moving to cincinnati! (Hamilton, Warren, Kent: sales, real estate, apartments)

[beabj]

My husband got a job in Cincinnati! Good news, but we have no clue where to even start looking for places to live. I'll tell you our situation, and hopefully someone can make some suggestions for us. We'd like to start out in an apartment before purchasing a home while we familiarize ourselves with the area, but we'd like that apartment to be in the area where we would most likely buy a house. We're usually drawn to suburban, conservative, newer areas that are family-oriented with good schools. We don't have kids yet, but we want to start a family once we get settled in. We're just starting out, fresh out of college, so we don't have a huge budget, but we want to live in a nicer area if possible. We're looking at homes in the 180,000 to 220,000 range. I'd also like to know the pros and cons of living in Ohio vs. Kentucky (or even Indiana). Are there any major differences in taxes between these states? Thank you for your help!

[woxyroxme]

Depends on where exactly the job is and how far he is willing to commute. You would be better off to stay outside the I-275 loop.

[Pathwalker]

There are several different areas that would probably suit you. First, the western suburbs will be your most conservative, and the Oak Hills school district is a really good district. However, West Chester (to the north of the area in Butler County) has one of the better school districts in the region, and it is a newer, growing community with a lot of diversity, but still could be considered conservative. You would be able to find a decent home in this area in your price range, and there are tons of apartments on the north side of town. All those same things can be said about Mason, too - which is the north-northeast part of the area, in Warren County. I'm honestly not familiar with how conservative the Anderson area would be, nor the quality of the school district. Someone else may be able to help you with that, but I think it's a tad more expensive out there. It's on the east side of town. Montgomery is a good suburb, with a decent school system and the homes would be in your price range. Also tends to be conservative.

As for Northern KY, I'm not familiar with the schools down there, but some newer areas would be Florence, Burlington, Independence.

Unfortunately, I don't know much about the tax rates of each place, so I really couldn't give you a comparison. I'm sure someone else will be able to come along and help you with that, though.

[jlrosen]

Oil hit a new all time high at $96 dollars a barrell, I saw gasoline for $3.15 a gallon, I would recomend against anything outisde the 275 loop because I have the feeling it will only be going up and not down Mariemont is what I would recomend for you

[wastina]

You asked about the pros and cons of OH, KY and IN. I'm from OH, but here's my perception:

population density: There are more people in/around Cincinnati, so there's more traffic, housing, housing prices may be higher, etc. That said, you've got more choice and are likely to be nearer to whatever shops you want. You're also closer to entertainment.

Urban/suburb/rural. Assuming we're talking about roughly the I-275 loop, IN is more rural than the others. There are pockets of places in KY which are more rural than Cincinnati, but there are also some nice communities, too.

Schools: OH has better rating for schools.

Reputation: THere is an OH/KY divide. Kentucky is a southern state, with pockets of accents and attitude which reflect that (although you can find that anywhere).

If you're young, looking to set up life and want a nice one, you've been well-advised on Mason, Westchester and other places to the north of Cincinnati. You'll find a lot of people like you, entertainment, activities, good homes within your budget, etc.

Good luck with it!

[Pathwalker]

As jlrosen pointed out, gas prices may or may not be a contributing factor, since you say you will be on a budget. In that respect, you would need to determine how long of a commute you and your husband would want everyday. Basically, during smooth traffic flow, you can pretty much get anywhere in the tri-state within 30 minutes of where you live. There are a couple of exceptions, for example if you live in Harrison and work on the east side, or if you live in Monroe but work downtown, etc.... Those are extremes. But if your job is relatively centrally located, it won't be that long. And if the commute doesn't really bother you (who knows, gas prices may come down at some point), I truly believe West Chester, Mason, and Montgomery would be your best bets given what you've described as your ideal community.

[hheil32587]

West Chester would def. be a great option for you two, but it is a ways from the city. As a real estate agent I know of a lot of great condos and apartments and new homes in Green Township/ Oak hills school district (rated excellent) that are very convenient to the highway and only 25 minutes from downtown via 74. Indiana is also blossoming (especially rising sun and aurora). I live in Cleves OH right in between cinci and indiana and I love it there because I am in the middle of the city and the country. There are so many options for you two depending on how far you plan to commute.

[beabj]

Thank you for all the comments! This is really helpful. If anyone has anything else to add, please do!

[Pathwalker]

You could try this site to get a general overview of tax rates. Overall, Kentucky is lower on the sales tax and gasoline tax.

You would have to actually go to the county auditor's sites to see what property tax rates are. For Kentucky, that would be Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties - possibly Grant, Gallatin, or Pendleton if you want to live down that far. In Indiana, that would be Franklin, Dearborn, Ohio, and Switzerland counties. Ohio would be Hamilton (Cincinnati), Butler, Warren, and Clermont counties.

Were there specific questions you had regarding the comparisons between Ohio and Kentucky, or Ohio and Indiana?

[Kaytaylor]

Liberty Township has easy access to I75 and is a growing community with excellent rated schools. You can rent a nice apartment for under $1,000 per month and you can buy a new home for under $200,000 in a nice new community.