how does one get ahold of those cheap houses i heard about? (Detroit: apartment, foreclosed)

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by thealfa

republic of michigan, that video is either sarcastic or for real. Are rowhouses popular in Detroit or not? I noticed in the video the houses are single homes that look like in suburbia. Is this common in Detroit?

There's very few row houses in Detroit or at least not any that resemble those in Baltimore.

The type of single family homes in that video are most common on the west side and the outer edges of the east side and are pretty typical of neighborhoods built after 1940. So probably about 50% of Detroit looks like that video.

Instead of row houses, Detroit has mostly two-family flats; one family on the first floor, a second family on the second floor, and a shared attic with split basement. These make up the other 50% of Detroit and are mostly around the neighborhoods closer to downtown.


Poletown, Detroit, Michigan | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


Hamtramck | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I'd prefer to move near Dearborn, so that would mean I'd have to be in the western part of Detroit? What could such area be (zip code wise). I'm trying to learn Arabic and the culture. I know Dearborn is supposed to be the middle eastern community of USA.

Not only Dearborn but Hamtramack is become more Middle Eastern as well. Though I'm pretty sure with slightly different ethnic groups.

Dearborn has more Armenians, Chaldeans, Iraqis, and Lebanese. Hamtramck has more Bengali, Bangladeshi, and some Asian Indians.

Also, imo, Dearborn is a lot more typical suburban while Hamtramck is mostly gritty and somewhat urban. Either way, they both have totally different vibes. Plus Hamtown is way smaller.

A lot of Dearborn and the outer neighborhoods of Detroit have this type of housing which are all pretty much single family. There's a lot of nicer houses than just these pictures, but these are the most common I'd say.


All sizes | Warrendale | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


All sizes | Warrendale, Detroit, Michigan | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Retroit]

This guy will show you around some of the cheap houses for sale in Detroit.

the shea show - YouTube

[thealfa]

Hamtram ethnic groups aren't Arabic speaking types but thanks for pointing it out. Is it near Detroit or dearborn?

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by thealfa

Hamtram ethnic groups aren't Arabic speaking types but thanks for pointing it out. Is it near Detroit or dearborn?

It is largely Yemeni these days I think, who I do believe speak Arabic.

One thing is for sure there are certainly not many Poles left.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by thealfa

Hamtram ethnic groups aren't Arabic speaking types but thanks for pointing it out. Is it near Detroit or dearborn?

It's within Detroit. Sort of like a neighborhood of Detroit but is actually its own city.

[AdemH]

Bunch of Yemenis there. They don't really speak "Arabic" though...they have their own dialect. It'll be different than the dialect spoken in Dearborn amongst the Lebanese crowd.

[thealfa]

will there be conflict with the 2-family flats? How does insurance go on about this? It's really just one house. Kinda awkward if you don't own the top and bottom part of the house and have a weird neighbor living up or down stairs. How would this be sold as; one or two houses?

[animatedmartian]

It's sold as one house with the owner renting out the second half of the house. If it's not owner-occupied, then it's treated like a duplex. I'm not sure how insurance would differ from other properties. I'm assuming it'd be higher than a rowhouse or single family home because of the increased size and potential tenants.

The 2-flat I grew up in on Detroit's west side was 4,000 square feet. There was 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a kitchen, a family room, and a living room on each floor with separate entrances on the porch. I'm pretty sure not every 2-flat is like this though. There's some in my neighborhood that were converted from single-family homes so the layout might be a little different. There's a lot of properties that have two address with a single entrance.

[d from birmingham]

Originally Posted by thealfa

will there be conflict with the 2-family flats? How does insurance go on about this? It's really just one house. Kinda awkward if you don't own the top and bottom part of the house and have a weird neighbor living up or down stairs. How would this be sold as; one or two houses?

Depends on if one unit is owned or not by someone. The real issue is you maybe got squatters or past tenants there. Some may be doing a decent job of trying to keep up the place and you may feel bad about kicking them out unless you give them some money and help them move somewhere else like a halfway house.

[AdemH]

It you're buying a multi-family home make sure there are 2 water tanks, furnaces and electric meters. There are old multi-family homes that were considered income-duplexes before with just 1 of each. The owner lived in one and the in the other but the owner paid all the utlilities and just charged something extra within the rent.