Charming “Main Street” Places in or near Cleveland (Dayton: 2015, insurance)

[SlideRules99]

Good info WRnative. I've been doing some non-scientific perusing of Zillow and Realtor to get a sense of housing prices, inventory, etc. What I've seen is directionally consistent with the data you shared above. (I hadn't researched any year-over-year value increases, but good to know above info...)

Not surprisingly, there is significantly less availability in places like Chagrin Falls, Hudson, and Oberlin. I assume that is a function of simple math (fewer homes / lower density / smaller populations).

We're focusing on pre-WW2 homes, of which there are many in the places being discussed in this thread. We're somewhat of an anomaly in that we are not really prioritizing space per dollar. Our sweet spot is about 1900-2400 square feet, and many of the homes in Shaker Heights are simply too big for our purposes (even though the price point is fine). It's only 2 of us.

From what I see online, we like Lakewood homes, but more like Shaker Heights lot sizes Wife likes to garden, and some of the Lakewood neighborhoods have pretty small lot sizes, albeit beautiful properties. The good news is there seem to be lots of homes available and a bit of searching should yield some hits.

First things first, we still need to settle on the location. Scouting trip in Oct will be a key milestone. Thanks for the additional info!

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by SlideRules99

Good info WRnative. I've been doing some non-scientific perusing of Zillow and Realtor to get a sense of housing prices, inventory, etc. What I've seen is directionally consistent with the data you shared above. (I hadn't researched any year-over-year value increases, but good to know above info...)

Not surprisingly, there is significantly less availability in places like Chagrin Falls, Hudson, and Oberlin. I assume that is a function of simple math (fewer homes / lower density / smaller populations).

We're focusing on pre-WW2 homes, of which there are many in the places being discussed in this thread. We're somewhat of an anomaly in that we are not really prioritizing space per dollar. Our sweet spot is about 1900-2400 square feet, and many of the homes in Shaker Heights are simply too big for our purposes (even though the price point is fine). It's only 2 of us.

From what I see online, we like Lakewood homes, but more like Shaker Heights lot sizes Wife likes to garden, and some of the Lakewood neighborhoods have pretty small lot sizes, albeit beautiful properties. The good news is there seem to be lots of homes available and a bit of searching should yield some hits.

First things first, we still need to settle on the location. Scouting trip in Oct will be a key milestone. Thanks for the additional info!

Perhaps concentrate on the smaller homes in the Fernway neighborhood of Shaker Heights, as well as in northern Cleveland Heights (focus on the area south of Mayfield Road, west of Coventry and north of Cedar?). What is your price range???

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...ghborhoods.png

These are the kinds of houses that I think you would enjoy. They are about 15-minute walks to Mia Bella and Little Italy and 20-minute walks to the Cleveland Museum of Art, according to Google. Do you bike?

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...33658464_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...33658468_zpid/

Although not as near Little Italy and University Circle as I would prefer, many of these houses are a 20-minute walk from Coventry Village. Check Google Transit for buses to University Circle and Little Italy.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...3650444_zpid/?

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...33656445_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...33658471_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...33650519_zpid/

Even further from Coventry Village:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...33660955_zpid/

Here are examples of Fernway neighborhood homes. Unfortunately, many of the homes in this neighborhood have large front lawns, but relatively tiny backyards for gardening. I wonder if creative landscaping would be allowed by Shaker Heights to carve out a garden in the front yard. Homes closer to Fernway Road may better suit your needs, but none are listed for sale currently. They likely sell very fast when listed.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...33688175_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...33688099_zpid/

This home appears to have a larger backyard, but covered with pavers. Some real potential for a hard-working gardener??? My hunch is that this backyard area is weighing on the sales price, but in Shaker Heights you need to carefully consider foundations and water leakage. Many of the homes really would benefit from basement waterproofing, not a cheap proposition. A very good home inspector is essential in SH. Carefully consider whether you want a detached garage, especially in SH winters and as you age; they probably are the norm in many of the neighborhoods you are exploring. Looking at the front porch, you also would need a pro, or gutter guards, to keep that front gutter clean. There doesn't appear to be much room to store ladders, lawn mowers, etc. Perhaps the garage could be expanded to add a storage, work area.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...33687903_zpid/

Just some neighborhoods with which I have familiarity.

Have you looked at the Larchmere area at all? There are several discussions in this thread, but I'm not certain about the availability of single family homes in the area. Larchmere may be a fun place to rent for a year as you continue to explore the area.

Larchmere

https://www.city-data.com/forum/clev...eveland-6.html

[WRnative]

For some reason unknown to me (if you find out the reason, please let us know), friends that I've known who owned properties in Lakewood said that termites are an issue there. Qualify any purchase offers for both home inspection and pest inspections. Radon also can be an issue in northeast Ohio.


Perhaps contact this firm for an overview of the termite issue in Lakewood.



https://www.rosepestsolutions.com/lo...o-pest-control


Also, be very aware of point of sale inspection requirements in both Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights, which have much higher enforcement standards than most Greater Cleveland suburbs, and perhaps elsewhere in Greater Cleveland. IMO, in both CH and SH, hiring an excellent, experienced real estate attorney before making any offer is a good, if not necessary, idea. Local title insurance offices often can recommend lawyers, whose fee ranges can vary greatly.


https://www.clevelandheights.com/205...le-Inspections


Some threads in this forum have discussed the pitfalls of point of sale inspections, such as making certain any issues are corrected by quality repairs.

[SlideRules99]

Thanks for all the info, WRnative!!!

