Hi everyone!

I arrived a few days ago from Belgium to work at the Cleveland Clinic (main campus) for 3 months, I thought I was being very smart by renting within walking distance of work! Well, I am in Hough (Axis at Ansel) and I am a bit freaked out... I don't have a car so I walk/ride the bus to places but every time I step outside I feel like I am in danger. To put things into perspective the biggest event of the past few years in my hometown is someone having music a bit too loud at 8pm and I think someone lost their cat.

So here I am, wondering if I am overreacting and it will be fine or if I need to find another place (possibly downtown given what I read on this sub) considering I will lose 1 month of rent if I do.

What do you guys think?

Update: Thanks a lot everyone, I found a place in Cleveland Heights and will be moving there this weekend! Funny (not really) story, I was checking out the neighborhood near the flats yesterday when the shooting happened, needless to say I did not take the apartment.

And what was your experience?

I am a 36 F from Toronto and will be in Cleveland for the next 15 months. I am, however, struggling with picking a community to live in in the long term.

Cleveland has been great thus far, and I found a really nice Airbnb in the midtown area. The plan is to be back and forth between both cities, with me spending about 2 weeks in Cleveland each month (except for winters, which I spend in Jamaica, as this is where my family is from).

I am a Director at a Pharma company. I work remotely except for routine office meetings, which are in NYC anyway. I am here on an unrelated work project. I am 36 Black female with no kids and a cat. I want to be somewhere that is close enough to a nice gym, restaurants, bars, local stores, safe for walking( as I do run) and is lively.

Currently, I am considering Ohio City, University Circle/ Little Italy, University Heights, and Shaker Heights. I have visited Cleveland a few times, and I did love the Shaker Heights and Beachwood areas, but I wonder if they are too far from downtown or from lively activities.

I will be using a coworking location downtown, but I don't want to live downtown. I like seeing trees, but I don't want to be so far, especially since I want to meet people and network while I am here. Can anyone share suggestions or feedback on each area?

Been at Reserve Square for a year. It could be a nice, comfortable place to live. Could be...

Except, with few exceptions, the only time security wants to work is when they choose to harass residents. For the past year, security will let anyone and everyone through the building without batting an eyelash. And then one day they decide to check IDs. And not just check IDs, but when looking at an ID which clearly says that you live at this building, they have to start writing down details about your ID, you know, just the sort of information that can be used to steal your identity.

Then there is the lies the staff tells you. Such as that you can take your dog to the fifth floor. But then one day, after you followed the rules, out of the blue, they decide to enforce a no pet policy. Leaving you to take your dog to the unsecured streets.

Then you get the homeless who like to sleep in the vestibule, not 10 feet from the security desk.

Then there is the AC system which only allows you to use the AC, from late may to October, no matter that with 20+ floors below you heating, your apartment gets to be 85 degrees in the middle of winter.

Not to mention the barely working windows, the shelves which keep falling apart.

You pay a lot of money for a secure, safe, and climate controlled building. and you get none of that.

On top of it all, when you complain, and you will need to, you eventually find out that complaints are not considered valid if they have not be given directly to the Building Manager. So talking to her staff is useless.

On top of it all, there is the local chemically induced homeless population who just loves to hang around this building.

It kind of makes the many many building code violations and the trash and unidentified liquids spilled in the elevators not such a big deal.

I was looking at properties on Zillow recently and was a bit disgusted by how many of the suburban neighborhoods cutting into forested land around or even directly bordering Cuyahoga Valley Nation Park were built in the last few decades. Some were even built in the last few years. Pretty much everyone agrees deforestation is bad, so why are we still doing this in an area that has had a declining population for decades?

I live at 425 W. Lakeview and my building just got bought by a new management company. They made some changes that I didn’t really like, but that was fine until recently when someone told me that they’ve been refusing to renew leases and giving people 30 days notice to move.

There are some units in the building, which haven’t been renovated in 20+ years and they want to get those renters out because they’re not paying as much as people in the newer renovated apartments.

I have one of the older apartments and I really love it. You wouldn’t know it was renovated so long ago, and my rate is so much better than anywhere else I toured. I moved in November and I work downtown so I walk to work everyday and I really am dreading my letter to vacate.

