Hi All,

 

I've been lurking for a few weeks and have reviewed several of the previous posts from folks looking to relocate to Cleveland.  My husband and I, currently in DC, are getting close to our move and have been out with a realtor the past couple of weekends.  We've looked primarily at the West side of town.  My husband will be working downtown and I expect to end up working downtown also.

 

We're looking to buy what will be our first home - couldn't dream of affording one in the DC area - and I was hoping to get the scoop on a couple of areas that I can't quite figure out.  We're looking for at least a 3br/1ba for under $100K.  We have don't have kids yet, but we do have family and friends with young kids and would want to feel confortable that they could play in the yard when they visit.  We will have a dog, so ideally we'd like to be someplace near a park and a nearby dog park would be fantastic. 

 

One place we're considering is in Old Brooklyn, behind Deaconess Hospital.  I haven't seen a lot of posts about that neighborhood, so any info would be helpful.  There are a couple of others places that I can't quite figure out what neighborhood they are in and how they stack up, safety wise.  The first is the 2800 block of Marvin Ave and the other is the 3700 block of W 37th. 

 

My husband lived in Chicago before the DC area and I am originally from the San Francisco area.  We want to be relatively close to downtown to be able to take advantage of live music, theatre and those great downtown sports venues.  Hope that is enough to give you an idea what we might be looking for.  I appreciate the help.

Welcome to UrbanOhio!  :wave:

 

I hope the folks on UO can be of service.  Please keep us informed on the progress of your move and hope to see you participate in other threads here on UO.

You could probably do Old Brooklyn for 100k and that puts you right on the 51x bus route.  Even though Cleveland is cheap in comparison to DC, 100k  is still tough unless your willing to do some work on the house.  There are some nice areas along Puritas/Rocky River Drive area in that range which would put you in the West Park neighborhood and Kamms Corners neighborhood.  Have the realator take you through there.  Rapid Transit runs throught that area.  laastly, slavic Village along Broadway has some single family houses that would fall in that range.  Again it falls oon a major bus line.  All neighborhoods I mentioned have an influx of single family dwellings with yards for pets and kids and are all in Cleveland proper.

Welcome to the forum... I think you might want to consider renting first before you settle on a specific neighborhood. I would give that advice to anyone moving to a new city, not just Cleveland. Are you willing to consider a condo, or is your price range flexible? If you were to rent, what would be do-able for you?

 

The areas you mention are on the dicey side, especially the 2800 Block of Marvin. For example - there's a drop-dead gorgeous 4-bedroom Victorian that's listing for $144,000 - that's not just because of Cleveland's affordable real estate factor - the general area around MetroHealth Hospital has seen a lot of crime in recent years.

Thanks.  A short term rental is an option.  My husband and I go back and forth on it, but we really don't want to have the cost of two moves.  We're renting for $1420/month now, but would want to half that if we rented - no use paying that much for a short term rental.   

 

We don't see ourselves in a condo.  I had a feeling that the Marvin and W 37th areas were rough.  We looked at a place on Trowbridge around 31st or 32nd that was a no-go and it didn't look to be too far away.  Is Old Brooklyn the same?  We've asked the realtor to see places in West Park and Kamms Corners this coming weekend. 

 

We are definitely looking to build some sweat equity in a place.  Some heaver cosmetic stuff and a dated kitchen/bath is ok but a new foundation or roof (or, as we saw in one place, walls) is another thing.

have you looked in Lakewood? i think you will be pleased.

Old Brooklyn and most of Westpark, of which Kamm's Corner is a part (the nicest part) are pretty safe, though you should of course check out the specific are that you want to live in more carefully. 

 

Also, it might still be possible to snatch up a property in OC or Tremont for under 100k, though it may be a fixer upper house on a fixer upper block outside their cores.  Those are two of Cleveland's most trendy and charming neighborhoods, but outside of the core of both, prices go down quickly and the blocks become more hit and miss- see what you can find and then check out the street carefully.  They could make for a good investment if you find something though.  Detroit Shoreway is the same, though not quite as trendy yet, it is on its way, and I would bet that area will see alot of appreciation.

 

On the east side, you may want to check out North Collinwood and Payne-Sterling.  North Collinwood is pretty similar in stock to Old Brooklyn or Westpark- a mix of '20's bungalows and small '50's colonials.  It would be best described as a stable neighborhood- again comparable to Westpark or Old Brooklyn.  There is a nice strip of retail at East 185th.  Payne Sterling is becoming well known for lofts in old industrial buildings, but also has some modestly priced single families on its side streets.  It is definitely an up and coming neighborhood, and is downtown adjacent.

