More Dayton area questions... (Cleveland, Kettering: relocating, property taxes, military)

[runningdiva]

I have read through all the old threads but I have more questions.
Our family is relocating to Dayton this summer, we are military.
We took a pre-house hunting trip to the city this weekend.
We checked out Oakwood, HH, Kettering, BC, Yellow Springs but not Bellbrook. We ran out of time.
We are looking to buy a house under 175K.
Out of everything we saw, I was in instant love with Oakwood. We used to live in Boulder, CO for 3 years and the housing/walkability of the city really reminded me of some of Boulder's attributes.
I am looking for a few things. I am a Stay at home mom but active. I am an avid runner, and when I am not doing that I am always outside at a playground, with my daughter. I am not a sit on the couch kind of person. I want to surround myself with other like minded people and be in a community where people are outside!!

The other things that are very important to us are the commute time to the base. We currently live on a military base so commuting 20 minutes is going to be a shock to the system for us but we know it has to be. Tipp City is too far....
Since we failed to check out Bellbrook do you think we would be happy there from what I have mentioned? I went on to the city's website and it appears there are numerous parks, will find other people using them? Will I see kids riding bikes outside? runners? cyclists?
Is there a sense of community? do you know your neighbors??

Also, since I can't afford Oakwood what are the thoughts of the southern Oakwood/Kettering border. Similar houses and I could walk to Oakwood still??
Thanks so much, you all seem very helpful!! I appreciate your input.

[wrightflyer]

Yeah, 175K won't buy much in Oakwood. Maybe something small and in need of work, but not anything big. Of course, if you don't mind that...

Bellbrook for the most part is like Beavercreek (or Centerville if you went there). The only difference bewtween BC and Bellbrook is that Bellbrook has a small old town portion which has suffered somewhat since the opening of the Wilmington Pike shopping malls. Otherwise, just like BC and most of the other suburbs, you need a car to get around, it has excellent schools, and it is growing. Bellbrook is also home to the parks, cyclists, families, and runners that you mentioned.

The area just south of Oakwood (south of Dorthy, west of Ackerman, north of Stroop, and east of Southern) is sometimes refered to as 'West Kettering'. This is due to a difference in housing types more then anything being that 'West Kettering' is mostly pre-1960 and most of east Kettering is 1950's on to the 1970's when Kettering built out. Sorry that was a mouthful. It has some of the character of Oakwood, but it still feels like a suburb in spots. Kettering schools also aren't as highly ranked as Oakwood, thus the biggest reason for the drastic price difference.

Most of Kettering's streets have sidewalks so you could still run/walk to Oakwood's shops on Far Hills. Just mind traffic as I've found some drivers here can be oblivious to pedestrians on sidewalks. Hope that answers all of your questions.

[penelopelp]

Bellbrook is very suburban. We have friends who moved out there from Dayton. They have a big yard & house and the schools are excellent. There are bike paths which are good for running, too. The neighbors are friendly enough, but in their neighborhood, most of the neighbors are older. Oakwood would be the best place for you in terms of being a friendly community that is easily walkable. Plenty of people jog there. However, the houses are expensive. Plus, property taxes are super high. I agree with wrightflyer that you could live on the edge of Oakwood in Kettering. Kettering schools are still in good shape. They have a lot of parent involvement.

[prfcttimeofday]

Actually, there is a house in Oakwood that no one knows about that could meet your needs. As far as I know, it's in good shape and might need some cosmetic updating, but it's a 2 story 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. 2 car garage. It sits 2 houses away from mine and was recently vacated by the woman who lived there, as she had to go to a nursing home. I believe her son is trying to sell it as quick as possible, since he's trying to take care of her. I think he's listing it for 159K.

No one really knows about it, except us that live by it...and the playground would be a block away...you might even be able to see it from the backyard.

[YoMikey617]

I see several homes under $200K in 45419 / 45409 / Oakwood on Realtor.com. When you do your search look for "at least 2 beds" and "at least 1 bath" and you'll get a handfull of listings. Also look at multi-families with the potential for conversion to a single family.

[karen214]

I live in Bellbrook. We moved here from suburban Cleveland about 5 years ago, and I absolutely LOVE Bellbrook. Our children are grown, but the schools here are outstanding. If you can find a house on one of the side streets west of downtown off Route 725 (state route), you can easily walk to the "downtown" and the library. I do it all the time. There's a nice grocery store there, too (not part of a big national chain). The houses on those side streets are not expensive, and they have nice yards. Bellbrook is one of only a few Ohio towns without a city income tax. We pay less in property tax here than we ever did in suburban Cleveland, too. The police and fire departments are efficient, and the neighbors are friendly. We've enjoyed the parks as well.

From Bellbrook, it is only a few minutes to the newest shopping complex, The Greene. (one exit north on I-675) Also, you're 10 minutes to Centerville (where taxes are higher, so you might want to avoid residing there) for a nice Kroger, quilt shops, Marshalls, and lots of other shopping. Dayton Mall is about 15 minutes away. Going east and southeast will take you into the "country" where there are farmers markets and the lovely town of Waynesville (antique shops, gift shops, and the biggest and best fabric shop in the whole state).

Bellbrook and the adjoining Sugarcreek Township have some very expensive housing developments going up north of the downtown, but reasonable prices are still to be had in a more established part of town.

All in all, I consider it a wonderful place to live and am glad we chose this town.

[OH Deb]

You will get a very nice home in a very nice community with good schools for the price you mentioned in Huber Heights. Also Forest Ridge which is even closer to the base. FR is very family friendly with open green areas and small parks. Good Luck.