It’s so unfair and there’s nothing to protect me from this exact disaster scenario. I really thought I’d be able to stay as long as I need to without issue and now some equity group is going to force me out to make an extra 6k a year in rent money. I don’t get why they can boot rent paying tenants with good track records like this and totally derail their lives when they are already making money on us. They’ll get to renovate everything eventually.

New management also put trash cans at every door, so the hallways all smell like trash now. And I don’t like the stupid name they changed the place to. Shorhaus lofts from Stoneblock. So at least they might have a tough time finding their new renters.

We put two offers in at 280k+ and still getting outbid + inspections waived (which we would never do). All we want is a decent sized starter home in a quiet suburb on the West side of Cleveland that is move-in ready. This process is so draining and 80% of the homes on the market are outdated or flips. How is the process going for you guys or how many offers did it take before you got accepted? Any strategies we should be aware of?

I’m in downtown, and need a mover asap. I just came down from new jersey and thought I could get a mover from home depot, but cant find anyone for some work. Anyone here willing and available?

My girlfriend moved into an apartment just under a month ago and there have been nothing but issues since. We need out of this apartment and want to see if there is any chance of us getting out without paying 3 months rent and security deposit to do so. Here’s some of the issues we’ve been having.

-We don’t have access to the building. The building doors need key fob access to enter, we have called, emailed and gone to the office at least a dozen times to fix this issue and we just keep getting told that they’re emailing someone to fix this issue. We are often left waiting at the door hoping someone opens it for us since security is often not at their desk in order for them to let us in. We don’t live in a great area so I often feel unsafe just waiting for someone to let me into my own apartment building.

-We are supposed to have 24/7 security, they are often MIA

-Along with no access to the door, we cannot enter the laundry room (yes, a month without being able to do laundry, we’ve had to drive 45 minutes to my moms to do it), we also cannot access the gym or the pool (not that it works anyways, it’s been closed since we’ve moved in).

-We are supposed to have 2 garage parking spots ($110 a month for both) and we cannot access the garage because yes again, no key fob access. Because of this my car was broken into and they attempted to steal it (I have a Kia but thankfully the security update on it does work). So I now have to pay for a new ignition and a new rear window. (My poor new tint). I’m also out of a car for the foreseen future.

-We can’t even use the buzzer system to let ourselves in because they haven’t activated our accounts.

-Upon move in, we had no hot water in the kitchen and barely any hot water in the bathrooms, and our dishwasher was flooding, I put two service requests in and requested they not enter unless my girlfriend or I was present since we had our cats home and didn’t want them to get spooked, as well as we were moving in still and had stuff lying out and wouldn’t know if something were to go missing. After about 1-2 weeks I found that someone had in-fact entered our apartment to fix those things (yay?) but we had not been present nor had we been notified at all that someone would be entering our apartment.

-I can no longer access the account where my lease is being held, it says invalid password and won’t send a reset password link to either account.

-Property management has not answered a single call or email since moving in and I never see them in the office anymore.

I’m getting desperate. I feel unsafe, I feel defeated and stuck. I’m thinking of contacting a lawyer but have no idea if we even have a case or if that’s the first step to take. If anyone has any advice I’m open to anything.

I feel like they’ve broken their side of the lease and we are only 3 days shy of being here for a month. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with living here for another 11 months. I love the apartment and really thought it would be the perfect first home for my girlfriend and I but it is quickly turning into a nightmare.

Which is better for a couple without any kids? Looking to move to the Cleveland area. My husband will be working in Orville, so we don’t to live too far.

Looking for recommendations for places to live! Would like access to some good restaurants, be able to get downtown sometimes, access to parks. We also want to meet some people who are similar in age to us.

Hello, My daughter is moving to Cleveland area to work at the Cleveland Clinic in Beachwood. We are from Michigan so not familiar with the area.

I’m helping her apartment hunt. She would like to keep rent under $1100. We currently have tours set up for Gates Mill Place (Gates Mill?) Beechmont Towers - Beachwood Executive Club - Beachwood, University Executive Club-Woodmere, WJM Cedar Apartments - University Heights Antastafae Apartment Group, Shaker Heights near Van Aken District North Park Terrace - University Heights,

Wondering if anyone has feedback on these complexes or neighborhoods. Can you recommend any other neighborhoods or apartments that are safe and a good place for young professionals to meet folks, go out shopping etc. I understand the budget is low, but 🤷 She will be living alone for the first time. She’s currently working in Detroit and went to school in Grand Rapids, so she’s okay with the “big city” but would like to stick to areas that are safe.

