My wife will be starting a 3 year fellowship at Rainbow Babies, so she wants to be within a 20 min. commute of Case.  The problem is there are tons of areas that fit that bill.  We also have a 4.5 month old son, so safety is a top priority.  My wife and I love to take walks and I'm always riding my bike or running, so we would want an area that caters to those activities.  We would love access to parks as well.  We neither prefer an overly urban (we like a bit of quiet, trees, and grass) or suburban (we hate homogeneous cookie cutter homes in totally car-dependent neighborhoods) experience and really appreciate many homes from 1900 - 1940.  Having lived in NYC for the last 3 years we tired of traffic congestion and desire easy access to major traffic arteries.  We do not want to sacrifice access to cultural activities either (museums, orchestra, live music, ect.).  Our ideal budget is 150k - 200k.

 

I have been looking at (in no particular order):

 

Cleveland Heights

University Heights

Lakewood

Rocky River

 

Shaker Heights would be on the list, but it seems the property taxes can be through the roof.

 

Someone suggested Solon to us, but that's too far.  With many property values seemingly bottomed out and the first time home buyer tax credit it is just too tempting to buy...we are both very tired of renting. 

 

Part of the problem I have run into is that some people rave about each of these areas, while others bash them as hopelessly spiraling downhill.  We may, or may not, be moving in 3 yrs., so either way, I want a place that will maintain safety and value.

 

In summary we are looking for:

 

150k - 200k

SAFETY and STABILITY

< 20 min. Commute to Case

Walkability

Access to Parks

Cultural Activities

(lower property taxes than Shaker Heights) 

 

Please provide specific geographical areas if you can, giving street names, ect.  Many people just make blanket statements about a given area, "Cleveland Heights is this" or "Lakewood is that" for example, when all these areas seem to have their good spots and bad spots.  Since I am unfamiliar with Cleveland some geographic orientation is a must.  All the diversity, even within neighborhoods, is kind of dizzying.

 

Also, if anyone knows of areas better suited for us, please chime in...We need all the help we can get.  And if anyone knows of a really top flight real estate agent that would also be a huge help.

 

Thank you all in advance.

 

If you want quick access to freeways, I would not suggest Cleveland Heights, I think it's a PITA and the traffic there is not the best.  University Circle area would be better and very close to cultural stuff, but still not what I'd call "quick" access to freeways and I think the traffic is not great.  The commute would be very short in either location.

 

Lakewood and River both have good access to freeways.  The housing stock in Lakewood will likely be more to your liking, and they fit the bill in terms of parks and such, but it's a crowded/busy city with a lot of renters, and a lot more apartments, condos and duplexes than single family homes, if that means anything to you.  River has less of that, but would be a much further commute to Rainbow. 

 

Honestly, if there is even a decent chance you will be moving in 3 years, I would not invest in buying a house.  I would rent one, or rent half a duplex in Lakewood, because otherwise you will probably take a big bath financially, but that is just my opinion.  It's at least a half hour to Case and can be 45 minutes to an hour in the winter from Lakewood.

 

As many of us do, you'll have to decide between a quick commute and quality of what you want out of life, it's hard to find the perfect balance, because many of us work in one area but live in another.

 

Edited to add: When are you moving here/how much time do you have? 

I think a Lakewood to Case commute in 20 minutes is pushing it (not remotely doable from Rocky River); especially in bad weather. Definitely sounds like the type of area they'd like but with the commute requirement, I'd suggest some of the areas in Cleveland Heights that compare with Lakewood. Agreed on renting unless they're planning to sit tight for a while, especially with the economy the way it is.

20 minutes to Case, I definitely think you are limited to the east side and for the most part the Heights area.  Given your peramaters I think you would be very happy with University Hts. and could find a very nice house with some charm in your price range.  However, property taxes in University and Cleveland Heights are nearly as high as Shaker.

 

By the way, most of the negative things you will hear about the Heights are the people who live in the cookie cutter subdivisions you detest, like large parts of Solon.

I would definitely put Cleveland Hts. at the top of your list, specifically the area south of Mayfield Road and west of Lee Road (roughly this area:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=41.496042,-81.581812&spn=0.017454,0.052314&t=h&z=15)

 

The streets are beautiful and leafy and on the southern edge of this area is a great park corridor of trails and ponds that is outstanding for biking and jogging.  If you live nearer to the western edge of this area, you can even walk to work, using the staircase that connects the uphill part of Case Western Reserve University to the main part of campus.

 

RockandRoller is right that highway access isn't the best from Cleveland Hts, but I don't know why you'd care;  your drive to work will be 5-15 mins and you're very close to pretty much all the culture and many of the entertainment options in the area.

 

The only knock on Cleveland Hts, in my opinion, are the schools, which you won't have to worry about for years, and property taxes are still on the high side.  After NYC though, even with the prop taxes you should find housing costs pretty easy to deal with.

 

This area is also not in any danger of spiraling downward because of its proximity to University Circle.  Which isn't to say you won't lose money if you buy now and sell in three years- that could still happen pretty much anywhere in the country right now.

