Moving to Cincinnati, need advice about schools, etc.!!!!! (Hamilton, Kent: home, neighborhoods)

[cincyohguy]

Mason, West Chester, Loveland, and Deerfield Township are the newer suburbs with a lot of McMansions if that is the type of suburb you are looking for. In general, you get a lot more square feet for the money in these places than you would on the East Coast or in an area like Indian Hill/Sycamore Township. For 650,000, you could get a very large, nice sized brand new home in a nice neighborhood in the Lakota, Mason, Kings, or Loveland school districts ( all excellent, highly rated school districts). Closer to the downtown, the prices per square feet are more comparable to the suburbs in Maryland. I can't believe how expensive the housing is out there! Though in this economy especially, for 650, you can get a very nice, large home here in pretty much any area. Terrace Park and Mariemont have a lot of character and are very popular with East Coast transfers. It just depends on what kind of suburb you prefer! Also, though there are many great public school systems here, just an FYI, Cincinnati has catholic private schools all over the place.

[cincyohguy]

Looking at Cincinnati area real estate, I would recommend checking out sibcycline.com and then clicking on advanced search and you can search by school district, town, county, price range, number of bedrooms,etc. Sibcycline.com is the main site for real estate in the area and has all MLS listings. Realtor.com often doesn't have a lot of the listings in this area for some reason. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the Ellicott City/ Friendship area of Baltimore but it has always amazed me that a new house in that area that costs $1.5 million is comparable to what you get in Warren County for $750,000- $900,000 in a newer suburb here like Mason.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by RelocatingMom2

I appreciate all the discussion even though there is disagreement, it's great to get different perspectives.

My feeling about the school thing is this: if there are not schools that cater to the needs of my children I would fight tooth and nail to get them into private school. My husband doesn't think it's necessary. I have not finished my research but I am hearing good things about the public school system. However the most important thing to consider is the needs of the child. I have one child in gifted and talented everything who is outgoing and can get along anywhere. I think private school could perhaps tap into his potential better, but for me, I'm not sure that's reason enough to make all the sacrifices we would need to afford $40,000 a yr. On the other hand my other son is more shy and needs to work hard for average grades. I worry about him getting lost in the shuffle. I keep reading reviews about different schools that focus on the gifted and special needs kids and the average kids fall through the cracks. This move will be hard for them as it is so I want them in an environment that is accepting, friedly, and helpful.

We just spent 3 days looking at houses on our own. I found them on Realtor.com and the house that you are all talking about is pretty typical of what we have seen. We had tons of houses to look at in various areas and some of them sold by the time we were ready to see them and some have been on the market for a long time. The bottom line is that schools will dictate where we live at this point. We live in a wonderful public school district here. If We can't find that in Cincinnati then we will have to get a much cheaper house.

I'm really sorry we hijacked your thread. Let's get back to your needs.

There are a lot of good schools here. I almost moved to MAriemont just for the schools. Sycamore is good. Indian Hill is good. And we have great private schools if all else fails.

Superstar kids should go to WHHS if possible. Its the best school in the area 38th best high school in the US someone posted the other day.

Could you consider parochial schools?

[shyspider]

Forgive me for sounding like an a$$, but I can't stomach the pretentiousness I'm reading in this thread. I find it very hard to feel sorry for someone who can spend up to $900,000 on a home in the Cincinnati area, yet is still scared about making sure their kids are in a good school district. Cincinnati is NOT that expensive. Go to Wyoming, go to Mason, go to West Chester, or go to Green Township west of Neeb Road. Those areas are all in excellent school districts where you could spend less than $500,000 and still get a mansion.

Sorry, I don't mean to offend by saying that. But when you sometimes have to eat Ramen noodles for dinner and the most expensive home you've ever lived in cost less than $100K, you don't find much sympathy for wealthy people who are struggling to find a nice home in a good school district.

You have the world at your command, and you can't resolve this pitiful matter?

[RelocatingMom2]

It's not nice to take out whAt you have made of your life on others. Hostility is truly not a good quality. I never said I had a problem nor did I call my situation pitiful. However I am doing what mature, intelligent people do before making decisions that effect their whole families lives and that is to research, ask questions, and network. I don,t spend my time feeling sorry for myself. I look at my options and make smart choices. That's how I started a business from scratch and worked my a$$ off to be able to afford my $900,000 home.

[fourcrazyboys]

Originally Posted by progmac

three kids at seven hills or country day would be what, around 50 grand a year? i think when tuition expenses exceed a typical income for a family of four, obviously you aren't attracting a wide spectrum of people to your program. isn't that the point though? and it is okay! but we should call a spade a spade.

Like I said, there is financial assistance available, and we take full advantage of this. We pay the equivalent of a Catholic HS (~$11-12K oer child). We love the diversity, as students come from 61 different zip codes in OH, IN,KY and nearly 25% of the students are on tuition aid (need and merit-based). 23% of the students are racially/ethnically diverse. We chose to live in a home that costs $250K, both work and drive 8 year old vehicles. We prioritize education over everything- that's our choice. Cincinnati offers an amazing variety of great educational options, but please respect our choices also

[RelocatingMom2]

Oh and thank you for the tip on searching Sibcycline. We learned about this site during our travels. Frankly and no offense to anyone but suburbs like Mason just are not for us. It seems to be a lot of cookie cutter homes, no mature trees. we would probably like a neighborhood with more character. We really liked the neighborhoods in Symmes Township and the Sycamore schools so that is most likely what we will do. Thank you

[Wilson513]

Ignore the static. What you do with your $ is nobody's business.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by shyspider

Forgive me for sounding like an a$$

Ok, forgiven.

[cincyohguy]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for advice. I completely agree with the OP. She is just asking for opinions and trying to make the best decision for her family. That is what the forums are for. The OP never said she was scared. She was just making the educated and mature decision to research before making a big decision. I don't care what one's income or housing pricing point is, moving to a completely new area of the country can be a bit of a shock, especially if you don't do your research. The OP is not from the area so doesn't have much of an idea about housing costs and districts in the Cincinnati area. It shouldn't be assumed that someone from another part of the country knows all about the schools here. Keep in mind there are many areas in this country where housing at that price point may not guarantee a good school district. I would think that most parents just want to do what is best for their children, and asking for help or advice is the best way to do it! That was simply the intention here. Shyspider, the OP never said anything about struggling nor asking for anyone to feel sorry for her. I think it's disrespectful to refer to someone's move across the country as a pitiful matter. Just my opinion. I know you're intentions weren't bad, I just don't really understand the point of the post. Anyway, to the OP, good luck with your decision and move! Hope it goes well. I'm really not a huge fan of online forums myself but just happen to check Cincinnati every once in a while. Glad we were able to help.