Guide to Real Estate in Columbus' Grandview Heights

Located less than five miles from downtown Columbus, Ohio, Grandview Heights is a peaceful urban haven. It is easy to forget how close you are to the inner city when you stroll along Grandview’s quiet, safe, tree-lined residential streets. Grandview Heights is like a small town in the midst of a giant metropolis and this, coupled with a great school system (which is outside of Columbus Public Schools) is why real estate in Grandview Heights is in such demand. The housing market in Grandview is very competitive as residents from all over Columbus who don’t want to live in the suburbs or want a better school for their children are flocking to area. Just a few quick facts to give you an idea of the social and economic landscape of Grandview Heights: The total population of the community is just above 6,400 and covers a total area of 1.3 square miles. The median age of Grandview Heights' residents is a surprisingly young 36.3, but one must consider that there are several rental properties that are in the city of Grandview that house mostly graduate and PhD students (not to worry, the rowdy ones live on campus). Speaking of education, you might be interested to learn that a whopping 92.3% of Grandview Heights residents have a High School education and 48% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Given these figures and the quality and effort put into the Grandview Heights local School system, it is obvious that this a community dedicated to education. Also of note, this is a community that is focused on family as well with 48.8% of the small population married and 31.1% who are single and have never been married. The median income of Grandview Heights is a lower than expected $51,328, but one must take into account all the Masters and PhD students in the area who often have little income. Although for your neighborhood or city this median income might seem high, if you take a look at the majority of housing in Grandview Heights, you’ll notice that all the houses, while older, are very well maintained and the average cost of a home in the area is $160,000 (thus proving that Census data can sometimes be an inaccurate portrayer of a community’s true “self”). It is very difficult to use such Census data when trying to explain the unique demographics of the area—while most of Grandview Heights is comprised on large single-family homes, this data also calculates the smaller, much cheaper homes that border the line between Columbus City and Grandview Heights and the seeming unbalance between some of this data is a result of Grandview Heights’ economically diverse residents. Take into account as well that the unemployment rate is at a low 1.6% (although the average commute to work from Grandview Heights is an estimated 16.9 minutes, indicating that most of the employment is not local). Okay, so now that the demographics have been established, let’s talk real estate. As mentioned above, you will have a harder time finding a house of any type in Grandview Heights than you will in any other suburb of Columbus (even though this isn’t really a suburb). Although the median house price is $160,000, the majority of houses in the area are (and will remain) occupied those that are available are mostly in the $200-400,000 price range and border the municipality of Marble Cliff (a very exclusive neighborhood). According to local realtors, there are only 40 houses currently on the market in all of Grandview Heights. While they say that most of these homes are under $500,000, the market is very competitive which keeps real estate prices extremely high. Grandview Heights' real estate professionals advise potential Grandview Heights buyers to “just be patient and eventually you will find a home here that fits what you’re looking for.” Although you may have to take her advice and bide your time, you will eventually be rewarded and live an excellent community where there are virtually no “For Sale” signs (since nobody wants to leave). For a sample of typical real estate in Grandview Heights, we’ll assume you’re looking for a one-bath, three bedroom home (1400 square feet) on one of the peaceful residential streets. You can expect to pay between $164,000 and $200,000 (and keep in mind the tax rate as well, $104.75 per $1000 valuation). For a slightly larger house on the same hypothetical Grandview Heights street, let’s say four bedrooms and one and a half baths, you can expect to pay roughly $220,000. For a similar sized house with more property (most of the real estate in Grandview Heights is relatively close together) you can expect the price to go up as high as $500,000 and up. While this may seem steep, don’t write off real estate in Grandview Heights until I’ve go more in depth about the schools and community in a moment. For a less focused review of real estate in Grandview Heights, take a look at the following figures keeping in mind that they are just a list of the highest and lowest house prices and how many there are (thus leaving the out the middle-of-the-road real estate) This should give you some idea of what I meant by the inaccuracy (not of the actual data but of the interpretation) of Census results in predicting real estate for Grandview Heights: Out of 1525 homes in Grandview Heights, there are only 6 homes that are between $50,000 and $60,000. There are 208 homes between $175,000 and $200,000 and on the high end there are 103 between $300,000 and $400,000 and to top it off with, 7 or more houses at one million dollars or