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YouTubeI recently relocated to the Columbus OH area and am searching for areas that are safe and affordable as I wish to buy a home. Renting is high enough as it is and mortgage costs average better at the moment but I do not know the areas well enough to even begin looking. I am in the 110 to 139 range, so that limits me, but I really want a home in a safe area, suburbs are OK with me just not sure which ones, and driving 35 min's into the city does not bother me either. I have heard stories about staying away from the east and west side but nothing specific, can anyone help me????
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New to Columbus OH planning on buying a home
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italysprings
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Posted 2 years ago # -
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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Welcome! In that price range, I would probably recommend some of the smaller houses in Northwest Columbus or perhaps Clintonville/Beechwold. If you're using the Realtor website, the zip codes for those areas are 43221, 43220, 43235, and 43214.
I'm sure it would help to know your definition of a safe neighborhood. Is it one with no gangs and violent crime? Or one where people leave their doors unlocked? The latter doesn't exist anymore I'm afraid. The former is easily found.
Posted 2 years ago # -
theroberthogan
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I would also recommend checking out southern parts of zip code 43065. There are nice homes in the Worthington School District with Columbus Taxes that are right in your price range. In fact, there is a nice house on my court that just went on the market.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Some good info here:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/tags/moving
And welcome to Columbus! :D
Posted 2 years ago # -
catnfiddle
Giant Corncob District
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We have a couple of great real estate agents on the boards here. I can recommend a couple of others if you aren't seeing what you like. This is such a great place to live and EAT!
Posted 2 years ago # -
lisathewaitress
SoHud
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i always have to plug my 'hood. I live in "Old Columbus North," which is between campus and clintonville. You get a lot of house for your money in this neighborhood, and you aren't paying for the privilege of living in a super desirable neighborhood like Clintonville. The really great thing is that when the real estate market went belly-up, our house retained its value, while houses in Clintonville went down to a more realistic value.
This is a safe neighborhood. In 5 years, the only crime committed was when our car was broken into and our GPS stolen. Even then, the thieves used a slim jim to break in instead of breaking the window.
If you are looking for the burbs, I would agree with the person above; my aunt lives in a nice house in the area behind Meijer which is in Cbus tax zone but Worthington schools.
Posted 2 years ago # -
0Angle
Most likely, either a brewery or my kitchen.
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lisathewaitress wrote >>
i always have to plug my 'hood. I live in "Old Columbus North," which is between campus and clintonville. You get a lot of house for your money in this neighborhood, and you aren't paying for the privilege of living in a super desirable neighborhood like Clintonville. The really great thing is that when the real estate market went belly-up, our house retained its value, while houses in Clintonville went down to a more realistic value.
This is a safe neighborhood. In 5 years, the only crime committed was when our car was broken into and our GPS stolen. Even then, the thieves used a slim jim to break in instead of breaking the window.
If you are looking for the burbs, I would agree with the person above; my aunt lives in a nice house in the area behind Meijer which is in Cbus tax zone but Worthington schools.+1 When we bought our house here in "Olde Northe Columbuse" it was easy walking distance to Stache's (R.I.P). Now our kids are growing up with the offspring of the Stache's crowd.
We have a really nice community, but some people prefer attached garages and central air to front porches and bicycles....Posted 2 years ago # -
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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Welcome to Columbus! I am also a transplant, and purchased my house 4 years ago. I chose to live on the west side, in Westgate, because I wanted an older home, I loved the feel of the neighborhood and it was in my price range (the same as yours). I don't have kids, so the school system wasn't an issue - tho like most of the more urban 'hoods, you get car break-ins and minor property crime happening (I had resin chairs stolen out of my back yard - $5 resin chairs). I've never had an issue with safety, logging miles and miles of walking the streets with my wee dog, and for me, the community of my 'hood is amazing.
So, of course, I have to plug my own 'hood! But, I realize it isn't for everyone.
The biggest things are - do you need a good school district? Do you prefer a house or condo? What age of house do you prefer? Inside 270, in most of the neighborhoods mentioned above, most of the available properties in your price range are condos - and there are some GREAT ones out there.
If you are looking for a yard and a stand-alone house, and don't mind a bit of a commute, I'd say looking outside the 270 belt, straight west, at some of the neighborhoods out toward Darby Creek park will have a lot to choose from. Some are newer, some are older (think mid 80's split levels), but they are safe and stable neighborhoods that are still near amenities and within reasonable distance to downtown.
