grosse pointe questions

[Dexterguy]

Originally Posted by tekgirl

Thanks for the tip Scolls, but we are (mostly) set on the Pointes. Can anyone tell me how low (generally) under asking prices houses are selling for these days in GP?

You cannot get a better deal in any of the Pointes than right now. It's really almost shocking how low some of the listed prices are compared to what they once where.

If you want a REALLY good deal, look in Grosse Pointe Park, west of Jefferson Ave, because of these houses geographical position (proximity to Detroit) they are selling very cheaply.

The real estate prices in Grosse Pointe Shores and Grosse Pointe Farms have fallen in recent months, but no where near the level that they have in GPP or GPC (Grosse Pointe City), east of GPP.

BTW, Grosse Pointe Park and Grosse Pointe are in the GP South school district, supposedly rated higher than the GP North schools, that cover GPW, GPS, and GPF.

[Twehttam]

Originally Posted by Dexterguy

BTW, Grosse Pointe Park and Grosse Pointe are in the GP South school district, supposedly rated higher than the GP North schools, that cover GPW, GPS, and GPF.

Aside from a very small section of Grosse Pointe Farms, it is within the Grosse Pointe South district.

tek, my wife and I have lived in GPF for about a year and a half now, and overall, we enjoy it. Good luck!

[GreyDay]

Originally Posted by Remisc

i knew a bunch of people that lived on grosse pointe borders. My friend lives on the St Clair Shores - Grosse Pointe Shores border. You're paying for a SCS house, but everyone thinks you're in Grosse Pointe. Same with you?

Sort of like rocking a C.Z. and no one knows it's not real and are impressed...except in this case you get the more valuable school district out of it.

[us66]

Originally Posted by ganongrey

Sort of like rocking a C.Z. and no one knows it's not real and are impressed...except in this case you get the more valuable school district out of it.

The Grosse Pointe School District does not go into St. Clair Shores. The funny thing is, the northern edge of Grosse Pointe Shores has South Lake Schools. There is a teeny bit of SCS that has 313 telephone numbers.

[MidMichguy]

The various pointes all have different characters. Houses tend to be priced really unevenly right now. Most of the bank owned and foreclosed homes are priced at or below market value right now and there is frequently still some negotiating room on them. The privately listed homes are a mixed bag as far as price goes- some of the homeowners have come to terms with the rapid depreciation of their property and have priced accordingly, while others have only adjusted part of the way.

If you're looking for best possible investment value I'd recommend the Shores- it's more expensive, but it's also perceived as being the most exclusive/swanky and is likely to recover value faster. If you're looking for best possible price/house ratio I'd look in the Park or Woods, and maybe the City.

Something worth keeping in mind is that there are a lot of rental houses in the Pointes right now, and you may want to think about renting for a year or so while you get a good feel for the area and make sure that you like it enough to buy here.

[mybandD12]

From someone living in Grosse Pointe Woods, I have a thing or two to say about some things posted here.

First, people who say "live in Harper Woods, go to Grosse Pointe Schools, and pay half the price in taxes!" and "GP North is generally not as good as GP South" are creating that problem in GP North.

As someone who graduated from GP North recently, I can say that people who think it's a great deal to live in HW but go to GP schools are telling the truth. However, the reason GP North is declining academically is BECAUSE of the HW residents coming into our schools. I'm not saying everyone coming from HW is bad, but generally the kids that come from HW have parents who don't value education as much, resulting in kids who are lowering the academic standard in a GROSSE POINTE SCHOOL. If you visit GP South, kids are better behaved, are respectful and polite, and are generally high-achievers. Visiting GP North, kids are still fairly well-behaived but there are much more fights and other drama.

Also, does anyone not have the problem reading that HW residents are basically cheating GPW residents. Is it right for them to pay less in taxes for the same benefits of Grosse Pointe Woods? No. Harper Woods residents should be going to HW public schools and parks.

If you're interested in cheating the residents of GPW, go ahead. But GPW residents are sick and tired of HW residents abusing the schooling system! I'm not saying I don't like Harper Woods, but I believe that if we pay the high taxes for the best schools, safe neighborhoods, and excellent parks and community, than only the taxpayers should enjoy them! We work hard for our money, same as everybody else, and when we pay our taxes we expect that nobody else should take advantage of more....liberal politicians who allow people into our school district.

The Grosse Pointes and the surrounding cities are very nice places, but please don't "pay half the taxes, with the same schools" like some people.

[us66]

Originally Posted by Remisc

i knew a bunch of people that lived on grosse pointe borders. My friend lives on the St Clair Shores - Grosse Pointe Shores border. You're paying for a SCS house, but everyone thinks you're in Grosse Pointe. Same with you?

