Looking for help researching places to move,

[torn asunder]

i'm currently looking for places i might like to move, around but not in, detroit. general areas i've been looking at are pretty widespread, but are approximately as follows...

roseville, eastpointe, hazel park, ferndale, oak park, southfield, redford, dearborn (& heights)...

the reason i'm centering my thoughts here are because i'm finding a lot of foreclosed homes in these areas that could be picked up dirt cheap. (of course, i'm open to hearing about any other areas you think might be worth investigating, too!) anyone have any knowledge of these areas, or maybe live/lived in them, who might be able to shed some light on things like crime rates, property taxes/utility costs (water/sewer/etc)?

[Slogo]

Ferndale is awesome. Berkley's pretty good with the fc homes as well. Or you can go Madison Heights in our neck o the woods.

[TheGimp]

nooooooooo come be a river rat downriver Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Taylor, Southgate, Westland, Wayne,

[torn asunder]

roseville, eastpointe, hazel park, ferndale, oak park, southfield, redford, dearborn (& heights)...

...things like crime rates, property taxes/utility costs (water/sewer/etc)?

Edited April 5, 2010 by torn asunder

[IsleofRhodesEnt]

Roseville is probally your best all around bet. Eastpointe shares a little more crime then Roseville, and while i got friends in Hazel Park, even I have to admit it's shadey, though cheap.

only problem with Roseville is that most businesses here are starting to close shop. I mean hell, they took the Little Caesers out of the damn mall....IT'S $5 PIZZA!!! ALL THE FINACIALLY BROKE KIDS WENT THERE!!!

on the other hand, I am picking up a two bedroom apartment for like $700 a month, and some 3 bedroom houses have been seen on Criagslist for as low as 900 a month. You best bet is to just drive around some of the suburbs of Roseville for a bit and look at houses on the market.

[torn asunder]

adding inkster & westland as well, now...

[Msterbeau]

All the cool kids are around the I75/696 area. Royal Oak, Clawson, Ferndale, Berkley, Southfield, Oak Park or Madison Heights. Everywhere else is crime-ridden ghetto or havens for tasteless rednecks.

[Nightgaunt]

We just bought a house in Hazel Park and are moving out of our rental house in Ferndale. It's 2 bed/1 bath, small, but would be great for a single person. $650/month and the landlord is great...leaves you completely alone, but has always promptly taken care of any problems we had.

[Lillylu29]

adding inkster & westland as well, now...

After living in this area for the last 6 years DONT do it man. I lived in westland but right on the borders of inkster(mini Ghetto) and wayne/romulus It has Declined so much. I just moved to Madison Heights and I am LOVEING it. Seriously dude I wouldent say it if it wernt true that whole area of westland/inkster/wayne/romulus just bites ass.... now if your still intrested in westland I would sugest looking in the area more twords Livonia/Canton.

[torn asunder]

After living in this area for the last 6 years DONT do it man. I lived in westland but right on the borders of inkster(mini Ghetto) and wayne/romulus It has Declined so much. I just moved to Madison Heights and I am LOVEING it. Seriously dude I wouldent say it if it wernt true that whole area of westland/inkster/wayne/romulus just bites ass.... now if your still intrested in westland I would sugest looking in the area more twords Livonia/Canton.

great! thanks for the input! i'll leave those out...

[Raev]

Inkster and Westland are bad. Eastpoint, Oak Park and Redford are also kinda bleh. Ghetto-y.

[Rev.Reverence]

Move OUT of the state...that's where they say the $ is at...

[torn asunder]

Move OUT of the state...that's where they say the $ is at...

the only place in the entire *country* where i know more than one person/couple is over there. i spend enough time alone in k'zoo, i'm not interested (right now) in moving someplace i don't know people.

point taken, though, i guess it's still something to consider...

[KatRN05]

Definately stay away from Inkster. I live in Southgate and have a two bedroom apartment that I pay 645/month for. It's not a bad area. Ferndale and Royal Oak are great areas, the apartments are expensive though. When I lived in RO, I paid 674/month for a one bedroom apartment.

[IsleofRhodesEnt]

the only place in the entire *country* where i know more than one person/couple is over there. i spend enough time alone in k'zoo, i'm not interested (right now) in moving someplace i don't know people.

point taken, though, i guess it's still something to consider...

While I understand your concern about not knowing anyone, when it comes to out of state, I would suggest Knoxville, TN. Not only is it gorgeous, sprawling, cheapish in terms of rent (2-3 years ago, it was $800-$1000 a month for a 4 bedroom apartment in downtown), but it is a College town with alot of rich alumni, so it has a good growth rate in terms of employment. Plus...there is little that compares to an "on the river" tailgate party where Houseboats are packed end to end down a couple miles of shore, and three deep...and some 10,000+ people giving a "rebel yell" together after the Vol's win a game!!

It has a good music scene, lots of free events downtown in the summer, great public transportation...ok...i'll stop gushing.

