Greetings from Columbus! Why we call Central Ohio home
During the recent expansion of our rental communities throughout the Midwest and the Southeastern United States, a popular question we receive from all over the country is, “Why Columbus?”
Investors, construction companies and other real estate developers are always curious why we call the capital of the Buckeye State our home.
For the entire staff at the Schottenstein Real Estate Group, this question is easy to answer.
Columbus’ vast growth and opportunity is a big reason for why we have been able to win major awards, including being named #1 commercial real estate developer by Columbus CEO and Columbus Business First. Forbes even named Columbus one of the top opportunity cities in the United States. The city’s momentum clearly carries weight outside of our industry.
In the real estate sector, specifically for rental communities, a company couldn’t ask for a better place to call home than Columbus. Here are our top five reasons for why we do business in Columbus; it is apparent why we are fortunate to be headquartered in CBUS.
- History
Gary Schottenstein, the founder of our company, has been in real estate development in Columbus for over 40 years. Over time, we have forged so many valuable friendships and business relationships throughout this unforgettable journey.
The slogan of our company is that residents can “Live Your Dream” at a Schottenstein Real Estate Group community. Our commitment to carrying out that slogan has resulted in thousands of referrals, which has paved the way for a natural growth in our business.
People around Columbus are very familiar with the Schottenstein name. The past success of our company gives us the motivation to continue building the best communities in top locations with the finest amenities.
- Ohio State
Unlike many of our competitors, we cater towards all demographics at our rental communities. Millennials that are graduating from Ohio State and other Central Ohio universities happen to be a great fit for our apartment communities.
When someone graduates from Ohio State and lands a job in Grove City, an apartment community gives them the perfect solution, providing them with all of the amenities they desire without requiring a large down payment for a home.
Ohio State is the largest university in the United States and rentals amongst millennials are at an all-time high. These combined factors make Columbus one of the best markets in the United States.
- Momentum
Let’s face it: Columbus is hot right now and we are more than happy to ride this wave of momentum.
From Ohio State winning the national championship to CBUS hosting the NHL All-Star Game and NCAA Tournament, there is great energy in Columbus. We mentioned that Forbes named Columbus a top opportunity city, but did you know that the New York Times conducted a feature story on our city as well?
When a city generates the type of exposure that Columbus has received, it attracts top talent from all over the country to come live here. According to Regionomics (a Columbus-based analysis and consulting business), Columbus’ population has been steadily growing for over 180 years and continues to be the 15th fastest growing city in the United States.
Columbus continues to bring in top talent and business growth to the city area, and our rental communities benefit greatly from this.
- People
Our company couldn’t be where it is today without our amazing staff. We are always gratified by how great (and friendly) our associates are at Schottenstein Real Estate Group.
This can be directly attributed to the talent pool that Columbus has to offer.
We always hear complaints in markets outside of Columbus about how it can be tough to attract talent. This is certainly not the case in Columbus. We have bright, hardworking and motivated individuals at our corporate location and our communities throughout Central Ohio, which has led to continued growth.
- Location
Columbus has a growing downtown area and fantastic surrounding suburbs. When we precisely select locations for our rental communities, a top factor that we consider is the surrounding location.
We are fortunate to call Columbus home because there are so many great spots around Central Ohio where we can build communities. We have locations in Columbus, Grove City and Polaris, which are all thriving central locations.
With easy access to Interstate 670 and I-270, you can essentially drive anywhere in the city within a 15-minute timespan.
Having a wide variety of living options in Columbus to choose from has helped our company grow while our occupancy rate has continually stayed above industry average.
Columbus has momentum, top talent (especially amongst recent college graduates) and talented individuals. Add to the equation our long-standing history we have established in Central Ohio, and it is easy to understand why we proudly call Columbus our home.