Cleveland to Cincy (Cincinnati, Dayton, Parma: for sale, low crime, cheap house)

[Briceguy]

Hi I'm moving from cleveland to Cincy and I've been down here for summer internships the past couple years but I always try to compare the neighborhoods to cleveland and its a difficult task. I'm looking to buy a home in the 120k to 160k range. I'm looking for a decent neighborhood with solid schools and diversity. Can anyone give me recommendations on neighborhoods and if you can make a cleveland comparison that would be amazing. Thanks

[SWOH]

I'll be the first to ask....

What's your age? Do you care if you are in a similarly aged community?
Any particular hobbies or interests?
Nightlife important and if so what type?
Need to be close to any particular stores or restaurants?
When you say "solid schools" do you mean access to good schools or do you need to be in a good public school district?
What's your crime and blight tolerance?
Do you have a commute and if so where are you going on it? How long is your max desired?
Anything particular you like in your current neighborhood or home you would like to replicate in Cincy?

Offhand, I can say (very roughly/generally speaking)
Warehouse District => OTR
Lakewood => Mt. Lookout
University Circle => Clifton
Tremont => Northside?
Hyde Park => Cleveland Heights
Lyndhurst => Maderia
Hunting Valley, etc => Indian Hill
Parma => Springdale / Sharonville

[goyguy]

Chagrin Falls = Indian Hill
Shaker Heights = Hyde Park or Wyoming

Not that houses that cheap would be found at all in Indian Hill and "Snide Park," and in Wyoming they'd be in scarce supply and usually priced that low for a reason (proximity to train tracks being one.) Much under $200k and you're probably going to have to forsake at least one of your criteria.

[Briceguy]

Thanks guys, I'm 26 and I grew up in the Orange/Beachwood area in Cleveland. In Cincy I'm looking for a neighborhood more like the Cleveland Heights or South Euclid. Oakley seems to be along that line but I wasn't sure if there are similar neighborhoods where I might get more bang for my buck. I wish I could afford the Indian Hill lifestyle but at this point in my life its just out of my price range.

I would like a good school district, nightlife is not important, and low crime. Thanks.

[Ohio123]

Pleasant Ridge is cheaper than Oakley and more diverse, but its neighborhood school (Pleasant Ridge Montessori) isn't ranked as high as the one that Oakley is assigned to (Hyde Park Elementary).

However, you didn't mention any kids and school is at least 6 years out... A lot can change in 6 years and I think PR Montessori is only going to get better.

You can definitely get a nice 3 bedroom house in P. Ridge for your price range. Its going to be a lot tougher in Oakley and basically impossible in Hyde Park.

I'm sure someone will mention Clifton and other places near U.C. but I'm not as familiar with those areas so I'll let someone else comment

[Ohiogirl81]

I would mention Pleasant Ridge as well.

If you'rre looking outside the city, look at Madeira.

[SWOH]

I'd also take a look at the west side, especially Westwood. They have a few places like this that might meet your criteria: 2748 Morningridge Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45211 is For Sale - Zillow

Cincinnati isn't like Cleveland, or even my hometown of Dayton, where you can easily find large nice homes on the cheap in worse neighborhoods. Unless you're looking in Avondale, which might not actually be a bad choice.

[cincydave8]

Clifton Gaslight is very diverse and nice, but for a house there you're going to probably have to pay more than $160K. You could find houses in Oakley for that price, but some Oakley streets are better than others. I think P Ridge is a good fit, also if you want more bang for your buck in terms of house size and yard you could look at Mt Washington.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by OHKID

I'd also take a look at the west side, especially Westwood. They have a few places like this that might meet your criteria: 2748 Morningridge Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45211 is For Sale - Zillow

Cincinnati isn't like Cleveland, or even my hometown of Dayton, where you can easily find large nice homes on the cheap in worse neighborhoods. Unless you're looking in Avondale, which might not actually be a bad choice.

Your second paragraph is kind of ironic when juxtaposed with the first. Westwood is a prime example of an area you can find large, beautiful, cheap houses in undesirable neighborhoods.

That said, with careful choice of street and without concern about quality of schools, it might well be possible to find a home in that area that's comparable to Oakley but which has not been affected by Oakley's price appreciation over the last decade or so. But I would still warn a newcomer to the Cincinnati area to be very cautious, because the quality of smaller areas within Westwood can turn on a dime.

[h Steve]

I also think Pleasant Ridge would be a good fit for you. You might want to check out their Facebook page to get a general feel for the area.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/plea...dgecincinnati/