Home Hunt Update
I’ve been spending a lot of time lately digging up details, hitting the road, and crunching numbers for my home hunt. When you’re a perfectionist like me, it can be an exhausting process … especially when you’re still learning the ropes and double and triple-checking your facts all the time.
Here are three of the current leading contenders, in no particular order. You can see their locations on this map or click on the links below to see more details about each home.
10650 Robindale Dr
This single family home in Sharonville has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths and is selling for $119k. It’s a foreclosure that’s lender-owned, so the price is right and maybe even a little bit flexible. It would require some work … landscaping, carpet, finishing the basement … but would probably resell for at least $140-150k. Sharonville’s about 10-12 minutes from school, it has great parks and a rec center, and the property taxes are the lowest that I’ve found anywhere nearby.
6819 Ohio Ave
This 2-family home in Silverton has a beautifully refinished 2 bed/1 bath lower unit and an occupied 3 bed/1.5 bath upper unit. It’s got a lot of square feet, brand new utilities and innards, and is going for $150k. If I lived here, renting out the second unit would almost completely cover my mortgage … an obvious advantage over single-family homes. This home (and the next one) is near Kenwood mall, a steadily growing community about 15-18 minutes from school.
4005 Deer Park Ave
This 3-family home has been meticulously updated by the owner for the past couple of decades … it features a 3 bed/2 bath unit upstairs, an occupied 1 bed/1 bath first floor, and an occupied efficiency in the basement. The price is high … $185k … but the renters have been there a long time and want to stay. I trust the workmanship here and like the flexibility of differently-sized units, but I’d need to get the price down significantly to seriously consider it.
I still don’t feel like I’ve found the “right” place … but I don’t now how long I’d have to wait for it to show up on the market. So what do you think? What are your initial reactions?
October 28th, 2007 at 11:58 pm EST
the first one is the best.green.tranquil.pastoral.cheap.convenient.
October 29th, 2007 at 8:03 am EST
Pick Sharonville! You’d be less than 2 miles from my house!
Free trash removal, free usage of a big city truck parked in your driveway for large trash projects, the neighborhood is quiet, you are 5 minutes in any direction from every major highway, the rec center is pretty nice- and if you don’t like that one - there is a Bally’s about 7 min away.
I could go on, but I wont. I’ll just walk down the hall and pester you in person!!
October 29th, 2007 at 11:19 am EST
I like the 1st one for settling down - but I’m partial to capes. It’s brick (HUGE bonus), fenced, curb appeal with a bit of dad webel know-how, a good price, AND it’s a home you could bring a wife to and start the fam.
The only major drawback for me would be that there is no garage and you would have to check to see what the zoning/building requirements and $$ would be for that. The master is a bit small for a king bed. What were the closets like for each of the rooms.
The 2nd one would be a great choice as a landlord. It’s got appeal, newly remodeled, and a decent price it seems (you would have to be the judge of that tho). It would give you that extra income too. If you did find a wife you could live here for a couple of years, kids or no kids, before you would have to “expand”.
The 3rd one is not outwardly appealing or $$ appealing, regardless of the renters.
Just my thoughts take them or leave them.
October 29th, 2007 at 7:24 pm EST
I wouldn’t get too hung up between a 10 minute or 20 minute commute on such a large purchase. Location. Location. Location!
October 31st, 2007 at 3:06 pm EST
I am so excited for you!
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:31 pm EST
they’re all kind of ugly.
well… you asked.
November 2nd, 2007 at 6:14 pm EST
You are such a girl, rachel.
Hey … I put an offer in today on the Ohio Avenue home. Drumroll …