Looking for good schools in area with older housing. Assistance appreciated. (Cincinnati: new house, neighborhoods)

[captaincatfish]

Originally Posted by progmac

FWIW, Trader Joe's is a lot cheaper than Fresh Market and Wild Oats. It isn't a high / high business model like those two are. Most things are less expensive than Kroger.

But yeah, there is no Kroger or IGA, but when you have three grocery stores within 5-10 minutes it is hard to complain too loudly. Certainly those three competitors are precisely why IGA left - meaning there are too many grocery stores in the area, not too few.

I am the first to admit the Pleasant Ridge business district has serious issues. But the lack of an IGA is not one of them. A specialty food / health food kind of place is a much better fit for the district with so many other general grocery options within a mile or two.

LOL...I'm constantly trying to convince Mrs Catfish that a neighborhood inside 275, closer to the city, would work better for us (more me than us LOL) than West Chester, which is where she seems to have her heart set on...I had lived in this area back in the late 90's (Roselawn) and one of my favorite places to go even then was Pleasant Ridge---but the same issue you made today existed back then...lack of, or lack of support for, a grocery store...

In Middletown, where we live now, we have a slew of grocery stores (Kroger, Meijer, Marsh, Aldi's, SaveALot, Dillmann's) within respectable distance of us...
In Cincinnati, seems theya re a little more spread out, depending on your area...

I gotta agree with Wilson on one thing though---I had/have always loved Hyde Park as well, but Mrs Catfish is death on toast about NOT wanting to deal with an older house...I, however, wouldn't be adverse to an older rancher, somewhere closer to the city, simply because I'd love to be able to take advantage of the numerous things to do in the city, without having to endure a 40-50 mile round trip as we do now...ahh, decisions, decisions

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by captaincatfish

...I gotta agree with Wilson on one thing though---I had/have always loved Hyde Park as well, but Mrs Catfish is death on toast about NOT wanting to deal with an older house...I, however, wouldn't be adverse to an older rancher, somewhere closer to the city, simply because I'd love to be able to take advantage of the numerous things to do in the city, without having to endure a 40-50 mile round trip as we do now...ahh, decisions, decisions

Now that my days are getting kind of numbered, I really really hate to think about people spending hours of their time each week on a long commute. There's newer infill housing in many of the older parts of Cincinnati. Just start searching, and eventually you can have it both ways. Hubby and I found one--you can, too!

[kjbrill]

As you age, the best place to live may change, especially once you are not tied down by a job location and commute. The wife and I have reached the point there is nothing downtown which really draws our interest. We belonged to the Cincinnati Arts Association for a number of years, and while a good experience it eventually became well we've been there done that. Professional sports are also something we no longer can get excited over.

My main recreation is golf and I have a group of cronies in the area who travel to various courses in the region as we do not want to be bored playing the same course all the time. Now we do travel some, ranging from Heuston Woods, Middletown, Dayton, Springboro, Willmington, the Hamilton Co. courses and a number of others.

The wife's principle interest is crafts, specifically handmade greeting cards. She just enjoys learning and applying the many techniques as a matter of personal interest. In addition to a very large supply of materials at our home, she travels to classes at multiple locations from Blue Ash to Dayton/Centerville and even an occasional convention.

My point is, our interests make our current suburban location just as practical as anything inside the I-275 beltway, maybe more so as we spray out in all directions to pursue our activities.

Oh yes, our local Mason Municipal Center has a beautiful facility and a very reasonable fee for their senior citizen programs.

We just see no reason to relocate as everything we need or desire is well within our grasp locally.

[Chemistry_Guy]

If private schools (particularly high schools) are an option, then Hyde park, Amberley Village, Mt. Lookout, Pleasant Ridge, and even North Avondale all have absolutely beautiful houses on very nice streets. If you do want a strong public high school, then I would focus my attention on mariemont, Wyoming, Kenwood (the section in the Indian Hill school District off of Kenwood Road), Blue Ash, and Terrace Park. If I had to pick two neighborhhods that would meet your needs based on the initial post, I would say Mariemont or the part of Kenwood off of Kenwood Road near Ken Arbre would be a perfect fit.

[fiskkm]

Thanks for the info. I had never heard of Avondale, but the housing there looks incredible as well. This has been a great thread for me. Now I just need to balance our desire for a unique grand old home with our desire to get our kids a great education. Honestly, Mariemont has it all and is exactly what we want in a community, but we just can't afford the housing we want. You have seen some of the houses we really like and we can't find anything even close to that in Mariemont in our price range. Hence the interest in branching out and exploring other options (and considering private school for a period of time).

