Money Magazine rates Cincinnati among top 6 best places to buy a home

Citing a manufacturing-heavy economy that should benefit from the falling dollar, Money Magazine has rated Greater Cincinnati among the 6 "best places to buy a home these days".

The six cities chosen were determined to have home prices that should rise the most - or fall the least - within the next 12 months.

"Cincinnati has continued to be relatively stable amidst the nationwide housing crunch," says Jami Stutzman, a realtor with Sibcy Cline.  "We never saw the extreme highs other areas of the country saw, therefore our lows aren't going to be as dramatic either."

Peter Chabris of Team Chabris agrees, saying that speculative forces have been drawn out of the market.

"In this age of ridiculous appreciation and HGTV programming mania, people stopped seeing homes as homes and started seeing them as their 401(k)," he says.

But he says that for people who are serious about becoming homeowners, now is the time to buy.

"It's reasonable to expect the market to depreciate, or maintain it current level for the next 12 months," Chabris says.  "But you don't buy a house for 12 months, you buy it for years.  You should have every expectation that your home will gain value."

Stutzman says that while buyers and sellers seemed to have a negative outlook on the market over the winter, the tide seems to be changing.

"I believe it's more than just spring fever - buyers realize that low interest rates and lower home prices are going to last forever and right now is really a fantastic time to buy," she says.



Other cities making Money Magazine's list were Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and Houston.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Sources: Peter Chabris, realtor, Team Chabris; Jami Stutzman, realtor, Sibcy Cline Realtors
Photography by Scott Beseler