My husband and I have been lurking on here for several months in anticipation of our move to Cleveland in June.  Your responses are always very helpful and informative so I thought I'd pop in w/a few questions.  We're debating renting vs buying and found these seemingly nice townhouses offered for sale by PURE- Courtlandt Court Phase II (off of W. 54th St., just south of Bridge).

 

http://www.progressiveurban.com/new_construction/courtland/

 

Does anyone have any opinions/insight on these townhouses? 

Are they in the Detroit-Shoreway area? 

Is the area where they're located safe?

 

A little extra info might help- we're moving to Cleveland in July and husband will be at Metro Health for 3 yrs.  I'm applying to CWRU and will either attend school there or work there/nearby, depending on whether or not I'm accepted.  We prefer the westside b/c it will be closer to husband's work and he has crazy hours.  If we can be near the RTA (so I can take it to CWRU), that would be a bonus.  We're moving to Cleveland from Houston by way of Brooklyn, NY (which is where we currently are), and are fairly young and newly married. 

 

Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

I'm so dumb. We prefer the WESTSIDE. Sorry. :-P

Nomads, welcome to the board! (My wife is a native Houstonian.)

 

So I'm guessing that your husband is doing a residency at Metro?

 

What are you looking for in a neighborhood? What is important? Are you set on purchasing a place or are you considering a rental at all?

 

My first impression is that this area is a bit grittier than some other parts of Detroit-Shoreway. If you don't mind me asking, what is your price range? Have you looked at the Clinton Courts townhomes? Some of those units are similar in price to Courtland. There are also some units at Battery Park (the gateway townhomes) are around $200k. Have you looked at Battery Park at all?

 

What deters you from the East Side? Have you visited Cleveland yet?

 

NomadTexans - hope you don't mind, I went back into your post to add the URL for the townhomes and fixed your location preference :-)

 

Welcome to the forum and to Cleveland - those townhomes are in the southern area of Detroit-Shoreway and the western fringe of Ohio City. My basic impression is that they're in an area that has a mix of new construction and older homes in varying states (from rehabbed to decaying). I know some people who live over that way and I haven't heard any complaints but I do know that like most inner-city neighborhoods, there's always room for improvement.

 

 

Welcome to urbanohio and Cleveland, NomadTexans!  The townhouses in question are in Detroit Shoreway, a bit south of Gordon Square and Battery Park and all that good stuff that you may have seen on here recently, close to Cleveland's "EcoVillage", which is an environmentally friendly community.  I don't live there, and am not really sure about safety, though I've walked around some and felt ok during the day. 

 

You probably noticed by the location that those townhouses are on the westside, which is also where Metro Health is located (not the eastside).  It would be a 15 minute drive on local roads to get there, maybe less.  These are near the W. 65th St. rapid, so it sounds like a good location transportation wise.

 

You may also consider Ohio City or Downtown as they would be similar in commute times for Metro Health and have Red Line access.  Alot of info can be found on here about them, but we are always willing to answer questions, too.  Good luck.

Have you looked at the Fries & Schuele condos? They are on West 25th next to Lorain in Ohio City. This would be a fun spot for a young couple. Also, it is one block from the RTA rapid station and closer to Metro. Additionally, you'd be able to walk to a grocery store, bars, restaurants, the West Side Market, etc.

Welcome Nomad.  If you can survive Brooklyn, you can survive in Ohio City/Detriot Shoreway.  Where in Brooklyn are you currently located?

Wow! Thanks for all the warm welcome and helpful responses! To answer questions:

 

3231, glad to hear a native H-town girl is doing well in Cleveland!  Husband will be in residency at Metro.  We're looking for a nice, safe neighborhood where I would not hesitate to be walking back from the car/RTA/store in the evening (or pretty much when it's dark) and husband would be safe coming home late at night.  Stores, restaurants (independent and chain), movie theaters, etc within driving distance would be great.  We live in a grittier neighborhood in Brooklyn right now and our car just got broken into and the area is definitely more than sketchy after living here for a while.  It is definitely our fault for not spending more time looking so we're trying to act early for Cleveland.

