Detroit people! Inside!

[tyler811]

Originally posted by: bdunosk
alright, let me bump this again tonight. What about the Southfield area? There seems to be a TON of housing... but why? Is it a cruddy place to live?

Southfield is nice, had a buddy that lived there for a couple years

 

[Squisher]

Like bmacd said there are good areas to Southfield and there are slums, Dearborn is the same.

Going to Wayne State your choices are many because you're right at the area where I-94, I-75, I-96, and US-10(The Lodge) all meet.

 

[bdunosk]

No doubt... I love the freeway system in Detroit. So much better than here in Cincinnati. Personally, I can't wait to get out of Ohio for the sake of the terrible drivers here. I love how Ohio-ans say "stupid Michigan driver" when the majority of idiots in this state slow down for rain or sun and speed up for snow or ice. I never heard of a "sun delay" until I got down here... sheesh.

I'm searching online real estate listings... it's early, and I don't even know how much of a mortgage loan I can get. Anyone have a realtor that they love and would recommend?

 

[adlep]

What is your buget?
If you are looking to get a small, starter home for around $95,000 to $140,000
Then go to www.realtor.com and type your range and the following cities: Ferndale, Madison Heights, Royal Oak...
Stay away from Southfield, just because of the schools. Even IF you dont have kids and don't care about schools, this is important since it might influence the value of your house in the future.
I bought a house in Ferndale about 6 months ago for around $98,000 through realtor.com. Got an FHA mortgage for first time/low income buyers, with only $800.00 closing costs.
Also, Start reading local newspapers
Hope this helps...

 

[adlep]

You want to get a house in this area
It means that your house will increase in value over time AND your commuting time should be less that 20 minutes in heavy traffic. Also, for the next few moths there will be constructions going on on I-75 and 8 mile, so your commuting time might increase through the construction period....
Edit: Once your residency is over, you want to get hired by the University of Michigan hospitals (a huge, huge medical complex) and relocate to Ann Arbor (the best place to live in Michigan)...

 

[bdunosk]

Thanks chief, I guess I should look at the other side of the school issue in terms of resale. And you're right, I should start reading more of detnews than just the Red Wings page...

Realtor.com is pretty good... I wish there were more pictures of the places! It looks like annual taxes (from what is randomly listed on realtor.com) are quite a bit higher in Ferndale versus Royal Oak (about $1000 / yr more?). Eh, whatever.

 

[adlep]

Originally posted by: bdunosk


It looks like annual taxes (from what is randomly listed on realtor.com) are quite a bit higher in Ferndale versus Royal Oak (about $1000 / yr more?). Eh, whatever.

? Eh?
I dont think it is possible...
Ferndale is getting nicer, but it is still not as nice as Royal Oak...
And...before buying anything, make sure to see the area first and do a lot of research...
For you and your situation a small house, even without a garage should be fine (2 bedrooms starter house, up to a 1000 sq feet)...

 

[bdunosk]

Originally posted by: adlep
You want to get a house in this area

EXCELLENT! Thanks, that's a huge help!

Traffic shouldn't be a problem in the morning since I'll probably have to be at "work" from 7-7:30am. Driving home might be more problematic since radiology usually has normal business hours for the end of the day (5-6pm'ish).

I'm definitely not looking for anything huge... for myself, I'd like a spare room to stick people in (parents, friends or whoever). A garage might be a sticking point for me though since I hate dealing with bringing my bike inside my current home and worrying about messing up the carpet. And it would be nice to stick my car in a garage with the snow... ahhh, who would have thought a garage would make a dream house?

 

[adlep]

An example of a good location in Ferndale with pictures too!
In case of Ferndale for example, you want to stay as close as possible to Woodward Ave (which btw can take you straight to downtown Detroit)..

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: bdunosk

Originally posted by: adlep
You want to get a house in this area

EXCELLENT! Thanks, that's a huge help!

Traffic shouldn't be a problem in the morning since I'll probably have to be at "work" from 7-7:30am. Driving home might be more problematic since radiology usually has normal business hours for the end of the day (5-6pm'ish).

I'm definitely not looking for anything huge... for myself, I'd like a spare room to stick people in (parents, friends or whoever). A garage might be a sticking point for me though since I hate dealing with bringing my bike inside my current home and worrying about messing up the carpet. And it would be nice to stick my car in a garage with the snow... ahhh, who would have thought a garage would make a dream house?

That would be a good close-in area to look at, but you could probably also work you way South of that mapped area and find more house for the money.

Although you won't find the night life like you would in Royal Oak or Ferndale.

Some parts of Melvindale, Lincoln Park, Dearborn Heights, or Wyandotte, all of Allen Park, Southgate, or Taylor.

 

[UNCjigga]

[eminem] "Detroit WHAT? Detroit WHAT? [/eminem]

 

[bdunosk]

bump for additional question

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: bdunosk
New question! What do you all know about Melvindale or Dearborn? I'm still a year away from moving, but I see a lot of well-priced condos that fit what I'm looking for. Thanks for answering!

Melvindale and Northern parts of Lincoln Park are getting a little ghetto. You could live on a good street and never experince any problems or find a pocket of thug wannabes that can make your life miserable. South end of Lincoln Park, Allen Park, and Southgate all are average middle class.

Dearborn is two cities.

East end(Ford and 94, warren and tireman, etc.) I would liken it to the above two cities(Lincoln Park and Melvindale) with older nicer houses, and a large Arabic population.

West end from Southfield & Outer Drive to Ford & Telegraph can see housing from $100K houses to $5 million(as you go through the Hills). This is where I live(Southfield and Outer Dr.). Relatively nice.