 

Good luck with the move!

 

ADDENDUM:

 

Out of curiosity (and Friday afternoon avoidance of real work), I poked around Zillow for a few minutes; you may not find what you want for less than $200K west of Lee Road, but there are some properties on the market that might work:

 

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2653-Edgehill-Rd-Cleveland-OH-44106/33658763_zpid/  [a great location]

 

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2688-Scarborough-Rd-Cleveland-OH-44106/33660765_zpid/

 

Also, FYI there are definitely a few blocks in this area made up of multi family properties which have earned a rep for noisy tenants.  E. Darbyshire immediately west of Lee, for example.

Agreed that the commute from the West Side would be pushing it past 20 mins, especially with traffic. 

 

Here are a few safe neighborhoods with parks that you may want to consider:

 

Cleveland Hts - the area around Cumberland Park.  This would be on the south side of Mayfield, near the intersection of Mayfield Rd and Monticello Blvd.  Another big plus to that neighborhood is Coventry Road would not be that far of a walk and the City's Rec Center (all the facilities you could desire - bball, swimming, weight room, ice skating, etc.) is right there on that corner.  The houses will be older and attractive (but sometimes very "loud" - lot's of former hippies), but possibly expensive to maintain and heat/cool if the upkeep from prior owners was not good.  Almost exlusively pre-war colonials.  5 minute drive to Case and 15-20 mins to downtown tops.

 

Cleveland Heights - any of the streets on the west or east side of Lee Road and south of Meadowbrook and north of Fairmount.  Very friendly and walkable neighborhood.  Mostly colonials with a few up-down duplexes mixed in.  Cool little pubs, restaraunts and shops up and down Lee.  The library is right there.  Fairfax Elementary School has a playground for the little one.  You can also look at any of the streets on the south side of Fairmount heading east from there, like Kingston, Queenston and Princeton.  Probably at the limit of your price range though.

 

South Euclid - the area around Bexley Park, which would be surrounded by Cedar on the south, Belvoir on the east, Mayfield on the north and Warrensville Ctr Rd on the west.  The houses are more post-war 2-story bungalows.  Lots of brick, which is good up here.  Brand new playground in Bexley park which is very nice.  There is a swimming pool there as well which would be great for the young one.  You may be able to get a steal in that neighborhood right now for under $100,000 due to market conditions.

 

University Heights - the neighborhood just accross Cedar from ^ that one.  Houses are bigger and more expensive, but much nicer IMO.  Brick colonials for the most part with center halls.  Someone posted some pictures in one of the other threads we had recently.  John Carrol University and Fairmount Circle within walking distance.  Lots of new retail (with more on the way) at the corner of Cedar and Warrensville.

 

South Euclid/Lyndhurst - there is another neighborhood that I recommended to a different poster that is enclosed by Mayfield on the south, Richmond on the east, Green on the west and Anderson on the North.  The houses range from 2 bdrm ranches to 4-5 bdrm colonials.  There is a park right there on Professor and the Euclid Creek Reservation Metropark is within walking distance.  The houses will probably range from $120,000-$200,000.  There is a new cluster home development on the corner of Anderson and Green called Cutter's Creek but I think it is a little more pricey and out of your range.  The other side of Richmond is also nice and has an absolutely kick-arse pool, but the prices will start to go up and you would be nearing the 20 minute radius you want to abide by.

 

FWIW, all of the above neighborhoods are racially diverse if that matters to you one way or the other.  Some will encourage you to move there because of that fact and others will tell you the neighborhood is spiraling "downhill".  My two cents on that is I have lived in this general area for twenty of my twenty-eleven years and it has always been racially diverse.  If we are going downhill, it is a pretty big hill and we must not be moving that fast because I can't tell a difference from when I was a kid in terms of safety.  Despite what some might tell you, it is a lot easier for me to identify the places you don't want to live in than the places you do.

When I saw the first message, I was looking forward to putting my suggestions in. But after reading the suggestions, I don't think I can add anything to them! It is all sound advice.

 

Good luck in your search and keep us posted. Welcome!

"Honestly, if there is even a decent chance you will be moving in 3 years, I would not invest in buying a house.  I would rent one, or rent half a duplex in Lakewood, because otherwise you will probably take a big bath financially, but that is just my opinion."

 

I dont know if I agree.  In all my research of looking at houses in the Hts, most all indications are that they have hit rock bottom, and some believe they are starting to go up a little.  I dont think they can go much lower than they are, and in 3 years I would expect that they will definately be on the upswing (especially attractive areas that are in close proximately to University Circle), not as much for Lakewood.   

 

Plus I think once your there, your fall in love and wont want to leave in 3 years. 

 

 

^ agreed........Wise people buy when the market is bad and sell when its good.  Holds true for anything especially real estate. 

"Honestly, if there is even a decent chance you will be moving in 3 years, I would not invest in buying a house. I would rent one, or rent half a duplex in Lakewood, because otherwise you will probably take a big bath financially, but that is just my opinion."

