Seattle-Based Avatar Financial Group Provides Financing for OH Retail Center

Avatar Financial Group has provided a $3.045 million bridge loan secured by a neighborhood retail center in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. The 18-month, first-lien loan was originated at 64% loan-to-value. The sponsors required an expedited closing to acquire the property after traditional lenders proved unable to meet the transaction’s timetable. They own a significant portfolio of stable commercial real estate assets. The loan’s 18-month term gives the sponsors time to lease the center’s remaining space and build the operating history that a conventional lender will want for a fully occupied property before refinancing.

New Day Cleveland- Medina County HBA

City Hall intervenes in Reserve Square sale

With two 23-story towers, the 1-million-square-foot, mixed-use Reserve Square at the east end of Downtown Cleveland has been the subject of a federal foreclosure case since July 2025 (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM. Property conditions, safety among city’s concerns. Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration filed a legal action this...

Medical office with six exam rooms in Howland Township available for lease

There’s a purpose-built medical office available for lease on Niles Cortland Road with 3,861 square feet of space to see patients. The medical office at 321 Niles Cortland Road has a total of six exam rooms, an administration office, lab and x-ray suite. There are two physician offices with...

What we learned about which Cuyahoga County property-value process applies

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cuyahoga County property owners who spot an error or problem with their property records may need very different processes depending on whether they are correcting a physical detail, disputing a market value or seeking relief after property damage. The distinction affects which office handles the issue,...

Harrisville Township cemetery levy would fund maintenance of four cemeteries

HARRISVILLE TWP. — Harrisville Township voters will decide in November whether to approve a 0.75-mill property tax levy to fund the maintenance and operation of four cemeteries now under the township’s care. The five-year levy would begin in 2026, according to the ballot language. Harrisville Township trustee Michael...

Cleveland picks developers to give CMSD buildings new life

For more than a century, Collinwood High School stood at the center of this east side neighborhood. But Cleveland has a new vision for what could come next for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Select Portfolio Servicing can't hide loan terms from homeowner who kept paying

An Ohio appeals court ruled a mortgage servicer must hand over loan information to a homeowner - even though she never signed the mortgage. The Eighth District Court of Appeals in Cuyahoga County decided on September 24, 2026, against Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. The homeowner bought a house on East 108th Street in Cleveland in 2000. In 2005, she deeded it to another person, who borrowed $250,750 from Long Beach Mortgage Company and placed a mortgage on the home. The note was later assigned to U.S. Bank N.A., with Select Portfolio Servicing handling servicing.

What we learned about Brooklyn’s 27% tax-base increase and what it means for homeowners

BROOKLYN, Ohio — Brooklyn’s total assessed property value jumped 27% to $430.6 million following Cuyahoga County’s latest reappraisal, but that does not mean individual homeowners’ property-tax bills increased by 27%. Ohio reduces the effective rates on many existing voter-approved levies when property values rise, while new...

Large factory sold, to stay industrial

On a 12-acre site in Cleveland’s Euclid-Green neighborhood, hosting 265,000 square feet of industrial structures, the former Meyer Products snowplow factory will be leased to new users. At the same time, a long-term vision for repurposing the site with advanced manufacturing and/or distribution facilities will be formulated (CBRE). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Downtown at Valor Acres nears completion

The $678 million Valor Acres development in Brecksville has begun welcoming hundreds of new residents to the southern edge of Cuyahoga County (Harrison Whittaker). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM. Progress Pics: First residents move into Brecksville mixed-use development. The finished touches are being added to Valor Acres, a $678 million...

Housing, social services proposed for 9 Cleveland schools closed earlier this year

Cleveland has picked teams it hopes can reuse nine shuttered Cleveland schools to benefit their neighborhoods — including as affordable and senior housing projects or space for social services. The selections follow a seventh-month-long process that began with neighborhood listening sessions in February. The city received 29 proposals from...

City announces developers for 9 Cleveland school buildings

City officials have picked developers to shepherd the futures of nine former school buildings. The buildings became vacant after the Cleveland Metropolitan School District consolidated its footprint, closing 29 schools and operating 18 fewer school buildings. The school district worked with City Hall to find new uses for the buildings, including finding developers for some of them.

