Job Offer In Columbus, Ohio from Dallas, Texas

[Cbus76]

There are tons of brick homes in the Columbus area, but they tend to be in city neighborhoods like German Village, Short North, etc. where your $250k price range won't be feasible and the Columbus public school district is not well-regarded, or in older suburbs such as Bexley and Upper Arlington, where homes generally start well outside your price range. There is a suburb called New Albany where homes are almost all Georgian brick, and the school district is top-notch, but the home prices are very high.

If you're not finding much in Hillard at your price point, perhaps try Gahanna, a middle-class east side suburb with good schools and freeway access to Rickenbacker.

[WRnative]

Nobel laureate Robert Shiller arguably is the leading expert on American housing markets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_J._Shiller

He warns about the possibility of "big declines" in housing prices in the years ahead.

<<Despite four straight months of record-breaking increases, home prices could end up reversing course in the next few years, according to one expert.

“There is a chance that we will see big declines in coming years,” Yale Professor of Economics Robert J. Shiller said on Yahoo Finance Live. “I think people are anxious about that at this point in history.”>>

https://www.yahoo.com/money/home-pri...225857861.html

As you won't use public schools for several years, perhaps consider buying a pleasant, very affordable house in a safe neighborhood, and not paying a premium for a better school district. If Shiller is correct, you can use your savings to invest in a better home in a more desirable neighborhood when prices revert to the mean. My assumption is that after tax breaks, a home purchase is cheaper than renting, but I could be wrong.

One caveat IMO is climate change, as evidenced by your relocation. It's possible that Ohio may achieve an ever-increasing inflow of net transplants, especially if climate change disasters and the decline of the fossil fuel industry in states such as Texas, cripple the financial systems in southern states.

It's possible that Ohio housing markets may fare much better than those in states more impacted by climate change in coming years.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/ohio...tion-ohio.html

[WRnative]

This study says that the Columbus metropolitan housing market is one of the 25 most overpriced in the U.S.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-r...g-Markets.html

https://business.fau.edu/executive-e...-100/index.php

I find the study somewhat suspect as it relies only on market data and deviations from long-term trends. Apparently no attention is placed to economic factors, such as affordability. IMO, the study best is used as a gauge of "hot" real estate markets, whether prices are economically justified or not.

https://business.fau.edu/executive-e...logy/index.php

Considering affordability, median sales prices, etc., Columbus properties don't seem as overpriced. According to Kiplinger, Columbus housing markets had above average affordability at the beginning of 2021.

https://www.kiplinger.com/article/re...tro-areas.html

See affordable cities "honorable mentions" at bottom of article here:

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortg...to-buy-a-home/

https://cdn.nar.realtor/sites/defaul...2021-08-12.pdf

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by AAKK

Hello City Data users,

I am Asian, early 30s, married with a soon to due newborn.

I currently work in Dallas/Fort Worth area. My occupation is within the logistics/supply chain field. My current (single) income is more than the national average. My wife makes minimum wage. Our combined income enables us to live a closer to middle-class lifestyle in Texas, nothing fancy but comfortable. I've been living in Dallas/Forth Worth for a bit more than 3 years, got sent here to work, prior to that I lived in Los Angeles. As much as I enjoy the low cost of living in Texas, the hot climate is the primary factor the suggests our family to look out for other out-of-state opportunities. We are both not happy here. The long summer heat is too much.

I'm being offered a position in Columbus, Ohio, specifically closer to the Rickenbacker airport where there is a substaintial increase in pay. If I accept a position, very likely my salary will be the sole source of income least for a year or two as she would need to take care of the newborn. I plan to travel to Columbus on the first week of October to get a true feel about the city as well as the job itself. However, I'd like to do a couple homeworks as part of the evaluation work.

Essential and eventually, I like to own rather than rent. I have spoken to a couple lenders and while I might qualify for a higher loan, I'd like to spent no more than 250k for a single home (not condo nor townhouse). I did my online research and while I enjoy Dublin for having a large population of Asian, this suburb seems expensive and is definitely out of my price range. What would you recommend an area to live given below factors:

1. Not too far from Asian communities.
2. Within 45 minutes drive to the Rickenbacker airport area.
3. Above average school district.
4. No more than 250k.
5. Safe and clean, obviously don't want to live in ghetto area.