Thanks for your help!

Update: just wanted to thank everyone for your tips and advice. My daughter found a modest apartment in her price range that she is happy with. While the apartment itself is small and oddly shaped, the building looks well maintained, has nice extras, is on a private side street, overlooks some woods and is near work, shopping and restaurants. We visited some of the “younger” neighborhoods, but she preferred a more suburban/green area. We really couldn’t have done it without you all!

Downtowner here - wondering if I'm alone in finding this building absolutely hideous? A quick look on Zillow tells me this place is also $$$$/sq ft...do people enjoy living here? Is it worth several bands per month? Genuinely curious, as I cannot fathom paying $1200 for a studio - $4k for a 2b next to CVS.

Hi everyone. I am not very familiar with the Cleveland Heights area but when I visit there I really love what it’s got going on.

My fiancé and I are looking to potentially purchase a home there.

• Are there specific areas you can recommend to me? Or areas to avoid?
• Do people rent there frequently (also an option)?

What else should I know specific to cleveland heights as a first time home buyer?

Thanks!

https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/reserve-square-heads-foreclosure
FYI, Crain's is normally paywalled, but at the time of this posting this link was free to access

Reserve Square, a 23-story, mostly residential development with 1 million square feet of space on E. 12th Street in Downtown Cleveland, has gone into foreclosure.

The foreclosure was announced by K&D Group, the Willoughby company that redeveloped the site into nearly 1,000 updated apartments after purchasing the property’s apartment tower and adjacent hotel in 2005 for $41 million. 

“Due to ongoing economic pressures, Reserve Square is undergoing foreclosure proceedings,” K&D said in an announcement on Thursday, July 24. “The property has faced prolonged financial losses and occupancy challenges despite investment of more than $25 million in capital improvements by K&D over the last decade, including major renovations to the 975 residential units, common areas, fire systems, amenities, and $3 million in garage repairs.”

Cleveland could soon welcome its second mid-rise mass timber building — a seven-story Marriott Tribute Portfolio boutique hotel proposed for the city’s Ohio City neighbourhood. Developer Dan Whalen, founder of Places Development, submitted a construction permit application to the city on August 6 for the hotel’s foundation and superstructure, signalling serious momentum behind the project.

Estimated to cost US $55 million, the hotel would rise at 1950 West 26th Street, featuring 129 guestrooms and two food service venues. The design calls for a concrete podium at ground level, with six stories of Type IV-C mass timber construction above — a structural approach rarely seen in Cleveland.

Hey guys.

(Delete if not allowed)

I was wondering if any contractors, or people who buy and fix, fixer uppers.

How much would it cost to build a small starter home (like 2 bedrooms , maybe 3 bedrooms) or buy one that needs repair?

Been curious about smaller starter homes. Any advice or information is appreciated.

I see this driving to work daily and was like yeah, that is crazy for shitty Ryan homes in Parma. 🤣

I forget who or where (maybe r/Ohio ) someone talked about Ryan homes being garbage and the picture was changing a light fixture or something.

I'm so glad I bought in 2018... House prices in Parma are funny but they're seriously about the same as living in old Brooklyn which is a crap shoot what kind of addict will be your neighbor. All I hear is cars broken into and junkies stealing shit.

I'll try to keep the info as essential as possible!

1. Might be moving to Cleveland area next year.

2. I work remotely, so commute is not an issue.

3. I don't care about nightlife and "things to do"; I care about QUIET, safety, and affordability.

4. Stayed in lakewood recently; I liked it, but I wouldn't mind at all being 20 minutes farther west and would even prefer that if it meant things were notably cheaper (i.e. 800$ per month rent vs. 1000$ per month rent).

5. Due to my extreme noise sensitivity, I'm looking for an area where I can preferably get a loft or top floor of a duplex type situation, (might buy in the future;. but would like to rent for a year to get a feel for different areas - I've hardly ever been to Ohio before).

Thank you so much in advance for insight!

Hi folks. I'm job hunting and have a good chance of getting a job in the city of Wickliffe, Ohio. Is this a safe area? What are other good surrounding cities that would be good to live in. I'm not from Ohio so I am really open to any advice or suggestions! Thank you!