Partially renovated bar and restaurant space for sale at reduced price in Warren

Located at 2006 Youngstown Road SE in Warren, Ohio, the 2,530-square-foot mixed-use commercial property presents an opportunity for an owner-user, investor, or entrepreneur seeking a versatile real estate asset, according to the Platz Realty Group website. Listed at a reduced $109,900, the two-story building features a partially renovated bar/restaurant space...

Quick progress being made on reconstruction of historic Elyria mansion

Six decades after its demolition, the Reefy Mansion is once again rising to tower over the rest of the historic homes in downtown Elyria. Crews are hard at work erecting a smaller reconstruction of the historic mansion that once stood on Third Street and served as Elyria’s public library for nearly 30 years, and the framing of the building has quickly risen to two of its eventual three stories.

More Kent State students seeking to build a future in this major

Kent State University is starting this fall with its largest incoming class of first-year, full-time architecture students in 25 years. The university's College of Architecture and Environmental Design has more than 175 students coming into the college this fall, according to Kent State officials. This influx of students means that architecture is now the fourth-largest major among the university's 5,004 incoming first-year students. The growth in first-year architecture students comes as Kent State's overall enrollment declined about 5.2% across its eight-campus system compared to last year. Total enrollment dropped from 33,319 last fall to 31,581 this year. Mark Mistur, dean of Kent State's College of Architecture and Environmental Design , said that the architecture industry was seeing growth in general, particularly in southern states. The Cleveland area has seen 5% growth for the field. However, North Carolina is seeing 22% growth, and other states such as Florida and Arizona also have high demand. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics , the job growth outlook for architects through 2035 is about 4%, or about average. The median pay in 2025 was $99,280 a year, or $47.73 an hour. Mistur said that when he started as dean with Kent State

DVA has designs on Halle Building

The old Van Auken Akins Architects, rebranded in 2024 as DVA Architecture, is moving to new digs in the Halle Building but staying in Downtown Cleveland’s Playhouse Square district (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM. Ex-Van Auken Akins Architects makes moves. A growing, rebranded architectural firm can seem a...

Richland County property transfers Sept. 14-18

These real estate transactions were recorded in Richland County between Sept. 14 and Sept. 18: 1118 Cobblefield Drive, Ontario; Jacquelyn L. and David G. Bick, co-trustees of The Bick Family Revocable Living Trust, to Dorothy J. and Billy R. Shepherd; $239,900 511 Marion Ave., Mansfield; Lynn T. Brinley and Amy T. Christman, successor co-trustees of The John and Betty Todd Family Trust, to Summit Property Ohio LLC; $115,000 Two parcels (3.4409 acres) on Ohio 96 East, Shelby; Brian J. Alt and Keith A. Alt to Carl and Nancy Metzger; $55,055 142 Sherwood Drive, Mansfield; Dr. John B. Webster and Jill Webster Kerbs, successor trustees of The Marian Webster Living Trust, to Sarah Brandyberry; $270,000 224 Markey St., Bellville; Gerald T. Dillon to Susan Merritt; $208,000 219 Euclid Ave., Mansfield; Jadelyn and Michelle Burwell to Alberto and Emily Bracho; $165,000 1232 Walcrest Drive, Ontario; Billy R. and Dorothy J. Shepherd to Seth and Breanna Crose; $279,900 3695 McNaul Road, Mansfield; John L. Hale to Heidi G. Decker; $430,000 One parcel (1.0 acre) on Rock Road, Mansfield; Carolyn L. Stamper to Daniel S. and Amy Goodlin; $16,000 665 Gilbert Ave., Mansfield; Blaine Winegarden to Scott D. Jamison; $137,500 1375 Robinhood Lane, Lexington;

Developers of 9 school sites ID’d

Collinwood High School is the largest school building that was awarded a new end-user as a result of a city-led request for proposals process. A local and a national firm won the opportunity to redevelop this large, historic school property (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM. Housing, services, retail, event...