Looking for apartment near LakeWood (Cleveland, Parma: appointed, for sale, apartment complex)

[ecologito]

Hi,

I started a thread a few weeks ago and I got no answers and talking to a friend form Cleveland I know why. I was looking at places to live near Parma and she told me that I don't wanna live there because there are some unsafe areas.

She recommend me look at Lakewood area. I haven't been to Cleveland ( except for my job interview). I will be moving by the end of August and I've been searching on the internet but I am having a hard time finding places. Since I don't know anything about the area could somebody recommend me some places to look at or post some experiences with the area?

Thanks a lot.

[MABCle]

First, I wouldn't say Parma is unsafe at all. It may have some questionable areas, but overwhelmingly it is safe.



Second, tell us about what kind of things you want in a house/neighborhood.

Townhome

rental unit

detached house.

Do you want a walkable neighborhood? Do you want to be able to catch the train to work? Do you want new construction, or that doesn't matter? Where is your job and is commute a concern?

Also check out urbanohio.com

[ecologito]

Thanks a lot for your answer, I will be working for the Cleveland Metro Parks at the Ohio and Erie Canal Way Center. I am looking to rent an apartment and the most important thing is something affordable ( not cheap haa haa), and a safe area. A walkable neighborhood would be nice but no necessary. I don't mind driving 10 or 20 minutes to work.

It's really hard to figure out what to look for when you don't know the place.

Thanks a lot for your help

[nlschr0]

There are a lot of rental options in Lakewood. For the most part, you will find them to be older and more historic. Of course, this means that many are charming and quaint but also that they may not offer modern amenities like air conditioning or updated bathroom and kitchen fixtures and appliances.

Most popular are the managed apartment buildings that offer several floors of walk-up apartments, and also duplex homes that rent out the lower and upper levels. Depending on your price range and your luck, some of these can be very nice, renovated and well-appointed, or they can be older and dated. If you find a place where you will pay for your own heat, be aware that often the older homes/duplexes do not have insulation in place and you may be faced with huge bills - you can usually get an estimate from the utility company if you provide them with the street address - they can look at previous years of usage and give you an average cost for that home.

You will probably find Lakewood a diverse and intersting urban environment. It is very walkable, right on the lake with several decent parks. Lots of bars, decent number of unique and chain restaurants, lots of coffee shops and cafes, etc. It is an interesting blend of singles and young couples who are renting, working class families, retired people on a pension, wealthy "gold coast" people who live in the mansions along the lake, several ethnic groupings (including a larger Arabic population), "hip" young families who are active in local schools, and several areas with large gay and lesbian populations. There are some gorgeous tree-lined streets of historic mansions and bungalows, and also some bustling avenues like Detroit that feature much of the retail, dining, and commercial offerings that make Lakewood popular.

It is a very dense city, and there are the accompanying higher levels of petty crime - car break-ins, stolen bikes, etc, but usually nothing major. You will want to stay to the north and west sides of the city for the least crime (stay around W 150th, for example - near the Cleveland border the areas get sketchier). Detroit and Clifton avenues are major through streets that both feature a lot of apartment buildings, and the intersecting side streets feature many of the rental duplexes.

I highly recommend Lakewood as a choice for renters due to its great walkable city feel and amenities. I think it is an iffier choice for people buying a home because of high taxes, lackluster school ratings, and some difficulty in resale of homes. However, it is a fun and vibrant town that many enjoy, and local residents have a lot of pride in their community.

Do a google search for "lakewood oh apartments" or similar and you should find several options like these: Apartments for rent lakewood, ohio, Houses for Rent in Cleveland
For some more rental listings and just general Lakewood info, also look here: The Lakewood Observer Lakewood Ohio News, Events and Community Forum Lakewood Alive Lakewood Chamber - Home (http://www.lakewoodchamber.org/site/ - broken link) Welcome to G O B U Y L A K E W O O D. C O M

[citybythebay]

Originally Posted by MABCle

First, I wouldn't say Parma is unsafe at all. It may have some questionable areas, but overwhelmingly it is safe.

I second that^^^...Parma is not an unsafe community.


More available housing can be found on craigslist: cleveland classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

[BelieveInCleve]

Parma is a good place, also try Lakewood and Rocky river.

[RobinNicole621]

I live in an apartment in Lakewood right off I-90. It's actually very close to West Park. The apartment complex is very well taken care of, and the inside of the apartments are some of the nicest I've seen in Lakewood. The management company is great about fixing things in a timely manner and taking care of their property. I don't know what your price range is, but I pay $550 for a two bedroom unit and that includes heat. The unit even has a built in air conditioning unit, but I will be honest and say that it isn't the greatest...definately NOT energy efficient, but we only get so many blazing hot days a year, turning it on is not that big of a deal.

I would suggest you perhaps stay away from some of the side streets in eastern Lakewood, aka bird town (all the streets are named after birds) Quail, Thrush, Robin, etc. It's a little seedy there.

Lakewood has so many great things about it. There are alot of young people who live here, and there are tons of places to go if you enjoy going out. It's very close to downtown and you can take the bus or the rapid (the 117th rapid station has been rebuilt and is GORGEOUS) so you don't even have to worry about driving downtown. Also, there is a new YMCA in Lakewood that is fantastic.

The management company for the apartment I live in is MVK and the person you'd want to talk to is Janet, or David if she's not in. Their phone number is 216.741.4210.

Good Luck!

[ecologito]

Do you know if MKV has a website?

Originally Posted by RobinNicole621

I live in an apartment in Lakewood right off I-90. It's actually very close to West Park. The apartment complex is very well taken care of, and the inside of the apartments are some of the nicest I've seen in Lakewood. The management company is great about fixing things in a timely manner and taking care of their property. I don't know what your price range is, but I pay $550 for a two bedroom unit and that includes heat. The unit even has a built in air conditioning unit, but I will be honest and say that it isn't the greatest...definately NOT energy efficient, but we only get so many blazing hot days a year, turning it on is not that big of a deal.

I would suggest you perhaps stay away from some of the side streets in eastern Lakewood, aka bird town (all the streets are named after birds) Quail, Thrush, Robin, etc. It's a little seedy there.

Lakewood has so many great things about it. There are alot of young people who live here, and there are tons of places to go if you enjoy going out. It's very close to downtown and you can take the bus or the rapid (the 117th rapid station has been rebuilt and is GORGEOUS) so you don't even have to worry about driving downtown. Also, there is a new YMCA in Lakewood that is fantastic.

The management company for the apartment I live in is MVK and the person you'd want to talk to is Janet, or David if she's not in. Their phone number is 216.741.4210.

Good Luck!

[ecologito]

Thanks a lot for your input. I will be flying to Cleveland next weekend and hopefully I can find a place to live. It sounds like Lakewood is the place to go.