more. This should certainly give you a rough idea of the real estate diversity in Grandview Heights as well as a basic overview of what kind of prices you should expect. When considering real estate in Grandview Heights, your choices are not limited to the tight house market. There are several condos, many of them relatively new (after springing up in response to the demand for houses). One issue you must keep in mind with nearly all of these condos is that they are equivalent to and in some cases higher priced than of the actual houses in the neighborhoods. For example, at the corner of Grandview and West Third Ave. J. Schmidt has nearly completed the first phase of construction on a new four-story condominium complex (containing 1500 to 2300 square feet per condo) and selling somewhere in the mid-$300,000 up to the mid-$600,000. While the projections for these newest condos show that they’ll be very chic, attractive, and conveniently located, this is proof-positive of the real estate hikes in Grandview Heights. While there are other condos in Grandview Heights, the average cost of them is a little less than $200,000 and unless you’re set on buying a condo, perhaps waiting for the right house to come along is a better option. For those with children who are searching for real estate in Grandview Heights, you couldn’t find a better school so close to downtown as in Grandview. This is almost unthinkable in such an urban area, but there are only 1,326 children (K-12) enrolled in the small city of Grandview Heights. This obviously leads to smaller class sizes-- Grandview Heights School has a 13:1 student/teacher ratio for elementary school (of which there are two locations and a total enrollment of 606 for grades K-5 in both buildings), a 12:1 ratio in the one middle school with a total population of 326 for grades 6-8, and an unbelievable 11:1 ratio at the High School with a total population of 394. While this is comparable to the size of a rural school, the high property taxes go mainly to the school system. Grandview Heights Schools spends a staggering $7,582 per pupil. Most importantly, Grandview Heights Schools boast a 97% High School graduation rate and according to the Ohio Department of Education, they are considered to be among the handful of schools in Ohio rated overall as “Excellent”—a high honor. This extra effort towards education leads to a post-high school figure of 65% of students continuing on to a 4-year college and 5% to two-year schools. Grandview Heights Schools emphasize creativity and have been able to keep many of the arts and music programs that had to be cut at almost every other school in the city of Columbus. They have a decent sized football stadium, track, and a small band that can be heard practicing all around Grandview Heights some afternoons. In addition to athletics there are extra-curricular activities that involve foreign languages and creative writing as well as a National Honor Society program. Grandview Heights Schools are one of the best in all of Central Ohio and although the real estate prices are high, the extra cost is worth it if you want to raise a family in Columbus. As another extension of Grandview Heights’ commitment to education, the Grandview Heights Public Library is one of the best non-Columbus City branches available. The gorgeous modern library houses two floors of books and they have an excellent selection of videos, CDs, and DVDs as well as comfortable reading areas and an extensive kid’s section. Throughout the year there are free youth programs offered in reading and creative writing—a great resource for keeping your young ones involved. Any real estate in Grandview Heights is located within a very short driving distance of Ohio State University, the University Hospitals, Riverside Methodist Hospital, Doctor’s North Hospital, and Columbus Children’s Hospital. Within walking distance of all of Grandview Heights’ picturesque streets is the hip and elegant Grandview Avenue, which has a historic movie theater (The Drexel Grandview) that shows children’s classics in the summer and the best international and independent films year round. Grandview Avenue is home to many unique shops and the popular locally owned Stauf’s Coffee Roasters (as well as two other coffee retreats). The chic Italian restaurants Spagio, Trattoria Roma, and Figlio are also along the Grandview Avenue Strip, making a night out for mom and dad as simple as taking a ten minute-stroll to the trendy romantic Avenue. There are 10 churches in the area (different affiliations) and get this, 40 acres of park land that is well maintained by the City of Grandview Heights (includes the municipal swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, and well-equipped playgrounds). There are a number of arts and crafts festivals and display spaces as well as the popular July community event “Lazy Daze Festival”. If you’re thinking about purchasing real estate in Grandview Heights, coming to one its fairs or community events will most definitely hook you (if all the other benefits of living in the small city haven’t already). This is truly urban living at its finest—all the comfort, safety, and sense of community you’d find in a small rural town coupled with the luxury and convenience of city-life. Although the real estate market in Grandview Heights may be competitive, it will be worth your efforts to vie for a spot in this prestigious little city. *facts and demographics included in this article are from U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census