Relocating to Detroit area: need some help on where to live (Farmington Hills: mortgage, houses)

[joshrosborne]

Howdy folks. I'm done some research on the forums and found some comparable scenarios with good advice, but I figured I would give it a whirl.

In January (I know, heck of a time to be moving), me, my wife, and my daughter (16 months now) will be relocating to the Detroit area. We'll be in temporary housing for 3-4 months and, while I'm not concerned about where I'll be living during that time, I'd like to figure out some places to look to purchase a house once that period is over.

We are in our late twenties/early thirties, one kid now, and probably one more in the future. Obviously, school quality is an issue. We visited Ferndale about a month ago and really, really liked it, but apparently the schools there are a non-starter with my wife. We live in an urban-ish neighborhood in Cincinnati where you can walk to a lot of amenities, just like in Ferndale.

Is there anything reasonably comparable, neighborhood/municipality-wise, but with better schools? We were somewhat interested in Royal Oak, but don't really want to live somewhere that is going to be rowdy and loud all the time. I'm not sure if that's what Royal Oak is like, but that's the impression I got from reading the forums.

We'll probably have about $1,500 a month to spend on a mortgage payment and I'd like to keep the commute to Downtown Detroit to 40 minutes.

Any help?

[cmuguy25]

From reading what you said, you could check out a few spots on the West side of the Metro area. Area's that come to mind are:

Farmington/Farmington Hills
Plymouth
Northville
Novi

You could research and see if any of those area's meet your needs. Good luck!

[joshrosborne]

Originally Posted by cmuguy25

From reading what you said, you could check out a few spots on the West side of the Metro area. Area's that come to mind are:

Farmington/Farmington Hills
Plymouth
Northville
Novi

You could research and see if any of those area's meet your needs. Good luck!

Thank you! I actually haven't looked at any of those yet.

[DTWflyer]

If you really liked Ferndale, then you can probably find something you'd like in the Woodward corridor. This will help keep your commute to downtown reasonable.

Royal Oak
Pleasant Ridge
Huntington Woods
Berkley
Birmingham
Beverly Hills

Berkley will probably get you the best all around compromise for what you are seeking. It has decent schools, and a lot of younger families. A nice, walkable community in close proximity to Royal Oak and Ferndale. Houses are more affordable than Huntington Woods or Birmingham.

Royal Oak gets a lot of attention because of the downtown nightlife scene. Up until the past few years as Downtown Detroit and Midtown have experienced a resurgence, Royal Oak was the prime nightlife destination for the twenty-somethings / post-college scene. Downtown Royal Oak is more of the bar and restaurant scene in the evening. It can get loud on Friday and Saturday nights, but outside of downtown Royal Oak is a nice, relatively quiet bedroom community. Plenty of younger families live in Royal Oak and there are some very nice older homes in pockets. The downtown area is not really geared toward families, but the city is starting to refocus efforts in this area.

Birmingham at the north end has excellent schools, but can be kind of pretenious, and housing prices are high. You can more a better value in the other communities, but you may come across a deal, particularly in the neighborhoods between Lincoln & 14 Mile.

[DTWflyer]

Novi is primarily newer construction sprawling subdivisions. Kind of the opposite of a place like Ferndale. Good schools, many families. Farther from downtown than any of the places listed.

Plymouth & Northville are walkable communities, good schools, good housing stock. Prices close to the downtown areas are probably going to exceed your budget.

It will come down to how your prioritize what you want in a home and community.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by cmuguy25

From reading what you said, you could check out a few spots on the West side of the Metro area. Area's that come to mind are:

Farmington/Farmington Hills
Plymouth
Northville
Novi

You could research and see if any of those area's meet your needs. Good luck!

Not sure it any of these will keep thetrip to 40 minutes?

Royal OAk or the Pointes maybe?

[snoopygirlmi]

Yeah, once you get outside of downtown Royal Oak, it's really quiet/family oriented.

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

Not sure it any of these will keep thetrip to 40 minutes?

Royal OAk or the Pointes maybe?

Commute downtown from Northville and Plymouth is max 40 minutes at rush hour, 10-15 minutes less in no traffic, weekends etc.

[Retroit]

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

Not sure it any of these will keep thetrip to 40 minutes?

Royal OAk or the Pointes maybe?

Yeah, the Grosse Pointes are closest to downtown.

Oh, you were talking about Eastpointe? LOL (inside joke)