How much rent for roommate in Price Hill (Cincinnati, Ada: low income, apartments)

[ilovehouses]

I'm thinking about buying a house in Price Hill. It's beautiful and on a nice tree lined street. The street is very well kept.
The house is a 3 floored house.
Two working fireplaces.
11 foot ceilings.
Nicely decorated
Wrap around porch.
Very large common rooms
Still very big bedrooms
The roommate would have to share the main bath with me, but the house does have 1.5 bath(s)
Plenty of street parking.
Natural woodwork.

I would need a roommate to help me cover the heating costs in the winter. I could swing it on my own, but it's such a big house, that I'd rather have a roommate anyhow.

How much do you think I could charge? I figure it's close to UC and downtown. Oh, one other thing, I do have a dog and cat, so that will reduce my pool of roommates I think.

[aquila]

I guess that depends on the commitment you'd expect from your roommate. Are you wanting someone to live with you for an extended period of time, and do you want to build a friendship with them? When sharing a house where only one person is the owner, it could conceivably make the roommate feel more like a boarder who is renting a room, as opposed to someone who is sharing everything in the whole house. If you want to decorate a certain way, are you going to be willing to take into consideration your roommate's tastes? If the yard needs to be mowed, are you going to expect your roommate to do that? If the roof needs to be replaced, are you going to ask them to split the cost? Sharing a house 50/50 isn't the same as simply renting out a portion because you want help to pay the utilities.

To answer your question, I'd say charge them half of everything it's going to cost you to own and maintain the home....half the mortgage, half the utilities, half the grocery bill, half the maintenance expenses, etc. Then if something ever happened and they bailed on you, at least you could still afford the place while looking for a new roomie.

[ilovehouses]

I would do all maintenance and groceries would be separate. I recently lived in someone else's house and this was a great set-up for me. I wasn't expected to be "friends" with anyone else living in the house. I came and went as I pleased. Just had ground rules like locking the doors when I came in/left and cleaning up my own dishes after eating. I think there is a market for that, because I loved it! I would even be willing to do shorter term leases (like six months) which would be great for students (there is a college near-by). Just some thoughts I have been having.

[EPHIA]

Assuming you're renting one bedroom to one person with shared use of common spaces, I'd find out what one bedroom apartments are renting for and charge that plus 1/2 utilities. Not sure renters care about WBFP. Good luck, and be sure to reach out to organizations like Price Hill Will and Santa Maria Community Services; they might help you with pricing and tenant assistance.

[Wilson513]

I am encouraged by your statement that you are only "thinking about" buying a house in East Price Hill as opposed to your saying that you already bought a house there. Haven't we explored this topic enough that a search of the forum would yield endless testimonials to the effect that East Price Hill is neither safe nor charming? Its an ugly, dirty, dangerous place with high crime,and low income. Perhaps the worst neighborhood in Cincinnati. Name a worse one. I can't think what it might be.

The East Price Hill Improvement Association is enormously successful because there is so much to improve in EPH. Look, if I lived there I'd probably be real active too, trying to improve my miserable neighborhood. But, why make a plan that includes EPH? You want a roommate in EPH? Ask yourself, why would anyone choose to live there?

[restorationconsultant]

Originally Posted by wilson1010

I am encouraged by your statement that you are only "thinking about" buying a house in East Price Hill as opposed to your saying that you already bought a house there. Haven't we explored this topic enough that a search of the forum would yield endless testimonials to the effect that East Price Hill is neither safe nor charming? Its an ugly, dirty, dangerous place with high crime,and low income. Perhaps the worst neighborhood in Cincinnati. Name a worse one. I can't think what it might be.

The East Price Hill Improvement Association is enormously successful because there is so much to improve in EPH. Look, if I lived there I'd probably be real active too, trying to improve my miserable neighborhood. But, why make a plan that includes EPH? You want a roommate in EPH? Ask yourself, why would anyone choose to live there?

I really do not understand your 'hatred' of Price Hill? I am currently writing a book on Second Empire Architecture of Cincinnati. Price Hill still has a remarkable collection of them. You really should DRIVE around Price Hill before you make such broad generalization about a neighborhood you probably haven't been in for....how many years? Google Street View doesn't really count as visiting, by the way. You might even stop and talk to some of the people who are restoring homes over there. Taking multi family homes back to the gorgeous single family homes they once were with their grand walnut staircases, leaded glass windows, Rookwood and Batchelder tile fireplaces and inlaid oak floors.

You seem to have this 'disdain' for the whole west side? I am sure my neighborhood in Fairmount would be quite 'scary' to you never mind we have millions of dollars of restoration going on all around us. I am sure you would have something disparaging to say about that 8000 square foot Romanesque Mansion around the corner from me or the 4500 square foot 3 story Queen Anne with its turret. Not to mention my own Second Empire Cottage with its 9 color preservation paint job and gold leafed house numbers and the original stenciling in the front parlor from 1871?

Perhaps you thought Columbia Tusculum or Mt Adams on the East Side were just "shacks with delusion of grandeur", or a "passing fad"?

Cincinnati does not "Begin and End" at Hyde Park.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by restorationconsultant

I really do not understand your 'hatred' of Price Hill? . . . .

Its not really about me though is it. I do seem to have a skepticism about EPH but I did say some nice things about the view properties on a couple of threads. And, I have actually been to Price Hill recently, although like most clear thinking persons I limit my incursion into the village of the damned (sarc.) to daylight hours.

I used to be enthralled with woodwork and architectural detail too. Now I think of neighborhoods in a holistic sense. Price Hill does not fare well as a whole.

I've been meaning to ask you a question though. On that restoration in Fairmont in your photo gallery, why did you do all the outside painting and carpentry but not the concrete walkways. When I used to do this stuff, we always did the messy stuff first. Seems like its backwards to finish the outside and then do the walks that require excavation right against the finished painting. Just wondering.

[restorationconsultant]

We wouldnt do sidewalks first because we are completely regrading and terracing the lot to accomodate a formal brick coutryard with fountain on the side, restoring the original sunken garden and creating a new front formal english garden in front. All the sidewalks will be done in brick pavers, not to mention all the landscaping we have to do and the removal of several old trees. We are also adding a two story second empire mansard roof carriage house additon to the house on the side near the rear with rooftop deck to take in the view of the city, adding back the double side gallery veranda that was on the side many years ago and we are adding new english conservatory on the back of the house off the kitchen. We are hardly finished with the outside.

We did the initial exterior work to make a statement that the neighborhood was on it's way back. because we made that statement, several of our neighbors who have largely been working on the inside of their homes, will start their exterior painting this spring, somebody always has to go first!

[Wilson513]

Well, you certainly make a statement with that fine renovation. I wonder if you noticed the two 1865 row houses on my profile that I renovated for my office in OTR? Nothing like your Victorian, of course. I'll have to put some more photos up.

[price hill will]

Originally Posted by ilovehouses

I'm thinking about buying a house in Price Hill. It's beautiful and on a nice tree lined street. The street is very well kept.
The house is a 3 floored house.
Two working fireplaces.
11 foot ceilings.
Nicely decorated
Wrap around porch.
Very large common rooms
Still very big bedrooms
The roommate would have to share the main bath with me, but the house does have 1.5 bath(s)
Plenty of street parking.
Natural woodwork.

I would need a roommate to help me cover the heating costs in the winter. I could swing it on my own, but it's such a big house, that I'd rather have a roommate anyhow.

How much do you think I could charge? I figure it's close to UC and downtown. Oh, one other thing, I do have a dog and cat, so that will reduce my pool of roommates I think.

Can you tell me what part or what neighborhood in PH the house is located?