When we first moved to Ohio in 2001, we chose the Dayton region because my wife had family here – some in Kettering and some in Beavercreek. We knew little about the Dayton region so we relied on advice from family and real estate agents. There were some that said Beavercreek was the best place to be, others claimed Oakwood, and still others said Centerville. Many claimed that Springboro was where we should move to because it was growing like crazy and full of young affluent people. But there was definitely a common bit of neighborhood-searching advice that was given by ALL of our family and Realtors alike – STAY AWAY FROM THE CITY OF DAYTON! We listened to all of this advice and ended up in Washington Township (or as I called it – Centerville, since I still don’t really know the difference). Well, after realizing that suburban living wasn’t for us, we bought our downtown loft condo just 2 years later and we haven’t looked back. Unfortunately, even though we’ve lived downtown for almost 4 years and have somehow managed to avoid all of the muggings, shootings, murders, etc. that supposedly occur downtown on a daily basis (btw, that is all a myth), people still to this day ask us if we’re scared living here. And Realtors seem to still insist on pushing people further south and away from the city.
[Read more…] about Are Dayton Realtors hindering urban progress?