Life in real estate in Cleveland since I blogged has changed.  The tax credit allowed tons of people who were waiting for the right time to buy their first homes, to do so. It also allowed a number of people to buy a new home and still get a tax credit of their own.

Some of the changes are small but significant to me.  I live in zip code 44111. Home buyers have finally resurfaced for this area. My partner Melissa and I had several buyers and listings and sales in the past four months. We even had a listing in 44111 sell after the tax credit.  Since home sales are one of the benchmarks of a vital neighborhood, this made a lot of us breathe a sigh of relief.

I’ve developed a keener sense of the neighborhood compositions. Cleveland is not like some of the other cities where people move in and out. Our neighborhoods are full of people who grew up here and want to stay here when they go out of their parent’s nests and  have a place of their own.

I spent some time going over home transfer records in all of Cleveland proper.  I started doing it because I wanted to see where people were coming from, when they purchased a home in a particular neighborhood.  As it turns out, many homes are ‘willed’ to relatives.  Many people move five or six or ten streets from their childhood homes. Some communities have developed a strong community based on their country of origin.  That is pretty cool too, and is also a traditional way for population placement, since they began keeping records. 

And I still feel lucky to be involved in real estate.

The weather has kept people in a good mood, at least that is my observation. Since I last posted in January (!), we dodged a serious winter, and have basically enjoyed warmer than normal temperatures. As I walk the dog every day, I notice how wonderful the weather has been to the flowers. Hydrangea’s are in their splendor this year.  One of my neighbors has Columbines lining a six foot flower bed.  They were bedazzling. 

Now, if only LeBron had stayed here.  I am not mad at him.  But I am sad and not sure it was the best decision for him.  But, he’s the only one who can make the decision.  The Cavs will have a tough time rebounding.  But it does get back to my long standing belief that a city can’t afford to put all their eggs and hopes in one basket…sports.  I’m happy to see the tech world growing here, the medical community thriving (including the medical neighborhood expansion around The Clinic). 

I’m impressed that we have not lost our creative spirit here in NE Ohio.  We can survive without LeBron.  Oh, and we do have some Independent candidates for the new County positions. 

Regular posts to resume before you know it lol

Peace Out – 3C

Did you know that the City of Cleveland Sewer District plans to begin changing how they charge commercial structures (maybe residential too, I don’t know)?  It’s going to be based on your lot coverage and roof size so technically the charges could go up.

One of the ways to keep costs down is to have a green roof.  It can be a matter of the materials used, or it can be really green as in say, sod.  According to this article on Perfect Cube, the cost for a new roofing system may not be more than your usual pitched roof. (I guess we would have to test that theory, just repeating what they said).  You can read about green flat roofing here.  Back to the potential changes in sewer charges. I know they are redoing the sewers on my stretch of Lorain Avenue and the Kamm’s Corners sewer work is probably completed.  Now would be the time to think about ways to save money.  Rain water gets absorbed on green roofs as opposed to running off and going into the sewers, thus saving you money.  Quote from the article:

“flat roofs provide:

· Reduced energy costs in hot urban environments
· The ability to reduce storm water run‐off, reducing stress on urban sewer systems and decreasing runoff related pollution of natural waterways
· Trap rain-dissolved pollutants from air in the vegetated roof’s soil
· Dust reduction
· Air quality improvement
· Noise pollution reduction
· Extended life expectancy…”

Lots of good information on other posts, too, on Perfect Cube.

7:00 p.m.

And don’t forget to bring in a canned good & coupons

If you have any questions please contact:

Monday you have an opportunity, whether you have children in school or not, to go see the two newest schools in Ward 20: R.G. Jones and Artemus Ward. :

BPDC, Councilman Martin J. Sweeney, and Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) encourage you to stop in at two neighborhood schools next week, RG Jones(K-8) and Artemus Ward (K-8), which are welcoming their students back “home” to their original location.  Four opportunities area available for the community to view these, the latest neighborhood schools to come online.  Read the flier for more information. 

I’ll be there on Monday, look for a short lady in a black leather coat    Peace Out – 3C

44109

There are 78 multi-family homes listed for sale today

Nine homes are contingent sales or waiting for inspections or loans to be finalized. 23 homes are pending sale, or waiting to close. That means 32 homes are under contract but not yet closed.

68 homes sold since March 1st.

The most economical sale was for $7000 – a double on Holmden in Tremont. The highest sale price went to a home on Montclair (off Broadview). It sold for $125,000. The average sale price for multi-family homes in this zip code was $29,466 and $13/square foot. The average number of days these homes were on the market was 76.

44135

There are only four multi-family homes listed for sale as of today; there are none under contract, either pending or contingent.

There have been six multi-family homes sold in this zip code since March 1st. The least expensive home was sold for $6,900 – a double on Grimsby (off Bellaire). The highest sale price of the six was for a double on Aldene which is  just west of W 150th Street. 

The average sale price was $52,142 and $23/square foot.  These sold homes had been on the market an average of 117 days.

For part one (yesterday’s post) you can read here.  Peace out – 3C

What impressed me? First, the commitment of the BPDC staff to keep adding on programs, efforts that help the community.  And get this: an ever increasing effort to talk to residents, both home owners and business owners, to find out just what the neighborhood wants. Imagine that! Everyone had forms on the table allowing them to pass on what they wanted to see in the neighborhood or to express concerns they might have.  Since I’m a big believer in this kind of interaction, I was excited to see this.

