Parker Flats: No lawn, all fun

Condos can be an affordable alternative for young buyers

TABARI MCCOY | CIN WEEKLY

Condos have come a long way since first becoming popular in the U.S. in the 1970s and '80s - and at a record pace. The National Association of Realtors (www.realtor.org) reported the price midpoint of condos ($174,700) topped detached single-family homes ($171,600) for the first time in 2003, and sales of existing condos hit their ninth consecutive record in 2004.
Glenn Kukla, a principal and project development manager for Middle Earth Developers in Colerain Township, says Cincinnati is following the national trend. Middle Earth has built and sold several condo units throughout Greater Cincinnati, focusing on the downtown area, including Parker Flats and Kinsey Flats.
Kukla says there are several reasons why condos are becoming the property of choice for many young home buyers.
"One reason is a maintenance-free lifestyle. You don't have to mow your yard, you don't have to rake leaves out of your gutters, you don't have to worry about any landscaping," he says. "Condominiums are (also often) more affordable than single-family homes. Not just in terms of the monthly upkeep, as you don't have to cut your grass or pay a landscaper, but also because they're more efficiently constructed, some of that savings is passed along to the buyer."
Kukla says being adjacent to so many entertainment options is a big selling point for many downtown condos.