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As far as Beavercreek and HOAs:
Most neighborhoods that have newer homes will have some semblance of an HOA fee, usually no more than $50-$200 dollars depending on the size of the neighborhood. This usually pays for maintaining common areas at the front of the subdivision. You don't see, with a few exceptions, the type of HOA structures in this part of Ohio that you normally see in the sunbelt states or around the DMV area.
That's actually reassuring, although our HOA here isn't much more than the pool and taking care of the common areas/plowing snow (which they're fantastic at compared to the Maryland municipalities). We only pay $90 a month right now, as well as an annual $300 fee for the pool and utilities. It's the restrictions on what can or can't be built that are really annoying. I don't mind submitting permits for things, but if it's a normal request (shed, fence, etc), I don't like that they can refuse it if it doesn't have the correct "look".
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Originally Posted by wrightflyer
However, there are still some communities in that style of setup. Washington Trace in Washington Township (Centerville Schools) likely is. So is Stonehill Village in Beavercreek Township. These communities are large "master-planned" communities that offer swimming pools and clubhouses, but can get pricey with HOA fees, especially if they aren't fully built out yet.
This is very helpful, thanks! I mostly want to know where NOT to look, so having the names of neighborhoods is great!
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Originally Posted by wrightflyer
The following streets north of Kemp Road - Brown Bark, Apricot, Red Apple and Banyon have older homes that will be in your price range, even with updates. Most of what you will find here (and other parts of Beavercreek) in the 60's-80's housing stock that meets your criteria are tri-levels. Popular neighborhoods with a swim club located off La Cresta Drive, Greene Valley Recreation Center.
Some of the streets north of Grammercy and Cross Country will have places that meet your needs, but I believe most are 60's/70's ranches compared to south of those streets.
Yeah, we don't mind older if it's well-maintained and the interior has been updated. If the interior is old, we're more likely to want to pay the bottom of the price range, though. Style actually isn't a huge concern for us, although my husband seems to love falling up and down stairs an awful lot, and we've gone from living in a ground floor apartment on base during our first assignment, to two two-story houses at the ones after, to a three story at our current one! So ranch is probably better for him on the whole, although ranch with a basement would be ideal. Storage space is important to us. I know in Huber Heights almost none of the houses had basements, something our realtor said about the limestone there? That definitely doesn't appeal. But I figure if there are so many split levels around Beavercreek, Kettering, and Centerville then there should be basements, too. If we can't get a ranch, then split level or even a two story would be fine. A lot of it will depend on layout. Ideally, we'd like to have the fourth bedroom somewhere in the house where my mom would be able to feel like she has her own space. An in-law suite would be even better, but those don't seem as common, or when they are, they're out-dated.
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Originally Posted by wrightflyer
Spicer Heights (originally a Huber development, so may be familiar on some streets) sits NE of Kemp and Grange Hall. A small shopping center with local businesses is on the corner and the neighborhood stretches behind that. It goes as far north as Ellsworth/Somerset/Olde Oakes and east to Gerspacher. The local elementary school (Shaw) is on the southern side of the neighborhood and there is a (small) walking trail in Spicer Park along with a playground set (all city maintained). Idle Hour Swim Club is on the south side of the development, another private swim club in the model of Greene Valley (see above). Mall at Fairfield Commons and the Fairfield Road corridor are 2-5 minutes down Kemp.
I saw a few houses for sale in that area that I liked. Hopefully there will be more when we are ready to do our house hunting. Good to know about the park. I liked the pictures of it. Being able to have the kids at the park with Grandma while we run would be a good thing!
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Originally Posted by wrightflyer
The streets bordered by Castle Gate (south) I-675 (east) Kemp (north) and Shumway/Mohave/Stonewood (west) will have similar housing to the first two neighborhoods. The elementary school is Parkwood, which is the weakest of the Beavercreek elementary schools, but still a very good school. In the middle of the neighborhood is the Cardinal Hill recreation club (like Idle Hour and Greene Valley). The Creekside Trail can be reached through the neighborhood side streets via a branch from Ardonna Lane. Keep in mind the streets west of the ones mentioned above will be in the City of Riverside and attend Mad River Schools.
