Indian Hill School district pulls students from a large area surrounding the Village of Indian Hill, which is where the schools are physically located. Those areas are known as Camp Dennison, Kenwood, and Symmes Twp. Today, I ran through several niche neighborhoods today and want to share those with you!

Concord Hills was the first neighborhood and it is the most upscale and largest lots of the featured areas. This spot has half to one acre parcels, homes built in the early 1960’s which any of those with bad cinder block foundations are torn down and replaced with a modern layout custom home. The target demographic that I have for this area is an empty nester who wants to spend under $800k for a new home or someone buying an original house with updates for below $500k.

Sturbridge is a neighborhood across Montgomery Rd, adjacent to the commercial corridor of Montgomery Rd, this neighborhood consists of a set of dozen streets, sidewalks on both sides, walkable, mid 1960’s houses. Theses houses are on 1/3 acre lots and the smallest homes are 2000 sqft and largest around 3200 sqft.

Heitmeyer Farms is a neighborhood accessed from both Kugler Mill and Kenwood Rd, the main entrance being Kenwood Rd. This well known neighborhood is the largest of these three featured. It has lots between .25 and .50 acres and the homes are between 1800 sqft to 3500 sqft.

While running through all of these communities, I noticed several dumpsters in all neighborhoods, one new construction in Concord Hills. The I-71 corridor cuts through Heitmeyer and Sturbridge, so some of the homes have the sound wall in the back yard which affect value. This is a nice place to call home if you want an A-B district, good public services, moderate taxes and a quality of life which has mass appeal based on recent transactions.

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The major surprises/ highlights for me are in no order:

1. Greg goes bowling
2. George makes T-shirts and drinks at two different establishments while running; proving his thirst!
3. Andrew’s clipboard of plans
4. Russell’s satellite radio presets
5. Richard running between each coffee shop running nearly a 20 mile day on impulse
6. Andrew enjoying a pint at Tafts’ on the run
7. Genuinely proud runners finishing in perfect time/ distance!

It’s a testament to your interest in running adventure that you participated in such a developing idea of mine. I was laughing and enthused the entire time and cherish our shared love of running and ever-developing friendship! In the truest sense of the phrase- Get Up, Get Out, Team Psycho!

Click on the image below to make it larger for easier reading

Our next adventure is being developed currently, but will be a tribute to the Barkley Marathon- location will be our Cincinnati Nature Center. Less than 8 total miles, scavenger hunt style, team work required. Intention of format will be less static waiting around and overall shorter program time.

FIRST ANNUAL WINTER COFFEE SHOP HASH RUN
WHO:
If you have been a consistent runner with Team Psycho, this event is available to you! Please RSVP with your estimated per mile time for a 6-8 mile run and I’ll compile teams so that our finish is as close as possible to limit the wait time. RSVP with a comment on the blog post or email john@payne-team.com
Teams of 5 people.

WHAT:
Self directed adventure running race through our wonderful playground of streets and trails! You determine the route, but you must exchange at the checkpoints designated. Those checkpoints in order are Awakenings Montgomery, Coffee Please Madeira, Starbucks Mariemont, and The Echo Hyde Park. Each team will have a Garmin watch or equivalent and you will pass that one watch amongst the team to collect your running information. The watch is the baton.

WHEN:
Date is set for February 3, 2018. Time of race is starting at 7a and should finish no later than noon for most teams.

WHERE:
Race begins at Homebucks original location at Kemper and Montgomery in Harpers Point. Finish line is officially at Washington Park’s Bandstand, one block from Taste of Belgium’s OTR location. Final party at Rhinegeist where we will have food from Findley or any delivery option available- you are responsible for your own eats! Families can join us afterwards for corn hole and day drinking. If people are interested, we could schedule a tour.

WHY:
Confucius asks “Whynot”

SCORING:
(50%) Submitted time to Actual time— like in drag racing you have to run within your bracket. If you submit the time of 8 min pace, you have to run 8 min pace. If you want to run 6:30’s, then you do you. Its not a race against historical PR’s, you’re racing yourself.
(20%) Closest to the Route mileage- so we know its “3.6 miles” from Homebucks to Awakenings, but we have the requirement of “5.3 miles” to make it interesting. Going over is fine, but wouldn’t it be awesome to plan your route perfectly?
(15%) Fastest to the finish- your team is made of cheetahs not bison, you will win this category.
(15%) Most creative capture of the milestones- presented at final location (subjective by vote). Did you just meet at the locations or did you get a selfie with the baristas? Did you plan your route to stop in and say Hi to Rob at the cemetery? Did you stop by Rick’s house and ring/run? You dream it, we’ll vote if its worth points!

