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Old 12-03-2014, 10:29 AM
 
14 posts, read 24,988 times
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Hello,

I'm looking to move to Shaker. I love the area, the old houses, and the sense of community. Right now I'm looking at a few houses in the Onaway neighborhood but have a few questions:

Is there a difference between the section of Onaway that has the curved street vs. the straight and long streets? The houses I'm looking at are all in the curved section.

Does Onaway have the same neighborhood feel as other parts of Shaker? I'd like to live in a part of Shaker that has a community organization, block parties, and other neighborhood get-togethers that I hear other neighborhoods have.

I'm single without kids...is it worth paying the higher taxes to live in a community such as Shaker if I can't benefit from the schools?

I'd like to stay in my next house long term; at least 10-15 years. Do you think the value of houses in Shaker will be worth the investment as the housing stock for the city as a whole generally reaches 100 - 120 years old?

Any feedback and opinions are appreciated. Thanks!
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Old 12-03-2014, 10:45 AM
 
Location: Cleveland
3,412 posts, read 5,086,388 times
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Onaway is a great neighborhood, but I'd stay east of Van Aken. The Ludlow neighborhood West of Van Aken (which I think is the neighborhood you're talking about with "curved streets") borders some very rough areas of Cleveland, and has seen some spillover crime. Yes, the houses are much cheaper there, so it's a matter of whether you think you can handle that. That particular neighborhood will probably see housing values drop in the future, as I don't see the bordering part of Cleveland improving any time soon. A better choice with affordable houses might be the Lomond neighborhood.

Last edited by Cleverfield; 12-03-2014 at 11:04 AM..
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Old 12-03-2014, 11:02 AM
 
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Thanks, but this is definitely the Onaway neighborhood. It's just west of Lee and north of Van Aken. I'm talking about the Braemer, Aberdeen, Enderby area as opposed the Huntington, Warrington, Chadborne streets.
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Old 12-03-2014, 11:06 AM
 
Location: Cleveland
3,412 posts, read 5,086,388 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TAC1977 View Post
Thanks, but this is definitely the Onaway neighborhood. It's just west of Lee and north of Van Aken. I'm talking about the Braemer, Aberdeen, Enderby area as opposed the Huntington, Warrington, Chadborne streets.
Oh, I see, then those areas are awesome , no real difference between Chadbourne and those streets.
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Old 12-03-2014, 11:10 AM
 
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No difference, and the curved streets might be even more friendly since there are smaller blocks with less through-traffic. The little triangle at Warrington and Fernway is set up as a neighborhood ice rink every winter (they had an indiegogo campaign last year to buy an ice mower to keep it cleared: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/o...nity-ice-mower).
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Old 12-03-2014, 11:48 AM
 
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Thanks! Any other info?
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Old 12-03-2014, 12:00 PM
 
107 posts, read 146,475 times
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I can't answer your questions about whether it's worth it to live here without kids or whether Shaker is a good long-term investment, really, except by offering anecdotal info.

I have kids and moved here for the community feel and the schools, though I have neighbors who do not have kids who've chosen to live here and seem happy and I also have neighbors who've stayed on for years after their kids have graduated from the schools.

I don't see an old house as an investment risk, especially not when it's situated in an older, established suburb with strong housing inspection policies. (But then I grew up in a suburb slightly older than Shaker with similar policies, so I'm used to - and partial to - older homes and older towns.) The general consensus I've heard from repairmen who come through the Heights is that these houses and their systems were built to last 80 years. Most Shaker houses are nearing the 90-100 year marks now, so in many cases whatever's going to fail has already failed and been replaced.
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Old 12-03-2014, 03:20 PM
 
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Default Single in Shaker

Dear OP,

I am a single professional who purchased a single-family Shaker Heights home in January. It is not in Onaway, but rather Thornton Park (north of Chagrin Blvd, east of Warrensville Road). I bought in Shaker even though I don't have school-age children because I wanted to live in a walkable, bikable neighborhood where I could access transit to reach retail services, civic institutions, recreational amenities and my new job in downtown Cleveland. I can walk to the grocery store, pharmacy, barber shop, dry cleaners, florist, restaurants, church and Thornton Park Aquatic Center within minutes. I also play tennis year-round and I joined the Cleveland Skating Club, located just north of Shaker Square. I have also used the library and shopped in Shaker Square and Shaker Towne, all via rapid. I sat down with Joyce Braverman, Shaker Heights Planning Director, to learn about future development in the community before I decided to purchase. I'm glad I did, because she introduced me to all the of the forthcoming development along the Blue Line (Van Aken) corridor, including the Van Aken District and the new Lee Road Rapid Station.

