Possible move to cincinnati w/ 3 kids (Kent, Washington: fit in, transplants, for sale)

[PouringRain]

Title says a lot! My husband is considering a job downtown. We are coming from the Washington DC metro area with our 3 kids (5th grade, 2nd and K). We are looking for a 4 or 5 BR home in a fun, welcoming community where the schools are strong and families like to get out and do things on the weekends. Our kids play soccer, basketball and lacrosse now, with a fun swim team in the summers.

We do not need crazy nightlife, but movie theaters and access to decent restaurants is a plus.

We want to be within 30 minutes of downtown, preferably closer. We're coming from an urban area and are comfortable with that vibe, but wouldn't mind a little more space. I've looked at Mt Adams and Indian Hill.

If we can keep the home price under $700k, we could consider catholic/private schools especially if it means that the kids will be in the same building for more than a year! (Our middle schools start in 6; not sure what happens in OH.) While we could pay more than $700k for a house, I'm concerned that we'd never get our money out of it if we decide to sell at some point.

Any neighborhood and/or school suggestions? We're open to looking at the Northern Kentucky area too. I've seen recommendations for Fort Thomas, which seems like a reasonable commute downtown. Other ideas on that side of the river are welcome as well.

Thanks for any guidance you can provide!

[thomasbw]

Hyde Park or Gaslight Clifton would be great choices. More space but still urban enough to walk to a movie, ice cream or restaurant and maybe 15 minutes from downtown. You should have no problem finding a 5 bedroom house for under 700k.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by PouringRain

Title says a lot! My husband is considering a job downtown. We are coming from the Washington DC metro area with our 3 kids (5th grade, 2nd and K). We are looking for a 4 or 5 BR home in a fun, welcoming community where the schools are strong and families like to get out and do things on the weekends. Our kids play soccer, basketball and lacrosse now, with a fun swim team in the summers.

We do not need crazy nightlife, but movie theaters and access to decent restaurants is a plus.

We want to be within 30 minutes of downtown, preferably closer. We're coming from an urban area and are comfortable with that vibe, but wouldn't mind a little more space. I've looked at Mt Adams and Indian Hill.

If we can keep the home price under $700k, we could consider catholic/private schools especially if it means that the kids will be in the same building for more than a year! (Our middle schools start in 6; not sure what happens in OH.) While we could pay more than $700k for a house, I'm concerned that we'd never get our money out of it if we decide to sell at some point.

Any neighborhood and/or school suggestions? We're open to looking at the Northern Kentucky area too. I've seen recommendations for Fort Thomas, which seems like a reasonable commute downtown. Other ideas on that side of the river are welcome as well.

Thanks for any guidance you can provide!

Ft. Mitchell in northern Kentucky should offer quite a bit of nice housing below your top price range, and its small Beechwood School District is highly rated. It's also very convenient to downtown Cincinnati.

[Briolat21]

With your price range, you really shouldn't have any issues in Cincinnati. I guess houses for over a million Indian Hill are out, but that wouldn't really give you the walkability/urbanity that you want anyway.

Hyde Park is probably the premier area for families, and your budget should be sufficient there. Cincinnati Public Schools have some good magnets, but outside of those some families prefer private. Sounds like you'll be able to afford that if you keep your housing under 700K, which again should be doable.

Do you jog? or Own a dog that you walk constantly? If not, consider taking them up as hobbies, because both seem mandatory in Hyde Park...

[SalamanderSmile]

Mariemont, Madeira, center of Montgomery, Wyoming all for public school with traditional suburban soccer, swim club, etc. while having a sidewalked lifestyle with walkability to coffee shops, etc. all kids will mostly funnel through the same local schools so more "cohesion, small town-ness" to the community (for better or worse.). Montgomery is amidst the Sycamore school system which is huge in size for Cincinnati, while the other three are tiny. Madeira might be a little downmarket for you but current redevelopment has it trending upward.

Indian hill has the whole good schools/swim club thing but no walkability and sprawling almost ruralness. Also tiny school system. No community cohesion to speak of, if you want a big house on a big lot you arent really interested in neighbors or community. Community might develop around church, or country club, golf, riding club etc.

Mt.Lookout, Hyde Park, Clifton gaslight for either public or parochial schools with a more urban vibe. Depending upon where in either it may be walkable or a trudge up/down hills to coffee and ice cream. Less cohesion as all the kids will go to random schools citywide. Which I think also applies to soccer/lacrosse but you would probably swim with neighbors.