I don't know the east side hardly at all, but I'd imagine there must be similar neighborhoods outside 270 that are the same flavor as the ones out west.
When I was looking for a neighborhood, I'd visit the ones I was most interested in at different times of the day, both on weekdays and weekends, to get an idea of the traffic and how busy the 'hood seemed, in general. Sometimes, when house shopping on a Saturday, you miss that traffic on a near street, that you have to take, is log-jammed with folks dropping off/picking up kids from school; or with commuters in general.
Posted 2 years ago # -
melikecheese
Merion Village
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For your price range you will find the north end of Merion village nice.
I purchased last year and your price range is/was my price range. I found this part of town got me what I wanted for the price.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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Twixlen wrote >>
When I was looking for a neighborhood, I'd visit the ones I was most interested in at different times of the day, both on weekdays and weekends, to get an idea of the traffic and how busy the 'hood seemed, in general. Sometimes, when house shopping on a Saturday, you miss that traffic on a near street, that you have to take, is log-jammed with folks dropping off/picking up kids from school; or with commuters in general.This is an excellent idea for anybody. I know a couple people who moved to Powell because it was a great place to go on Sunday only to regret it once they tried to get to work on Monday morning.
Posted 2 years ago # -
italysprings
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Analogue Kid wrote >>
Welcome! In that price range, I would probably recommend some of the smaller houses in Northwest Columbus or perhaps Clintonville/Beechwold. If you're using the Realtor website, the zip codes for those areas are 43221, 43220, 43235, and 43214.
I'm sure it would help to know your definition of a safe neighborhood. Is it one with no gangs and violent crime? Or one where people leave their doors unlocked? The latter doesn't exist anymore I'm afraid. The former is easily found.Wow, thanks for the advice and zip codes, I forgot I had posted on here and spent the whole evening after work looking in vane for a safe area, meaning I am from the suburbs of D.C and it was so safe, never had to worry about leaving my door unlocked and it was such a great neighborhood. I do not want to live where property and violent crime is rampant. I noticed there are pockets of crime all over the city, so I am trying to find the safe pocket. I am also looking into Granville as I was told it is a quaint little town. that is my kind of thing, but if I could find something closer to Columbus like this then awesome. i will check out the zipcodes, thanks..
Posted 2 years ago # -
italysprings
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catnfiddle wrote >>
We have a couple of great real estate agents on the boards here. I can recommend a couple of others if you aren't seeing what you like. This is such a great place to live and EAT!I would like to find a very aggressive agent who does not mind showing me houses on the weeknights...any recommendations would be appreciated. I appreciate all the resply's on the board, they have been helpful. I am currently looking at Granville but is farther out than I had hoped, but the crime rate is a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 adn that is good, reminds me of my D.C suburb...I love historic homes and towns and just seem to have a hard time pinning them down on my own.
Posted 2 years ago # -
mmccoy
Columbus, Ohio
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My team specializes in historic homes in Columbus. We are very familiar with all neighborhoods of the city and I would be happy to show you around and give you guidance throughout the entire process. http://www.vutech-ruff.com is our website where you can find information on our team. I am in my mid 20's and grew up in Columbus, which allows for my schedule to be open when other agents can't make it due to time conflicts with family, kids, various organizations, etc.
Welcome to Columbus!
Mike McCoy
Vutech | Ruff
Real Living HER
177 E. Beck St., Columbus, OH 43206
Direct - 614.255.0609
Cell - 614.395.4987
Fax - 614.474.8448Marketing exceptional homes throughout Central Ohio!
Posted 2 years ago # -
manticore33
Delaware, OH
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If you do not mind a commute, I suggest the college town of Delaware, OH 43015. It has a blend of older homes or newer/older developments. A distinct downtown with a few restaurants, coffeehouse, bookstore, old movie theater (really neat), and some other small stores (Capitan Betty's Vintage Clothing is very cool and Nectur Chocolate is wonderful!). Several full-service nearby grocery stores and all of the discount shopping your need (Wal-Mart & Meijer) and very close to Polaris madness for any commercial shopping needs.
