Ohio Housing Rollercoaster Has Many Ups and Downs

Home owners in Ohio have experienced a roller-coaster ride in the past five years.  In the mid-2000’s, home sales were fantastic – real estate sold quickly at fantastic prices.  The excellent times didn’t last, but, and 2008 and 2009 brought a drastic drop in consumer confidence to Ohioans.  Foreclosures were up, prices were down, and both builder and resale inventory sat idle. 

That Ohio has bragging rights in being home to the theme park with the most roller-coasters in the world is appropriate. One roller coaster specifically is nearly the exact opposite by its enormous accomplishment as a small community in southern Ohio is in its gradual demise.

A small more than 45-years ago, the Blue Streak coaster officially opened providing thrill seekers rides at 78 feet above the midway of Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio.  Over three million guests take in the park each year, which grew in popularity partly due to the sandy beaches of Lake Erie.

While Ohio is one of the states hard hit by the slumped over whimpering real estate market, there are signs of recovery.  For model, one housing judge showed that Ohio cities claimed the four of the top give spots in real estate growth for 2010, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo.  Not surprisingly, each of these cities has wonderful perks for residents and visitors alike: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Schmidt’s Sausage Haus und Restaurant in the heart of German Village in Columbus, the gorgeous park on the Ohio Riverfront in Cincinnati, and bragging rights as hometown of the actor who played Physical Klinger in M*A*S*H*, Jamie Farr, in Toledo.

Searching for real estate listings, there were no houses for sale in Shawnee, neither by owner or listed by real estate agents.  But, one house was listed as being in foreclosure thereby making the foreclosure rate 100 percent.

Wherever you end up in the Buckeye State, you’ll find a multitude of fun discoveries scattered across the plains, river valleys, and near the fantastic lake of Erie.  You can see the world’s oldest traffic light, the passenger pigeon memorial, or a shrubbery collection in Columbus of Georges Seurat’s impressionist painting, A Sunday Day On The Island of La Grande Jatte. 

With this amalgamation of whimsy and affordability, clearly Ohio should be a state brimming with homebuyers!