Whoa! So many responses, this is great. Thank you so much. All of these tips are very helpful.

Alright, we're keeping our price range under 225k which, seems to get a decent space in Cleveland. Both of us are originally from Buffalo, NY so, we understand the wrath of Midwest/Northeast winter. All wheel drive, remote car starters, heated vests, snow tires....all of the things to make it easier.
We'll/I'll be taking trips up there a few times in the late winter and spring to catch the neighborhood vibes and see some houses in person. So far we like the style of homes in Shaker Heights but, are a little skeptical of the surrounding neighborhoods and fluctuating housing market. On the other hand, Rocky River/Lakewood is appealing for it's general safety and secure housing market.
Keeping a close distance to work is difficult for my fiance, as she is a physician and will splitting her time between three locations of the Cleveland Clinic. She'll be driving a little farther one way or another however, too far out in the suburbs makes for an unpredictable winter drive. I build high end custom furniture and can set my shop up anywhere so, my driving times/distances aren't a critical variable.
Renting for a bit is a consideration however, she works around 100 hours a week and I'm not too far behind while running my own business. Taking time to move twice is difficult to get behind but, we're considering it.

I tried to touch on all of your responses, keep them coming. It's great to see that kind of feedback from complete strangers. Thanks again!

Erik

I would say the risk of buying a house you regret in a city you don't know is 1000x worse than the annoyance of moving twice and would HIGHLY recommend renting for a year so you can make an informed decision.

Its just like Buffalo, but worse.. ( and I'm from Buffalo.. ) There has to be someplace else you can move to? lol.. Sorry, not much help, but NO WAY could I ever move back up north!

helpful





:D

Worse than Buffalo? Unfortunately we don't have much choice at the moment but, perhaps between now and June, Cleveland will transform into tropical urban metropolis, with no crime and lots of culture.

I grew up in Cleveland. My family is still there. You will get the west side east side thing but both sides of town are nice. I lived west side. Bay Village and westlake are nice but can be pricey. I was born in Berea. A nice college town with lots of post war bungalows that is affordable and the prices on houses is climbing there. Both my kids live there. Disspite what you might hear, Cleveland IS a great place to live. The lake, Metro Parks, Museums, and it is quite the food town these days. I actually went the other way. I moved from Cleveland to Clearwater and worked at The Tampa Tribune for 22 years. I knew Dave White and a lot of people in the Porsche community there. In in western PA now. Tough getting used to winter again.

Thanks for the kind words of wisdom. I do really like those northeast/Midwest cities, Cleveland being one of them. We're from Buffalo, it has a cool vibe and as of recently is seeing a housing boom downtown, be that good or bad. The weather in Tampa is nice but, it lacks the character and culture of northeast city. I think we're looking at Lakewood or Kamms Corner, potentially Rocky River area. I appreciate the words of encouragement. We're excited to move there.

It's not a bad move as long as you know what to expect in terms of weather especially in the winter. What gets me is that Florida is low lying and some of coastal Florida is only ten feet above sea level. Storm surges pose a threat to coastal areas as sea levels rise.

East to South East of Cleveland is a major snow belt area that has some nice skiing, but gets feet of snow (Lake effect snow from lake Erie) in Nov/Dec, while West, and South West of the city get a few inches. Rabid sports fans all around (including me).

I lived in Lakewood as well. Very nice community. Close to the lake. Easy commute to downtown. My daughter is a teacher in Rocky River, a nice upscale area. It is a great music city as well. Very diverse.

Storm surges for sure. Drainage is also a problem. We live downtown in Tampa, which is at 15ft or lower. It doesn't take much rain to cause a few flooding issues. I'll take a little snow over a hurricane and flooding any day of the week.

I'll tell you one thing. Your gonna like the roads up here. I live 30 miles east of Columbus but used to live in North Ridgeville and the roads are very nice and not very crowded for your driving pleasure. Bob K is in Canton as I recall so you have fellow Pelicans here in Ohio.

My wife's best friend just did this move - Tampa to Cleveland - they live in Hudson - a very nice community. Not sure I am man enough to make that move. I feel the cold in all my joints these days - especially my fake knee.

I travel to CLE often for business. - It's an adventure though - I lived all over the US - there are good and bad about everywhere - just depends on what you embrace

Oh, Clevland is nice place for living. I moved from this city to another country, because I needed changed my job. Now I am in Poland. It is nice and interestign country. I explored many new things to myself. During living I used site with area codes of Poland which I used for dial to local services. But, next summer I came back to my Clevland.

Don't forget to throw in "Super Bowl-winning football team," too into your fantasy while you're at it. :D

This is excellent advice. Glad you did not buy that place you were renting down by Garden Highway, you are way better off out where you ended up buying.