agent99

And you can't find those amenities in Cleveland Hts., Shaker Hts., or Cleveland? At least the homes in CH, SH, and Cleveland have Character. Nor are the neighborhoods bland nor racial mixed. I don't think that is what TBideon was saying... but I can see how it was taken that way. And BTW, Lyndhurst is not the Lyndhurst of our childhood MTS. It has intergrated to a certain degree..... Now you have whites from all different backgrounds, not just Eye-talians :) LMAO! LMAO! However, those god awful tacky tract homes are still there and I don't even want to think how they are decorated on the inside! Why don't people want homes with character? As a first-time house shopper I've looked at a few homes with character and definitely want one someday, but those neat old homes have insane heating bills here in Cleveland. (I know, I've quizzed the gas company on certain properties' heating costs). Those post WWII tract houses really vary on the inside; I"ve seen a few that are awful but I"m actually considering an offer on one. They are way cheaper to heat; I think realtors are calling them apartment/condo alternatives or something, and I'd imagine they have a similar market--retirees, singles, and "starter home" shoppers.

Welcome! FWIW, the small houses in Mayfield Heights are now going for around $900-1000/month. One tip: this area has the highest utilities in the state. If your landlord has tenants pay utilities, you might want to find out what kind of heating bills you'll get into. I just looked at an older 1700 square foot house w/a newer furnace that had a heating bill of over 470 last January and went to budget billing of $230/month. COntrast that with my sister in Columbus, who has a 3 (small) bedroom/2 full bath house (1200 sq ft or so) and has never paid more than $100 a month for gas heat. Yep, I'm looking for something smaller. Or kicking myself for not moving to Columbus instead!

I don't know what the stats are but don't let others confuse you on the difference between increasing crime and increasing diversity. It was not long ago that South Euclid and Lyndhurst were mostly white. Lyndhurst has become somewhat diverse, South Euclid much more so. Some long-time residents automatically equate that with increased crime. I live near the South Euclid / CH border and never lock my car and no one on my block has EVER had a break in. I grew up in a small town that was 98 % white, so whether or not it's PC to admit, I'm just not used to living in a diverse area and am going on others' recommendations. I was also very much used to walking out to my car at 2 am if I want to and being aware of surroundings but not overly worrying about it, and I'm a runner, so a reasonably safe area is a must. (That said, violent crime and burglary happens in small, safe towns also . . . I know utopia doesnt' exist). Check out the neighborhood I directed you to. It is about half Lyndhurst and half S Euclid. Let me know if you can tell when you cross the border into South Euclid (Professor Rd). My point is the neighborhoods are nearly identical. I'll do that. My familarity with SE is limited because I have so little occasion to go there. From what I've seen they look alike. There are certain parts of South Euclid that might not be your cup of tea, but those would be more towards the Cleveland border going north on Green or Belvoir. So just stay south of Monticello and you have nothing to worry about. It's that whole "proximity to eastern Cleveland and East CLeveland" thing? I've also been wary of S. Euclid because there are just so many properties for sale there; I had to wonder if it's more than just the market. The other thing about the neighborhood I pointed you to is the creeks that join up to make the Euclid Creek. Make sure you get a full and accurate disclosure on water damage because flooding can be hit or miss. Speaking of creeks, have you checked out Cutter's Creek development on Green and Anderson? Is that why you see houses with sump pumps in Lyndhurst also? Or was that just a standard around here at one poine? The development you're referring to is out of my range but I guess it's good for the area that there are some high-er priced homes.

I've heard conflicting things about South Euclid--that parts of it are really not nice/have increasing crime. I've seen many houses amazingly cheap there I think a little west of Green? By better city services, do you mean snow plowing? I know Beachwood beats everyone by a landslide in that department because I always notice I'm in Lyndhurst as I cross Cedar. Even if I bought something bigger cheaply I'd still have to heat it and I'm not sure what to expect in terms of gas bills, other than this is the most expensive area of Ohio in terms of utilities. My apartment building is warm enough that I open my windows in January to get the temp down to 70 and to air out my neighbors' cigarette smoke from my living room.

I'm single, female, late 20's, and considering buying a house because I'm tired of apartment buildings and my rent+utilities is very close to mortage+property tax+utilities on a small house in today's market. I'm currently living in Mayfield Heights and working in Beachwood/SHaker area. Beachwood is out of my price range. I've looked a little in Mayfield Heights and in the Lyndhurst area (across from Hawken) because I'd like to keep my freeway access so I don't have a long commute (in decent weather) if I were to change jobs. What's the average commute time like from that area to downtown? The west or southwest side? Does anyone live in either of those areas and have neighborhood/city advice? I don't want to be the only person under 70 on my street or in a neighborhood that's half rentals in 5 years.