Troy/Auburn Hills/Rochester/Sterling Hills/Rochester Hills - how to compare/relocate/rent (Detroit: 2014, apartment complexes)

[vimalkalyan]

Looking for advise as we relocate to Oakland county from overseas. My office is in Troy & my wife is expected to get an offer from a firm in Auburn Hills. we have a 2 year daughter. What is the best place to rent?
We will have to take a decision very soon after we land in early January (i know )

Not so particular on cost but safety, access to good day-care and good quality of life is important

Thanks in advance for your help

[animatedmartian]

If you're not worried about cost, then that general area is pretty good. Traffic might be a bit on the congested side on the main streets around rush hour, but other than that it's very safe and the schools are some of the best in the state. Homes in Sterling Heights would probably be a bit cheaper than those in Troy or Rochester, but the quality of life is still pretty much the same.

[rdub1968]

Troy (especially the northern part) is very safe. I lived there for 10 years and loved it. Not much to do there, but you can go to Rochester, Royal Oak, Birmingham, etc if you want a downtown.

We accidentally left our garage door open one night, and the police put a note on our door advising us to be more careful. I didn't even know they patrolled the sub.

The whole area is depressed, so there are good deals on houses everywhere. We are in the process of selling our house for 90k less than what we spent on it 7 years ago.

[DaniellaG]

I would live in Birmingham. It is safe,family oriented with parks/shopping/library. If you end up like it Birmingham schools are excellent. You could probably find a rental in walking distance to Birmingham which has what I listed.

[vimalkalyan]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

If you're not worried about cost, then that general area is pretty good. Traffic might be a bit on the congested side on the main streets around rush hour, but other than that it's very safe and the schools are some of the best in the state. Homes in Sterling Heights would probably be a bit cheaper than those in Troy or Rochester, but the quality of life is still pretty much the same.

For the first year, i like to rent followed by a decision to buy a house. Any major points to remember while renting. Never rented in US before and hence dont know if there are things to watch out for.

Thanks again for your inputs

[vimalkalyan]

Originally Posted by rdub1968

Troy (especially the northern part) is very safe. I lived there for 10 years and loved it. Not much to do there, but you can go to Rochester, Royal Oak, Birmingham, etc if you want a downtown.

We accidentally left our garage door open one night, and the police put a note on our door advising us to be more careful. I didn't even know they patrolled the sub.

The whole area is depressed, so there are good deals on houses everywhere. We are in the process of selling our house for 90k less than what we spent on it 7 years ago.

Thank you. Decision to buy a house is a year away, renting it is for now. I was told that i need to build a credit history before i can get good mortgage rates

[vimalkalyan]

Originally Posted by DaniellaG

I would live in Birmingham. It is safe,family oriented with parks/shopping/library. If you end up like it Birmingham schools are excellent. You could probably find a rental in walking distance to Birmingham which has what I listed.

Thanks for your input. I hadnt considered birmingham earlier. Will add it to the search now.

[rdub1968]

Originally Posted by vimalkalyan

Thanks for your input. I hadnt considered birmingham earlier. Will add it to the search now.

Birmingham is a very nice town, but rather crowded with traffic. If you like classic cars the Dream Cruise is in August. I lived there before moving to Troy. Woodward Avenue goes right through it, if you look on the east side of Woodward the housing is much cheaper and generally smaller lots. But still a very desirable place to live if you can put up with traffic.

Since many people have foreclosed and can't buy a house, they are forced to rent - so the rental market is busier. You won't find the screaming deals as a renter, but for a year or so that shouldn't be a problem.

Whatever you do have someone knowledgeable look over your lease since you aren't sure how the whole process works. Usually you need to put 1.5 months down as a security deposit, and I have heard horror stories on some people not getting it back. Some charge a non-refundable cleaning fee no matter how clean it is when you leave. Do your diligence and you will be OK.

[DaniellaG]

Originally Posted by vimalkalyan

For the first year, i like to rent followed by a decision to buy a house. Any major points to remember while renting. Never rented in US before and hence dont know if there are things to watch out for.

Thanks again for your inputs

I think it is a good idea to rent anyhow when you first move to a new state. This is especially true I feel being not from the US. This gives you time to explore. Do you want to rent an apartment or home? If renting a home just make sure the realtor if you work with one makes sure the home is not in foreclosure. Otherwise in terms of renting I look for noise factors such as trains,saftey, being close to where one works, in MI a car port or garage,central air. If you rent a home you will probably be responsible for lawn,snow,not sure of repair issues so you may want to ask. In the US anyhow realtors or apartment complexes can't say if it is safe or not so I encourage you to research and drive around the area. Most of the cities you stated though are overall safe but just in case.
If your budget allows I would really look into Birmingham.

[snoopygirlmi]

I'd avoid B'ham just because every dollar counts if you want to purchase in the future. Purchasing a house is a lot harder than it was before 2008 and lenders expect more money down than they did in the recent past.

However, I must admit that I am biased because I love living in Rochester Hills and can't imagine living anywhere else in Metro Detroit.

Also, if you are renting, you need to clear about what your landlord will or will not do for you (in regard to maintaining the property). Some will do minor maintenance, but others are strictly absentee and expect you to do everything.

Any of the cities you choose would give you good schools and a good quality of life. It really depends on what exactly you are looking for. Do you want more urban or more rural? Do you want a long or short commute? What do you expect the town to be like? (i.e. Troy is more of a business town that seems to not have much going on in the evenings and B'ham has a downtown area with shops/ a movie theater and is packed every Fri/Sat night).

Anyway....hope that our suggestions help.