Relocating to Anderson Twp - Thoughts? (Cincinnati, Centerville: apartments, lawyer, houses)

[onourwaytoSWOhio]

Greetings, All! My family is on our way to SW Ohio (Cincinnati) from Mid-Ohio. We really like Anderson Township; especially the green space and the schools. We've previously had our children enrolled in the top school district further up north (Centerville) and wish to keep it that way. With that said, we've seen a few houses and have 2 in mind in these two neighborhoods: Watch Farm (Hitchingpost off Birney Ln) and Telegraph Hill. Both houses around $300k. What's the scoop on these neighborhoods? Coming from another Ohio suburb, we're accustomed to dealing with "...I live in this subdivision, and not this one...." etc and really just need to know what these neighborhoods are like. Are they still holding their own with home values and pride of ownership, or are they in a declining state? Thanks in advance!

[SalamanderSmile]

Anderson is a mixed bag. Declining 1960s subdivisions with no pressure to maintain or expand them because new giant homes are being built constantly in what was the northern or "bad" side of town/just woods 30 years ago. So now the northern side is the "good" side of town, and Turpin is the "good" high school. Those homes in Telegraph Hill have maintained their value better than the subdivisons on the south side. I suspect this is due to the relative isolation of that neighborhood and the building out happening in Newtown and the woods around Lawyer Road.

I would choose Telegraph Hill over Hitching Post but be cautious of those apartments on Telegraph Hill. I would not choose to live proximate to them if they generated alot of foot traffic through my neighborhood. As for Hitching Post, it is just the better street attached to a neighborhood of little old grandma houses, so $300k there is top of the line. Being the most expensive house on the street is a no-no is a potentially transitional area.

Forest Hills Schools are trending upward by recent ranking. Historically they were not the best schools for your $300k in Cincinnati. Most people with money in Anderson send their kids to private schools. For a 4/2.5 house in a subdivision for $300k you might also want to look into Blue Ash if you haven't already.

Since you are still seeing the aftermath of the 2008 crash in Anderson you need to be aware of houses that are being rented out by upside-down owners who could not sell them but had to move(for whatever reason.). So as you evaluate a neighborhood look for pride of ownership- nicely maintained plantings, nicely maintained driveway, tidy bushes, etc. Things that generally indicate owner-occupied homes.

[Galaxy_]

it is a mixed neighborhood with diff price range houses. Schools are ok but the best school district is in Indian Hill (# 6 th in the nation).


Why Anderson? There are so many other neighborhoods to choose from. Focus on East side of the city.