Where to live in Columbus ?? (Westerville, Upper Arlington: foreclosure, rentals, lofts)

[blue_eyes]

Where would you suggest a 50+ young lady, mostly an empty nester, white collar, degreed (but starting another degree at a downtown university 2008) move to in the Columbus area ? Looking for newer, mid size home to buy or rent with option to buy, prefer a good school district (for future re-sale), near highways and large church and places to go dancing...

[streetcreed]

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Where would you suggest a 50+ young lady, mostly an empty nester, white collar, degreed (but starting another degree at a downtown university 2008) move to in the Columbus area ? Looking for newer, mid size home to buy or rent with option to buy, prefer a good school district (for future re-sale), near highways and large church and places to go dancing...

To better understand the Columbus market, the market of a large city, you need to realize that schools are only one element in figuring property values.

If schools were the only factor in deciding the property values of neighborhoods then Columbus would be a very different place.

Areas of Columbus, with actually some of the "poorer" neighborhood schools, have the highest property values.

EXAMPLE
the fastest increasing property values in the entire county are in an urban neighborhood just north of downtown Columbus call the Short North. The Short North is made up of two sub neighborhoods, Victorian Village and Italian Village.
The two neighborhoods were originally streetcar suburbs and are full of ornate Victorian, brick homes. Also, new lofts and condos have gone in. Houses have reached prices of over a million.

Why do these neighborhoods increase in value, without having the best schools?
1. they are close to downtown and jobs
2. Columbus' population continues to grow, as well as the metro, the housing stock grows, but the older Victorian, brick, and other homes with character, their stock stays the same. And the demand increases with a higher population.
3. People can walk to and from groceries, shopping, and eating in these areas.
4.Many singles, young couples, and older couples are looking to not pay high taxes if they are not using a public school district. So they have no reason to buy into a suburban lifestyle, can be in a nice area, and pay lower taxes. Not everyone gets married, with the average age of marriage increasing more young people look to buy condos, or a place in the city.

Of course you can buy into a neighborhood in a suburban school district, or in a better part of the Columbus city school district. However, it is not the only factor that you should be looking at.

The columbus city school district, despite what some think, does have some A rated schools and High Schools. If you want to be in a neighborhood that is in the Columbus City School district with better city schools and also good property values then try Clintonville and Beechwold (north of the Ohio State University is where to look) or "NW Columbus" along Belthel, Henderson, and Olentangy Rd.

For a suburb...
Some areas like Worthington have good schools and increasing property values. Also, parts of Westerville, nearly all of Dublin, and Upper Arlington and all of little Grandview (very quaint and near the central city, so near jobs great location) see nice property increases.

However, some places in Reynoldsburg or Hilliard are new subdivisions, and are known for having good suburban schools, yet some subdivisions have had high foreclosure rate and little increase in value. Of course this is not the norm in every suburban area, but with many suburban homes looking nearly the same all around the city today the supply of suburban homes is very large, sometimes this leads to little property increases in many of these areas, mainly on the west, SW side or far east sides. And many of those areas are known for having "good schools."

When looking at an area please look into more than the schoools, and ask all of us on this site our knowledge of the area, I can, also, look the area up and see how fast or slow it is increasing in value.


I can try and point in the right direction but in order to figure out which neighborhood fits you best..

I need to know what type of neighborhood your looking for? You said you want a new build, but there are new builds in older sought after areas like Victorian Village or there's new homes in a subdivision. So are you looking for a nice urban location near Ohio State or downtown vs s suburban location? Basically in the central city of Columbus, an area like the Short north that i mentioned earlier, or around the outerbelt 270, or further out and more rural.

[GoBuckeyes]

Gahanna is a great area. Schools are excellent...quick commute to downtown. Rated top 100 places to live in Forbes. New development in downtown Gahanna called Creekside with specialty shops, restaurants, etc. Check it out.

[blue_eyes]

Thanks for the information....I was over in Columbus today and drove through several of the cities southwest of I-70 and I-71. Also checked out Hilliard and southern part of Dublin. Seems I prefer the NW areas. Will check out other areas next time I am over there.

I am looking for a newer rental home with a small yard and a driveway and garage (have 2 cars)...but not smaller than 2/10th of an acre. Would like to be close to highways or thorough fares, but not too close. Prefer less than a 1/2 hr. drive to Capital U. downtown...but I'm sure that depends upon the time of day it is. Any suggestions ??

[RltrTodd]

Clintonville or Worthington.

These are areas between I-71 and Rt 315, north of North Broadway. Both areas have consistently appreciated very well, offer immediate access to all of the major highways in Columbus, are 10 minutes from Downtown and Capital U. Many OSU professors live in Clintonville.

Several homes that would fit your needs are for rent in my neighborhood in Clintonville. Lots more character in the homes here than Dublin; most are 1920-3193s vintage, but are updated. It's a walking neighborhood, so you actually get to know your neighbors. In fact, most have block parties throughout the year and we have a Halloween bonfire on the island in the street in front of my house.

[Flordianative]

I'm moving to columbus the frist of the year and need to know of what areas to aviod on the south side of columbus any reply would be helpful thanks

[streetcreed]

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Clintonville or Worthington.

These are areas between I-71 and Rt 315, north of North Broadway. Both areas have consistently appreciated very well, offer immediate access to all of the major highways in Columbus, are 10 minutes from Downtown and Capital U. Many OSU professors live in Clintonville.

Several homes that would fit your needs are for rent in my neighborhood in Clintonville. Lots more character in the homes here than Dublin; most are 1920-3193s vintage, but are updated. It's a walking neighborhood, so you actually get to know your neighbors. In fact, most have block parties throughout the year and we have a Halloween bonfire on the island in the street in front of my house.

I totally second the metion of Clintonville, Beechwold, NW columbus, and Sharon Heights all in the north side of Columbus, and with good columbus public schools.

[bmkaiser]

What if I don't care about schools? I'm relocating for a job in Columbus. I'm looking for a safe area, nostalgic, nothing fancy, easy access and not a long drive to Olentangy River Road. I am in my early 60's and this will be a working second home. I prefer to rent and do not want to be in the middle of the OSU student body. If not renting I might buy. Streetcar suburbs sound awesome. Are any of the rentals in this area affordable?