Relocating (Columbus, Cincinnati, Kent: real estate market, foreclosures, hotels)

[Ga Kid]

Would appreciate any info anyone could give me on relocating to Cincinnati...........what is the most prestigious area to live in? From the relocation book that I was given, it would seem to be Indian Hills, but I keep seeing things about Mason.
Am not concerned with schools. What is the foreclosure rate? Should I worry about investing in the real estate market there? Where is the most upscale mall. There is no Whole Foods there, but is there something else like that? Thanks for the help...I hate moving!

[QueenCty]

Indian Hill is the most prestigious neighborhood. Within the city Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout, the gaslight area of Clifton, and Mt. Adams are. In these neighborhoods you will also find shopping districts: for example, Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout have little town squares. They also have plenty of restaurants and bars. In Oakley (very close to Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout) there is a Fresh Market, and in Rookwood (also very close) there is a Wild Oats. Mt. Adams is probably the hippest of the areas, but they would all be fine. Trader Joe's is in Kenwood, which is about 5 miles north of this area.

Are you looking for suburbs or more of a city neighborhood? The ones mentioned have also done well in home appreciation and the homes sell fairly quickly, although the market overall has slowed down in the past year. The most upscale mall is Kenwood Towne Center, and although it is late, they are currently building a new Nordstrom.

The foreclosure rate was rated a respectable 52nd (1 being the worst) out of the top 100 metros last year. TOP METRO FORECLOSURE RATES ANNOUNCED

This is a little generic, but this site also has a lot of information on Cincinnati:
Cincinnati USA.

Here is a sample neighborhood site for Mt. Adams, which overlooks the city:
Mt Adams Today.

If you are interested in the suburbs, Mason or Loveland (near I-71 and I-275) are nice, and are growing quite a bit which tends to add to the traffic. West Chester is another boom area, but it is off of I-75, which tends to be busier than I-71.

[Ga Kid]

Thanks you so much for your great information. I think we will stay away from the city. Are the taxes sky high in Indian Hills? What is it like to live across the river in KY?

[Jake1256]

get a place in kentucky or far enough from cincy in ohio.

[CO to CINCI]

Congrats on your upcoming move. I've been researching and visiting Cinci like crazy since February, so I hope I can help answer your questions.

If you like Indian Hill, you'd probably like Montgomery. It seems to be a very prestigious area - too prestigious for our first home The impression I got while we were house hunting was that Indian Hill and Montgomery were the most prestigious places on the east side, and Wyoming was the best on the west.

The suburbs are very nice, and it's where we will be living, but I don't think they are prestigious, as even Mason, Loveland and West Chester include many affordable housing options (our budget was $225 and we had NO problem finding homes). Again, the 'burbs are nice, but not the MOST prestigious, which I believe you were interested in. We didn't search communities close to the city, but it seems like you're not interested in that either.

Montgomery is very close to Kenwood Mall, which seems to be the nicest mall in the area (although there is a Saks store downtown).

The closest Whole Foods store is two hours away, in Columbus. However, there are quite a few good alternatives in Cincinnati. Trader Joe's is close to Kenwood Mall. There is a Fresh Market in the Montgomery area. There is also a Wild Oats in Cincinnati off of 71, but I haven't shopped there yet. Again, Montgomery would put you close to these things.

Across the river, the most prestigious area seems to be Highland Heights. I think taxes are considerably lower in Kentucky, both for property and income. If you search this site, you could probably find the links for tax info. There seems to be a stigma about living in Kentucky, which I don't understand, but perhaps someone who has lived in the area for a while could give you more info.

We weren't too worried about investing in the real estate market. It's pretty volatile in most places right now, but since Ohio hasn't boomed in so many years, it probably won't bust either. We didn't see nearly as many foreclosures on the MLS in Cincinnati as there are in Denver! From what I have read and heard, Indian Hill and Montgomery will likely keep appreciating at a pretty high rate.

Hope this helps! If you want a good real estate website, PM me.

[QueenCty]

If the city is out, I would concur that Montgomery is a good alternative. It is a very nice area, with good appreciation and has been popular with the "raze and rebuild" approach. This in itself is indicative of the desirability of the area. It also has more options than the million+ dollar homes of Indian Hill. Here is a link to their site:
Montgomery, Ohio - A Premiere Residential Community

I am not sure of the taxes in Indian Hill, but this is the link to the village (as it is classified);
The Village of Indian Hill

And since it was previously mentioned, here is the link to Wyoming, which is also a nice area:
Welcome to the City of Wyoming, Ohio

Good luck and welcome to the area!

[Ga Kid]

Are there new neighborhoods in Montgomery or is it like University Park in Dallas....where you tear down and build your own? I won't have anyone school age, but for resale, what are the schools like in Montgomery. Also, can you recommend a 3 star or better hotel for the area? Can't thank you all enough!

[movingsoon2007]

There are two Wild Oats (very similar to Whole Foods) that I can think of... one in Rookwood Commons and one in Mason.

[CO to CINCI]

If you search for hotels in Blue Ash, they'll be pretty close to Montgomery.

In the Montgomery vicinity you'll find Marriott Residence Inn Blue Ash, Courtyard by Marriott Blue Ash, both 3 stars..

I stayed at The Westin downtown for almost a month and really liked it. If you stay downtown, you want to go for 4 stars. Some of the 3-star hotels aren't that nice. The 4-star hotels include The Westin, The Cincinnatian and The Hilton Carew Tower (if The Hilton is not 4-star, it's close).

The Montgomery area has Sycamore schools, which are among the best in the Cincinnati area. Search this forum and you'll find more information on Sycamore schools.

There are some new developments in Montgomery, but I believe it's primarily older homes. In one neighborhood (we looked at a 1950s-style ranch), most of the other homes had either been torn down and new ones rebuilt or they were "pop tops." I'm sure a realtor would be able to steer you in the right direction.

[Tfeds]

I agree with all that has been mentioned to this point. I would also add the area of Sycamore Township and Anderson.

Sycamore township is where the previously mentioned area of Montgomery is located. They are well known for their schools, which may not matter to you right now, but as you mentioned, will help for resale.

There are a couple of new developments that we looked at being built in Sycamore Township that even are part of the Indian Hill school district. Although we coulnd't make it happen for us, I would highly recommend looking into them. Send me a PM and I can talk in more specifics if you would like to know more.