 

We're still debating purchase vs rent- with the market as it is and with our desire to head back south in a few yrs, renting is definitely more than a possibility. We'd definitely like a 2-2 or 2-1.5 b/c more people have made plans to visit us in Cleveland than in NYC! Pretty cool!  Plus we'd like a 2-car garage and that seems to come with the extra BR only.  Price range for purchase would be upto about 195K/200K or so but we're not 100% sure what the cost-of-living is like there (I'm  guessing it's closer to that of Houston though).  Rent range upto about $1000 or so but w/some nice amenities (parking, W/D, hookups...).  We haven't looked at the Clinton Court THs, Battery Park or the F&S condos at all. Thanks for the recs!  We'll make our first trip to Cleveland together in April but I'm not sure if we should buy right away (if we will at all)- perhaps spending some time there first in an apt would be best, right?

 

MayDay- thanks for the help and the info on D-S! I had no idea how that URL showed up all of a sudden! :)

 

X- It looks like Ohio City might be a good place for us to look at more closely then.

 

MyTwoSense- Haha! We're north of Bay Ridge in a somewhat scary area. I think I'm done with scary areas!

 

Thanks to all of you for the welcome and all of the info!

 

 

Some more random thoughts:

 

-if you go with new construction, then you'll qualify for tax abatement on your property tax. So if you go with a 200k townhome, you'll be making monthly payments that are akin to a $160 townhome.

 

-if you are leaving in 3 years, the real estate market should be much better than it is now. Still, I wouldn't expect the property to appreciate that much.

 

-if you want to be in walking distance of a lot of things and live on the west side, then I'd go for Ohio City. 

 

-www.progressiveurban.com is a good source, but i bet you've found that already. 

-http://www.friesandschuele.com/

-www.batteryparkcleveland.com

 

 

Bay Ridge?  Whoa!  Are you near Sunset Park or on the Coney Island side?

 

Well welcome to Cleveland anyway!  

 

There are alot of us Clevelanders here in NYC as well, who can give a point of reference and direct comparisons on neighborhoods.  However, the folks here are as real as it get when it you ask a housing question!  So let them rip!

 

I love this wave of NYers moving to Cleveland!!!

3231- Wow that Tax Abatement definitely make things more affordable!  I had no idea it would help that much. 

 

We (like everyone else) aren't sure about the state of the market a few yrs down the road but Ohio City seems to be doing fairly well so we can always hope.  The Battery Park site is great.  I think we'll definitely be adding that to our list-- it's pretty much what we had in mind!  Thanks again for the recs.

 

MyTwoSense- SP area.  I'm very ready to leave b/c of the crime and general scary-ness although my immediate neighbors are really nice and have helped make it a nice community in many ways. Thanks for the welcome :)

 

MyTwoSense- SP area.  I'm very ready to leave b/c of the crime and general scary-ness although my immediate neighbors are really nice and have helped make it a nice community in many ways. Thanks for the welcome :)

 

yes tax abatement is a lovely thing.

 

Nomad, Ohio City & Detriot-Shoreway IMHO feel like the Seventh Avenue area of Park Slope or Ft. Greene - Clinton Hills about 5 years ago. 

 

- Lots of very well planned developments completed

- Active neighbors

- lots of people returning to the area

- a neighborhood where you'll see kids and strollers

- uniqure restaurants

- good transportation options

- not a saturated market as of yet, but lots of interest has made it a popular local for residents, partiers/diners and out of towners now take note.

 

If the westside doesn't pan out....feel free to check out the Eastside of Cleveland - we'd love to have you.  Punish the hubby and make him commute!  lol  :evil:

-if you go with new construction, then you'll qualify for tax abatement on your property tax. So if you go with a 200k townhome, you'll be making monthly payments that are akin to a $160 townhome.

 

I can second this statement.  The tax abatement is a HUGE insentive to purchase new construction within the city.  You still have to pay taxes, but only on the land, not the structures built on it.  The end result is that our monthly taxes are only $45!  The abatement last for 15 years too, so it won't slap you in the face like ARMs have been doing to so many others lately.