The county (Delaware) has a local park system (http://www.preservationparks.com) which are quite nice. Likewise, we have two state parks with large reservoirs, beaches, trails, and nature preserves. The school system is not too bad.
In general, Delaware has a much slower type of life compared to the Short North, German Village, Clintonville, KLD, or other areas of Columbus. So, if you are looking for a wonderful night life right at your door step, probably look elsewhere. If you want a blend of small-town life, affordable real estate, with some nice local convenience amenities, it is a good place to live.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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italysprings wrote >>
Analogue Kid wrote >>
Welcome! In that price range, I would probably recommend some of the smaller houses in Northwest Columbus or perhaps Clintonville/Beechwold. If you're using the Realtor website, the zip codes for those areas are 43221, 43220, 43235, and 43214.
I'm sure it would help to know your definition of a safe neighborhood. Is it one with no gangs and violent crime? Or one where people leave their doors unlocked? The latter doesn't exist anymore I'm afraid. The former is easily found.Wow, thanks for the advice and zip codes, I forgot I had posted on here and spent the whole evening after work looking in vane for a safe area, meaning I am from the suburbs of D.C and it was so safe, never had to worry about leaving my door unlocked and it was such a great neighborhood. I do not want to live where property and violent crime is rampant. I noticed there are pockets of crime all over the city, so I am trying to find the safe pocket. I am also looking into Granville as I was told it is a quaint little town. that is my kind of thing, but if I could find something closer to Columbus like this then awesome. i will check out the zipcodes, thanks..
You might also look at Upper Arlington in the River Ridge area if you don't mind a 800-1000 sqft house. As much as I love the Short North, Merion Village, or Westgate, the fact is that those neighborhoods probably won't provide the safety level you're looking for. That being said, you should still take regular precautions regardless of the neighborhood. Never leave anything in your car for example. Crime can happen anywhere, even in the safe suburbs of DC.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Columbusite
Minneapolis
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0Angle wrote >>
lisathewaitress wrote >>
i always have to plug my 'hood. I live in "Old Columbus North," which is between campus and clintonville. You get a lot of house for your money in this neighborhood, and you aren't paying for the privilege of living in a super desirable neighborhood like Clintonville. The really great thing is that when the real estate market went belly-up, our house retained its value, while houses in Clintonville went down to a more realistic value.
This is a safe neighborhood. In 5 years, the only crime committed was when our car was broken into and our GPS stolen. Even then, the thieves used a slim jim to break in instead of breaking the window.
If you are looking for the burbs, I would agree with the person above; my aunt lives in a nice house in the area behind Meijer which is in Cbus tax zone but Worthington schools.+1 When we bought our house here in "Olde Northe Columbuse" it was easy walking distance to Stache's (R.I.P). Now our kids are growing up with the offspring of the Stache's crowd.
We have a really nice community, but some people prefer attached garages and central air to front porches and bicycles....Old North Columbus also has the best sub-neighborhood names. Who wouldn't want to live somewhere called SoHud or Washington Beach?
Posted 2 years ago # -
dru
IV
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@italysprings - Granville is a really nice bedroom community with new highway access that makes the commute really quick, but I think you will find the real estate there extremely pricey. It has been on the high end for years. If you are looking for someplace out of the urban core similar to that, I think @manticore might be on to something in Delaware. I live in the Short North, feel safe and love it down here, but one would be insane to not lock their doors in this neighborhood. I probably would lock my doors in Delaware as well, but the room for error is probably greater there. The only issue I would see up that way is Rt. 23. If you are commuting into Columbus, that is just an utterly annoying stretch morning and afternoon.
Posted 2 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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If you are looking at suburbs, look at Groveport and Canal Winchester.
Easy access to 270 and 70, Gender Road is booming with new food options (Butch's Italian is awesome), COTA just put in a new park n' ride off Gender with service north through Groveport. I love downtown Canal Winchester-if it wasn't for the bike access, I'd be tempted to stay in this area.
Posted 2 years ago # -
manticore33
Delaware, OH
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Dru: Yes there is a huge margin for error in Delaware. Crime is pretty low. Quite a few times I left my garage door open all night with my Porsche 944 Turbo (its old; 1986) in there and had nothing stolen. Likewise, I've left the same car and all my cars on the street from time to time and never had any problems with vandalism.
Posted 2 years ago #
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