THANK YOU for the info on the school. I've been wondering what the differences are! It surprises me that you say that Parkwood is the weakest, though, because it ranks higher than Valley or Main on Great Schools. What are you using for your criteria? I'd love to know before I make any decisions.
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Originally Posted by wrightflyer
Most of the streets between Fairfield Road and Hanes Road as far north as Kemp Road will have nicely maintained communities with varying sized and aged homes. If south of Suburban and Hillside, the southern stretches of streets closest to Dayton-Xenia will be easily walkable to Shoup Park and even Kroger and the shopping center there. You are also within walking distance of the bike path that parallels Dayton-Xenia all the way to Rotary Park past the high school. And the Creekside Trail is within spitting distance as well.
Thanks for this! I do like a couple houses in that area for sale now. Again, hopefully there's something we like come April! I want lots of choices to go look at.
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Originally Posted by wrightflyer
Finally, the neighborhood south of the high school along Dayton-Xenia from Hamden to Richmar will offer older homes that will likely be in your price range. The high school campus is across the street (9th Grade building as well as the 10-12 building). EJ Nutter Park has the local youth baseball fields, I believe a playground, and access via the park to the Creekside Trail.
Is the high school having any issues with drugs? That's one big thing I worry about, for all of the school districts. I've heard there are heroin and meth issues in the Dayton area, especially in the high schools. Living near a high school kind of makes me nervous anyway, although I suppose it would be convenient for my older kid.
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Originally Posted by wrightflyer
If you can find something in your price range and can put up with an HOA that isn't authoritarian driven, I would also recommend Hunter's Ridge or Hunter's Pointe. Lot's of military and former (i.e. retired) military in the developments. No pool or clubhouse, so HOA just maintains green common space. The southern edge of the neighborhood in Hunter's Ridge has access to a small city park with bike access to Rotary Park (large green park with softball fields and soccer practice fields as well as a playground). Fireworks are set off from the rear of Rotary on the 4th of July. Lot's of people will watch from their backyards (if the trees haven't grown too big!) or the local Hunter's Ridge Park (city owned and maintained). There are two ponds in the back of Hunter's Ridge for residents only with catch and release fishing. There are some ponds tucked in Hunter's Pointe as well. Homes will likely be near or at the top of your price point, and it will be in the older sections. Hunter's Ridge started in 1994 and is finishing its last section (stalled out during the recession but building well again). Hunter's Point was built between 1998-2008.
These areas sound nice. So talking with my husband again, who was the main one against the HOA here, he actually said the "full service" type HOAs with club houses and a LOT more he wouldn't mind. He might drive me slightly crazy before this is over. I still think the cost is not quite worth it, especially if we're also going to be at the upper edge of our budget as is. That's a pity, too. I've just resigned myself to being in an older home. Our Huber home was from the 80's, and it wasn't bad after we redid the bathrooms and updated the light fixtures and carpet.
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Originally Posted by wrightflyer
Also, Kettering is an older community, where much of the development predates HOA style neighborhood setups. Granted, the homes will be older, but your price range should turn up some nicely renovated properties. I would do as stated earlier and look around the Kettering Rec Center. Developments and streets inside the triangle of I-675 - Woodman/Wilmington Pike - Dorothy Lane corridors should have older ranches and two-stories. Keep in mind, they tend to date to the 50's-70's. Areas with the biggest homes will probably be mostly south of Stroop inside the designated area. Finally, the area I just drew also resides on the far eastern portion (along I-675) in Sugarcreek Township and will go to Sugarcreek Schools (with Madison Grant subdivision being the lone exception).
You'll also find older, but decent sized homes along any of these east-west corridors. E. David (Kettering City and Schools), Rahn Road (Kettering & Centerville City and Schools) and Whipp Road (mostly Centerville City and Schools with some Kettering City and Schools) Again, most housing stock dates from the 60's-80's, but you can get a decent-sized renovated two-store for somewhere in the higher end of your price bucket. Any of those corridors between Wilmington Pike on the east end and Mad River Road on the west should work. The only location I'd shy away from is the intersection of Whipp and Bigger. Lot of older apartments and the Kroger in Oak Creek Plaza will (likely?) close when the new Kroger Marketplace opens next to Costco in Cornerstone of Centerville.
