Cincinnati Neighborhood Advice

[Amelia M.]

I'm in AZ but looking to start my REI adventure out of state, and Cincinnati is on my radar. I've found something that needs work in the Mt. Auburn neighborhood. Does anyone have experience in this neighborhood? I would want to buy something to rent out.

Covington, Robling Bridge, and Main Strauss have also been recommended to me and I'd love thoughts on them, too.

Thanks in advance!

[John Wright]

I lived in Mt. Auburn for 10 years and still own a well-performing rental property there. Specifically in "Prospect Hill" which is the three block historic, hillside district on the southeast corner of Mt. Auburn with panoramic views of downtown, Mt Adams, and the Ohio River. Like many of The Queen City's urban neighborhoods Mt. Auburn has entire blocks of ornate, historic homes built during the city's most prosperous era in the early 1800's. Mt. Auburn is considered Cincinnati's first suburb once occupied by the social elite who wanted to escape the crowded conditions of the lower city most notably President William Howard Taft.

My Mt. Auburn rental has been very good to me located within walkable distance to OTR & Pendleton's many hotspots, breweries, and parks, specifically Zielger Park and Washington Park. Sandwiched between major development of the OTR and Pendleton neighborhoods to it's South and Christ hospital development and major development of the Uptown neighborhood on the Northern border, Mt. Auburn has seen massive growth in the past decade but there is still plenty of opportunity as there are still plenty of entire streets that have not seen much development. 

When I first moved to Prospect Hill in 2009, four of the seven condos in my condo association were vacant but of the three that were occupied my neighbors consisted of a young couple who both worked at P&G, a UC professor who had been there since the 90's, and a single dude who worked at GE in Evendale. Fast forward to today our association is fully occupied and has never been healthier (big surprise I know). 

If you like Mt. Auburn you should take a look at Walnut Hills which has for some time now been considered the next OTR, (strictly in terms of the amount of development and growth) 

Covington, Main Strauss, and Roebling Point have also seen recent growth and are very attractive for cash flow investors considering  Kentucky's lower taxes.