Moving to Cincy?

[sandasene]

While Madeira and Kenwood are nice, the OP price range is 150K-210K. Doing a search for a 3 bed 2 bath home, only brings up 16 houses in those areas.

[progmac]

Originally Posted by sandasene

While Madeira and Kenwood are nice, the OP price range is 150K-210K. Doing a search for a 3 bed 2 bath home, only brings up 16 houses in those areas.

That sort of money in Madeira buys a so-so condition early postwar house on a street without sidewalks and very limited walkability. But you do get the schools.

[Chemistry_Guy]

I disagree on the price of real estate in Kenwood and Madeira. Just because a property is listed high it does not mean you will have to pay that much for it. It is a buyer's market right now. At this time last year I was in the market for a new house. My wife and I looked extensively in the I-71 corridor, as well as in Amberley, Evendale, Mariemont, and Columbia-Tusculum. Our budget was 200K, but we looked at anything listed up to 230 on advice from our realtor. We ended up being able to get a lot more house than we expected for more than 10K under the list price, with the seller paying another 5K+ in closing costs and miscellaneous issues such as removing an old freezer from the basement, putting GFI outlets in all outlets in rooms with water and taking an antenna off of the roof, which I was able to complete myself at very little cost.

In Kenwood we looked at a beautiful 3 bedroom house that was literally move in ready for 179K. Before we could even take a second look, it sold after 9 days on the market.

I guess what I am saying is that you can get a very nice house for 200K in Madeira or Indian Hill school district part of Kenwood, but it can possibly require some negotiating, some sweat, and some luck.

Finally, here is a tip that I received from a family friend who has owned a remodeling business for more than thirty years that is particularly important when househunting in the inner ring suburbs. In Cincinnati, there is a real 'sweet spot' for homes constructed between 1945 and 1955 or so. The houses are typically constructed of brick/masonry, have very solid foundations, lots of hardwood flooring and porcelain tile, plaster cove or vaulted ceilings, and well graded yards. They are new enough that they have relatively modern wiring/plumbing HVAC, which can be an advantage over the older houses that can have lead pipes, questionable wiring, and structural limitations that prevent the proper use of insulation and modern HVAC. After 1955 or so, however, there was a decline in the quality of construction materials, as the labor costs for masonry and plaster led to the extensive use of thinner exterior walls, less substantial flooring, drywall interior walls, and acrylic sheet in place of porcelain or ceramic tile in kitchens/bathrooms. In addition, later construction was often done on the less desirable plots of land due to crowding, resulting in foundation damage due to erosion or wet basements due to poor grading. After looking at many dozens of houses (8-12 open houses a weekend for 4 months or so) this became very apparent to me as well. Some people may say that postwar colonial, ranch or cape cod style houses lack charm and are somehow of inferior quality, but I would vehemently disagree.

[Cincy Rider]

Originally Posted by CincyBound2010

I will be working at Chiquita Brands, which is on 5th Street. I would like a commute that is 20 mins max, but at the same time is it possible to be a one car family in Cincinnati? We really are not to concerned with how diverse our neighborhood is, as long as it is safe. We would also like a mature neighborhood (tree lined streets, older houses)

Cheviot/ Green Twp/ Westwood (West of McFarlan /North of McKinley)