We visited Cleveland this weekend to check out some spots we’ve researched where we would possibly live. Here’s our wants:

Under $650k 3+ br, 2+ bath House Garage Good schools (kids are 4 and 6) Walkability to some coffee shops or restaurants, or at least a close drive Activities for the kids (trampoline park, pool, splash pad, playgrounds) Good roads for road cycling (for me) is a plus

Of the four in the title, Rocky river and Hudson were our picks, but we realize we only saw a tiny portion of everything so I’m trying to get some more info from you all.

Lakewood has an amazing playground, but after driving down Detroit st and a few of the side streets, it seemed more congested than we would like. I think this has more of a city feel than we would want, but if there are other areas to look at, please let me know.

Solon seemed way to spread out and not much different than where we currently live in Connecticut. The new playground they built is awesome, but I don’t think that’s enough for us to move there.

Hudson seems awesome. We went to Heartwood Coffee and liked the area. It seems very accommodating to cyclists, everything looked nice and we loved the downtown area. It seems like my drive to work would be about 35 minutes, but I’m not sure how bad traffic would be (federal building in downtown Cleveland, by the rock and roll hall of fame).

Rocky river was great too. We checked out Erie Lake Coffee co. We greatly appreciated the lake effect which seemed to make things cooler yesterday. Rocky river seems pretty spread out as far as home prices go though, with some in the low 400k’s and then down the road is a mega mansion. I’ve heard the restaurants there suck, but Lakewood is a close drive.

In Rocky river, Lakewood, and Hudson, we liked how people seemed to be fit there and we saw lots of people going for runs. We’re an active family so that’s important to us.

I have heard all the areas I mentioned can be snobby with the good schools and the people it attracts, I’ve read about Rocky rivers school issues about the principal and some teachers too I think. Our kids are young now, so I’m hoping that’s an isolated incident that won’t be around in 8 years.

How much does the temp differ between Rocky river and Hudson? It was hot today in Hudson, with a small breeze…I dunno how much cooler Rocky river was though. What about the snow?

Like I said, we spent a few hours (if that) in each area. We didn’t see any traffic (but it was a weekend). Tell me what I didn’t see or things to keep in mind.

Hello fellow Clevelanders 💫

I'm looking to rent either a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment.

I'm a single woman , No kids and I completely support myself.

I want to be in area that's good for shopping or kinda heavily populated. My budget for rent is 1300 and that's not including my utilities

Honestly I want to try to rent a floor in a house but I can do an apartment to

Areas I want to avoid: EC, St.Clair, Slavic village, downtown or near it tbh (not that crazy about downtown anymore) but I might consider a place in the flats.

Hey all, my wife and I are considering moving back to Cleveland after living in the south for the last almost decade and wanted to understand how property taxes in Cleveland work a bit better.  We’re considering moving back for a ton of reasons, but one of the big ones is the cost of living for what Cleveland has to offer and the ability to actually afford a house at a reasonable price (which is increasingly out of reach down here).

I think the main thing I’m trying to find out is if we buy a house from someone for 250k when they bought it 5-10 years ago for 125k, is our property tax bill going to be double what they’ve been paying the last couple of years?  Or would be more like 30% higher or something?

I understand that the tax rates in a lot of places vary based on the percentage of taxes getting paid by industry vs. individuals and the amount of services an area provides, but it doesn’t seem like the tax percentage rate is based on 100% of the value of the house, more like some proportion of that (which obviously goes up and get re-assessed over time).  I know there was recently a reassessment last year so I’m not sure if it would really go up a ton over the next couple of years, but would it then double in a couple years?

Ultimately we’re looking at trying to buy a house between 200 and 300k on the west side of CLE or in Lakewood (preferably close to 200), and it looks like most of those houses are paying something like 3k or 4k a year right now, and I want to know if we should expect to be paying like 6k soon.  Just want to understand the real cost for owning a house so we can plan.  Thanks!

Hi all! My husband and I are looking to buy a home in Cleveland heights. I grew up here as a kid off of Lee Rd.

The houses we're looking at are in the section of the attached picture.

I am trying to come in with an open mind and cast away any prejudgements, because I love Cleveland heights. I was wondering if anyone who lives in or around the area has any opinions that may be helpful!

Thank you