Don't discount downtown either. You may like the Warehouse District and the Gateway District (to mention just two areas)....

http://www.warehousedistrict.org/

http://www.historicgateway.org/

 

Downtown is a great location for travel to CWRU and MetroHealth. And, you can't beat downtown for transit access: Euclid Corridor to CWRU, #20 and 35 bus routes to MetroHealth (transit is always a helpful option in snowstorms), and of course the Red Line to/from the airport.

 

Downtown is affordable, is always adding new housing and retail products to the market, plus there's lots of restaurants and nightspots for a young couple.

I think you have to go back more than 5 years to compare Ohio City and D-S to either Park Slope or Fort Green. I lived in both neighborhoods in the early/mid 90's and even then Park Slope was vastly more developed and high end than either OC or D-S are today. Fort Green at that time  or just a little later is probably a better comparison.

I am going to be honest. I have clients in the neighborhood, and I have seen activities that appear to be  drug dealing/youth gang during the day on Bridge in the 40-50's blocks.  I would contact the councilpersons office-I think that home is in DS-Matt Zone- but the OC border is real close-  and see where you can get stats. Also I would rent first,b/c when are from out of the area, you really cannot know a neighborhood until you are here. They all have very unique characteristics, strengths and quirks. It is very hard to resell a home in the area, and you could be stuck. Better to find your dream home after you have spent a year or so here (edit-just saw you only plan on being hear 3 years or so...I would rent!). My comment applies specifically to the townhomes you attached. Other parts of DS are better ie north of Detroit in general. While I would be hard pressed to call DS (or OC) "gentrified" , they are great, diverse and interesting neighborhoods...but both have good and not so great parts.

I think you should rent.  You never know what you're going to like or not like about your area until you actually move in somewhere.  I second the suggestion for Ohio City but also think you should consider Lakewood. I would feel much safer walking there at night alone (just my opinion but I'm a F and most of the posters are male and have different impressions) than I would anywhere around the W 65th rapid station stop or the W 25th stop.  And there are the requisite shops, restaurants, groceries there, more choices, at least as far as groceries and such than in the OC or downtown.  A lot of drugstores downtown close at 6 for example, whereas ones in lakewood are open til at least 9 if not 24 hrs.  There is a HUGE rental community in lakewood so you'd have lots of choices as well as fairly close lake and park access - Edgewater and Lakewood parks for example. 

^downtown drugstores now open til 8. :wink:

A lot of drugstores downtown close at 6 for example, whereas ones in lakewood are open til at least 9 if not 24 hrs. 

 

Ohio City/DS drugstore is open till 9.

Within a 5-10 minute walk of the West 117th Detroit/Clifton area (my 'hood), I've got two drug stores that are open 24 hours. Plus two restaurants that are open 24 hours. Might be worth considering.....

thx for the updates about the drugstores!  This is good news since a friend of mine just moved downtown, I will pass it along.

My brother and his wife lived on W. 69th near the lake almost ten years ago, and they felt safe.  The area has only improved since then.

 

What part of Houston did you live?  Is there a neighborhood in Houston that you would consider ideal?  I lived in downtown Houston for a year in 2003.

 

By the way, Welcome to Cleveland!

A lot of drugstores downtown close at 6 for example, whereas ones in lakewood are open til at least 9 if not 24 hrs.  

 

Ohio City/DS drugstore is open till 9.

 

 

we gave up and just started going to the CVS on clifton. The good news you can have KJP sightings there.  :wave:

:wave:

The buzz is that detroit shoreway will be the next ohio city; it's not there yet but it's got a great energy already. I am single and I would live there.

My brother and his wife lived on W. 69th near the lake almost ten years ago, and they felt safe.  The area has only improved since then.

 

What part of Houston did you live?  Is there a neighborhood in Houston that you would consider ideal?  I lived in downtown Houston for a year in 2003.

 

By the way, Welcome to Cleveland!

 

Thanks Punch!  Since Houston is the opposite of walkable, I'm not sure there is something that would be an exact match of what we're looking for, but maybe somewhere like Midtown, West of the Med Center (area code 77025), or Rice Military is what we somewhat have in mind.  If you have any recs, I'm all ears!

