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Old 10-10-2008, 01:36 PM
 
Location: Ashland, OH
2 posts, read 5,227 times
Reputation: 10

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I'm getting married in June and we're planning to move to Columbus at the beginning of July. We're looking for a safe city, not more than 20 minutes from downtown (on average). We don't know if we'll be able to afford buying a house right away - I graduate college in May - stupid student loans . We have a dog, he's about 55 lbs. Does anyone have any suggestions? If we do rent we're looking for a place $400-$600 a month. If we buy we're looking for something pretty cheap for ideally $60,000-$80,000. If anything - any suggestions on where we could find information? (We don't really care about schools or anything like that, we plan to move before having kids - just a SAFE place) Thanks!! -Mal-
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Old 10-14-2008, 09:58 PM
 
7 posts, read 16,555 times
Reputation: 10
My wife and I just recently bought a house in Lincoln Village North and we really like it here. West of 270 north of Broad St. Our realtor also has rental properties. He only sells real estate part time for HER Real Living, feel free to look him up, his name is Mike Martin. I dealt with a few realtors before working with Mike and he is more knowledgeable than many full time realtors.
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Old 10-16-2008, 02:29 PM
 
Location: Ashland, OH
2 posts, read 5,227 times
Reputation: 10
Thank you, we'll look them up.
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Old 10-17-2008, 10:53 AM
 
150 posts, read 981,070 times
Reputation: 124
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsmt1022 View Post
I'm getting married in June and we're planning to move to Columbus at the beginning of July. We're looking for a safe city, not more than 20 minutes from downtown (on average). We don't know if we'll be able to afford buying a house right away - I graduate college in May - stupid student loans . We have a dog, he's about 55 lbs. Does anyone have any suggestions? If we do rent we're looking for a place $400-$600 a month. If we buy we're looking for something pretty cheap for ideally $60,000-$80,000. If anything - any suggestions on where we could find information? (We don't really care about schools or anything like that, we plan to move before having kids - just a SAFE place) Thanks!! -Mal-
You shouldn't have too much trouble finding a rental toward the higher end of your budget.

I rented before buying in Columbus, and it wasn't always easy to find a place that would accomodate my big dog. I am not trying to give you a lecture, as you are obviously an adult capable of making your own decisions. However, I would be very cautious about purchasing a home before you have experienced the city, especially given your price range. Each person is going to have their own idea of what a "safe" area entails, but I can't think of any areas where I would want to live where you can buy a home for under $80k. You might be able to find a condo in an "ok" area, but often when condos are priced that low, many are rentals, and you could have an issue with financing.

I know everyone says renting is throwing away money, but in exchange for paying rent you get a place to live. You don't have to worry about maintenance. If the furnace breaks, the landlord fixes it! And if you decide your neighborhood no longer suits you, you move when your lease runs out. You also hear about all the great tax benefits of home ownership...but at a max purchase price of $80k, your interest and taxes won't exceed the standard deduction for a married couple (unless you have an INSANELY high interest rate). So you wouldn't realize tax benefits for home ownership. You also have to pay homowner's insurance, maintenance, and be able to fix your furnace if it breaks.

Finally, that post-graduation salary sounds really high, that first paycheck can be quite a shock after taxes! I don't know your major, or the income potential of your future career, but you might have buyer's remorse if you hurry up and settle for the first cheap house you can find.

Maybe you could post more about the kind of neighborhood where you would like to live. You should also search this forum. You will find most people list Grandview, Bexley, Short North, Victorian Village, Italian Village, German Village and Clintonville as desirable areas near the city. In the suburbs, it's Westerville, Dublin, Worthington, New Albany, Upper Arlington. Just about any of those will be within 20 minutes of downtown. If you rent first, you would have a year to figure out which of these areas would best suit your needs!

Congrats on your upcoming graduation and nuptials
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Old 10-21-2008, 09:21 AM
 
Location: Hilliard/Galloway/Columbus
6 posts, read 32,046 times
Reputation: 10
Default West Side

I must agree with the others that the West side is fairly cheap and safe
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Old 10-21-2008, 06:51 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,483 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsmt1022 View Post
I'm getting married in June and we're planning to move to Columbus at the beginning of July. We're looking for a safe city, not more than 20 minutes from downtown (on average). We don't know if we'll be able to afford buying a house right away - I graduate college in May - stupid student loans . We have a dog, he's about 55 lbs. Does anyone have any suggestions? If we do rent we're looking for a place $400-$600 a month. If we buy we're looking for something pretty cheap for ideally $60,000-$80,000. If anything - any suggestions on where we could find information? (We don't really care about schools or anything like that, we plan to move before having kids - just a SAFE place) Thanks!! -Mal-
Well, things have not changes much.. I came here decades ago.. Eventually found a nice house to rent via the human resources person at the place I was to work. Never regretted it, being married with two kids at the time. But the social life here is something you have to make on your own. Night clubs are rare to non-existent. There are a lot of singles bars, but the social life there is dominates by sports (OSU Buckeyes) and the like. I was content to have my home life and that's that. I eventually found others having the same hobbies as mine, which activities to this day are active.
A.C.
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