[freydis]

Denver has a better unemployment rate than the entire state of michigan right now.

Its beautiful, lots to do, and great people.

[IsleofRhodesEnt]

Denver has a better unemployment rate than the entire state of michigan right now.

Its beautiful, lots to do, and great people.

you mean that they have a LOWER unemployment rate, right?

because that can be read as a "higher" rate, which is bad...

[TygerLili]

Is location important to you? East side vs. west side. Being closer to or farther from Detroit proper? Being in a more urban vs. suburban area?

I have lived in Southfield, Ferndale, Novi, Pontiac, and Royal Oak (though Royal Oak and Pontiac were short lived stays with my friends) and of the places that I've lived in, overall I prefer where I am now (Novi/Wixom area.)

You can get a cheap house in Pontiac, but the crime rate is super high, and my friends who I was staying with told me their taxes are really high, and Pontiac is the worst when it comes to things like snow removal and road repair. There is a lot of stuff to do in Pontiac and the surrounding areas.

I liked Ferndale because it was close to the major highways, because it was pretty central to the Metro-Detroit area, because it had places to walk, and because most of the people who live there are younger and more liberal than they are in a lot of places. What I didn't like about Ferndale was its proximity to 8 mile. There were many times when police would end up blocking off my street because they ended up chasing criminals pretty much right into my back yard, and I didn't really feel safe being out alone at night, though I felt fine if I was with a friend or my significant other. Also, the more affordable houses in Ferndale are tiny, with hardly any yard. We looked at several houses in Ferndale years ago when we were considering buying a house, and most of them had tiny bedrooms, living rooms, and bathrooms. My one bedroom apartment is more spacious than the two bedroom house I ended up renting in Ferndale. Also, it seemed like at least once a month, the downtown area would be blocked off for some type of festival or exhibit or street fair, making getting around difficult.

Royal Oak is a nice area, but all the affordable apartments I've looked at there seemed kind of ghetto/dirty, and the houses seemed overpriced. Can't say much else, because I stayed there a very short period of time. I did like that closer to downtown Royal Oak, a lot of places stay open late.

I hated living in Southfield, both place there that I lived in. The only thing I liked about living in Southfield was that it's relatively close to everything. Most of the stores and restaurants I've been to in Southfield seemed dirty and not well kept up. There was no where to walk/nothing naturish near where we were, which is important to me. I was constantly harassed when we were living there, both for being goth/alternative and for being a relatively attractive female, and Charlie was harassed about his appearance as well. I didn't feel safe walking alone, even in the daylight. Everything closes early (like 9 pm) in an effort to keep the crime rate down. It is a little cheaper than Royal Oak/Fernadale/Oak Park, but it wasn't worth it to me, and I would never live there again.

For the most part, I really like Novi. The part of Novi we are in is, I think, very affordable. It's much quieter here than anywhere else I have lived the Metro-Detroit area. It is clean, and we are close to lots of parks and nature areas. It's pretty safe, and the idea of going somewhere at night without Charlie doesn't bother me at all. It's not very urban, but there's enough stuff to do around here to keep us entertained. The only thing I don't like is that it is a long drive to get to the east side, or Detroit proper, on the rare occasions that we visit those places.

[the eternal]

Ferndale is awesome.

Berkley's pretty good with the fc homes as well.

Or you can go Madison Heights in our neck of the woods.

All the cool kids are around the I75/696 area. Royal Oak, Clawson, Ferndale, Berkley, Southfield, Oak Park or Madison Heights. Everywhere else is crime-ridden ghetto or havens for tasteless rednecks.

I kept these quotes in because they were short and made good points---two things I'm not often known for.

BUT First things first---

I have no idea why no one's addressing the property tax/utility issue for you.

I haven't heard that much about utility rate variance, but keep in mind ---older home = higher utility bills

so the price of utilities may vary more depending on which house you buy, regardless of locale

PLUS you may have to pay for upgrading from fuses to breakers which can cost $10k+

I know shit about property taxes

That said the crime thing is pretty easy.

CRIME

Oakland County is the richest/safest county in MI and Wayne County is the poorest with the highest crime.

You do the math.

WITHIN Oakland County

You probably would not want to live too high north anyway but Pontiac is a sinkhole.

The Silverdome sale was quite possibly the worst property deal since the Indians sold Manhattan for $24

It sold for 98% off the original purchase price!!!!!

That's a pretty good example for the state of affairs up there.

The only thing going for it was Arts, Beats, and Eats festival.

Which moved to ...Royal Oak.

Royal Oak is also home to half the good restaurants.

And the best art house movie theatre

And the new Sonic.

And the still in development combination bar/bowling alley/multiplex

And MOST IMPORTANTLY, the state of Michigan's largest penis.

(People drive from miles around to see it--Look how busy that road is)

So if you find anything in Royal Oak or its little kid brother, Clawson, check it out.

Same thing goes for Berkley.

