West Toledo (Sylvania, Bedford, Georgetown: cul-de-sac, for sale, real estate)

[micrguy]

I am just curious about my old neighborhood in West Toledo. Grew up in the area of Douglas and Sylvania and was amazed at how little the houses in that neighborhood cost. I have not been back there in almost 20 years, has the neighborhood just gone downhill or is it that nobody wants to live in Toledo anymore. That part of Toledo was a pretty solid middle class neighborhood with little to no crime at all. What is that part of town like now?

[Art1979]

Originally Posted by micrguy

I am just curious about my old neighborhood in West Toledo. Grew up in the area of Douglas and Sylvania and was amazed at how little the houses in that neighborhood cost. I have not been back there in almost 20 years, has the neighborhood just gone downhill or is it that nobody wants to live in Toledo anymore. That part of Toledo was a pretty solid middle class neighborhood with little to no crime at all. What is that part of town like now?

Last time I checked, Sylvania still wasn't a bad area. I'm under the impression that there's a lot of people testing their wings and relocating elsewhere.

[micrguy]

I used to deliver the Toledo Blade back when the paper boys had to go door to door to collect money for your subscription. Because of that I have been inside of almost every house for a two block radius from my old house. So I have a pretty good idea of what kind of condition the houses in my neighborhood were in 20 years ago. I am just amazed that you can still get a house for under $150,000 that is in a decent neighborhood. From poking around a real estate site for Toledo, you can live like a king for $250,000.

[davidafan]

Well, the area around Douglas and Sylvania still isn't considered a "bad" neighborhood, relatively speaking, but the amount of foreclosures in that area have really brought home prices down drastically, and, combined with the fact that some people don't want to live in Toledo anymore, it has made that area somewhat of a rental neighborhood with many, many homes for sale. My husband and I own one of those four unit brick buildings on Douglas Rd. near 475, and it is really sad to see how many of the landlords in that area are letting their places get really run down. There is a brick duplex next to our building that used to be very nice, and now it has been vacant for over two years, has cracked walkways and steps, a huge, completely dead pine tree in the front yard, and weeds as high as your waist in the summer. There is a small rental house on the other side of our property that is quickly slipping into bad disrepair too, although they at least try to keep that rented, although, since it is for sale, no one stays very long and I believe it is vacant also. The key is, the powers that be in Toledo have to get a handle on what is happening to once nice, family neighborhoods or things will continue to decline drastically. I called the district city councilman for that area FOUR times and left him a voice mail each time, and he has yet to return my calls, and I wasn't rude at all, just said that I was one of his constituants and would like to discuss something with him. What I wanted to discuss with him was if he could light a fire under the slumlords who are running this area--and the value of our well maintained property--down rapidly. It appears to me that he must not care, so we have finally decided to get the heck out of Dodge before things get even worse and we lose even more money on the value of our property. We will have to list it very cheap to even get someone to look at it, but we just want out.

My husband grew up in that once nice old neighborhood, Library Village, over by Sylvania and Jackman. Talk about depressing! That neighborhood has the most foreclosures of any area in Toledo and houses are selling for under $30,000 in many cases. They are starting to have some gang related crime now, and even a few drive by shootings. West Toledo is going down the tubes. Consider yourself blessed that you got out before your house was totally worthless.

[grhtex]

Originally Posted by davidafan

Well, the area around Douglas and Sylvania still isn't considered a "bad" neighborhood, relatively speaking, but the amount of foreclosures in that area have really brought home prices down drastically, and, combined with the fact that some people don't want to live in Toledo anymore, it has made that area somewhat of a rental neighborhood with many, many homes for sale. My husband and I own one of those four unit brick buildings on Douglas Rd. near 475, and it is really sad to see how many of the landlords in that area are letting their places get really run down. There is a brick duplex next to our building that used to be very nice, and now it has been vacant for over two years, has cracked walkways and steps, a huge, completely dead pine tree in the front yard, and weeds as high as your waist in the summer. There is a small rental house on the other side of our property that is quickly slipping into bad disrepair too, although they at least try to keep that rented, although, since it is for sale, no one stays very long and I believe it is vacant also. The key is, the powers that be in Toledo have to get a handle on what is happening to once nice, family neighborhoods or things will continue to decline drastically. I called the district city councilman for that area FOUR times and left him a voice mail each time, and he has yet to return my calls, and I wasn't rude at all, just said that I was one of his constituants and would like to discuss something with him. What I wanted to discuss with him was if he could light a fire under the slumlords who are running this area--and the value of our well maintained property--down rapidly. It appears to me that he must not care, so we have finally decided to get the heck out of Dodge before things get even worse and we lose even more money on the value of our property. We will have to list it very cheap to even get someone to look at it, but we just want out.

My husband grew up in that once nice old neighborhood, Library Village, over by Sylvania and Jackman. Talk about depressing! That neighborhood has the most foreclosures of any area in Toledo and houses are selling for under $30,000 in many cases. They are starting to have some gang related crime now, and even a few drive by shootings. West Toledo is going down the tubes. Consider yourself blessed that you got out before your house was totally worthless.

