Best Cleveland/Akron suburbs with small town vibe (Shaker Heights, Willoughby: apartments, rentals)

[citymama]

Originally Posted by usaf_1832

Regarding Rocky River, when we were looking, we had Rocky River middle of the road when it came to taxes:

Cuyahoga County Property Tax Rates (2018) - Cleveland Real Estate

I personally wouldn’t call them high.

Good to know how Rocky River compares to other local cities! We have really great amenities but are considerably higher than the other states we've lived in. The library, schools and city services are so much nicer than the other places we've lived.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by usaf_1832

Regarding Rocky River, when we were looking, we had Rocky River middle of the road when it came to taxes:

Cuyahoga County Property Tax Rates (2018) - Cleveland Real Estate

I personally wouldn’t call them high.

I understand. I was just comparing property tax to what we pay here in Northern Virginia, which seems to be about half (~1,300 for every $100k). Housing costs would most likely be a lot less in RR so that would help. We have time to look and compare all the various costs.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by tgbwc

I understand. I was just comparing property tax to what we pay here in Northern Virginia, which seems to be about half (~1,300 for every $100k). Housing costs would most likely be a lot less in RR so that would help. We have time to look and compare all the various costs.

An useful comparison, never used, would be property taxes per square foot, both non- adjusted AND adjusted for relative quality of the home and community services. Property taxes need to be higher in many Greater Cleveland communities to raise necessary funding for services given the lower relative property values and lesser commercial and industrial property in the tax base, both in comparison with other Greater Cleveland communities let alone communities elsewhere in the country with much higher real property valuations.

Level of services, property values, and the relative presence of commercial and industrial properties in the tax bases also affect tax bills within Greater Cleveland.

https://www.cleveland.com/datacentra...king_cuya.html

E.g., Cuyahoga County property taxes include 3.2 mills to pay for Cleveland Metroparks operating and capital expenditures, an expense not incurred in many communities across the country, and in Ohio, but overwhelmingly supported by Cuyahoga County voters.

https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/...udget.pdf.ashx

Rocky River residents especially benefit from the Metroparks, given their proximity to lakefront reservations (Huntington and Edgewater), the great Rocky River Reservation, and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, generally considered among the 20 best zoos in the U.S.

https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/...er-reservation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Metroparks

Many Cleveland communities have superior schools and library services, again due to higher levels of property tax funding.

If you were to do the non-adjusted per square foot calculations, let alone the adjusted calculation (admittedly more subjective), how does Rocky River compare with your N. Virginia community?

The Greater D.C. area is an outlier as the federal government pays for a disproportionate amount of the amenities in the region.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by WRnative

An useful comparison, never used, would be property taxes per square foot, both non- adjusted AND adjusted for relative quality of the home and community services. Property taxes need to be higher in many Greater Cleveland communities to raise necessary funding for services given the lower relative property values and lesser commercial and industrial property in the tax base, both in comparison with other Greater Cleveland communities let alone communities elsewhere in the country with much higher real property valuations.

Level of services, property values, and the relative presence of commercial and industrial properties in the tax bases also affect tax bills within Greater Cleveland.

https://www.cleveland.com/datacentra...king_cuya.html

E.g., Cuyahoga County property taxes include 3.2 mills to pay for Cleveland Metroparks operating and capital expenditures, an expense not incurred in many communities across the country, and in Ohio, but overwhelmingly supported by Cuyahoga County voters.

https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/...udget.pdf.ashx

Rocky River residents especially benefit from the Metroparks, given their proximity to lakefront reservations (Huntington and Edgewater), the great Rocky River Reservation, and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, generally considered among the 20 best zoos in the U.S.

https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/...er-reservation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Metroparks

Many Cleveland communities have superior schools and library services, again due to higher levels of property tax funding.

If you were to do the non-adjusted per square foot calculations, let alone the adjusted calculation (admittedly more subjective), how does Rocky River compare with your N. Virginia community?

The Greater D.C. area is an outlier as the federal government pays for a disproportionate amount of the amenities in the region.

Thanks. I’ll have to do some figuring. This is probably a good example of an average SFH:
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-31653#photo11

I believe the quality level of services we have are quite high and I really can’t think of any county amenities covered by the federal government.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by tgbwc

I believe the quality level of services we have are quite high and I really can’t think of any county amenities covered by the federal government.