 

Old Brooklyn, Westpark, and North Collinwood are more early suburban in character, while Detroit Shoreway, Ohio City, Tremont, and Payne Sterling are more urban neighborhoods- they are older and more densely built.  Of course, in Cleveland, the housing stock in both is primarily wood frame single families.

I beg of you  to rent first, explore, and buy later. I won't bore everyone on the board again with the gory details of my moving from out of state story, but chances are you wont find your dream home until you have settled and looked around. We had the same view point-we thought we could not handle moving 2x in a year (cost, time, stress) so did not want to rent.  Long story short lost $10,000+ to get out.  Don't worry it will still be a buyers market next year. The market is slow in a lot of parts of town, and if you buy in an area that is not"you",  you could have a heck of a time selling (it takes longer in the midwest than the busier markets like DC). Old Brooklyn is quite affordable and mostly safe. Trowbridge and marvin have a lot of issues (drugs, drugs, and more drugs). I think it would be tough to find something in OC or Tremont at that price point-unless it needed a lot of work. Detroit Shoreway is an up and comer with affordable places, and fabulous location, but I think you would have to evaluate your comfort level with living in a tranitioning neighborhood. As it happens, I would live their w/o hesitation (as long as I knew the street)I work in the above three commmunities and have a pretty good idea of the issues.  DS has more struggles than OC and Tremont. A high amount of rentals has resulted in some neglected and abused old beautys. Still, I would not rule it out. The thing is some streets are more stable and others are bad news.  You just won't know until you can really spend some time checking it out. In your price range you could find a diamond in the rough on a nice street, or to be blunt, a former crack house.  Kamms corner has some cute little houses, it is almost suburban in character though. You should be able to find a simple rental for 700 EASY. Of course the realtor is going to try and guilt you in to buying now, but don't do it if you are not ready. Welcome !(BTW  I was born in DC and raised in Suburban VA..then moved around some ...and here I am)

oh yeah payne sterling just east of downtown has some nice little houses as well..not sure of price range though. I have only been around the back streets during the day and homes always looks quiet and tidy.

I bought my first home in Old Brooklyn in the fall - and would recommend the neighborhood to anyone.  Depending on what part of the neighborhood you live in - it can differ.  The "parkview" area (where i live) near the metropark is a beautiful stock of brick bungalows built in the late 40's and early 50's.  They have lots of character, and are well maintained.  On the southern end of the neighborhood, "South HIlls", you have a more colonial stock type of house - also well maintained.  There are parts of The "OB" that aren't as well kept b/c they consist of doubles that are rentals.

 

The neighborhood is great though ,and houses will range from $75 - $150K.  Cleveland has had a lot of foreclosures, so many of the "for sale" hosue are actually bank owned, and are being offered below market rate - but are in good shape.  The 'hood has lots of children (most go to private catholic schools though) and is very stable. 

 

When looking though, if you keep in the "44144" zip code of the neighborhood, you have a nicer housing and resident population.  The 44109 zip code, in large, is just not as aesthetically pleasing.  Good Luck!

Regarding Payne Sterling, there are a lot of houses in the $100,000 or less range. Again, these may require more rehab than you would prefer, and the market here is surprisingly tight ... there are very few for-sale signs in the neighborhood, and many that are sold are done so by owner, not realtor. Best of luck with your move, and as has been mentioned previously, I'd advise renting before purchasing. Cleveland is a city of distinct neighborhoods, and it would be a shame to purchase without finding the niche that best suits you; more pragmatically, it would be a shame to choose an area where real appreciation is unlikely to occur in the near future.

HI, I live in Old Brooklyn, south of South hills. its a great area. People in the area are very active walking, and biking.

 

Here a house on south hills for $97,000 which is a steal! the house was on the market last year for $105,000. when I bought my house.

 

very little crime here!

http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5041509

 

this one is on archwood ave. (warning crime has increase alittle here)

http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5471271

Again, thanks everyone.  Peabody, we are in Fairfax and I work in DC - because that as close as $1400 in rent will get 'ya these days.  Although we're in the suburbs now, my husband and I both have lived in transitioning areas in the recent past, he in Chicago and me in a town adjcent to Oakland, so we would lean toward that as long as it's not an area like we saw on Trowbridge - broken liquor bottles in the yard and very likely someone squatting in the garage.  We thought we had probably missed out on options in our price range in OC and Tremont but that would be the type of area we would like. 