Thanks for your insight into these, too, especially the Whipp and Bigger area. That's too bad because there's a house on Bigger that looks nice. Thank goodness I'm trying not to get emotionally invested in any yet! (Except the one Centerville one. The part of me that has sold a house before says it's not nice to the seller to hope that it stays on the market for another five months, but a girl can dream, right?)
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Originally Posted by wrightflyer
There is also a number of neighborhoods on the south side of Beavercreek (south of US-35) that would fit your bill as well. However, access to parks and trails will be a little more difficult on the southern end of the city. Check out Tara (all but the Tara West and Tara Falls section should be in your budget) and the neighborhood off Shakertown along Burntwood and Talowood.
I did wonder about the south of US-35 area. I didn't find as many parks and such on Google Maps. I swear I feel like a stalker at this point, although I'm stalking cities vs people! Still, there are nice houses down there, so I don't want to discount them out of hand. I can't wait for the actual house hunting when I can get a real feel for the areas! This makes me regret not spending more time south of 70 when we were living there last. Usually we would only go to see friends or for occasional events.
Oh, thanks! That's good to know. Springfield is right at the edge of how far away from work we want to live, but it does seem to have good schools. I was sad to cross it off the list! After four years in Maryland where you can live seven miles away from work and still take thirty minutes to get there EVERY day, very little will faze us! How are the conveniences?shopping, recreation, etc? From four years ago I don't remember seeing much the couple times I visited friends down there.
We're thinking Bellbrook, too, but the larger updated homes seem mostly out of our price range. I figure that will be an option if there's anything we like for sale in the spring. Do you have any info on the area?
I had worked in Springboro for the last 2 years, they lost their IGA, K-Mart and Max & Irma's during that time. They do have a Dorothy Lane Market and a bunch of other stuff along 741 going up to the Dayton Mall. Springboro does have the La Comedia if you are into dinner theatre and if you like outdoor activities Caesar's Creek is a 10 minute drive.
Most of what I know about the area schools come from having my daughter in Color Guard/Winter Guard when she was in high school 10 years ago, Bellbrook seemed to be a smaller district which has it's advantages, Centerville and Fairmont seemed kind of big. I don't put much stock in ratings, it just seems that in a smaller district students are less likely to fall through the cracks.
As far as drugs in high school, I went through Beavercreek between 04-08 and never once encountered a situation with any drugs present on a personal or immediate friend level. That is both inside and outside school. I think if you have the right parenting model, nudge/push your kids into healthy activities, and keep an eye on them, they will be fine.
The ADD and ADHD drugs are likely more prevalent at the higher achieving school districts' high schools. I say this with knowledge from local friends both from my school and Oakwood (SHOCK!). But never once was I asked nor offered any of these types of substances. Prescription drugs were the thing when I was at Beavercreek and a drug sweep would occur usually once or twice a year. Occasionally (and by that I mean two or three out of eight times) was someone arrested for carrying illegal or ill-gotten substances. So, in a school with 2500+ kids averaged per year, 2-3 were arrested.
I don't think meth would be a major issue within most any high school in the area. I do know rural areas have issues and parents tend to be more problematic with drug use in the suburbs. But I could be wrong. Heroin is the bigger issue than meth at the moment. I didn't know many kids in my school who dropped out due to drug use or habits. Drinking was the only issue I know with any particular student and that kid did much better by college when I ran into him again.
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Parkwood has worst grades per state test standards (at least as of 2-3 years ago before the mess the state made of the current grading system), which may be due to families having higher rates of poverty from that school compared to others. Portions of Parkwood actually pull from small plats of Riverside, Dayton and Kettering. Granted, as you can probably guess, I am a little rusty when it comes to elementary schools. I do have friends from high school that went back to teach there, so that says something positive about the district, I hope. And these are teachers that likely could have gone anywhere they wished, but instead went back home.
