I'd say that this is a matter of preference. At first I thought you were crazy, "A house for under $100,000???" (I'm originally from Mpls, and this sounded wacky). But then I check zillow, and sure enough, there are homes for $100,000. I've got to admit, it would be hard for me to turn down a $100,000 home, but mostly because homes for that price would be unheard of where I live now. It it were me, I'd go for the $100,000 home! That being said, I don't know if you are truly talking about Minneapolis, or if you're talking about suburbs. But if you're moving to Minneapolis proper, stay in south Minneapolis (where the $100,000 homes are harder to find). I had so many friends boldly move to North Minneapolis and then get mugged or have other similarly scary experiences.