosting parties with their golf group and supper club friends.