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Old 05-10-2017, 09:54 AM
 
6 posts, read 5,194 times
Reputation: 10

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-Where you are working? My husband will be working in downtown Dayton. I stay home with our 4 children.

-How much you are willing to spend on housing? We are flexible. Between 500k - 700K.

-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate? My husband has always had commutes of between 30-45 minutes. He's willing to do that again but anything closer would be a nice bonus.

-If you have kids: Private school or public school? Our kids have always been in public school but we are open to private option. Our children are ages 14, 11, 8 and 5. We would like a smaller public school (less than 200 kids in a graduating class).

-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight? We have loved our last two communities and we would like to replicate this experience if we could. They are both small college towns with strong public schools. They each have a cute downtown/village with a mix of shops, restaurants, library, post office, etc. They are small, friendly communities where people look out for each other. They have a strong sense of community with festivals, events, outdoor concerts.

-Community amenities important to you? Community Rec Center, walking paths, parks


-Pie or cake? Vanilla cake ;-)

Oakwood has come up on our list as a town with many of the above characteristics. The problem is that our last two houses have been newer homes with open floor plans. Plus, we have 4 children and 3 pets so we need space and we would like a yard. We have been lucky that in the last two places we have lived there has been a mix of older homes with some newer subdivisions that are still in the town and part of the community. We can't seem to find that option in the Dayton area. It seems like our choice is Oakwood (old house, small yard but all the town characteristics we like) or Centerville, Springboro, Bellbrook, etc (newer home in subdivision with yard but not the quaint, community feel with a cute, vibrant downtown).

The other problem is that the housing inventory is at one of the lowest points that it has ever been so there are not many options for buying or renting.

Is that an accurate assessment? Any tips or advice for us? Thanks in advance for the help!! We are struggling with this decision and this move.


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Old 05-10-2017, 10:38 AM
 
Location: Dayton, Ohio
2 posts, read 2,131 times
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Hi your assessment is correct, that Oakwood is the ideal place for you and your family, the school is small and Oakwood is really close to Downtown Dayton, Centerville, Kettering are too large. Another area would be Bellbrook, small school and good commute on the highway to Downtown, some of the areas in Bellbrook do have that community feel, this is an area I think you would find what you are looking for and at a lower price range.
If I can be of any help to you in your search, let me know, If I can answer any questions for you also Ask away,
Thanks
Graham (the Brit) Harris

AsktheBrit@Kw.com

97-313-8187
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Old 05-10-2017, 12:12 PM
 
12,071 posts, read 23,146,650 times
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With that kind of budget, you should be able to get a decent sized yard in Oakwood, but I guess it depends on your definition of small. A lot of kids go to the parks, the library green space or Smith School to play outside if they want a lot of space to run around. What do you want the yard for?
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Old 05-10-2017, 05:25 PM
 
1,328 posts, read 1,437,717 times
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Oakwood or Bellbrook would probably be your best options south of Dayton. Kettering has a lot of what you are looking for, but is too big. Kettering (and others) might be an option if they don't go to a public school.
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Old 05-11-2017, 11:25 AM
 
3,513 posts, read 5,134,413 times
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I'd say you'd want to look at Oakwood and West Kettering first, Centerville next if you're looking farther off. Possibly far eastern Beavercreek too (like out by Country Club of the North) but that might be pushing the range as would Bellbrook.

Tipp City/Troy, Meeker Creek area of Vandalia, and western Clayton would be decent options too, some of that might be pushing the range as well.

But overall if I were in your shoes I'd consider Oakwood west of Far Hills most highly.


Good luck!
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Old 05-11-2017, 03:17 PM
 
Location: Beavercreek, OH
2,194 posts, read 3,833,124 times
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I'll throw one out there that few others are thinking of: Stonehill Village. It's located about 15 minutes east of downtown Dayton on US-35. When built out, it should provide the combination of "newer home with open floor plan" and "neighborhood feel" that you may be looking for. The development has been in fits and starts over the past ten years as the economy has likewise been in the tank, but... is finally developing with earnest.

At your price point, you can buy or build almost anything you want in the Dayton region.
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Old 05-12-2017, 07:21 PM
 
76 posts, read 141,743 times
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I'd put in a plug for Bellbrook. School district is smaller than most (slightly bigger than Oakwood), schools are very good (IMHO on par with Oakwood but opinions vary and most surveys will put Oakwood #1).

We moved here two years ago and also have a larger family. Hubs and I are professionals, with graduate degrees, and education is our number one concern.

We looked at Oakwood but the older housing stock with smaller yards, smaller garages, less square footage just would not meet our needs.

Also, for the particular educational needs of our family I felt like Bellbrook was a better fit. I have a special needs kid as well as a couple of accelerated kids. Oakwood's gifted coordinator told me straight up they are philosophically opposed to grade skips and acceleration. They also don't seem to do stand alone gifted classes or pullouts priot to at least middle school. If that kind of thing is important to you, you might look elsewhere.

Bellbrook was fine with accelerated classes and a grade skip for one of my kids who really needed it. The schools are small and so when I call about something or show up at school, they know exactly who my kid. It's been a very supportive environment for the kids. I can't say enough good things about Bellbrook schools.

On the other hand, people who love Oakwood really do love it. A coworker has two kids in Oakwood and they love the community and are deliriously happy with the schools. So check it out and maybe you can deal with the housing stock.

On the downside, Bellbrook is small, so you won't have as many housing choices as you would in Centerville or Beavercreek. (Oakwood similarly isn't going to have a ton of choices.) I wanted Bellbrook schools specifically, so I picked from what was available. I know lots of people care more about the particulars of the house than I do. I just wanted at least 5000 sq feet and assigned to Bellbrook schools. Everything else was negotiable.

If the particulars of the house matter most, there is plenty of newer construction in Springboro and Beavercreek and Centerville. Those are all solid districts. All the suburban districts are good.

We spent about what you are planning to spend and got a great house near Costco, greater than 5000 sq ft. It's really been worth it.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
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