Four properties came on under our sign this week. The cheapest is $75,000. The most expensive is $540,000. One of them is not a house at all — it is 29.87 acres. That spread is the entire reason this post exists, because there is no single number that describes all four, and anybody who hands you one is guessing.
Here is every figure, what each one actually buys, and the two places where the obvious math will lead you somewhere wrong.
Jackson County
1122 S Wolf Creek Road, Carbondale — $540,000
| Asking price | $540,000 |
| Bedrooms / baths | 3 / 2 |
| Square feet | 1,696 |
| Asking per square foot | about $318 |
| Lot | 10 acres |
Three bedrooms, two baths, 1,696 square feet, split-bedroom floor plan, vaulted ceilings, a large kitchen with quartz countertops and stainless appliances, and an in-ground pool — sitting on ten acres. Read that list again, because it is the part people skip on the way to arguing about the price.
The split plan matters more than it sounds. The primary suite is on its own side of the house. If you have teenagers, guests, or somebody who works nights, that layout is worth real money and you cannot add it later without moving walls.
See every SIRE listing in Carbondale ›
635 Charles Road, Carbondale — $169,900
| Asking price | $169,900 |
| Bedrooms / baths | 3 / 2 |
| Square feet | 1,368 |
| Asking per square foot | about $124 |
| Lot | 1.6 acres |
This is the one I expect to move fastest. Country living on a private 1.6-acre lot, minutes to SIU and shopping. The seller already did the expensive, boring work: newer cabinetry, backsplash, stainless appliances, an eating island, a gas ventless fireplace, updates throughout.
Under $170,000 with almost two acres, that close in, is not a category with a lot of inventory in it. If you have been telling yourself you will wait for a better one, understand what you are waiting on.
406 E Douglas Street, De Soto — $75,000
| Asking price | $75,000 |
| Bedrooms / baths | 4 / 2 |
| Square feet | 1,632 |
| Asking per square foot | about $46 |
| Outbuildings | 24×30 pole barn garage, 16×30 shed |
Four bedrooms, two baths, 1,632 square feet, split plan, a walk-in/roll-in shower, a 24×30 pole barn garage and a 16×30 shed, in a quiet town. At $75,000 that is roughly $46 a foot, and the outbuildings alone would cost a good chunk of the asking price to put up today. The seller is motivated.
Now the honest part, because this is where buyers get hurt: this is a manufactured home. That is not a knock on the house — it is a knock on the assumption that every lender treats it like a stick-built one. They do not. Financing generally requires the home to be on a permanent foundation and titled as real property, and plenty of lenders simply will not write the loan at all. Get that answered before you write an offer, not during underwriting. See every SIRE listing in De Soto ›
Williamson County
16461 IL Highway 37, Johnston City — $300,000
| Asking price | $300,000 |
| Acres | 29.87 |
| Asking per acre | about $10,040 |
| Type | Land — no dwelling |
| Location | Near town, on the highway |
Just under thirty acres with abundant wildlife — deer and turkey — conveniently located near town. That last part is what makes it unusual. Most tracts this size around here trade the convenience away. This one does not.
At $300,000 for 29.87 acres you are at roughly $10,040 an acre. If you are buying it to build on, price the well, the septic, the electric run and the driveway before you fall in love with the timber. Those four line items decide whether the project pencils. See every SIRE listing in Johnston City ›
Why $46 a Foot and $318 a Foot Are Both Honest
Here is the trap. De Soto asks about $46 a foot. Wolf Creek asks about $318. If you run that comparison straight across, you will conclude one of them is a steal and the other is delusional, and you will be wrong twice.
Price per square foot only measures the house. It does not measure the dirt. The Wolf Creek property includes ten acres. Use our own Johnston City tract as the yardstick — about $10,040 an acre — and that land is worth roughly $100,000 on its own. Back that out and the improvements come to about $259 a foot. For a 1,696-square-foot home with a split plan, vaulted ceilings, quartz counters and an in-ground pool, that number is close to what it would cost to build the thing from scratch today, pool included.
Run the same test on De Soto and it works the other way: $46 a foot looks impossible until you remember it is a manufactured home with a narrower financing pool, which is exactly why the number is where it is. Neither figure is a bargain signal or a red flag. They are answers to different questions.
What This Week Actually Tells You
Four listings is not a market report, so I will not dress it up as one. But look at what is sitting in a single week under one brokerage: a finished house with land and a pool, an updated three-bedroom on acreage under $170,000, thirty acres near town, and a four-bedroom with a shop for $75,000.
Three of the four come with land. Two of the four are already updated, which means a seller absorbed the cost of the work instead of you. And the one that needs the most homework is the cheapest one — which is usually how it goes, and is exactly why you make the phone call before you make the offer.
Are all four of these your listings?
Can I get a normal mortgage on the De Soto house?
Is $318 a foot high for Carbondale?
What should I check before buying the 29.87 acres?
When does the next batch come out?
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📱 Want to See One of These? Text Greg.
Want a private showing on one of this week's new listings? Text Greg Holthaus directly — just tell him which address. He'll help you think through your decision, match you with the best broker for your situation, and point you in the right direction. He's open to a text any time.
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Who is Greg Holthaus?
Greg Holthaus is the Owner and Designated Managing Broker of Southern Illinois Realty Experts, with 25+ years in Southern Illinois real estate and more than 10,000 transactions closed. He leads a full-service operation — home sales, mortgage, title, and property management under one roof — with offices in Marion, Herrin, and Carbondale. Meet Greg ›
About the numbers: Prices, bedroom and bathroom counts, square footage and active-listing counts come from local MLS listing data for these three active listings and their towns, retrieved September 15, 2026. Per-square-foot figures are calculated from asking price and published living area. All three properties are listed by Southern Illinois Realty Experts. Asking prices are what sellers hope to get, not what homes close for. Any property described here can go under contract, sell, or change price at any time — if one catches your eye, reach out and we will confirm current status. Property descriptions are drawn from the listing and from what our brokers have seen in person; they are not inspections, appraisals, or valuations. Buildability, zoning, setbacks and utility availability on vacant land must be confirmed with the municipality. Nothing here is a loan offer or rate quote.