I'm not certain where you live in Northern Virginia, but I was thinking of things like federal subsidies for the Metro and support for the Smithsonian institutions, such as the National Zoo. This Smithsonian subsidies totaled $863 million in 2017. Of course, Congresspersons actually live in Greater Washington, DC.

https://newsdesk.si.edu/factsheets/s...ion-fact-sheet

Obviously, the federal government also supplies a massive economic multiplier impact for the entire Greater Washington, DC, economy.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by tgbwc

Thanks. I’ll have to do some figuring. This is probably a good example of an average SFH:
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-31653#photo11

It's interesting how even newer homes in N. Virginia lack garages. Most newer Cleveland area homes have garages, and typically basements, both of which may NOT be included in square footage totals, if I remember correctly (I'm not certain) on property tax records in northeast Ohio (perhaps garage and basement square footages are listed separately).

For the house you linked, I wonder if property taxes are adjusted for the anticipated sales price. At any rate, it appears that annual property taxes are at least $5.50/sq. foot.

I'm not certain how one would adjust for basements and garages when doing a per square foot property tax calculation. Ditto for differences in lot sizes.

Anyway, per square foot calculations, adjusted or not, provide some approximation of the relative property tax burden and a better measure IMO than property taxes measured by percentage of FMV, as the cost of services funded by property taxes may not vary as much as relative property prices, necessitating higher property tax rates in communities with lower relative home prices, especially if better amenities are provided in the lower property value markets.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by WRnative

I'm not certain where you live in Northern Virginia, but I was thinking of things like federal subsidies for the Metro and support for the Smithsonian institutions, such as the National Zoo. This Smithsonian subsidies totaled $863 million in 2017. Of course, Congresspersons actually live in Greater Washington, DC.

https://newsdesk.si.edu/factsheets/s...ion-fact-sheet

Obviously, the federal government also supplies a massive economic multiplier impact for the entire Greater Washington, DC, economy.

Fairfax County.

I’m thinking services typically provided by property tax such as schools, police, fire, parks, libraries, and rec centers. I see what you are saying regarding Metro, which does extend into and benefit the suburbs. I wasn’t considering institutions such as the National Zoo since they are located in other jurisdictions and not within the county or even state. Property taxes wouldn’t go towards them in any case, probably similar to the Cuyahoga Valley Nat’l Park.

No doubt regarding the federal government and local economy.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by WRnative

It's interesting how even newer homes in N. Virginia lack garages. Most newer Cleveland area homes have garages, and typically basements, both of which may NOT be included in square footage totals, if I remember correctly (I'm not certain) on property tax records in northeast Ohio (perhaps garage and basement square footages are listed separately).

For the house you linked, I wonder if property taxes are adjusted for the anticipated sales price. At any rate, it appears that annual property taxes are at least $5.50/sq. foot.

I'm not certain how one would adjust for basements and garages when doing a per square foot property tax calculation. Ditto for differences in lot sizes.

Anyway, per square foot calculations, adjusted or not, provide some approximation of the relative property tax burden and a better measure IMO than property taxes measured by percentage of FMV, as the cost of services funded by property taxes may not vary as much as relative property prices, necessitating higher property tax rates in communities with lower relative home prices, especially if better amenities are provided in the lower property value markets.

I would LOVE to have a garage!

Property taxes are based on that year’s county assessment of land and building which is almost always, if. It always, lower than actual sales prices. Basements are not counted in the sq footage.

Thanks for the info.

[TheProf]

To me, while a number of Cleveland suburbs have a traditional Main Street small town vibe -- Chardon, Hudson (very good), Gates Mills, Willoughby, Berea, and Burton -- to name a few off the top of my head, the clear cut winner is Chagrin Falls. While CF shares the similar Main Street aspects of the others, they don't have The Falls, which makes central CF totally unique; I don't know of any small town quite like this anywhere. Practically all the buildings in the central area are pre-1900 and the location of the town at the top of a hill with a steep hill to the north makes CF even more intriguing. Add to that the 1875-built popcorn & ice cream shop built directly over the falls and, well... You can walk down the steps to directly under the falls at the river. Chagrin Falls is a hit with historians and nature lovers, to boot. It is often on my tour circuit when showing off Cleveland newcomers the area.

On top of all that, CF is really not that far away, time wise, although it feels like it should be 100 miles from Cleveland (even further if you consider CF's strong New England atmosphere). And yet the relatively short drive to get there -- take the long way out Gates Mills, Old Mill Rd, Chagrin River Road and then Chagrin Road directly to CF -- is one of the most beautiful, peaceful and idyllic drives in the United States, period...

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by TheProf

On top of all that, CF is really not that far away, time wise, although it feels like it should be 100 miles from Cleveland (even further if you consider CF's strong New England atmosphere). And yet the relatively short drive to get there -- take the long way out Gates Mills, Old Mill Rd, Chagrin River Road and then Chagrin Road directly to CF -- is one of the most beautiful, peaceful and idyllic drives in the United States, period...

Please elaborate on the specifics of this drive. E.g., coming from the north, do you take Route 91 to get to Old Mill Road? Route 174? Thanks.