Possible Relo to Cleveland (Cincinnati, Mentor: real estate, apartments, rentals)

[kimberlymarie30]

My husband has a good lead on a job in the Cleveland area. We currently live in Cincinnati and this could be too good to pass up. We both work full time, I am in real estate and he is a tax accountant. I work for a large bank here in Cincinnati in the real estate/appraisal department. We also have a 3 year old daughter.
From my line of work, I know that the area has seen some rough times lately, as we all have. What would the job prospects look for me up there? We could go awhile without something for me, but I'd rather not.
This job is near Mentor. Where would we want to live with him working in that area? We are looking to rent until our daughter gets closer to school age. Our budget would be about $1000, maybe a little more if it's the right place.

[andremclippers]

Honestly, real estate anywhere is tough to gauge. But i'm almost certain you could find SOMETHING in your field. Cleveland's real-estate hasn't taken AS big of a hit as some other major cities.

I actually have a few friends in the real-estate business and they are doing fairly well (not like it used to be but get what i'm saying).

Also I just had a friend get hired at Keybank for real-estate appraising. He said there are quite a few openings but decided to take the job at Keybank. Keybank is a large bank here in Cleveland.

I wish I could better answer your question. Try doing some searches of your field here in Cleveland.

[Townes Van Zandt]

Are you looking for something urban or suburban?

[kimberlymarie30]

Thanks for the responses. We are looking for something more suburban. We have a dog and really need some space outside for him.

[Townes Van Zandt]

Originally Posted by kimberlymarie30

Thanks for the responses. We are looking for something more suburban. We have a dog and really need some space outside for him.

In terms of where to live-- why not Mentor? It's your typical suburban city. Very safe.

Other places to look: Willoughby/Willoughby Hills, Kirtland, Painesville Twp, and Wickliffe.

All of these places are close to Headlands Beach State Park(in Mentor) which would is a great place to take your pooch! It's the largest natural sand beach in Ohio.

Ohio State Parks - Headlands Beach State Park

Also, if you're into nature, the Holden Arboretum(in Kirtland) is a great place to take the kids. I've heard it's beautiful in the fall-- very reminiscent of New England.

The Holden Arboretum

To be honest, I'm not sure what it would be like to rent in these areas(in terms of availability). Most of the people who live out there are homeowners. The closer you get to the inner ring suburbs, the more likely you are to find rental options. My best advice would be to keep an eye out on Craigslist.

cleveland apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

Good luck!

[kimberlymarie30]

Thanks for the info! I've noticed that most of the ads on craigslist are for apartments with a house or two thrown in there. I'm actually very surprised at the lack of rental houses in general for the area, and the general quality (renovations and such) seem to be mediocre at best. We are very much so against buying right now, however. We just sold our old house in Louisville KY after being in Cincinnati for almost 3 years.
We are definitely considering all of those places. It's important for us to have a short commute, currently my husband commutes an hour each way into Indiana to work from Cincinnati.
I love how Mentor is so close to the lake. I've never lived close to the water in my life. If this works out I think that will be my favorite part!

[Peregrine]

I would agree that Mentor is not a bad choice BUT you need to think about where you might wind up working. You may wind up in downtown Cleveland and that commute is a bit long.

[Marty711]

Just a quick clarification. Dogs are not allowed on the beach at Mentor. They can only walk on the sidewalk. They are allowed at Holden and the North Chagrin Metropark is filled with dogs.
I agree with ksu. Most of the suburbs that surround Mentor are nice. There is a serious lack in rentals in that area so it probably won't be easy to find something there. It'll take some work to find some.

[kimberlymarie30]

I'm thinking that we may need to consider buying. I just don't want to spend another 2-3 years in a house I don't like because we didn't want to buy in a new city. Would you guys think that looking at townhouses would help? Maybe the layout/finishes would be more modern and at the same time still in our price range?
Also, I noticed that many people have said on this forum that the rental market is more of a sign in the yard type of market. A visit in the near future may be needed, as from what I'm seeing on Craigslist and a few other sites this is just not going to be a viable way to look for rentals in the area.

[Townes Van Zandt]

Originally Posted by Marty711

Just a quick clarification. Dogs are not allowed on the beach at Mentor. They can only walk on the sidewalk. They are allowed at Holden and the North Chagrin Metropark is filled with dogs.

Ha!...I could have sworn we brought the dog down there a few years ago. I must be thinking of Fairport Harbor. At any rate, Headlands is a great beach.

By the way, I found a great link if the OP is interested in any other nice beaches:

Time to pay a visit to the best public beaches along Lake Erie | cleveland.com

Originally Posted by Marty711

There is a serious lack in rentals in that area so it probably won't be easy to find something there. It'll take some work to find some.

It's because it's the outer ring suburbs. The closer you get to the inner ring suburbs, the more plentiful the rentals become.

Originally Posted by kimberlymarie30

I'm thinking that we may need to consider buying. I just don't want to spend another 2-3 years in a house I don't like because we didn't want to buy in a new city. Would you guys think that looking at townhouses would help? Maybe the layout/finishes would be more modern and at the same time still in our price range?

Honestly, I wouldn't even consider buying given the housing market(nationally, not just in Northeast Ohio). That's just me. If you're interested, there's typically more rental options along the I-271 corridor(Beachwood, Mayfield, Mayfield Heights, etc) compared to where you are currently looking.

Also, I noticed that many people have said on this forum that the rental market is more of a sign in the yard type of market. A visit in the near future may be needed, as from what I'm seeing on Craigslist and a few other sites this is just not going to be a viable way to look for rentals in the area.

That's probably a very good idea(regardless of where you're moving). You might want to try simply googling "apartments near Mentor, OH" and use the google street-veiw feature to see what the area looks like. It sounds simple, but I do it whenever I'm headed somewhere new.

I wish I could give you more first hand knowledge, but I just don't know many people who rent in that area. Good luck!