Makes me sad to read these stories. We left Lambertville for Texas almost two years ago. We always loved living in the Toldeo area and we we're only a few miles from the area you are discussing. In fact my kids once went to Blessed Sacrament. I have very fond memories of Toledo. Very sad days.

[davidafan]

grhtex,

We live in Temperance, and my fil lives in Lambertville. We are planning on moving to AZ this summer if our property here sells. The neighborhood around Blessed Sacrament is still pretty good, it's just that home values are going down, just like anywhere else, especially in Toledo. The area across Sylvania Ave. from Blessed Sacrament (Charlestown, Georgetown, Kershaw, etc.) is going down much faster than the area directly next to the school. Those are the streets that are starting to have a lot more crime and more rental homes. The Toledo police dept. is going to be down to under 700 officers by the end of 2009 because several are retiring and the city is in the hole and can't afford to train a new class or hire anymore officers. It's really pathetic. We are moving to AZ mainly because our daughter has developed severe climate-related allergies that no doctor (we have taken her to 7 specialists) has been able to help and because when we were in AZ and NV her symptoms disappeared completely and she felt great, and also because the economy is much worse here than most anywhere. Every week on the news there are more announcements of factories closing up and laying off hundreds of people, and the Toledo Blade is nothing but daily negativity about Toledo. This past Sunday they ran a big front page story about how, as bad as things are here, we haven't seen anything yet, and just wait until all of the people who are collecting unemployment from the state run out of time to collect it and still can't find a job. They were saying that hundreds if not thousands of people will be homeless who always had a job and a place to live before. It is so depressing to read this kind of stuff in the daily paper. They also had a story about how the Library Village neighborhood is going down the tubes, complete with foreclosure statistics and reports of boarded up houses and skyrocketing crime. At this rate, we can't wait to get out and start over somewhere warm where people actually want to live.

[grhtex]

Originally Posted by davidafan

grhtex,

We live in Temperance, and my fil lives in Lambertville. We are planning on moving to AZ this summer if our property here sells. The neighborhood around Blessed Sacrament is still pretty good, it's just that home values are going down, just like anywhere else, especially in Toledo. The area across Sylvania Ave. from Blessed Sacrament (Charlestown, Georgetown, Kershaw, etc.) is going down much faster than the area directly next to the school. Those are the streets that are starting to have a lot more crime and more rental homes. The Toledo police dept. is going to be down to under 700 officers by the end of 2009 because several are retiring and the city is in the hole and can't afford to train a new class or hire anymore officers. It's really pathetic. We are moving to AZ mainly because our daughter has developed severe climate-related allergies that no doctor (we have taken her to 7 specialists) has been able to help and because when we were in AZ and NV her symptoms disappeared completely and she felt great, and also because the economy is much worse here than most anywhere. Every week on the news there are more announcements of factories closing up and laying off hundreds of people, and the Toledo Blade is nothing but daily negativity about Toledo. This past Sunday they ran a big front page story about how, as bad as things are here, we haven't seen anything yet, and just wait until all of the people who are collecting unemployment from the state run out of time to collect it and still can't find a job. They were saying that hundreds if not thousands of people will be homeless who always had a job and a place to live before. It is so depressing to read this kind of stuff in the daily paper. They also had a story about how the Library Village neighborhood is going down the tubes, complete with foreclosure statistics and reports of boarded up houses and skyrocketing crime. At this rate, we can't wait to get out and start over somewhere warm where people actually want to live.

Davidafan,
We're living in a parallel universe. I was born in Temperance and most recently moved from Lambertville to Texas in June 07. I saw this train coming then, plus I didn't like my current job which was actually pretty stable (IT management - Health care related). My wife also had health issues which was another reason we looked for something in a warm climate. My kids were in the Bedford School system, (HS and JR-HS) we liked the schools for the most part and this was where I graduated from, but I would often think to myself; "what will my kids have to look forward to when they graduate and seek employment in the area"? I didn't have a good answer to that question.
I started calling around to one of my old employers found out they had an opening in Dallas for the exact type of job I once had with them (they laid me off in 2003). I applied for and got the job. The offer was a good one so we made the decision to move. We put the house on the market in May of 07 had a contract on it 2 weeks later and closed on it in June. I left my old job in Ann Arbor in late April and was in Texas by May 2nd starting the new job while my wife stayed behind and got the house sold and my kids finished the school year. We officially left Michigan on June 25th which was probably the saddest day of my life. We all cried as we drove out of the old sub. It was a grueling heart wrenching experience to leave home like this. 2 days later we arrive in Texas and closed on our new house on my birthday.
At the time I was also pursuing an opportunity in Phoenix where my sister in law and her family live but it obviously didn't work out.