As far as Great Schools ratings, they can give a certain angle of view, just as state test standards give another. But they aren't the end all be all and I would say pretty much any school in Beavercreek, Bellbrook, Centerville or Springboro will be fine regardless of rating. Kettering has a large number of elementary schools and is a more varied suburb as far as poverty vs. wealth. Portions of Kettering have large amounts of wealth, especially near the hospital. Other portions are less lucky and have a higher percentage of disadvantage students, usually seen in the number of free or subsidized lunches provided. But even with Kettering, I think you would be fine with any of their schools.
The good news is every district you are looking at has just one high school, which will probably make the choice a little easier compared with county-wide districts in MD with multiple high schools.
By the way, I am originally from Woodbridge, VA. Have a father from SE DC who grew up in Bowie (until the late 70's). An uncle in Sykesville (and formerly from Mt. Airy) and an Aunt from Kent Island. So I am very familiar with where Odenton is. While probably not to the same scale, the Springboro area will likely be well developed, just as the corridors between DC and Baltimore are, within the next 5-15 years. Lots of growth has happened even in the last 4-5 years along I-75 and more is likely to come.
Thanks for the reassurance on the high schools! I don't remember much of a drug problem in my own high school in Northeast Ohio, but we were mostly lower middle class or poor. We didn't have the extra money to get drugs, more often than not.
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Originally Posted by wrightflyer
As far as Great Schools ratings, they can give a certain angle of view, just as state test standards give another. But they aren't the end all be all and I would say pretty much any school in Beavercreek, Bellbrook, Centerville or Springboro will be fine regardless of rating. Kettering has a large number of elementary schools and is a more varied suburb as far as poverty vs. wealth. Portions of Kettering have large amounts of wealth, especially near the hospital. Other portions are less lucky and have a higher percentage of disadvantage students, usually seen in the number of free or subsidized lunches provided. But even with Kettering, I think you would be fine with any of their schools.
The good news is every district you are looking at has just one high school, which will probably make the choice a little easier compared with county-wide districts in MD with multiple high schools.
I can definitely agree that Great Schools and the state tests don't tell the whole story. That's where I'm hoping this forum can help! :-) I don't want to dismiss an area because the schools aren't great on paper, and at the same time I don't want to assume that because they're great on paper they will have everything my kids need. I just realized I didn't mention that my oldest has ADHD. Does anyone know if any of the schools are better than the others for dealing with that?
By the way, I am originally from Woodbridge, VA. Have a father from SE DC who grew up in Bowie (until the late 70's). An uncle in Sykesville (and formerly from Mt. Airy) and an Aunt from Kent Island. So I am very familiar with where Odenton is. While probably not to the same scale, the Springboro area will likely be well developed, just as the corridors between DC and Baltimore are, within the next 5-15 years. Lots of growth has happened even in the last 4-5 years along I-75 and more is likely to come.
Thanks for the insight! That comparison does help. What area would you compare Beavercreek, Centerville, and Kettering to? Are you familiar with Columbia/Ellicott City/Elkridge? Are they kind of like that?
If your looking for an affluent, premier middle-class suburb, than Centerville, Kettering and Springboro are the best options.
I don't know that I'd necessarily put it like that. what I'm interested in is schools, community feeling, safety, being close to shopping and amenities, and outdoor areas for recreation, in about that order.
Thanks for the reassurance on the high schools! I don't remember much of a drug problem in my own high school in Northeast Ohio, but we were mostly lower middle class or poor. We didn't have the extra money to get drugs, more often than not.
I can definitely agree that Great Schools and the state tests don't tell the whole story. That's where I'm hoping this forum can help! :-) I don't want to dismiss an area because the schools aren't great on paper, and at the same time I don't want to assume that because they're great on paper they will have everything my kids need. I just realized I didn't mention that my oldest has ADHD. Does anyone know if any of the schools are better than the others for dealing with that?
Kettering is usually really good with kids who have needs. I'm sure Centerville and Beavercreek are as well though.
I don't know that I'd necessarily put it like that. what I'm interested in is schools, community feeling, safety, being close to shopping and amenities, and outdoor areas for recreation, in about that order.
That is why I would recomend the area by the Kettering Rec Center (Kettering and Beavercreek). There is the Rec Center, The Greene, a big park, etc.... There are plenty of other options though.
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