Also, I would like to ask why generally there are more siding homes than brick homes in Columbus ? Does it have to do with the climate up there ?

Your input and recommendations are appreciated.

Thank you,

N, G

On your first criteria, being close to Asian communities... most of them are across the northern half of the Columbus area, with the heaviest concentration in the northwest. The suburb of Dublin is almost 19% Asian overall, with large parts of it having up to 20%-30%. Northwest Columbus is generally 10%-15% Asian. There are also larger populations west and northwest of Ohio State, but these are mostly people in their early 20s and more students. The last large population is along the Morse Road corridor on the northeast side, with some areas being close to 30% Asian. Here is an interactive map where you can more closely look at neighborhoods in Franklin County: https://arcg.is/0iOumK To see where the Asian population is growing the fastest- to help determine longer-term trends, here is this interactive map: https://arcg.is/X04b80

As for your 2nd criteria, Columbus is pretty easy to get around. Virtually anywhere in Columbus is within 45 minutes of Rickenbacker, even during rush hour-barring some serious accident.

The best school districts are mostly in the suburbs- Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington, Worthington, Bexley, Dublin and Powell. Powell is furthest from Rickenbacker and in another county. Some Columbus schools are okay, particularly in the Clintonville area and northwest Columbus. There are also private school options, but that might be out of your income range. One good thing about Northwest Columbus is that some neighborhoods are in Dublin schools, but only have Columbus taxes. Columbus taxes are lower, so best of both worlds in that regard.

The housing budget is certainly doable, but the overall market in Columbus is extremely tight. The city is growing at a record pace and there's been a record housing shortage. Virtually all parts of Columbus and its suburbs have been growing, so available homes fly off the market, especially at the mid-price you want. Be prepared to possibly rent while you're looking for a long-term home, and be prepared to look at a lot of houses. Also, it would help if you were open to looking in less-expensive- and perhaps slightly less desirable locations.

If you're talking about vinyl siding, it probably has to do with cost. I'm not sure if it makes any difference in terms of weather. There are plenty of brick and other material homes, though, but a lot of them are in more urban areas. However, if you're looking in newer, middle class suburbs... yeah, that's just the style. Keep in mind that, down the road, you could potentially replace that siding with something nicer if it bothers you that much. Also, older homes especially might actually have brick underneath the siding, and it would just be a matter of removing it, so just because it shows siding does not mean that the house is not actually brick. The last point is that not all the siding you see on homes is actually vinyl. On older homes, it's wood or metal and can be of different widths than typical vinyl.

Here are some home options for under $250K on the market that are not vinyl siding. You didn't specify whether you wanted something new or if you were open to older or even something that needed a bit of work, so I'll show several options.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...4_M31352-49667
This house is in Westgate, a relatively nice neighborhood but in a less desirable part of the city. Not a huge Asian population, but it is growing.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...1_M43310-92880
Here's a brick condo in Westerville, a northern suburb.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...7_M45760-25536
A brick ranch in Linwood on the southeast side of the city. Again, not necessarily a fantastic neighborhood, but would be an easy commute.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...7_M36467-36101
This has vinyl siding, but it's completely renovated and in a decent and improving neighborhood in Merion Village. It may have brick underneath as it is an older home.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...9_M34680-71800
Here's a stone home in Eastlawn just southeast of Bexley on the East Side.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...4_M48103-53782
Here's a stucco/brick home in the southwest.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...5_M35370-99698
This is an old all brick home in the Old Oaks area of the South Side. The neighborhood is rapidly improving due to workers from the growing Nationwide Childrens Hospital buying up properties.

While none of these may be appealing, the idea may be to just visit and see what neighborhoods and areas you like best, and then narrow your home search there.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by WRnative

Perhaps check out Grove City, Circleville and Lancaster, given your work location near Rickenbacker.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/Circleville,-OH_rb/

Circleville definitely provides a Midwestern vibe!

https://www.pumpkinshow.com/

Definitely keep in mind that you may not need schools for five years. Perhaps pay more attention to day care centers nearby your new home.

There aren't really any significant Asian populations in any of those places, though.

[Srszee]

Plain City