Going into our second year of the move we are still trying to get adjusted and get over being home sick. This and rebuilding a network of friends is very difficult and hard work. Hopefully your child will get respite from her condition by moving to a warmer climate. In my wife's case her chronic asthma is much better here than back in Mi where she would also without fail get pneumonia every winter as well. The winters here are much easier on your body and the days are mostly sunny during winter. The omnipresent gray skies back in the midwest can be depressing but that's not an issue here. We are certain because of the milder winters my wife's quality of life is much better and probably extended. She was almost always sick in Mi in the winter and steroid dependent to control the symptoms. She visited her old doctor once on a trip back home and he couldn't believe how clear her lungs were. The summers are hot here but also fairly dry which to me is tolerable. Dallas/Ft Worth are nice cities and seem much cleaner to me than most cities back in Mi. Most of the folks we've met are very nice. We have some old friends back home in MI that are thinking of coming out to check it out and possibly relocate. They are actually kids of our friends who are having a hard time finding work. If you decide to go to Arizona, I hear the public schools are not considered to be the best so be careful of that. I understand that housing values have dropped about 40% since the bubble burst, but I guess if you are buying it's a good deal for you if you can sell the old property. At any rate sorry to ramble and tell you my story unsolicited. best of luck whereever you go.
GRHTEX.

[davidafan]

Grhtex,

Yes, your family's story sounds very similar to ours. For us, as in the case with your wife, it is a quality of life issue for our daughter. She is miserable every day of her life here, and we have to do something for her. She is actually homeschooled. There is no way she could sit through eight hours of school and be able to look at the board, that's how bad the allergic reaction to the molds and dust mites here have affected her eyes. I am taking her back to her allergist this afternoon, but I don't have high hopes, because no doctor seems able to help her, including him on our last visit. Our son is going to be graduating from Emmanuel Christian School this year, so the good thing is that we won't be taking either of them from a traditional school setting. We are planning on enrolling our daughter in school in AZ, because she feels great and has no health issues whatsoever when we are out there. It will either be a private Christian school or a well rated charter school though, so I'm not too worried about the quality of the public high schools, but thanks for confirming the fact that they aren't the greatest learning environments. The main thing I noticed when we began researching public schools out there is how huge all of the high schools in the east valley suburbs where we are house hunting are. Some of them have over 3,000 students!!!

Also, like you, we are very concerned about our kids being able to find work here after college. You should see the help wanted section of the Blade these days. It is nothing for it to be less than one page, and that's in the Sunday edition! I am an RN and I can't even find a job. I recently had surgery at St. V's and all of the nurses that took care of me there told me that they are getting called off at least twice a week and looking for part-time work to supplement their incomes, and they can't find anything either.

BTW, you probably know this, but you got out of this housing market just in time. We live on Secor Rd. and have five acres, a barn, and a pond. We are already anticipating taking a huge hit on the sale price of our house. We have received two notices from Bedford Township in the past year in which they notifed us that our property taxes will be going down because the taxable value of our house is plummeting. This time it was to the tune of 15%, about the same as last time, for a total of 30% devaluation--just in the past year!!! But I can't complain about this township, because at least they are honest and decent enough to lower our taxes as our home's value depreciates. Our property taxes on our properties in Toledo have gone up almost 50% in the past five years, and property values in Toledo are depreciating far faster than here in Bedford. If not for being so close to and dependent upon the city of Toledo for our livelihood, not to mention our daughter's health issues, we could stay in Bedford and try to ride this out, but Toledo is draining us, all while cutting back drastically on police, fire, and garbage pick up. It truly is pathetic. Now, the city is planning on charging people who live in Toledo but work outside of the city income tax, even though they already pay it in the city where they work, in an effort to balance their budget which has a multi-million dollar deficit to still make up for 2008, not to mention an even larger deficit looming for 2009. And yet, what is on the front page of the Blade today? One of the Lucas County commissioners, a young kid intent on making a name for himself and already contemplating running for mayor, even though he PROMISED his constituents that if elected commissioner he would serve out his entire term, is trying to get to the bottom of why a deputy dog warden shot someone's dog!!! Good thing there aren't any REAL problems to address, eh?

I'm sorry if my tone sounds bitter. I guess I am just fed up and want out so badly it isn't funny. I am glad that you and your family found relief for your wife's health issues in Texas. I can imagine feeling homesick, but at this point, no one in our family will be crying as we drive away for the last time. We will just be glad that we were able to sell our property and get out before things get even worse here.

[grhtex]

davidafan,
Good luck on your move! Sounds like the climate of Arizona is suited to your child's needs. My sis-in-law is in Mesa. Very nice area but also hard hit by the housing devaluation and foreclosures. However it's a good deal for you if you can sell what you have in Toledo.

Regards,
GRHTEX

[nickw252]

One of my friends rents the first floor of a house on Beauford Ave and the neighborhood seems to be nice. His place is in good shape and the neighborhood seems safe.

I really like that neighborhood because of the older houses that are close together on tree-lined streets. It's much better than all the subdivisions with pre-manufactured houses on cul-de-sacs that are popping up EVERYWHERE.