we painted the front door yellow. what do you think?

before with grey door

evidently studies show that a yellow door evokes happiness. does this door make you happy?

we still have the grey paint in case someone wants to go back to the sublle look…..

The Cincinnati area is full of little neighborhoods.  Some well known (such as Hyde Park) and others seem only to be known by people who live there or nearby (such as Paddock Hills).  These neighborhoods are in the City of Cincinnati.  So is Clifton, which is a common term used for the area around the University of Cincinnati, but the University is actually in University Heights and Corryville.  Technically, Clifton is further up the hill.  Geeze!

Things get even more confusing when you step outside the city limits and into one of our many townships.  Townships have a different form of government than cities, and generally have lower taxes.  But searching for homes in townships (Sycamore, Springfield, Columbia to name a few) can be tricky if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for.

People looking for houses on the eastern  I-71 Corridor have a particularly difficult time.  Going up 71, you hit parts of the City of Norwood (at Rookwood), Oakley (part of the city of Cincinnati), Columbia Township (at the Ridge exit, commonly thought of as Pleasant Ridge, but it’s really not in the city), and Sycamore Township (the entire area known as Kenwood).

The Cincinnati MLS is divided into areas and suburbs and we as agents must abide by the rules and categorize our properties accordingly, which can make many properties very difficult for home seekers to find.  For instance, there is a small area between Pleasant Ridge (which is in the City of Cincinnati) and Amberley Village (which is an independent village) called Ridgewood.  For all intents and purposes, you feel like this is part of Pleasant Ridge, but it is actually Columbia Township, and the ONLY way to find it in the MLS is to search Columbia Township – Ridgewood is not a ‘suburb’ according to the mls.

A popular area for first time buyers is the Deer Park area.  But this area is actually comprised of 4 different MLS ‘suburbs’ – The City of Deer Park,  and Dillonvale, Rossmoyne,  and Kenwood (all part of Sycamore Township, but categorized by their neighborhood names).  Confused yet?

A good realtor will know this and will be able to search entire areas for you.  It gets tricky if you are looking on your own and don’t know the Cincinnati MLS ‘rules!’  Our ‘Streamline Art Moderne’ house in Dillonvale is still available (see photos above and below).  Don’t know where Dilonvale is?  You are not alone!  Click here for a map.  In plain terms, it is North of Amberley, South of Blue Ash and just west of Kenwood.  It has easy access to not only Kenwood, but I-71, the Ronald Regan Highway, the Blue Ash Kroger and a brand new Target being built at the north entrance to the neighborhood.  This area is SO central and convenient to just about anywhere in town.  But most people don’t know it by name.  Now you do.  Cheers!

like any modern house, we thought it looked too good with our VW’s in the garage and drive!

like many midcentury houses, there was only one closet in the master. not any more! the wardrobe stays with the house.

the closet to the right is actually about 6 ft. wide – just the door is small!

never underestimate the power of shelving!