Press Release:
Looking for a housing value? Go West
Struggling artists, young families with bills to pay and college graduates with student-loan debt may find homeownership within their reach – if they look to the Hilltop.
Homes on the Hill Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit housing organization, has five move-in ready Hilltop homes for sale – all of them lead safe and comprehensively rehabbed. Two are available for lease/purchase.
Qualified buyers will have household income of 80 percent or lower of Columbus-area median income. For a household of one, this is $38,400, or $44,000 for a two-member household. Down payment assistance is available.
“These are nice homes,” says Stephen Torsell, executive director of Homes on the Hill CDC. “Our comprehensive rehabs include all new flooring or coverings, new paint and upgrades on electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning. Typically, the houses have a new roof, siding and windows. Plus, they’re lead-safe, which is great for people with children or pets. We think they’re perfect for the right buyer.”
The homes for sale are:
- 77 N. Wheatland Ave. Built: 1910. Square feet: 1,672. Bedrooms: 4. Baths: 1.5. Price: $74,900. Available for lease/purchase.
- 224 N. Eureka Ave. Built 1918. Square feet: 1,381. Bedrooms: 3. Baths: 1. Price: $79,900. Available for lease/purchase.
- 179 N. Ogden Ave. Built: 1926. Square feet: 1,382. Bedrooms: 3. Baths: 1. Price: $89,900.
- 485 Columbian Ave. Built: 1927. Square feet: 1,312. Bedrooms: 3. Baths: 1. Price: $75,000.
- 1939 Marsdale Ave. Built: 1954. Square feet: 1,093. Bedrooms: 3. Baths: 1. Price: $79,000. Available for lease/purchase.
A likely home buyer for the Hilltop is young, college-educated, gay or gay-friendly, creative and willing to take a risk on a neighborhood not yet seen as up and coming, says Cleve Ricksecker, executive director of Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District, and a veteran of Columbus urban redevelopment.
“The Short North, German Village, and Clintonville neighborhoods are often beyond their means,” Ricksecker said. “No one thinks of the Hilltop or Westgate as being at all hip, yet it’s the hottest neighborhood in Columbus right now.”
Since 1993, Homes on the Hill has rehabbed more than 60 single-family homes in the Hilltop area. For more information on HOTH, visit www.hoth-cdc.org.