 

Thanks for all of the info everyone!  Hopefully we can find something suitable with all of this info.  We're looking forward to moving to Cleveland!

Yeah, that was my biggest problem with Houston was people's attitude to walking.  I would walk from downtown to the Montrose area (about 3 miles) on Sunday mornings to grab brunch and people thought I was completely nuts.

 

Anywho....not many neighborhood in Houston translate to Cleveland, and vice versa, but I would say Rice Village / Midtown would be closest to Little Italy up through Cleveland Hts.

  But, I really did not find any areas like Detroit Shoreway or Ohio City in Houston, which are my favorite areas to live in Cleveland.

 

Just rent for a year and explore, explore, explore.  A year goes quickly in a new town.

Nomad, I also want to add that I found out about a rental house listing today that might appeal to you. It's on W. 103rd near Clifton Blvd, an easy commute to Metro. Renting but being in a house might be best of both worlds, although you may want a condo more. Just wanted to give you the option. I can hook you up if you want to see the house. 

Also, I have a client who is going to have a Friese and Schuele condo to rent in a few months. If your significant other is a resident that means you don't have to rent right away yes? This is a fabulous location for a Metro Hosp job and all the other reasons mentioned above. There are not a lot of F and S condos to rent anymore since the entire bldg has gone condo. So you can let me know if you are interested in that one too. I would simply hook you up with my client's email for this one.

 

I agree with the idea that you rent for a year. Especially since you do not know if you are staying in the area for more than two years. Most of us love living here and owning is good but only if you don't have to sell it right away...to me, two years is still 'right away' LOL  I'm glad you are moving here and I predict you will enjoy the Cleveland adventure!

Ha ha Punch, I would think you're a little nutty too :)  Haven't you seen Houstonians drive from one side of a parking lot to the other rather than walk?  I love my hometown but we're definitely not the most active bunch!  Thanks for the recs- I'll have to look into Cleveland Heights when we get up there for a visit.

 

Thanks for the info Carole!   

I agree about Cleveland Heights.  If anyone is looking for a walkable neighborhood in Cleveland, you have to take a look at the Coventry, Cedar-Lee and Cedar-Fairmount neighborhoods of Cleveland Heights. Shaker Square would be a must-see as well.

Ha ha Punch, I would think you're a little nutty too :)  Haven't you seen Houstonians drive from one side of a parking lot to the other rather than walk?  I love my hometown but we're definitely not the most active bunch! 

 

That happens in Greater Cleveland, too. I did a column in the paper about "Car Potatoes" about 10 years ago. Still goes on.

KJP, they are professional drivers.  They drive to get the mail if the mailbox is on the curb.

My husband and I have been lurking on here for several months in anticipation of our move to Cleveland in June.  Your responses are always very helpful and informative so I thought I'd pop in w/a few questions.  We're debating renting vs buying and found these seemingly nice townhouses offered for sale by PURE- Courtlandt Court Phase II (off of W. 54th St., just south of Bridge).

http://www.progressiveurban.com/new_construction/courtland/

 

Does anyone have any opinions/insight on these townhouses? 

Are they in the Detroit-Shoreway area? 

Is the area where they're located safe?

 

A little extra info might help- we're moving to Cleveland in July and husband will be at Metro Health for 3 yrs.  I'm applying to CWRU and will either attend school there or work there/nearby, depending on whether or not I'm accepted.  We prefer the westside b/c it will be closer to husband's work and he has crazy hours.  If we can be near the RTA (so I can take it to CWRU), that would be a bonus.  We're moving to Cleveland from Houston by way of Brooklyn, NY (which is where we currently are), and are fairly young and newly married. 

 

Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

Welcome!  Battery Park is great and the taxabatement a major plus -- but, if you are truly only going to be here 3 years renting may be the better choice.  We just purchased in Battery Park but if we were going to rent short term it would have been Ohio City or the Warehouse District -- probably OC for the parking needs of 2 cars.  As others have mentioned the Detroit Shoreway is on its way back so for us it was an investment in helping create that energy while building toward our future.  If you want to know more about BP, just ask!