Moving to Mason - advice on neighborhoods?

[flashes1]

It doesn't cost anything to make an offer. How long has it been on the market? Firm offers are very valuable these days......and December is a VERY slow month for real estate....interesting that they chose this weekend to hold an open house. Unless it's new to the market....it kind of feels like they might be anxious to move it. You can do a delayed close if the sellers are up for it.....listed at $378k or so.....you could ask $350k and counter it up to $360K and see what they do.......I'm all for being frugal....but the extra mortgage payment on another $15k is not much. And you talk about having to redo things at close.....do you really? Somethings might be able to be pushed out. Is a deck off the master bedroom really needed at close? It might be a want......not a need.

Something to think about......it's just intriguing how much importance you placed on a private yard in your original post.....and there's this house with the most private and pretty back yard that I've seen in Mason. But again, be patient........it's still a buyers' market........and there's a bunch of houses ready to come on the market in 4 months.....and it doesn't sound like you are in a huge hurry to move.

[kjbrill]

BuxFam...

I would have to think long and hard about that 3.7 acre yard. But that is because I am a yard nut. I will bet those woods have some deer in them.

I commented I have a 1 acre lot. But what we have enjoyed for years now is most of it is to the rear. Off the right corner of the back yard the neighbor has a 2.5 acre pie-shaped lot on a culdesac. Directly to the rear are two lots, must be 400' deep, with access from a private lane. Off the left corner of the back yard is an 8 acre parcel and house which was part of the original landowner, also on the private lane. Years ago he ran cows back there and they would come up to the fence to be fed something. It is a good thing they are landlocked without a public access or years ago some condo complex would have been built there. That property is currently under negotiation with the heirs for the City to acquire and add to the adjacent City park behind the HS.

But my emphasis is when we look out our front door we see a nice residential street with decent setbacks and side separation of homes due to the 110' lot widths. When we look out the rear, it is well over 500' to the closest house, I barely recognize they are there. It is like living in our own park, and the main reason my wife refuses to move.

A short distance, maybe 5 lots, to the south of me is another short culdesac with a paved bike trail back into the City parks bordering the schools. This is well used by the jogging and physical fitness enthusiasts.

A short history lesson for Mason. To the east of the Middle and HS are two city parks. The one behind the Middle School is named Corwin M Nixon park, named after a long term popular politician in Warren Co. It is also the location of the Lou Eves Municipal Pool, our outdoor summer city pool. Lou Eves was a long term mayor of Mason and likely responsible for the growth it has achieved today.

Directly to the north and effectively connected is Pine Hill Lakes park. Pine Hill Lakes was originally a privately owned paid fishing lake. They also had a rather crudely constructed swimming pool? When I say crudely I mean take a creek bed. pour some concrete into it, don't bother smoothing it out, and call it a swimming pool. My kids went there because it was close 37 years ago when we moved here.

The City acquired the property and thankfully bulldozed the swimming pool. Primary access to Pine Hill is off Kings Mill Rd, and primary access to Corwin Nixon is off Mason Montgomery. They are both great parks and if you hopefully move here will provide hours of pleasure.

[BuxFam]

Originally Posted by flashes1

It doesn't cost anything to make an offer. How long has it been on the market? Firm offers are very valuable these days......and December is a VERY slow month for real estate....interesting that they chose this weekend to hold an open house. Unless it's new to the market....it kind of feels like they might be anxious to move it. You can do a delayed close if the sellers are up for it.....listed at $378k or so.....you could ask $350k and counter it up to $360K and see what they do.......I'm all for being frugal....but the extra mortgage payment on another $15k is not much. And you talk about having to redo things at close.....do you really? Somethings might be able to be pushed out. Is a deck off the master bedroom really needed at close? It might be a want......not a need.

Something to think about......it's just intriguing how much importance you placed on a private yard in your original post.....and there's this house with the most private and pretty back yard that I've seen in Mason. But again, be patient........it's still a buyers' market........and there's a bunch of houses ready to come on the market in 4 months.....and it doesn't sound like you are in a huge hurry to move.

Thanks - it went on the market 10/25/12 so it hasn't been on too long. I understand the sellers have already moved to another state so they are likely trying to move it now. The biggest issue is that it is over our price range and it's hard for us to think of maxing out and still feel that there is work to do. You are right, the deck, basement, cabinets - are wants not needs... My biggest concern remains timing. We can be very patient and see what comes up in Spring...just worried about getting a fast offer here (according to our realtor...but that could be crap) and feeling "rushed" to find a place there so we don't have to rent (here or there?); put everything in storage; move twice, etc. Of course this is all self-inflicted but I almost wish we had never talked to our realtor until Spring! Our plan was to discuss, get the house ready, list in Spring and move in summer...that plan is out the window since she seems to believe there is high demand and virtually no inventory for what our house offers. Anyway, at least we are doing the research to try to find the best fit in Mason and I cannot thank you and the others in the forum enough for your information and advice. I appreciate it more than you know!

[kjbrill]

Fine, we will keep discussing your move to Mason. Flashes and I will keep it going, and we both have knowledge of the area. Since we are not discussing urban Cincinnati the rest can turn us off. But we are discussing Greater Cincinnati, which the urbanites apparently dislike since it overshadows just Cincinnati.

I feel your idea of moving to Mason is a sound one. Much of it revolves around the huband's job near WPAFB. It may appear to not have the cohesiveness of UA, but in actuality it is a rather cohesive city. I feel the reputation of the Mason City Schools attests to just how cohesive it is.

As Flashes comments, take your time. The worst thing you can do is jump at the first decent property simply because the realtor says it won't last long. Realtors have been saying that forever, it is their business.

My house was on the market for over 6 months back in 1975. The husband had been transferred and was in Illinois with the family still living here I had made an offer and was turned down. Six months later the realtor contacted me and inquired whether I was still interested in making an offer. I said yes, the same offer I made six months ago. It was then accepted and we are living here.

A word of caution for husbands. For years it was common to put the title of the house in the wife's name. Some sort of issolation from financial liability which the husband may get involved in through his business activity, etc. Just like back then putting cars in wives names, same idea for liability.

Well, when I bought my house the market was not going forward, sort of like today. When I made my identical same offer six months later, the wife signed it. She was sick and tired of living here with the kids and the husband in Illinois. He was furious but had no recourse since the house was in her name. Would not even show up at the closing. My reaction, I got a reasonable deal in a falling market.

[blue60]

Hi- I haven't been on the boards in a while. Just a quick correction on the schools. Mason Middle School is 7th and 8th. The high school is 9-12. Sorry, I can't help you with northern Mason.