Older homes are a lot of work but I love mine and I appreciate quality and charm in an established neighborhood. My house is on Halworth Road and was built in 1956. It is all garden (no lawn) and my vintage mid-century modern furniture suits the home perfectly. Shaker City services (snow plowing, garbage and recycling pick-up, police response, recreational amenities) are outstanding; I feel I get my money's worth. My parents were both public school teachers, so I enthusiastically support what I consider to be the most academically successful, diverse public school district in the State of Ohio. According to the Harvard Club of Northeast Ohio, Shaker High has sent more graduates to that institution than any other school, public or private, in the past eight years.

Feel free to private message me if you want to discuss further. I know many folks who live in Onaway (professors, architects, attorneys, physicians, business entrepreneurs, etc.) and they love it.

DR J
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Old 12-03-2014, 04:13 PM
 
11,610 posts, read 10,298,197 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TAC1977 View Post
Hello,

I'm single without kids...is it worth paying the higher taxes to live in a community such as Shaker if I can't benefit from the schools?

I'd like to stay in my next house long term; at least 10-15 years. Do you think the value of houses in Shaker will be worth the investment as the housing stock for the city as a whole generally reaches 100 - 120 years old?

Any feedback and opinions are appreciated. Thanks!
The quality of the Shaker schools supports property prices and the general vitality of the Shaker Hts. community. Taxes are high partially because Shaker Heights has a relatively negligible commercial and industrial property base for a city of its size.

If the Shaker Heights school district ever regresses for whatever reason, you could witness a quick decline in property values and general deterioration of the community. High property tax rates might become even higher if property values fall, creating a vicious cycle.

Are there any other reasons you are considering SH, such as its rapid rail connections?

If not, perhaps consider other communities, perhaps such as Chagrin Falls, Rocky River, perhaps Willoughby, even Lakewood, etc. And I'm not certain block parties would be a high priority of mine even though I do like Shaker Heights otherwise. As I like walking, I might prefer living near the likes of the Rocky River Reservation and Lakewood Park.

What I don't like about Shaker Heights is the relative distance from easy freeway access, although it's close to University Circle and downtown can be reached by rail rapid.

Also, I never was particularly impressed with the SH library, especially with the shortage problem that once was a problem.

Last edited by WRnative; 12-03-2014 at 04:22 PM..
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Old 12-04-2014, 12:32 PM
 
14 posts, read 24,988 times
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Thanks for all the great replies!


Thanks for the perspective of the repair men EHFP. I've always leaned to that line of reasoning as well. My current house was built in 1930 and so far I've replaced the furnace, the water heater, and the roof (storm damage). Those things will go no matter how new or old the house is.

DR J,
I'm glad to see that you feel that you feel that you get your money's worth from the services. You mentioned that you live near the park and belong to a club. Are there any other recreational amenities in Shaker?

WRNative,
Besides what I've already mentioned I'm considering Shaker because it fits into my long term plans. I work in Cleveland Heights and like the short commute between the two, I'll be applying for the PH.D program at CSU so the proximity to downtown and the area colleges I may teach at in the future is a bonus, and I'd enjoy the overall quality of life that being closer to a more urban (Cleveland) and artsy (Cleveland Heights) area would bring. I like the idea of being able to take the RTA to Indians games or the casino but it isn't a huge draw from me. I've always lived in the suburbs so being car dependent is the norm.

I also grew up in Mentor and live in Willoughby...I'm tired of Lake County. There is nothing to do there but eat at chain restaurants. The other areas you mentioned are to far out from work; I want to cut my 45 minute commute down to as little as possible. I don't mind being further from the freeway as most of my day to day activities will be in the Heights area or Cleveland; if I want to visit my parents I'll just drive 45 minutes in the other direction.

What is it about the Shaker Library system you don't like? I enjoy libraries and like that the Onaway neighborhood is so close to the main branch.
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