Moving to Toledo - Questions (Springfield, Oregon: leasing, student loans, new house)

[toledoattorney]

I will be moving to Toledo in August for a new job with my wife and 1 year old daughter. I have already been out looking at homes once and I had some questions about the neighborhoods that I visited.
We have been looking at a lot of homes in the West Toledo (De Veaux) area and also in the Glendale/Heatherdowns area. Looking to spend 100-120k.
What are your opinions as to buying in these areas, safety, family-friendly, home values, neighborhood future, local stores/shops/attractions, etc?
Having little experience in Toledo, it is hard to know what I am getting myself and my family into, and I would appreciate any insight. I can't yet afford to live decently in the suburbs, fyi.

[NeedAVacation]

I would look for houses in Maumee, Perrysburg, or Sylvania schools. Home values have dropped everywhere and aren't likely to rise for quite awhile. Make sure you really like where you buy because you might have to be there for a long time! You might want to consider renting short-term to get to know the area better. I'm sending you a PM with more specific information.

[nickw252]

I would look in the Old Orchard area. It is a lot of smaller and mid-sized very nice and well kept homes on tree lined streets. Additionally, the Old Orchard area borders Ottawa Hills - probably the nicest (and most expensive) area in all of metro Toledo. Many of the residents are professors at the University and there are a lot of families. Also, it is much closer to downtown than the Heatherdowns/Glendale area and has a lot more "character" than the cookie cutter houses elsewhere.

[Hey_Hey]

Old Orchard is nice, but it may be a little over their price range. Houses are listing for $150-250K range right now.

Another area very similar to Old Orchard in style of house and the quality of the neighborhood is Beverly/River Road area in South Toledo. However, the prices are probably 25-30% lower. This area is between Detroit and the Maumee River south of Glendale. I would also include in that area the Bryne/Detroit junction as well. There are some nice areas in West Toledo (actually more north west geographicall, but it is just called West Toledo) out near Sylvania. Most of Point Place is really nice as well. Of course most anywhere in Maumee/Perrysburg/Springfield/Holland/Oregon/Rossford/etc are all really nice as well.

[nickw252]

Another consideration for where to live - if you work in Toledo and live in a suburb you'll be paying both city taxes which can add up quickly.

[toledoattorney]

I appreciate your feedback everyone. I have been focused on roads like Grantley, Wyckliffe Pkwy, and Maxwell in the Tremainsville (Deveaux) area of Toledo. I have explored the South Toledo areas, and I know that Old Orchard is offering very little in my price range right now. I am going to be working in downtown Toledo and I would prefer to live in the city limits. I love the old homes in the areas I have been looking, they have lots of charm. I am hoping to end up in a house located in the Elmhurst Elementary area, because I read good things about the school online. I would then put my daughter in private school for junior high and high school.
If anyone has specific information about this area of Toledo, I would really appreciate it. As of now, I am thinking it will be the best fit for my budget...

[vroomster]

Both parts of town you mentioned are decent. The west side would put you closer to big retail with the DeVeaux neighborhood just a stone's throw from Westgate and Franklin Park. There are also many nice neighborhoods south & west of there, like Old Orchard, Ottawa Hills, Lincolnshire and part of Sylvania Township. I don't live out that way, so I can't comment much on the family/community aspects. I heard Bowman park on Tremainsville is nice with its new YMCA.

The Heatherdowns/Glendale/Beverly area is definitely family friendly. It's like a bedroom community within Toledo... mostly well-maintained houses & commercial; no heavy industry. It'd put you a ways farther from 'the big mall' and a little farther from downtown, but a tradeoff is that it's probably even safer than the DeVeaux area. Once Reynolds road gets redeveloped, there may be more shopping.

[canudigit]

I have lived in the Toledo area my entire life. If I had to choose, I would definitely pick the Beverly neighborhood over the Deveaux neighborhood. The streets in Beverly, such as Beechway, Beverly, Kingston, etc. are very safe and family friendly, and you can get downtown by shooting down the Anthony Wayne Trail in about 10 min. You can head the opposite way on the AW Trail and be in the Maumee/Perrysburg/Monclova area in about 10 min. also, where there are some great new shopping areas such as the Shoppes at Fallen Timbers and Levis Commons. Also, if something happens that your daughter ends up not going to private school for jr. high, Deveaux is a pretty rough school. I'm not sure about Byrnedale Jr. high over in the Beverly area, but I do know that Deveaux is tough. Also, and this is just my personal opinion, the Beverly neighborhood is prettier with wider streets and slightly bigger yards. The river and River Rd. are a couple of blocks away and a great place to go for walks. West Toledo over by Deveaux is pretty congested and not nearly as conducive to going for walks.

[Beavercreek33]

Originally Posted by canudigit

I have lived in the Toledo area my entire life. If I had to choose, I would definitely pick the Beverly neighborhood over the Deveaux neighborhood. The streets in Beverly, such as Beechway, Beverly, Kingston, etc. are very safe and family friendly, and you can get downtown by shooting down the Anthony Wayne Trail in about 10 min. You can head the opposite way on the AW Trail and be in the Maumee/Perrysburg/Monclova area in about 10 min. also, where there are some great new shopping areas such as the Shoppes at Fallen Timbers and Levis Commons. Also, if something happens that your daughter ends up not going to private school for jr. high, Deveaux is a pretty rough school. I'm not sure about Byrnedale Jr. high over in the Beverly area, but I do know that Deveaux is tough. Also, and this is just my personal opinion, the Beverly neighborhood is prettier with wider streets and slightly bigger yards. The river and River Rd. are a couple of blocks away and a great place to go for walks. West Toledo over by Deveaux is pretty congested and not nearly as conducive to going for walks.

Is this in the city limits of Toledo or out in the suburbs?

[grhtex]

I would suggest you consider renting or leasing when moving into any new market for at least one year. This way you have time to learn the area and make a more informed choice and possibly even bank roll some money. What if the job doesn't work out, or you can't stand the area you move to? You'll be stuck with the house in this market - maybe for a long time. If affordability is an issue or other debts are on your books why compound it with the debt of a house in an area you are not familiar with, maybe no extended support system from friends or family; plus you will own all the problems for maintenance and upkeep on one of these (likely) older houses. A home is not always a blessing if your not really ready for it or the circumstances aren't optimal.

I moved from Toledo area to Texas 2 years ago and wish I would have done this. In the long run I would have saved more money, and taken advantage of a still dropping market. I closed on my house when I sold it in Lambertville 2 years ago and walked away with absolutely no debt for anything in my life. No cars, no CC no student loans - nothing. It was the best I ever felt, the biggest sense of freedom I've ever had. Then two weeks later I plopped it all down (equity from old house) on a new house in Texas. Now that money is stuck in my house, I'd rather have it in the bank right now than my house. We don't have the same problems here with houses depreciating as much, the market is much more stable. We have sort of the opposite problem, our area is in a growth phase and currently overrun with new home build-out which will impact ability to resell an existing home until the build-out of the area is complete. That could take 5-10 years. I boils down to, if I can buy a new home in the same neighborhood for the same or less as your 1 or 2 year old house and get it customized the way I want, why would I bother buying yours unless you drop your shorts to your knees. We had 8 contracts on new houses in March alone in our sub and we have 3 house that are only 2 years old that are being resold and have been sitting for 6 months or more.

Anyhow, We like where were at but if I had to do it over again I would have leased a house, saved some money, and taken my time, found the best deal and then I would have struck with much more knowledge when the time was right.

Good luck and congrats on having a job in Toledo. We always liked the Toledo area when we lived there.
Regards
GRHTEX