 

Our realtor hasn't been high pressure, but I get the idea that he doesn't think too highly of Detroit Shoreway, so your thoughts are helpful.  We could stretch our price range, but we still want to be able to travel and afford some little luxuries, as well as home improvements, so we've put that limit on ourselves. 

 

We will likely rent for a few months, because I doubt we could even close on a house by the time my husband needs to be at the new job.  (Not that you all haven't been persuasive.)  It's when we think about the cost of doing it, it is around 1.5% - 2.5% of the purchase price we are looking at, so that does give a little pause.  On the other hand, perhaps worth it when talking about such a big purchase.  I also hear more inventory tends to come on the market in April and May. 

 

I'm sure 'll be back with more Qs... Thanks.

HI, I live in Old Brooklyn, south of South hills. its a great area. People in the area are very active walking, and biking.

 

Here a house on south hills for $97,000 which is a steal! the house was on the market last year for $105,000. when I bought my house.

 

very little crime here!

http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5041509

 

this one is on archwood ave. (warning crime has increase alittle here)

http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5471271

 

those are both nice houses.

Oh, good.  We have both of those on our list to see.  Good to hear about South Hills.

welcome to town. imo all the nabes mentioned are fine suggestions and the homes listed decent too. however, i'm with the others in that i think you should rent first if you can. if you rent for a few months and basically cut your current rent in half, that savings in itself will pay for the second move. its a pain, but worth it while you gain the lay of the land. looks like that is what you are going to do and i think its smart. you'll end up with something you really like that way -- you can get a lot of home for your buck in cleveland.

A good friend sent me your post bc I was telling him I want to sell my home.  I am in the nice part of S. Hills in Old Brooklyn.  It is true, you have to be careful of what area of Old Brooklyn you look in.  I am trying to avoid going with a realtor bc I would like to sell quickly to relocate and would like to give someone deal on a home that has been wonderful to us.  I do not have a fancy web site set up yet, but email me directly and I would be happy to send you photos and have you come see it if you come to town looking. 

Hi again.  I am sorry, I forgot to add that I would be willing to do a lease or lease option as well.  SO if you are reluctant to buy right away and wish to rent first, I can work with you.  My goal is to move and relocate my daughter and I closer to friends and school.  So, I would like move and get  settled sooner rather than later.  The start of the school year will come sooner than I wish I know.

Welcome, JayPea, I agree with Peabody's comments about renting first to check out the area... I'm curious, though, why are you limiting yourselves to looking on the West Side of town?  Any reason why the East Side hasn't come under your consideration?  Seems like an area like Shaker Square would be ideal and you can find homes around $100K in the very decent Larchmere area.  What's more, that area, as well as all of Shaker Sq, is not only trendy, old, very solid/steady (RE value-wise, crime-wise) and walkable, but highly accessible transit-wise, as two rapid transit lines (Blue and Green) serve the area very well and zip you downtown in 12/13 mins from the Shaker Sq stop. 

 

Houses, like most others of Cleveland, are largely wood frame, although a number are built of brick.  The area was largely settled in the early 1900s, principally between World War I and the Depression.  Most houses are modest, and there are a lot of 2-flat doubles in the Cleveland vernacular, but some are sizable on significant lots, and are great values given the neighborhood, which is hot.  Many of the brick apartment and condos are Tudor and Gothic style and, overall, the old architecture in the area is among the most scenic in the county.

 

On the other hand, Shaker Sq. has the highest concentration of apartments and condos inside Cleveland and despite living inside Cleveland, with its low taxes, in much of the area, you can send your kids (when you have them) to the highly competitive/renowned Shaker Heights School Dist (which is supported by among the highest taxes in the County).  A couple new condo and townhouse projects have opened in recent years on Larchmere, which is the walking-scale antiques district of the East Side where there a number of shops and restaurants supplementing those of the Square, itself, a block to the south and east. 

 

Have you looked at Shaker Square/Larchmere?  Might be your best bet given where you/your husband will be working and what you're looking for.  What’s more, given your backgrounds in D.C, San Fran. and Chicago, Shaker Square would probably be very familiar given its diversity, density, old-style buildings and trendy atmosphere.  Given the similarity, overall, for the prices you pay here, most consider Shaker Square an absolute steal; you should definitely check it out.