 

I dont know if I agree. In all my research of looking at houses in the Hts, most all indications are that they have hit rock bottom, and some believe they are starting to go up a little. I dont think they can go much lower than they are, and in 3 years I would expect that they will definately be on the upswing (especially attractive areas that are in close proximately to University Circle), not as much for Lakewood.

 

Plus I think once your there, your fall in love and wont want to leave in 3 years.

 

 

 

Totally agree, wise people buy when the market is bad and sell when its good.  Trends are already pointing towards a rise in home values in NEO. 

A rise in home values is likely, but will it be enough to pay closing costs in just three years?  Also, remember, the first few years you own a house, most of your payment to the bank goes to interest and not principal, so you don't build equity quickly.  I'm not saying buying won't work out, but that it is far from a given that it will.  If I remember right, the rule of thumb is that the "crossover point" is usually somewhere from 3-5 years depending on the loan structure and property appreciation.  The market of the mid 2000's with people flipping homes for a profit quickly is over everywhere it existed, and that wasn't Cleveland in the first place.

Whether or not you can buy without taking on a PMI might be the deciding factor in whether you could turn a profit in such a short time period.

 

With regard to the school in Cleveland Hts, Fairfax elementary is very good IMO.  I have friends who have recently put their kids through there and they were very happy with the experience.  The middle school those kids go to is Roxboro, which is more desirable than the Monticello middle school which I think the Cumberland neighborhood may be in.  I didn't say better though... just more desirable if you are thinking about resale value.  University Hts is served by Wiley middle school which is somewhere inbetween those two in terms of desirability.  All kids from CH and UH go to Cleveland Heights High School, which is can be a very bad school or a very good school depending on the student.  The high school does have a negative image though and being in that district won't help your property value.  Most of the well-to-do people who live in CH and UH send their kids to private school.

 

WHEN LOOKING AT PROPERTIES LISTED IN CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, DOUBLE CHECK THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.  THERE ARE SOME AREAS IN CH THAT ARE IN THE EAST CLEVELAND SCHOOL DISTRICT.  East Cleveland may be the worst school system in the area.

Good luck.  Let us know if you want advice on specific streets when you have narrowed your search. 

The crossover point we had calculated to cover closing costs and such for our place assuming no appreciation or depreciation was 5 years, but there's also something to be said about not having a landlord :). 

 

Despite my vast knowledge of the eastside, you guys have already done a nice job!  So welcome to Cleveland, ElijahSnow, and good luck with the move!

Don't forget to factor in the $8000 tax credit.

 

Welcome!

Don't forget to factor in the $8000 tax credit.

 

Welcome!

 

Good point - that should more than cover closing costs.

I forgot the tax credit.  Best advice: run the numbers with a few scenarios of different rates, down payment, incentives, and especially appreciation rates.

Better hurry though, I think you have to close before end of April to get the tax credit.

As long as your in contract by the end of April, you can still get the credit if you close in May or June too.

http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/faq1.php

 

its still a buyers market, make the seller carry the closing costs.  Its what I did. 

RockandRoller is right that highway access isn't the best from Cleveland Hts, but I don't know why you'd care; your drive to work will be 5-15 mins and you're very close to pretty much all the culture and many of the entertainment options in the area.

 

I hated to see R&R's post for that reason.  I hear that crap all the time.  The great part of living in the Heights is that I don't need to take the freeway to get where I want to go 99% of the time.

Sorry, but the person specifically requested close access to "major arteries" which I would interpret as freeways, and you don't have it in Cle Hts.  It doesn't mean it's not a great place to live and you don't have plenty of things to do in the immediate area.

Personally, I think we are better off for it.  But I am not sure what the OP meant by "close".  I can get to either 90 (E 152 or E 185) or 271 (Wilson Mills or Cedar-Brainard) from my area in about 10 minutes... 15 minutes tops.

I would suggest the streets off of Cedar by the Cedar-Fairmount intersection.  These would be bellfield, grandview, and s. overlook.  They are 5 minutes from Case and all of the cultural institutions at University Circle and they may not be close to highways but you are 15 minutes to downtown or 15 minutes out to shopping in Beachwood.  And they are right in your price range.  And you mentioned you like parks.  They back right up to the Shaker Lakes which are absolutely beautiful.  Good Luck!

^But be mindful that those streets have a LOT of rentals.  That's why it is so popular with Case students.

 

That said, there are some homes around that area which have a great view of downtown from the attic window.

Sorry, but the person specifically requested close access to "major arteries" which I would interpret as freeways, and you don't have it in Cle Hts. It doesn't mean it's not a great place to live and you don't have plenty of things to do in the immediate area.

 

I view UC as being the hub of a wheel with main artery spokes reach out to I-90, I-77, and I-271.  You're not too far from any of those, and you don't need the freeway for too much anyway.

 

Not everyone thinks the freeway is the only way to get from Point A to Point B.  And driving 20 miles at 65 MPH is not faster than driving 3 miles at 25 MPH.