I love Mt.Adams but there aren't many kids there and the drunken 28yo come out in force on the weekends. It tends to vacillate between 30-something single or DINK renters and home-owning middle aged gay men. So lately property values there have swung wildly as the gay community has gentrified other areas and moved on, decreasing demand for Mt.Adams, leaving the original 60-70yo pioneers kind of stuck. There is inherent value in the architecture and locale but it is deflating.

Terrace Park is a weird outlier. It is as if someone took a small New England neighborhood and plunked it down on the Little Miami river (Like Wyoming but no commerce). Wealthiest zipcode in Ohio, fully sidewalked, no where to walk to but neighbors houses. On the bike trail, close to quainty Old Milford for whathaveyou. Mariemont schools but they have their own elementary school.

We chose Mariemont for the quaintness, flatness, walkability, predictable suburban school experience with easy access to Hyde Park/Oakley/Mt.lookout for restaurants, parks, etc. there are lots of transplants here so integrating was easy. We are close to the bike trail and the river for recreation but 15min from downtown on an underused highway. Terrace Park has a similar if much less vibrant vibe.

[PouringRain]

Thanks so much for the great ideas. I saw some good listings in Wyoming and Montgomery. And Terrace Park looks nice you. My husband has always love Mariemont and Hyde park, but the listings that I'm seeing now are just non-starters in our price range. (I run but don't have a dog, so if something comes up in those areas, I should fit in ok!)

Is there a time in the spring when the real estate listings pick up in these markets? I know our are does a ton of business between Easter and the end of June, then comes to a screeching halt until the September - early November season. Am hoping OH is the same way and that more listings will come out soon!

Is there a good place to look for OH school data? I have found the individual school systems, but they don't seem to link to any data about the schools - size, number of classes, testing info, etc. It has to be out there somewhere!

[SWOH]

With that price range, you'll be able to get a lot here.

Offhand, the best places to look have already been mentioned, namely Hyde Park/Mt Lookout, Mariemont/Terrance Park, Clifton Gaslight, Wyoming, Madeira, Ft. Thomas.

But I would also look in Covington or Newport. The historic district along the Licking river is strikingly beautiful, but you'd probably want to do private schools.

And you are correct that more houses will come on the market in about a month.

Also, for school data, try here:
Report Card Resources | Ohio Department of Education


Good luck!

[WRnative]

Also to research schools of all types:

GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

[Nashville to Cincy]

Cincinnati has no shortage of excellent communities and properties within your budget. Our relocation choice boiled down to Hyde Park vs. Mariemont. Both are family friendly, walkable neighborhoods with access to good schools and beautiful homes that hold their value. In the end, the idyllic neighborhood feel and the school system in Mariemont won the day. No regrets 7 years and 3 kids later.

We were recently told by several realtors that the inventory of homes for sale is unusually low. Perhaps you'll see more properties become available as we wind further into spring.

Best wishes to you and your family on your decision.

[GearHeadDave]

Originally Posted by PouringRain

Title says a lot! My husband is considering a job downtown. We are coming from the Washington DC metro area with our 3 kids (5th grade, 2nd and K). We are looking for a 4 or 5 BR home in a fun, welcoming community where the schools are strong and families like to get out and do things on the weekends. Our kids play soccer, basketball and lacrosse now, with a fun swim team in the summers.

We do not need crazy nightlife, but movie theaters and access to decent restaurants is a plus.

We want to be within 30 minutes of downtown, preferably closer. We're coming from an urban area and are comfortable with that vibe, but wouldn't mind a little more space. I've looked at Mt Adams and Indian Hill.

If we can keep the home price under $700k, we could consider catholic/private schools especially if it means that the kids will be in the same building for more than a year! (Our middle schools start in 6; not sure what happens in OH.) While we could pay more than $700k for a house, I'm concerned that we'd never get our money out of it if we decide to sell at some point.

Any neighborhood and/or school suggestions? We're open to looking at the Northern Kentucky area too. I've seen recommendations for Fort Thomas, which seems like a reasonable commute downtown. Other ideas on that side of the river are welcome as well.

Thanks for any guidance you can provide!

One thing to note. I find the culture and diversity of Mt. Adams and Indian Hill to be completely different. forgettting about the big difference in property values; Open, upbeat, energetic (Mt. Adams, Over the Rhine) versus old-school and stuffy (Indian Hill, Terrace Park, Mariemont). Just my take, others will have a different opinion of course.