Columbus Native Moving to Columbus from Brooklyn (Hudson, Franklin: for sale by owner, apartments)

[dontspeak]

I am moving back from to Columbus soon. I am originally from the east side of Columbus and moved away ten years ago after graduating from CCAD. I'm am in the midst of starting my own business and my fiancé is applying to OSU for grad school. He's from LA. We are two people of color in an interracial relationship (I love that it doesn't matter in Columbus ). There is a ton of change in Columbus since I've been gone. Most of my family and friends tend not to be apart of that change due to staying within their own lifestyle. I left for New York because I am a creative designer who loves museums, travel and new things. Obviously Brooklyn has gotten expensive and in my 30s I no longer want to live with roommates. In Brooklyn, I love being able to walk places, my fiancé likes to commute by bike, and we go to concerts/ museum etc. I like the progressive atmosphere. My experience in Columbus was mostly about hanging in malls, having cars and no one traveled out of the states. I didn't have a lot in common with my old crowd so people know me as"quiet". Most people I went to high school with have families already. I know I'll have to start over with a new crowd but how? Where can we live that has an affordable, 30s and ambitious community? The new complexes downtown seem great but the Columbus native in me says they are too expensive for the space. We also have small dog. I like Grandview, German Village and Clintonville but don't know where to look for sale by owner. In New York you look on craigslist and it takes months. Any suggestions?

[Clever nickname here]

Why are you restricting yourself to, for sale by owner?

[dontspeak]

I'm not restricting myself to rent by owner. I have been looking on apartments.com and other such sites and the prices downtown seem inflated. I like all the amenities offered and close proximity to downtown. I work from home and we would like to rent a 3 bedroom or at least a 2.5 bedroom to accommodate craft studio space. I figured maybe by owner there are more options. Like maybe a house or duplex rental.

[Rosebush1]

I'm not sure whether you are renting or buying. What price range? Columbus is still affordable by NYC standards but prices have risen while you were gone,
There is not a big for sale by owner market here.
Grandview and German Village are very very expensive and you won't find many rental vacancies. Drive around and you may see some for rent by owner signs.
Clintonville is a little less expensive, especially South Clintonville just north of Hudson. There are lots of doubles, owners live on one side and rent the other.

[dontspeak]

I'm only looking to rent with a maximum monthly rent of $1300. Sorry to mislead, I only meant to write "rent by owner" in the OP.

[jbcmh81]

Are you open to areas that are revitalizing but are not necessarily fantastic right now? Are you looking to make this move long-term or just until your SO graduates? If you're willing to stick it out, East Franklinton or OTE might work. Being a native, I'm sure you know about these areas and how they're still in transition, so you may be intimidated by the prospect of crime and such. However, you may be able to rent/buy a house in these areas relatively cheaply that will appreciate over time. I suspect this will happen much faster in Franklinton given the massive wave of investment about to pour into the area, particularly east of 315.


As for the other areas you mentioned, the problem is that inventory is historically tight. Demand is FAR outpacing supply, so you may end up paying more than you want, either for an apartment or home. If you find something, move on it quickly and be prepared to compete against more than one offer. This is obviously true for homes rather than apartments, but the occupancy rate is something like 97%-98% throughout Columbus, so even there you have to have some patience to find what you want. Good luck.

[dontspeak]

I'm originally from OTE so I know the transition well. I wanted to try a different neighborhood and community since I spent most of my life throughout the East side. Besides we currently live in the midst of a heavily gentrifying neighborhood in Brooklyn and we are over living in the middle of growing pains. Our plan is stay in Columbus until my SO graduates. So school district isn't important. East Franklinton seems to have an emerging artist community. I'll look into it. Thanks!

[kevinbelt]

Grandview isn't *that* expensive. I pay $975/month for a 2br that I'm quite happy with. There are at least three other similar units available on my block alone. There are some newer complexes, but a lot of rentals in Grandview are just mom-and-pop secondary income places. They don't advertise except for a sign in the yard. The best way to find a place like that is just to spend a day walking up and down the various streets looking for "For Rent" signs. It's not great if you're looking from out of town, but since you've got family and friends here, you might stay a weekend and spend some time hunting.