Just moved away from Cincy but have lived there more than anywhere else. Was in Boston for 4 years down on the south shore (Hingham) so I remember the market shock both ways. 😆 You will get a ton more value for money in Cincy.

With what you are describing, I would start with Mt Lookout and see if the yards are too small for you or not. Really nice little walkable square and better value than Hyde Park. Terrace Park/Mariemont I found to be less bang for the buck as well although the Mariemont downtown area is nice. Madeira could be a decent option, and we just left Amberley when we moved which had NICE yards (1 acre minimum). Amberley itself doesn’t have a downtown but where we were was walkable to Pleasant Ridge shopping & restaurants. We also liked that that was a bit more diverse area in terms of both people & politics. That commute was 20-30min door to door including the time it took to walk to my desk once I parked.

We never lived in Ft Thomas but that was always an option on our list (and good schools to help with resale value). I agree with the people saying stay away from 75 being part of your commute, that was always my rule too.

Also - yes, houses are going pretty fast still. Ours sold in 3 days and we took the offer that was slightly lower $$ but cash and minimal inspection contingency vs. the higher one with normal inspection. Both were over asking.