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by fiskkm

Thanks for the info. I had never heard of Avondale, but the housing there looks incredible as well. This has been a great thread for me. Now I just need to balance our desire for a unique grand old home with our desire to get our kids a great education. Honestly, Mariemont has it all and is exactly what we want in a community, but we just can't afford the housing we want. You have seen some of the houses we really like and we can't find anything even close to that in Mariemont in our price range. Hence the interest in branching out and exploring other options (and considering private school for a period of time).

Just thinking aloud here, wouldn't the cost of private school tuition possibly make the expense of a higher-priced house a wash? AND if you were putting that money into a house while you had your kids in a quality public school system, you'd at least potentially have something at the end to show for it.

Just a caution about North Avondale, a neighborhood where my husband and I did serious house-hunting about 10 years ago: it has some beautiful streets, but you should be aware that adjoining Avondale itself is one of Cincinnati's poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhoods. Yes, neighborhood proximity issues have been discussed to death around here, but Avondale is something of a special case.

[progmac]

Originally Posted by captaincatfish

LOL...I'm constantly trying to convince Mrs Catfish that a neighborhood inside 275, closer to the city, would work better for us (more me than us LOL) than West Chester, which is where she seems to have her heart set on...I had lived in this area back in the late 90's (Roselawn) and one of my favorite places to go even then was Pleasant Ridge---but the same issue you made today existed back then...lack of, or lack of support for, a grocery store...

In Middletown, where we live now, we have a slew of grocery stores (Kroger, Meijer, Marsh, Aldi's, SaveALot, Dillmann's) within respectable distance of us...
In Cincinnati, seems theya re a little more spread out, depending on your area...

I gotta agree with Wilson on one thing though---I had/have always loved Hyde Park as well, but Mrs Catfish is death on toast about NOT wanting to deal with an older house...I, however, wouldn't be adverse to an older rancher, somewhere closer to the city, simply because I'd love to be able to take advantage of the numerous things to do in the city, without having to endure a 40-50 mile round trip as we do now...ahh, decisions, decisions

First - make sure the wife is happy!
Second - make sure the wife is happy!

Third, have you considered some of the great mid-century ranches in Mt Washington? It strikes me that there are very nice, very quiet streets with modern houses throughout the mount. Also what about Deer Park and Silverton for somewhat newer homes fairly close to the city.

And if you do end up looking at older homes, I don't think that a well-maintained older home is necessarily any more work than a new home. The trouble is many come with years of deferred maintenance. But many don't, so if you have a good inspector you could make it work.

[Wilson513]

Sensible people with children pick a neighborhood first and a house second. Using that approach, you will never end up in Avondale which fails on so many levels they can hardly be counted. I love houses too, but, if you have to be there all day every day you want your kids to be able to leave the bike in the yard for a few daylight hours, you want to walk deep into the woods without a concealed carry permit, you want a lot of places to eat, shop and get stuff within walking distance. You don't want a fight next door, a chained up dog, a neighbor with a kid just out of prison for a drug offense, an abandoned car, etc. So you find the best neighborhood you can and then buy the best house you can afford. My $.02.

[kjbrill]

Sarah... I was just about to offer the same advice - avoid Avondale. The decreasing number of old stately homes, with many being subdivided into multi-family, is offset by the adjoining extremely rough sections. Just not a place you want to be with a family.

OP - that house in Glendale is the best I have seen so far. But due to its age I would be very careful about the actual condition of the mechanicals, roof, plumbing, furnace (appears to be gas fired hot water heat), air conditioning (true central or a hodge podge?). A stately old home with all of the attractive elements - real hardwood, spacious rooms, high ceilings, etc. is hard to ignore. But they also can be a maintenance nightmare. BTW - the owner of record is a resident of Sanibel Island off the coast of Fort Meyers, FLA. Appears they decided to opt for the better year-round weather rather than hang around here.

[t45209]

Originally Posted by progmac

And if you do end up looking at older homes, I don't think that a well-maintained older home is necessarily any more work than a new home. The trouble is many come with years of deferred maintenance. But many don't, so if you have a good inspector you could make it work.

I totally second this!!! I've never lived in a house that is less than 70 years old, and because I paid attention to what I was buying, my expenses in these homes have been no more than routine upkeep and things that I elected to upgrade. At the same time I have friends who live in expensive houses in neighborhoods that are less than 20 years old and have had to deal with flooded basements, replacing bathrooms because of failed plumbing, and mold and rotten sheathing behind siding, and the list goes on. Most of the problems are from shoddy construction methods, but you'd expect better from supposedly high end builders.

The point is, I think people fall victim to this myth that new automatically equals better and less costly.