TODAY   |  November 09, 2012

Top real estate for under $400,000

TODAY real estate contributor Barbara Corcoran shows off affordable homes on sale across the country, from a Hawaiian retreat to a home sitting on 15 acres in Springfield, Mo.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>> i missed you, too. let's get started in the south. peach tree city, georgia, a nice six-bedroom, traditional brick.

>> this is a house with a big front yard and peachtree city is a planned golf cart community right in the middle of the big georgia countryside. kids there get to drive around instead of on bikes on these little golf carts. it's a good thing. there are two lakes, three golf courses , shopping centers , schools, and 90 miles of golf cart paths. the family room has gleaming wood floors, pane windows, french doors , a marble fireplace. what a pretty room that is. nice and large. the open kitchen has granite counters, blonde wood cabinets and built-ins with a breakfast bar that ajoins the sunny, casual dining area. that's a comfortable home. the master bedroom is a little edgy with the tray ceiling you'll see in just a moment. we're back in the kitchen. i'm sorry.

>> now back in the bedroom.

>> there is the bedroom. there is a nice bedroom. i think i'll move off that. the living room is also very pretty. i think it's not in keeping with the rest of the house .

>> hum.

>> almost looks like they are waiting for a queen to visit. very proper.

>> let's lead to oklahoma city . this is an american four square . i know four square is a big internet thing.

>> in a house it's simply four, big, boxy rooms on two different levels. what is great is it really replaced the victorian style in the late 1890s . people were tired of tiny little choppy rooms. this one has great interior space. very popular. it kind of took everybody by storm and you could even order it from the old sears catalog this type of house back then. this house has hardwood floors, crown mouldings, detailed door frames and a fireplace. the updated kitchen is a little too white for me. the floors should be wood. it is just too bright. but it has a back splash and butler's pantry. there is a huge formal dining room with extra wide base boards, french doors that lead back out to the deck. a huge room. look at the size of that thing. the bedrooms are large enough to be painted brown which you usually can't get away with and they have plenty of closets which is a rare thing in a turn of the century home. i love the wood deck out back. they have a carriage house out there which is a fancy name for a garage but they converted it to an entertaining area. imagine telling your kids you're punished. go out to the back yard and watch tv.

>> table and chairs. cool. all right. now i don't remember us having a house in hawaii . but this is pretty cool. $379,000.

>> we had a house a long time ago in hawaii but it wasn't quite as pretty as this one. they're hard to find. i'm always looking. this is an architect designed home and it sits on two big landscaped acres. the charm of this house is the location. surrounded by a forest. so you have no neighbors looking in at you. the interior has wall-to-beam ceilings and tile floors. the master bedroom and bath are connected to the main house with a beautifully covered lanai. great flowers throughout the entire yard. the kitchen has maple cabinets with black granite counters and passthrough to the breakfast area. you can see how big the space is looking on the right-hand side. there is a round pool out back. i would plunk you in and have you soak all day. seems appropriate for you. and there's outside a prop call paradise. you get a feel for the landscaping. you have total privacy. this is a paradise. just what people think about when they think of hawaii .

>> not quite sure about the last comment. let's go to westfield, indiana. got a nice two story brick house .

>> very good. this is a very different style of house . it's really just the kind of house most people say oh, it's an american dream house . it's like what everybody thinks of as making it big. it has a dramatic, two story great room with stacked stone fire place . you can eat off the wood floors when you see the next room here because the kitchen and the dining room is so meticulous you almost want to go bowling or something. are those real floors? the big master bedroom has a tray ceiling with enough room for a generous sitting area. i sure hope there is a big tv screen we can't see in the shot. why would they put that in the middle? i don't get it. a screen porch overlooking the lake out back. the big back yard matches the house with lots of room for the kids to play. what a lovely house . perfect condition.

>> all right. barbara corcoran, always