Some of the highlights:

1. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps people pay their energy bills. As you can imagine, HEAP will be needed to help even more people this year. Prior to this year, our Ward 20 residents had to get to the HEAP office located in Clark Metro.  Not impossible for those who drive, but for those taking public transportation? Because of bus transfers? 2 1/2 hour trip. Not conducive to seeking help! So Bryan Gillooly and the BPDC staff worked to get a satellite HEAP office set up at the BPDC office with separate HEAP staff people. Again I say, excellent dude!

2. Cleveland Public Theatre works with our community students through the STEP program (Student Theatre Enrichment Program). Our students put on two performances with CPT’s assistance, one being at Jefferson Park this summer during the annual Ward 20 Ice Cream Social. The STEP program helps build student confidence and self esteem, while being just plain fun as well.

3. There is a gardening program at RG Jones and Riverside (see photos). Students not only garden, but then help market the produce. It’s a way to teach students business and marketing skills along with helping them learn to garden and see the results of their efforts. It’s an ongoing, wonderful program (I would love to help out with it next season).

4. We are the only Ward with a mediation program. Mostly, we all enjoy our neighbors but you know, every now and then a dispute arises.  In order to resolve issues in a respectful way that also avoids legal action, Bellaire Puritas (BPDC) offers a mediation service. The mediation is also useful when teen issues arise.

5. The Cleveland Foundation is working with us on a Youth Development Program. The idea is to identify in-school and outside projects (like some of the ones above but a much longer list) that could help our Ward 20 students thrive.

Once a stereotype gets going, it’s hard to break it. But truthfully, our schools are helping students thrive.  All the elementary schools in our Ward are going to be brand spanking new.  And if enhancement programs can help students thrive, no one will feel the need to pull their kids out, or move out of the neighborhood, because parents will continue to see the good results.

I’d like to use the gardening analogy about all of the above. You prepare the dirt (good enhancement programs at schools and mediation services available), You plant the seeds (like the CPT/STEP theatre projects) and you get a vibrant community of neighbors helping, talking with and enjoying other neighbors.  Again I say, excellent dude!

To contact Bellaire Puritas about any thing listed here or not, call 216-671-2710.

 h/t to Rachel Napolitano, the community organizer at BPDC for putting on a great Summit.  Peace Out – 3C

The Bellaire Puritas Development Corporation (BPDC) is holding a Ward 20 Summit on October 30th and as it says on their website they will “present a neighborhood planning process that includes YOU.”

There will be tables with representatives of many organizations to present ideas, plans and information.  Groups like: Neighborhood Connections, West Park Airport Committee, The Neighborhood Education Committee of Ward 20, WECO (they provide financial services to help people stabilize their finances), as well as BPDC information about the neighborhood and their services.

I’m sure there will be more participants (for example, I will be there will information on housing in the area, how things have sold, FHA programs available for buying, etc). There will be speakers and Community Awards.

If you have questions, you can contact Rachel Napolitano, Community Organizer for BPDC at 216-671-2710.

Details:

What: Ward 20 Summit

Where: Puritas Lutheran Church Hall (13815 Bellaire)

When: Thursday, October 30th starting at 6:30 pm.

Peace Out – 3C

The majestic blue and white mosaic tiling announced Gunning Recreation Center, the last in a series of Connecting Cleveland meetings held by the City of Cleveland’s Planning Commission. These were public meetings to ‘dog and pony’ the Commissions suggested changes to Cleveland’s Master Plan. Some good stuff here and a seemingly aggressive series of ideas to help revitalize our neighborhoods.

Some of the highlights:
1. Encourage mixed use development (shops, housing, offices)
2. Sustain our industrial parkways
3. Look into a specialized high school dedicated to industrial design
4. Continue to foster public/private/non profit cooperation

You have heard our Metropark system referred to as the Emerald Necklace? Well the City is now calling their bike/tow path system the Emerald Bracelet. The idea is to finish connecting the ‘trail’ dots so that a circle of bicycle trails exists.
The Commission feels we should focus on ‘pockets’ of retail, because our population is down and trying to sustain, for example, the entire length of Lorain Avenue as a thriving retail district is not as feasible anymore. So they want to foster ‘retail clusters.’ Already in the works an example of two of these retail clusters:

Kamms Corner – whose ‘Streetscaping’ project is set to begin next month
Gordon Square – W. 65th and Detroit – most definitely already in the works

One highlight would be the tale of two theatres: The Variety and The Capital. Both exist as shells of their former selves but they are about to get the equivalent of Ty Pennington’s Extreme Makeover.

The Capital will now be the West Side version of the Cedar Lee in Cleveland Heights, hosting Independent and Art films (I for one am extremely excited about this!)

The Variety near W. 117th on Lorain will show off her makeover in a different kind of mixed use: everything from children’s shows, second run movies and a dinner theatre! I can’t wait to see the marquee working on the Variety! The exterior work will be completed in 2007
Of course there was a lot of discussion as well about TODs, population shifts, etc. Check out the Planning Commission Website to get all the details for each district and your own neighborhoods. Peace Out – 3C