[WRnative]

This is charming property, already linked in post 42, but when I look at it I instantly see a major hazard. A large, older tree much too close to the house. Not only does it pose a direct physical risk to the house, but its roots likely are doing serious damage to the foundation. Budget $2,000 to $4,000, maybe more given its location close to the house and the certain need to use one or more cranes, for safe removal and replacement with a more appropriate tree planted much further from the house. Double check the tree companies liability insurance!!!

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...33650519_zpid/


The owners of the ten houses nearest me have removed over 15 older, large trees in the last three years. It's definitely changed the ambiance of the street as few have yet been replaced. I believe there is an issue with replanting trees for several years above the location of a removed tree, and most of the trees removed were located at ideal locations on the front tree lawn. Owners of trees behind homes may not be as eager to replace trees, especially if more sunlight is desired for gardening.



Storms in northeast Ohio generally arrive from either the northwest, southwest or north. The Heights area can experience 100 mph microbursts generally originating on a warm Lake Erie, typically in August and September, and therefore coming from the north. These microbursts typically flatten many trees, especially if the ground is saturated loosening tree roots. These microbursts can impact many any community within 25 miles of Lake Erie, but the rise in elevation from the Lake Erie to the Heights area may make it more vulnerable (wind pressure builds until it crests the higher elevations).




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUicQnLIjX4


Lorain County (Oberlin) is more tornado prone than the rest of Greater Cleveland (just Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Geauga and Lake counties), but I've never heard of a tornado impacting Oberlin directly. They've certainly hit nearby, most frequently smaller tornadoes, but tornadoes everywhere may become more intense with climate change. A couple powerful F4 tornadoes did hit Lorain County in the 20th century; it's overdue for another one.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1924_L...ndusky_tornado


https://www.wkyc.com/article/weather...1-2929c81d19ef


I remember my family driving through Pittsfield soon after it was flattened in 1965 during the infamous "Palm Sunday" tornado outbreak, killing seven persons there. Pittsfield is five miles south of Oberlin.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6cxhkzzVFY



https://www.pittsfieldtownshiphistor...5-tornado.html



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jecTu_Wsa60

[WRnative]

Here's a comprehensive discussion of radon risks in northeast Ohio.


https://www.city-data.com/forum/clev...don-story.html

[TechieTechie]

In for this thread, looking at homes with a lot of the same qualities as the OP.

Also, be aware that CH is very neighborhood specific. South and West of Cedar and Lee (particularly south of Essex) is VERY similar in makeup to SH (and by that, Chagrin Fall), but many with larger lots! Between Cedar and Mayfield is definitely not comparable with SH. Even moreso for CH north of Mayfield. CH is really more like 3 cities in one. And when I say similar I am referring to quality of housing stock, amount of rentals, and crime rates.

There were some previous threads that outlined this dichotomy, which were very helpful to me. This was my summary:

OP, Cleveland Heights may be considered two cities in one and moving in opposite demographic and socio-economic directions. The line is a bit serpentine, but generally the more desirable areas are as follows:
WEST OF COVENTRY ROAD: South of Mayfield Road BETWEEN COVENTRY AND LEE ROADS: South of Mayfield/Superior Roads BETWEEN LEE AND TAYLOR ROADS: Along and South of Dellwood Road I'm no CH buff, but from my bit of shopping for homes and rentals last year, I would extend the area between Lee and Taylor up to Cain Park (Superior Road) instead of Dellwood. The only downside to that area that I can think of is the proximity to the high school which might be a nuisance. EAST OF TAYLOR ROAD: South of Cedar Road


To me: Just south of CH's Cedar Lee junction (south of Meadowbrook) to Shaker's Onaway neigbhoorhood (keeping north of Van Aiken and W of Lee) is pretty awesome. You have Shaker Square, Cedar Fairmount, Cedar Lee and Cedar/South Taylor shopping areas, all which are scenic with a great food scene.

[SlideRules99]

Thank you TechieTechie! This is gold! Just did some Google Street views and you nailed down some very sweet neighborhoods. Appreciate the info!

[SlideRules99]

WRnative, the info on tornadoes and radon is appreciated. Seems radon can be remediated for a price, which is good to know. As for tornadoes, not a huge fan ever since we had an F5 roar through my area in Trumbull County back in 1985. But realistically, we have more risk where I live now with wildfires and earthquakes. So won’t let that hold us back from a move. Cheers.

[TechieTechie]

Originally Posted by SlideRules99

Thank you TechieTechie! This is gold! Just did some Google Street views and you nailed down some very sweet neighborhoods. Appreciate the info!

You are welcome. I pulled this from various threads and it's really helped me narrow my searches. This section of metro CLE is on par with any streetcar suburb on the east coast...it's stunningly beautiful. And it's (I'm in Onaway in SH):

1. 20 minutes to downtown (and Asiatown restaurants more importantly to ME)
2. 15 minutes to the marina at 55th street
3. 10 minutes to Severance Hall
4. Maybe 25 minutes to Chagrin Falls reservation
5. 20 minutes to big box (Costco and TJs for me are a must). And the Heinen's in Shaker is good
6: 10 minutes to the Clinic.

Just be prepared for larger than expected taxes and smallish yards (under 10k) unless you want a huge house or get lucky for one of the rare properties on a double lot. Edwin's Restaurant (Shaker Square), On the Rise Bakery (CH Cedar/Taylor) and Han Chinese Kabob (Sichuan in Asiatown) are on par with Best of Boston food. The only real downside IMHO is that access to the larger Metroparks is more of a hassle (but it's an even trade for some really excellent grub).

I am about 6 months ahead of you on searching...and the same type of boomerrang transplant, just from the East Coast instead of West. Feel free to PM if you have questions.

Good luck