What's with the Rent-to-Own Multitudes?! (Cincinnati: rent to own, mortgage, good credit)

[Chemistry_Guy]

Did you look at Brookstone Village on Ridge? It is about 2 minutes from P. Ridge and the closest thing to suburban apartment living I could imagine. I don't really know what the rent is, but I knew a good number of YP's, some with kids, living there when I was in grad school 10 years ago.

[mlkmnsgrl]

Originally Posted by Chemistry_Guy

Did you look at Brookstone Village on Ridge? It is about 2 minutes from P. Ridge and the closest thing to suburban apartment living I could imagine. I don't really know what the rent is, but I knew a good number of YP's, some with kids, living there when I was in grad school 10 years ago.

Brookstone's largest unit is a 2 bedroom under 1000 sqft. I doubt they'd even rent to a family of 5 given residence codes that almost always require no more than 2 per bedroom.

Thanks for the suggestion, though!

[mlkmnsgrl]

Originally Posted by mimi in cinci

Have you tried checking rentals through some of the local realtor websites? CBWS and Comey both have rental search options. You might want to try Norwood (45212) or Oakley (45209) to be close to P. Ridge as well.

I hadn't come across those realities, so I'll definitely check their listings.

We're looking anywhere from Montgomery to Hyde Park, and over as far as College Hill and maybe some of Anderson Township. Some of the areas within that zone are a longer commute than we'd like, especially with traffic, and to be honest, until I see them, some of the areas (Norwood, Madisonville) come off as too high on crime, at least online. So this weekend trip should help me get a better feel for whether or not each area is an option. Hard to get a good impression of the neighborhood roads instead of main drags.

My grandparents lived in what was considered a gang crime area of Portland OR, but they were several blocks off the main drags and on a street with people who were very settled and cared about their properties, so even when it got too dangerous for us to walk up to the convenience store, we were still very safe on their street. If we end up in a house like that, no worries, but it's so hard to tell online if the street is safe, you know?

Madisonville would be a great location as far as commute, and seems cheaper than even Oakley, but there's the issue of being in a property built before 1974 when lead paint exposure is a risk. Product of marrying an environmental epidemiologist, we have to find something that doesn't have that lead risk.

Blah. Thanks for your input, everyone!

[Chemistry_Guy]

Originally Posted by mlkmnsgrl

Product of marrying an environmental epidemiologist, we have to find something that doesn't have that lead risk.

FYI the CDC/NIOSH Pleasant Ridge campus is expected to be relocated in the next few years.

[mlkmnsgrl]

Originally Posted by Chemistry_Guy

FYI the CDC/NIOSH Pleasant Ridge campus is expected to be relocated in the next few years.

We got the impression they've been saying that for years. Do you know if it's approaching a done deal? I'd love to be in the tusculum ave building since that opens up Newtown and more of Anderson Twnship, but I'm assuming they'd actually be building on a new site. Any guesses where? Obviously if it really is coming soon, we'll wait to buy!

I haven't been in, but my husband said it's pretty worn out and dim.

[WheresTheBeef]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

OK you guys who are know-it-alls, what is going on? Is this a huge scam or are we missing something fundamental? These people are simply looking for a place to live. Can you help them out or NOT?

Yes and no.

On one hand, to protect your interest in the property something like a land contract or an option should be filed with the recorder.

That said, the numbers are what they are. Most people go into rent to own properties because they don't have good credit. Most of the reasons why people have poor credit don't go away, so they are not able to purchase their "Rent to Own" property. That's not the landlord's fault.

[h Steve]

Originally Posted by mlkmnsgrl

We got the impression they've been saying that for years. Do you know if it's approaching a done deal? I'd love to be in the tusculum ave building since that opens up Newtown and more of Anderson Twnship, but I'm assuming they'd actually be building on a new site. Any guesses where? Obviously if it really is coming soon, we'll wait to buy!

I haven't been in, but my husband said it's pretty worn out and dim.

They haven't picked a location yet.
$110 million allocated to build new NIOSH facility

[SWOH]

mlkmnsgrl,

Interesting commentary on the NIOSH facility.

One quick factor to consider - are you or your husband open to the idea of using public transportation? If you aren't, how about Uber?

If you are open to either of these, it could widen the range quite a bit. If you stay inside the 275 loop, Uber has great coverage.

And SORTA appears to have a decent bus network. For instance, you could live in this nice townhouse:
http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent...3_zm/?view=map
Which is right on this bus line that runs directly to the NIOSH facility:
http://www.go-metro.com/uploads/routes/RT3.pdf

So your husband can take the bus into work, and you got the car! Even if you didn't have the car, the location itself is walkable to Montgomery. Or you could take the 3 bus out and transfer from there to where you need to go. For instance, grocery shopping at Fresh Market right next to Kenwood Mall is on the line. Here's a bigger map:
http://www.go-metro.com/uploads/Maps/map%20side.pdf

And a list of all the different route schedules:
Maps and Schedules: Cincinnati Metro - Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority


Good luck!

[Chemistry_Guy]

Originally Posted by mlkmnsgrl

We got the impression they've been saying that for years. Do you know if it's approaching a done deal? I'd love to be in the tusculum ave building since that opens up Newtown and more of Anderson Twnship, but I'm assuming they'd actually be building on a new site. Any guesses where? Obviously if it really is coming soon, we'll wait to buy!

I haven't been in, but my husband said it's pretty worn out and dim.

I don't know the timeline, but I would definitely not compromise too much on a house just to be close without some sort of promise. Some of the proposed locations are way out in the suburbs.

[h Steve]

Originally Posted by Chemistry_Guy

I don't know the timeline, but I would definitely not compromise too much on a house just to be close without some sort of promise. Some of the proposed locations are way out in the suburbs.

True, but you know Cincinnati is going to fight tooth and nail to keep the location within the city limits. They don't want to lose the tax money.