It's still a very nice area. I've looked at a couple of houses in the area and would cheerfully move into some of that area. The only way you can tell you're not in GP anymore is that the street lights are on wooden poles and the east-west streets have five-digit house numbers. One of the streets, Robert John, even goes straight into GP Shores and to Lake Shore.

Originally Posted by mybandD12

From someone living in Grosse Pointe Woods, I have a thing or two to say about some things posted here.

First, people who say "live in Harper Woods, go to Grosse Pointe Schools, and pay half the price in taxes!" and "GP North is generally not as good as GP South" are creating that problem in GP North.

As someone who graduated from GP North recently, I can say that people who think it's a great deal to live in HW but go to GP schools are telling the truth. However, the reason GP North is declining academically is BECAUSE of the HW residents coming into our schools. I'm not saying everyone coming from HW is bad, but generally the kids that come from HW have parents who don't value education as much, resulting in kids who are lowering the academic standard in a GROSSE POINTE SCHOOL. If you visit GP South, kids are better behaved, are respectful and polite, and are generally high-achievers. Visiting GP North, kids are still fairly well-behaived but there are much more fights and other drama.

Also, does anyone not have the problem reading that HW residents are basically cheating GPW residents. Is it right for them to pay less in taxes for the same benefits of Grosse Pointe Woods? No. Harper Woods residents should be going to HW public schools and parks.

If you're interested in cheating the residents of GPW, go ahead. But GPW residents are sick and tired of HW residents abusing the schooling system! I'm not saying I don't like Harper Woods, but I believe that if we pay the high taxes for the best schools, safe neighborhoods, and excellent parks and community, than only the taxpayers should enjoy them! We work hard for our money, same as everybody else, and when we pay our taxes we expect that nobody else should take advantage of more....liberal politicians who allow people into our school district.

The Grosse Pointes and the surrounding cities are very nice places, but please don't "pay half the taxes, with the same schools" like some people.

1. The problems with GPN are not a recent phenomena. My friend's father retired from GP Schools a few years ago and had all kinds of stories about the recently arrived troublemakers at North. Academically, the students coming in from Detroit didn't have a chance.

2. Harper Woods taxes aren't all that cheap. I imagine they pay the same rate for school tax per $1,000 of assessed value as the rest of the district, but the houses are worth a little less, so that's how they pay less. However, there are A LOT of houses in NW GPW and the Cabbage Patch that are worth pocket change compared to the rest of the Pointes, and I imagine they pay quite a bit less than the other landowners in the district. Someone who owns a rundown bungalow on Brys is going to pay less than someone on Provencal. (Heck, a HW taxpayer on Danbury probably pays more in school taxes.) Same thing happens in many districts- I live in L'Anse Creuse, which has a very large disparity in property values, just like GP Schools. My SEV is only $21K, so I am not paying anywhere near my share in school taxes, but I still sleep well knowing this, and if I lived in Harper Woods (I have come VERY close to buying there more than once) I would sleep equally well. If Pointers are paying more per $1,000 in taxes, it's for local items (such as waterfront parks) that Harper Woods citizens can only dream of enjoying.

3. I blame lousy parenting and lousy role models for the rotten, worthless kids of today. Parents believe the schools are completely responsible for the education of children and the indoctrination of social norms, it seems.

[Briolat21]

My guess is that people who are buying in GP, are not doing it just for the schools, but for the whole package...

The prestige, the status, the parks, the city services - and the schools.

and, if they can afford that and want that and are willing to pay the taxes for it - right on!

My mom was a South. From forever ago (born in the '20's). She barely acknowledged the existance of North when it came to be. (According to her there was only ONE legitimate GP high school). Of course, she also had a debutante ball at the yacht club.

But, she raised her family in SCS (first street in the Shores off of Lake Shore, right down from the Edsel Ford Estate).

I think its neat that my mom was from GP, because well - people (outside of MI) have heard of it. If you are mixing with people from other companies / areas and say "I live in Harper Woods" - no one knows where that is.

My mom, while spending nearly all of her adult life in SCS and working hard to contribute to that community (volunteering, etc..) -- never forgot her loyalty to GP. She is gone now, but she maintained an interest in that community 'till the end.

I have nowhere near the loyalty to SCS (though I think its a fine suburb) that she had to GP.

So, I think people who buy in GP are probably considering other intangibles, or should be, rather than specifically house/school (though obviously huge portion of the decision).

[us66]

Originally Posted by Briolat21

My guess is that people who are buying in GP, are not doing it just for the schools, but for the whole package...

Agreed. It's the only place on the east side with any meaningful quality of life. Various areas in Oakland are better investments IMHO but GP has that certain something places like Huntington Woods, although extremely nice and possessing higher property values, do not.