New job in Strongsville (Cleveland, Lakewood: houses, new construction, school districts)

[tscherm1]

My wife, two kids (3mos and 2.5 yrs), and I are getting ready to make a move to the Cleveland area. I am originally from the Beachwood/Lyndhurst area, wtih family still there and in Shaker Heights. I mention that, because I don't want to be too far from them either; maybe 30-40 minutes at most. They are a big part of the reason we are moving to Cleveland. We are looking for a new build, in a young community. We are in our early 30's and would want to be around people in similar situations. We're looking for a 4 bedroom, with a yard, in the $300-350K max range. I don't want to have a ridiculous commute to Strongsville, maybe 30 minutes at most, preferably; I've done the long commutes, and I don't do well with them. While we dont want to be in a terribly congested area, we also want to be around stuff. In other words, not too rural, preferably. We would also like the area to have a good public school system and of course safe.

Sorry if I sound picky, I just want to be as specific as possible. I realize some of my criteria is somewhat subjective, but any insight or information would be greatly appreciated.

Let me know if I need to provide additional information.

[j_ws]

You can snag some newer construction in Shaker Heights. Not a ton, but there is some infill.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...t/14_zm/0_mmm/

In terms of suburbs, Berea and Olmsted Falls have some character as they are actually a traditional town and village, respectively. Beyond that, all of the suburbs are generally pretty similar so you might as well just find a subdivision you like. There are some nuanced differences between school districts, I'm sure, but I don't believe any differences are that significant.

If you could elaborate, how would you define "congested?" Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, and Lakewood all have houses with yards, with the latter having a bit more newer infill and younger families. However, if that's still too urban for you then I would generally vote Berea, Rocky River, etc.

[1watertiger]

Originally Posted by tscherm1

My wife, two kids (3mos and 2.5 yrs), and I are getting ready to make a move to the Cleveland area. I am originally from the Beachwood/Lyndhurst area, wtih family still there and in Shaker Heights. I mention that, because I don't want to be too far from them either; maybe 30-40 minutes at most. They are a big part of the reason we are moving to Cleveland. We are looking for a new build, in a young community. We are in our early 30's and would want to be around people in similar situations. We're looking for a 4 bedroom, with a yard, in the $300-350K max range. I don't want to have a ridiculous commute to Strongsville, maybe 30 minutes at most, preferably; I've done the long commutes, and I don't do well with them. While we dont want to be in a terribly congested area, we also want to be around stuff. In other words, not too rural, preferably. We would also like the area to have a good public school system and of course safe.

Sorry if I sound picky, I just want to be as specific as possible. I realize some of my criteria is somewhat subjective, but any insight or information would be greatly appreciated.

Let me know if I need to provide additional information.

Maybe brecksville/ broadview heights?

[C-rob2727]

You should consider Cleveland proper too! A lot of young families are settling on the near westside. Ohio City/Gordon Sq/Tremont. It's also middle ground between the eastern suburbs and a surprisingly easy commute to Strongsville. I drive to Middleburg Hts every day from Gordon Sq and it's never taken me over 25min. Plus you'll be close to the lake and downtown!

We need to change the landscape of NEO. Why doesn't anybody ever suggest living in Cleveland?? My wife and daughter moved from the suburbs to the city and we absolutely love it. My neighbors are actually nicer here than my former neighbors were in Shaker. Don't any of you actually want your kids to experience some diversity and culture? Once they graduate from college they'll probably move to a large city anyways.

[j_ws]

Second question: would you forego "new construction" for an old house if the old house has been extensively renovated? That would open you up to a lot of unique options in terms of housing near the lake and other really great regional assets like Metroparks.

I looked at your profile to see where you've lived. Do you have any areas around Philly and Seattle you found particularly appealing that could be used for context?

[C-rob2727]

Originally Posted by 1watertiger

Maybe brecksville/ broadview heights?

blaaaahhhhhh

[teacherdad]

C-Rob: Are you in the city proper? Like Euclid downtown? Just curious.

I visit frequently and stay downtown for the same reasons you are living there. LIFE!

Thanks!

[tscherm1]

Honestly, I love the idea of a fully renovated older home, especially in the Cleveland area; there are so many beautiful houses. To give a little context to our background, I’ve lived in Philly, in a few different areas, but we’ve owned homes in North Wilmington, DE and Cherry Hill, NJ. We also owned in the Seattle area for a couple years, in Lakeland Hills, in Auburn, WA. The home in N. Wilmington was an older home from the 1950’s that had been renovated and well cared for. The house in Lakeland Hills was a new build, and was so convenient with warranties, and it felt clean and easy to maintain. It was also in a very young area, with tons of kids, and neighbors around our age and situation. The most recent home in Cherry Hill is a 1970’s flip, and has been nothing but problems. When we left Washington, we thought we wanted an older home, something with character; but I think we’re realizing it’s more the idea of the older homes that we enjoy. The new builds are just so convenient; and they tend to attract younger families, at least in our experience.

That all being said, I think we would be open to other options, if it made sense to us. We just want to be near our family, keep my commute short, and to be near younger people with kids. We’ve even considered Shaker Heights, but I thought that might be too long of a commute.

While I do enjoy the idea of living closer to the city, the problem is school districts and yards. We also have two dogs; which means we need a place to let them out, and preferably enough room to let them run a little.

When I say “congested”, that may be the wrong word. I just don’t want it to be a complete pain in the butt to get anywhere. For instance, Federal Way or parts of Renton and Puyallup can be like that in Washington. I suppose parts of Cherry Hill, Glen Mills, West Chester, and KOP can be like that at times in the Philly area. Honestly, I just want to be able to drive 5 miles in less than 30 minutes to get to a store at any given time, if that makes sense.

Thank you everyone for your feedback. Let me know if I can clarify or expand on anything else. I’ll take all the information you’ve provided into consideration.

[j_ws]

I'm usually pretty quick to recommend Lakewood to anyone who isn't hell-bent on living in a brand new subdivision. Cleveland and the surrounding, older cities are heavily comprised of single-family houses with yards.

I have a friend in Lakewood with a huge yard, but in general I'd say the yards are moderately sized for a denser area.

The city does, however, pack a few solid punches in terms of big, old houses that have been renovated and are still available for relatively low prices compared to the areas you're coming from.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...61_rect/14_zm/

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...19_rect/14_zm/

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...19_rect/14_zm/

There are a lot of others that aren't necessarily upgraded to these levels, but they're priced so low that, potentially, you might see value in grabbing one of them and just doing some upgrades yourself.

This area is pretty convenient and traffic is not bad. Definitely nothing like what you encounter in northern NJ or suburban Philly. It's also worth noting that your commute will be reverse-rush hour. I have a similar commute and it takes me about 35 minutes to get from my house on the west side to my job about fifteen miles southwest of the city. Aside from decently quick access to I-90, the main East-West avenues/historic commercial corridors are intact and still have commercial businesses, restaurants, etc. along them, so the city is extremely walkable. Everything I know about the school system is solid, the city's library system is quality, and a significant portion of kids walk to school which is a nice little detail about the community.

[1watertiger]

Originally Posted by C-rob2727

blaaaahhhhhh

The OP specified new build 4 bedroom home in the $300-$350 range with a yard and good schools and easy access to shaker and strongsville. Sorry but that's not happening in Cleveland. I stand by my suggestion of brecksville/broadview heights based on OP criteria.