Hilliard, Dublin, Upper Arlington - house plus good schools...recommendations please! (Columbus: how much, houses)

[brianjb]

Hi,

As you may/may not know, I am in the market for a home. I am looking into school districts and houses. I work off Polaris (close to the mall), so ideally I want to stay north to shorten the commute.

Can anyone make a recommendation as to where I need to narrow down my search to? Maybe tell me why I should or should't choose an area.

We like to walk, ride bikes. I have thought of buying a kayak (not really 100% deal breaker here), so it would be nice to be within 15-20 minutes of a place to put it in the water. We like to be close to shopping; we don't want to drive a far way to go to Meijer or some other place like that. We would like to be near some restaurants (nice variety if possible). We want a safe area. We want good schools.

Anymore questions, fire away!

[Supergrrl7]

What kind of house and neighborhood do you envision? Older or newer house? How many square feet/ bedrooms? Price range? Cul de sac suburb or walkable neighborhood?

[brianjb]

Originally Posted by Supergrrl7

What kind of house and neighborhood do you envision? Older or newer house? How many square feet/ bedrooms? Price range? Cul de sac suburb or walkable neighborhood?

I am looking for 3 bedrooms/2 bath. Although a 2 bed/2 bath might work if there were a couple of living areas (like a den and a living room). We want a smaller house (1500-1800 or so). I don't mind older house if it has some character. I don't necessarily want an older house that has tons of wallpaper, brass fixtures, etc....pretty much look dated. I don't expect granite and hardwoods throughout either; if the purchase price is OK, then I can pay for that stuff separately once we move in. Would love a walkable neighborhood. Price range is sort of a weird one for me. We don't want to spend a whole lot. I envision spending $175K so that I have more money left over for travel, saving, investing, etc. But I would feel comfortable going to $225-250 and still be able to achieve my other wants as well. Ideally we would find a nice house to fit our price range; I am expecting to pay over $100 per square foot...and closer to $120 per square foot I guess. Sometimes square footage is all in the layout of the house. For example, the house I have on the market right now is 2400 square foot and it doesn't have as many rooms as you would think because the rooms are all extra large.

Hopefully I helped you help me, and I didn't muddy the waters more than they should.

BTW, thanks for replying supergrrl7. I have read some of your posts, and you seem to have a good grasp.

[Supergrrl7]

Brianjb,

I saw you saw my post about Old Worthington, so I won't go on about how much we love it here. I would advise you get a really good realtor because the walkable areas of Old Worthington (and surrounding, still walkable neighborhods) have been selling like crazy in the last 6 months. I loved our realtor and am happy to pass along her name if you don't already have one. Given your criteria, I might look extra hard at the Worthigton Estates, Wilson HIll and Colonial Hills neighborhoods. Houses are a little cheaper than other areas around Old Worthington. You will get more for your money and still be able to walk downtown and have access to the bike trails.

Another area to consider if you want walkability and proximity to Polaris while still getting a house around $200k would be Westerville. I don't know enough about the schools to completely recommend them. They have had some levy problems, but I also have friends whose kids attend Westerville schools who love them very much. Westerville has a lot going for it.

You are always going to be able to get a lot more house for less money in a less walkable neighborhood. In the housing developments/cul de sacs of Worthington, Westerville, Lewis Center, parts of Powell and Dublin, you can find a lot of houses in your price range, but the trade-off is nothing to walk to. $200k would not buy much in the nicer parts of Upper Arlington, but maybe you could find something on the edges. Hilliard would be a bit of a hike to Polaris, if it were me. Also, there is a big construction project planned for 315/23/270 in the next few years. Since you aren't attached to a neighborhood already, I would try to avoid that as your only way north. Maybe consider Grandview, since you could go 670 to 71 north.

Good luck on your search!

[Meemur]

It might be too far for you, Brianjb, but you might also want to consider Delaware, OH, about 22 minutes north of Columbus via US 23.

There's plenty of boating and fishing on Alum Creek, about ten minutes or so from Delaware (Rt 36/37 east). Many people who live there and work near Polaris take I-71 to work. If you can jiggle your schedule around so that you can avoid the height of rush hour, it's not a bad commute. The choke point is Rt 36/37 & I-71 but it can be routed around. There's an outlet mall and additional shops going in, which will add to the traffic but help the tax base.

In any case, check out downtown Delaware if you haven't yet visited. It's highly walkable, easy parking, and if you live away from campus, fairly quiet (and the campus area isn't that rowdy).

[brianjb]

Originally Posted by Meemur

It might be too far for you, Brianjb, but you might also want to consider Delaware, OH, about 22 minutes north of Columbus via US 23.

There's plenty of boating and fishing on Alum Creek, about ten minutes or so from Delaware (Rt 36/37 east). Many people who live there and work near Polaris take I-71 to work. If you can jiggle your schedule around so that you can avoid the height of rush hour, it's not a bad commute. The choke point is Rt 36/37 & I-71 but it can be routed around. There's an outlet mall and additional shops going in, which will add to the traffic but help the tax base.

In any case, check out downtown Delaware if you haven't yet visited. It's highly walkable, easy parking, and if you live away from campus, fairly quiet (and the campus area isn't that rowdy).

Thanks for the tip. It looks like southern Delaware wouldn't be too far of a drive. I am also looking at Powell.

[Meemur]

I like Powell and have friends there.

Be aware, though, that the traffic is horrible. There are multiple choke points, and it will take awhile to get from there to Polaris. FWIW, if I were looking in that area, I'd look around Smokey Row (off Sawmill, near Old Worthington Library), which isn't far from the on ramp for 270. However, check that area out during rush hours before making a final decision. It has become popular, but the roads were built for an earlier time.

[SWOH]

Sounds a lot like Westerville to me! Particularly along Sunbury Rd.

Here is a good example of a house in the area you might like - right by the Hoover Recreation area and within 15 minutes of Polaris:

New Listings for - Zillow