where to buy in detroit? (Livonia, Dearborn: best towns, foreclosure, renting)

[cardwellave]

Plymouth or Northville would be good options. Royal Oak wouldn't be too far either. It's pretty young there and I don't think you'd have problems finding new moms.

Don't be afraid, aside from two or three, all the suburbs are pretty dang safe. Some are definitely nicer than others, but don't worry for a second.

[CraveCase]

If you are looking for something outside of the city, St. Clair Shores is a good area - although now a days I would stick to the northern side of the city, school systems seem to be staying better. Eastpointe and Roseville would have your 'less expensive' houses and taxes. Eastpointe tends to have a bad rap from its previous name of "East Detroit" but the school system has great administration and can be argued that they surpass the St. Clair Shores school districts, which use to be some of the best in the area. Then you always have Grosse Pointe - just outside of Detroit, but there your taxes are high and the housing is usually completely overpriced. Fraser is a nice area with some newer construction and larger homes, probably more around the size that you are looking for. Some areas that use to be fairly expensive you might be able to get an excellent deal on a house. There are a ton of vacant houses and foreclosures in the area right now. But coming from a small town, I have to warn you that any area you come to near Detroit is probably going to be a bit of a culture shock; my relatives from northern Michigan complain that there is "too much cement", buildings, sky scrapers and activity all of the time. If you wanted a more rural area your husband would have a heck of a drive into work. Most of the more secluded areas would probably be a good hour drive. I work for one of the cities in suburban Detroit (we will leave it nameless)... but I have a bit of insight from other angles, if you have more questions let me know!

[Nearborn]

As someone mentioned in another thread, the western suburbs like Canton, Livonia, Plymouth, etc., would give you convenient access to Ann Arbor with the University of Michigan and all the music and cultural stuff too. Living in an area with easy access to Detroit AND Ann Arbor could be a plus you might want to think about.

[ocean2026]

What about the area closer to the river from Indian Village? There's some high rises there and there seems to be a small neighborhood called Marina District? What about that ?

[Coldjensens]

There are some good public schools in Detroit. However if you do nto get tino the good schools (they are selective charter schools) then private school is the only reasonable option. The schools are the primary reason the people are nto moving into those neighborhoods that are still nice. I donto understand why single, newly married and gay couples are not flocking to some areas of downtown. The houseing stock in some areas is amazing.

[srussell252]

West Dearborn is a great area, however the houses are older. There are parks everywhere in this area though which is something I liked about living there. There is also a new community center with alot to offer. If you are looking for newer construction, the Canton/Plymouth area has alot of that. Gross Pointe communities are great areas with alot of neighborhood activities, however again the homes are older. Property taxes in both Dearborn & Grosse Point are high.

The downriver communities are also other great options. May be a bit more than 15 min commute, but Wyandotte, Riverview, Trenton and Brownstown have affordable homes.

I am not too familiar with the "east side" communities, so I can't comment on those.

It really depends what exactly you are looking for and how much you want to spend. There are a lot of good bargains out there but it often takes a long time to close on a short sale or foreclosed home, so keep that in mind when you start looking.

[ocean2026]

If the poster Rid is correct about the taxes and in the thread "Sorry Detroit Tax office" where a house with a market value of $400k ( yes a nice house) in Detroit - Detroit School District) would have annual taxes between $13+k (primary residence) and $20k if not, one can stick a fork in Detroit and kiss it goodbye! I wanted to invest, but if this is true - its a deal breaker. A house with $400k value in Texas would be taxes about about $4000 and Texans are angry that taxes are so high! (Even though we don't have personal income tax).

I'm not some reactionary- I voted for Obama but high real estate taxes can stifle an area- anyone who doesn't believe that really doesn't understand economics.

[eternus]

I was also thinking of buying in the Detroit area because some of the architecture is amazing but... This post might have scared me off. I have an 18 month old and eventually he will have to go to school.

I'm from Canada so we only hear bad things about Detroit (the news only shows the bad, never the good). I was thinking the media was making it worst than it seems but now I'm not so sure. I have commutted from Windsor to Detroit for over 9 years so I've seem some of the areas. It's awful the way things are. So many poor homeless people walking around and then beautiful buildings (architecture wise) just falling apart with boarded up windows. Look near Michigan avenue around the bridge area (i-75/Rosa Parks). It's so sad...

Detroit #1's comment did it for me "Don't bother and stand out to anyone and they won't bother you." - How the heck do we "not stand out"? Basically it sounds like if we look at someone funny we might get in trouble. What do you suggest? Should I should just duck when I walk and look down(?) Forget it! That was not a good point to show it's a safe city.

The whole tax situation and scandal about the mayor and his gang of bodyguards and corruption also got to me. The voting trends give me doubts that the next mayor voted in will be any better and thus the city will unfortunately continue to fall apart.

One note, having done extensive renos: I'd worry about any house built 1960's and prior about asbestos and lead paint used through the years. I think I'll rent in Troy for starters and go from there... I'll probably end up buying a cookie-cut house in the suburbs or move out of Michigan shortly after renting (will depend on job situation which is not looking good).

[Slappy san]

You shouldn't have much trouble finding a super cheap home with the state of real estate being so bad in Wayne County. Your taxes and insurance will be high though.

You might consider private schooling unless you can get your kids into certain schools. DPS is a mess.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by ocean2026

If the poster Rid is correct about the taxes and in the thread "Sorry Detroit Tax office" where a house with a market value of $400k ( yes a nice house) in Detroit - Detroit School District) would have annual taxes between $13+k (primary residence) and $20k if not, one can stick a fork in Detroit and kiss it goodbye! I wanted to invest, but if this is true - its a deal breaker. A house with $400k value in Texas would be taxes about about $4000 and Texans are angry that taxes are so high! (Even though we don't have personal income tax).

I'm not some reactionary- I voted for Obama but high real estate taxes can stifle an area- anyone who doesn't believe that really doesn't understand economics.

Real estate taxes will probably be going up. With sales, business, and income down, that is the only thing left that they can tax to keep up their spending habits in Lansing. You cna only generate so much money by issuing bogus speeding tickets (and that does nto fund Lansing anyway, just local stuff that Lansing no longer funds).