Canton: Yes or No? (Detroit, Ann Arbor: real estate, rent, how much)

[bc008]

Well, once we sell our cape cod up in West Branch we are hoping to move somewhere in Plymouth as our family lives either there or Westland/Garden City. I originally thought that as long as you are in the Plymouth/Canton school district you are fine, but it seems some people just really dont like Canton.. Is there a reason the homes are so much cheaper than in Plymouth?

[ladolcevitabella]

In general I prefer Oakland County to Wayne or Macomb.

Canton is a developing area. It's grown over the past 10 years and its proximity to Novi and Brighton is nice.. Canton schools are fine. I wouldn't suggest Garden City or Westland. Some areas of Plymouth are nice, as are certain parts of Canton. I would do your research and use all of your resources. Realtor.com specs can give you a broad look. If you are able to head further North I would check out Northville or Farmington. Both are wonderful cities and would still be close to your relatives.

[Coldjensens]

Plymouth has a charming older downtown. It has a small town atmosphere and they have regular community events in the center of town. Plymouth has a housing stock that includes dozens of beautiful vitcorian era homes within walking distance of town. Plymouth is ideally located being a few minutes from Ann Arbor, clost to the airport (DTW) and not an insane commute from Detroit (about an hour). Plymouth has a lot of pocket parks. I am not sure about Canton. Plymouth is in general more of an upscale area. Even the newer subdivision homes in Plymouth are likely to be somewhat nicer than typical homes in Canton. However Canton has some upscale subdivision too. Plymouth is more of a community, Canton is more just a place to live.

Canton is mostly newer subdivisions with cheaply built cookie cutter homes that all look alike, or at least similar. Canton does not have a downtown. Canton is loaded with big box stored (Ikea for example) and strip malls. Traffic is really nasty in some areas of Canton.

Both cities are nice places to live. Both have good schools (as long as you are in the Plymouth/Canton school district). Plymouth offers a nicer atmosphere and some features that many people find desireable.

If you are just going to live in a cookie cutter subdivision (Plymouth has them too) outside of town in strip mall land, then I see no strong reasons to pay the premium for a Plymouth address. Look at subs in both places, and choose the home or subdivision that you like better. The big advantage of Plymouth asa I see it is living in walking or biking distance of downtown and the avialable nicer housing stock. You can always live in Canton and drive to Plymouth to enjoy their downtown.
Obviously you will visit both places before you settle somewhere. Visit both places, make sure you go to downtown Plymouth, and visit the schools in the areas thaat you find interesting homes.

IN one visit you will know whether Plymouth's downtown is what you are looking for, or whether Canton's more typical subdivision lifestyle is for you. If you like the subdivision/strip mall lifestyle better, you can still look in both places, just look for price and your personal preferences.

Northville is also very nice. It is simlar to Plymouth, but it is more modernized and less quaint. Somewhat fewer community events. Schools are about equal in my estimation. Northville may have a small edge over Plymouth Canton on schools. Northville is in a more trafficky area. I think that Northville is slightly more expensive. Northville has a really nice state park ouside of town (Maybury) that used to be a T.B. Sanitarium (long gone).

[zakian]

Originally Posted by bc008

Well, once we sell our cape cod up in West Branch we are hoping to move somewhere in Plymouth as our family lives either there or Westland/Garden City. I originally thought that as long as you are in the Plymouth/Canton school district you are fine, but it seems some people just really dont like Canton.. Is there a reason the homes are so much cheaper than in Plymouth?

Think about what Canton has to offer...............Plymouth schools.
I sold R E there in the 70's, my ex grew up there, we lived there against my wishes. Plymouth has a sense of community at least. The homes are over priced in my opinion. I'd go to Northville if you insist on that area.

[bc008]

thanks for all your help. I went with my cousin to the Fall Festival (I think thats what its called) And loved "DTP". We know to stay out of Westland/Garden City and try to stay north of Cherry Hill. We are also looking closely at Birmingham and Northville. Now all we have to do is sell our house :/

[bc008]

Okay, My family is getting a bit overwhelmed.. After a weekend down we still arent sure.. We like the Pittsfield area, simply because the Ann Arbor area has a lot more going for it than Detroit (it seems) We also are amazed to see how much prices have gone down in Bloomfield Hills/West Bloomfield..

The top end of our budget is $150,000 to 175,000 (although we would love to find something cheaper!) Fixers are fine but we would like to be in a good neighborhood. Our main site is hometownone.com are we missing anything? We seem to have looked at all the homes in metro detroit 3 times over What "burbs" would you invest in with our budget?

Also, I know this might not be the location for this, but how much do you think we can rent our house for? We would like to start next school year in the new district, so renting might be our only option.

Online: Real Estate: Search Results

[Coldjensens]

If you wnat to be around ANn Arbor look at Plymouth, Chelsea!! Dexter, Tecumseh (kind of out there a ways), Saline, Lyon Township, Salem, Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor Township. All great schools and Wonderful towns.

[bc008]

How are the High Schools in Ann Arbor? I would only have two years of high school left but I would like them to be halfway decent. How do they compare to Plymouth Canton for example?

[Coldjensens]

Ann Arbor high schools are outstanding. Pioneer was rough when I was a kid, but it is considered a great school now. They have some of the top schools in the state. I do not remember how many, three or four total, at least two of them are in the top 25% (maybe top 10%

[Pearl14256]

If you're shooting for Plymouth area, try to get in Plymouth Twp. The taxes are lower but with the exact same benefits as being in a cute area with good schools/downtown.