DETAILS FOR RACE DAY:
Harpers Point Starbucks – Awakenings ; straight down Montgomery Rd is 3.6 miles
Awakenings – Coffee Please ; straight down Montgomery, left on Miami is 2.7 miles
Coffee Please – Mariemont Starbucks (Wooster side) ; straight down Miami and right onto RT 50 is 3.2 miles
Mariemont Starbucks – The Echo ; across Murray bike trail, up Erie and into Hyde Park Square is 4.3 miles
The Echo – Washington Park Bandstand ; Erie to Madison, McMillan to Gilbert, across highway to Reading Rd and across Central Parkway to Vine to 12th is 5.1 miles

At 6:50a in the parking lot of Starbucks in Harpers Point, we will determine the distance to be run by each member of your team. This, to be determined, distance will be the distance that we will run between each meeting location. The distance will be between 5.1 miles and 7.5 miles.

Your team can assist you with mapping the route between your two shops. I would recommend downloading a route planner like “Footpath”
The first runners on each team are confirmed and should not be changed- these are the only ones numbered.

The area has been the location of a retail center- TriCounty Mall since 1959, it is adjacent to the historic GE aircraft engine facility in neighboring Evendale and is the location of many buisinesses in the Greater Cincinnati region.

Springdale is a self governed municipality with its own police and fire departments, its own maintanence department, etc. The City services are very good because of this amount of control from these departments. The community has a world class Community Center which has focused programming for seniors, youth and all in-between. A great amenity for residents!

Residents demographic information from www.city-data.com shows that the median household income is trending within $500 annual to the Ohio average at $47,575.

After enjoying my run through the neighborhood, I can attest that the housing stock is very well maintained. Most homes are built in the housing boom of 1960. They are typically 3-4 bedrooms, homes on slab foundation and generally well cared for.

The school district is Princeton Schools and has an elementary school within the community.

As for running, I enjoyed a 3 mile loop, which could be extended if I braved more commercially overrun roads. Routes to the north are cut off by the Interstate 275, but if you go about a mile West, you will have great running within Winton Woods area.

I enjoyed a run through Ross Park Woods which is a neighborhood park with a soccer field, baseball field, playground, parking area and a major surprise– frisbee golf! There is a drainage creek that it seems as though locals fish the stream, or kids use it to play as it has some worn paths to the banks.

If you are looking for a property within the area, please review our listing at 11687 Lawnview Ave, Springdale OH 45246 or any of these properties Actively for sale!

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The Community of Pleasant Ridge is going to come out ahead. The geography of the area is positive and is a middle ground between downtown/ Uptown and its booming development and Kenwood. I believe the biggest challenge is that they need to continue to embrace their unique nature and not try to be “like the rest”. Places like Pleasant Ridge can not compete with places like Oakley and Hyde Park/ Rookwood from a development standpoint, but they can and should compete within the secondary markets like Clifton, Northside, Price Hill, Blue Ash, Milford and Madeira.
An ambitious plan was presented back in 2014 and I hope that it doesnt come to reality. This community has plenty of space on the street and I don’t think this major shift is necessary! Check this out here.
Pleasant Ridge is a fantastic bedroom community within the Cincinnati Public School district. The houses there are a wonderful mix of starter home bungalow style and they go up to the typical Cincinnati mansion! This diversity of home is why this neighborhood will see another day, it will continue to attract and retain Buyers and Sellers.

Pleasant Ridge Montessori is a major reason why the community rallies. The second major theme in the area is the “All Star Readers” program by the community library.

Pleasant Ridge is now an “entertainment district” in the world of community development and they are developing many restaurants and brew pubs like Nine Giant. Nine Giant has had a great first few weeks and offers food and beers in a very welcoming environment. Nine Giant is in the process of sound mitigation as the volume within the building is LOUD since so many are enjoying the space/ beers!