If Royal Oak is the rich uptown art student, Berkley is his one uncle that everyone loves,

that has his door open for people to just drop in and hang out.

One thing in common with all of these places---they are ALL north of I-696.

If you're concerned with safety, staying north of I-696 is a good bet.

(Madison Heights is north of the highway too)

SUBURBS THAT STRADDLE I-696----

Southfield, Lathrup Village and that little part of Oak Park north of I-696 is fine.

Southfield is the most disparate.

North-of-696 Southfield, which borders Franklin, Beverly Hills, Royal Oak, and Berkley, is very suburban.

South of I-696 is kinda ghetto, esp. down by Northland Mall.

(The one upside---You'll be right by stripper row, where there's more places for you to

have "pie" thrust in your face

than to have pie served with coffee and a napkin.

Oak Park is pretty bad too.

Kind of an extension of Detroit.

The one exception of the stay north of I-696 rule---Ferndale.

If Hazeltucky is the Appalachian, one toothed cousin of Detroit, Ferndale is its Fabulicious transplant from San Francisco.

It's hip, it's fun, it's "urbane not urban" and it's got better shoes than you.

But, as Tygerlili said, depending on where you live, it can be a little too close to Detroit for comfort.

COMFORT

The other thing about Ferndale is that it feels like an inner suburb.

You KNOW there are things going on nearby. There's a city right next door.

That can be really cool,

It can make you feel more alive and part of a metro area

Or as in her case it can be a drag.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the northern part of Southfield, Royal Oak, Clawson, Lathrup Village, Berkley, and to a lesser extent Mad Heights feel suburban. Which can get a bit tedious and boring

That said, ALL are close to I-75 AND I-696 which means quick easy access to wherever you work, and of course City Club.

WESTERN SUBURBS

Even if places like Canton, Northville, and the best of the bunch Novi, aren't that far away, they sure feel it.

They feel like exurbs, like they wanted to be in Oakland County but can't stand Detroit.

I can see why Tyger likes it so much (and how cool is it to have the best Metropark in the stat right in your backyard!)

but for me, it would just feel wayyy too detached from the city. I love having the zoo, and the festivals, and City Club within reach, and the only thing within reach in Novi-besides Kensington Metropark-

is Livingston County which is like a 600-square mile Redneck rodeo (AND HOME TO MANFAST!)

NORTH SUBURBS

Just north of Royal Oak is Troy

Just north of Warren (which is like Hazeltucky without the Hank Williams records) is Sterling Heights.

Both are nice places.

Troy is really nice and really safe but may be too expensive.

If you haven't considered it, check out Sterling Heights. It's nice and, since it's in Macomb County,

much more reasonably priced.

For an even better deal, consider the north end of Warren 13/14 mile that borders Royal Oak, Troy, and Sterling Heights.

Never be totally afraid of the name of the city.

ALWAYS look at what's near it.

There's often the chance for a good deal when you have a safe area bordering a really nice town but located in a

less desirable zip code (the nicer west end of Hazel Park bordering Ferndale, north end of Southfield bordering Beverly Hills, etc)

I hope this helps.

I painted with a VERY broad brush. And I'm sure, I've been a little unfair to some of the suburbs in the process.

If I was looking right now, I'd be lucky to qualify for a crackhouse in Highland Park.

But I have high standards for you, and I hope you get a great place!

If all these searches fail you, may I suggest a lovely piece of real estate on the Lake, in good view of your dinghy

at the Gross Pointe Yacht Club. Bolton-Johnston Assoc. of G.P. has just REDUCED the price to a paltry $4 million

I think you and Buffy would look smashing here----

[freydis]

you mean that they have a LOWER unemployment rate, right?

because that can be read as a "higher" rate, which is bad...

Better, as in lower, yes.

I do not consider higher better when it comes to that.

[prick]

Warren is a big ass city and the closer you are to detroit the cheaper it is but also more ghetto like. The farther north you go towards Sterling Heights it gets real nice but much more expensive. So go with your budget and see how well you can do there. Im in the north part and the houses are newer and you can hear a pin drop any night. There are houses all over the city for sale, rent or auction.

[Msterbeau]

Just get your ass over here for a weekend of looking around and we'll take you on a tour.

[Tyger]

Just move to Canada. You love it everywhere, and igloos are free.

[creatureofthenyte]

Well just about anywhere in the country(I could be wrong) has a lower unemployment rate then michigan.

New England is a nice area; particularly in autumn. I dunno what industry you work in, so I dunno about potential job availability.

I've only spoken with you like 3 times, so I don't think that qualifies as knowing me lol..

[kat (1)]

Well just about anywhere in the country(I could be wrong) has a lower unemployment rate then michigan.

New England is a nice area; particularly in autumn. I dunno what industry you work in, so I dunno about potential job availability.

I've only spoken with you like 3 times, so I don't think that qualifies as knowing me lol..

Can I come?