The neighborhood has an active community group and a community development cooperation. They advocate for the correct development and they guide the renewal so that tenants like Check N Go and Dollar General don’t come in during their community’s transition!

Stop by and check this community out, take a run as its wonderfully hilly and take in the diverse neighborhood feeling and during the political season, count the Democratic yard signs!

Stay safe buying and selling real estate in Cincinnati and as always, please call the Payne Team to represent you on your next sale or purchase. Professionals are made and we are always working on being better at Real Estate and representing our clients. 513-500-7474 and www.sellandbuycincinnati.com

 This route was a great mix of hills– both up and down and offered shade throughout in this mature urban landscape. Check it out in the map!

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I had a short, but successful run in Mariemont which captured all that the immediate area has to offer! Mariemont is a community to the East of downtown, a historic community. The new development in Mariemont has been incredibly successful with the introduction of new high-end condominiums. These condos replaced the dated and under utilized “4 square” apartment structures one block from the downtown core that were built circa 1950-1960.

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Mariemont’s single family residential market is a unique one as it has premier streets like most areas of Cincinnati, but even on the secondary streets, owners are investing incredible money to make their homes masterful, the civic pride is evident in the environment that they maintain. I think the main reason for this is that the true community of Mariemont is quiet small, just .89 sq miles. Simple supply and demand.

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Mariemont Schools are rated in the State test under Acheivement an “A” rating . 

Mariemont is a walkable community with sidewalks on many streets, or the streets have a low enough volume of traffic to not warrant sidewalks. For a small geographical footprint, the area boasts many acres of parks. This is the Mary Emery tower at Dogwood Park. The area has a few grand streets/ boulevards like Center Street (pictured) which terminates at Mariemont Wall Park (pictured) which is a colonnade of landscape beauty!

Mariemont is the host of the Porsche Rallye every year and it’s a wonderful event. I would recommend putting it on your calendar.

Mariemont has a bright future in my opinion. It has a designed core with an amazing architectural vernacular unlike anything else in Cincinnati giving it instant recognition. The tax base is strong enough to support the municipal police, fire department and City Services. I believe people will continue to invest in the neighborhood and believe that the adjacent communities like Fairfax and Madisonville will thrive on the coat tails of this community.

Take a walk or run through this community so that you can see what it can add to your enjoyment of our City.

Today began a new horizon for this blog. I am a Realtor, I am a Runner, I love adventure. If that was a math problem it would equal a New Blog “Running with a Realtor”.

Today, I ran from Clifton Gaslight district. Serpentining the wonderful historic streets along Clifton Ave heading North out of the Ludlow Gaslight stretch, I saw a fountain used to water horses, paths that no longer connect streets, redevelopment and some bad rental properties that need new owners who care about the street as much as their rent role.

My father grew up off Lafayette on North Cliff Lane, so I made the pilgrimage to the reflective sign that I used to walk to with my late grandmother. We used to walk there and I got to throw rocks at the sign- each throw would await a fantastic ‘ting’.     

I continued down into Mt Storm Park and discovered a previously loved pathway from the overlook down onto Ludlow Ave at the end of historic Cincinnati’s Central Parkway. A mix of gravel, asphalt, stone edged and dirt covered the surface. I wondered who used it and why did  they want to get to that side of the Clifton Hill- work, play, friends, etc?

Climbing the dreaded Ludlow hill, I could see the neighborhood stabilizing with owners renovating, gardens lovingly cared for, pride for the Clifton Market signs. The vibrancy of the neighborhood has stood the test of time and they have re-invented/ re-invigorated the places that they call home.

I finished my run in Burnet Woods, a great asset for the neighborhood. The trails within the Woods offer a retreat from the neighborhood busyness. With Cincinnati Park events scheduled throughout the year in the gazebo, Cincinnati Circus trapeeeze, and the lake for fishing- its a “one stop shop” for fun!

This run opened my eyes to the beautiful terrain that exists just East of the Mill Creek valley. The community is re-investing in the neighborhood and taking pride in their homes. Enjoy select homes currently for sale in Clifton below-

Next weeks run will be in the streets of Pleasant Ridge and Amberley Village. Message me if you are interested in joining or have ideas for future adventures as I chronicle our Home.

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