3 months till we move to Grand Rapids... Help!

[magellan]

I don't think anyone really thinks Grand Rapids is "booming". There are certain sectors that are doing pretty well, like health care and accounting, for sure. And there is a lot of rejuvenation and construction going on right downtown (which could be characterized as a downtown "boom").

If you want a house rnettesh in a small surrounding town to rent, that would be pretty tough in your price range. You might try downtown Rockford, which has a lot of small older homes and it's a growing suburban area.

The large majority of GR's workforce does not live 30-40 miles outside of Grand Rapids. Most of the workforce lives in Kent County, which is maybe 10 miles max from downtown.

If you don't have school-aged kids, then I would definitely not rule out the city of Grand Rapids. The prices are lower and there are many clean and safe areas.

The Chamber of Commerce will tell you the same thing.

[suydam]

You can add ITS to the industries that are doing quite well in GR right now.

That's the only industry I'm close to, but anyone with a few years experience should be able to get a job.

[jeeg]

Originally Posted by magellan

The large majority of GR's workforce does not live 30-40 miles outside of Grand Rapids. Most of the workforce lives in Kent County, which is maybe 10 miles max from downtown.

I did not say a large majority, I said a large part (percentage) does live that far out. It may only be 20% but that is still a significant number and shows the OP that it is a viable option.

I agree Rockford is a possibility (have family there). There are a lot of older two bedroom houses in the downtown area that may be quite affordable.
With their emphasis on family friendly neighborhoods, I did make the assumption that they have kids or plan too soon. I myself have lived in different areas of the city proper when I was single and that was fine, just personally would not for anything with kids. Of course that's one of the main reasons we moved up here to where the OP is leaving!

Colorado_sunshine --- I disagree that there are no jobs in G.R. I have no family/friends unemployed down there and a few have even moved up to better jobs within the last couple years. The only ones not happy are the ones waiting ever so impatiently for an opening in the social work sector. Two of those currently work in finance while waiting and one works for Foremost insurance.

[WIfarmgirl]

Besides Mlive You may want to look for rent on craigslist Grand Rapids (put in google) occ pictures and will include some of the outlying regions. Also rentgr.com is similar it is expensive to run an ad in the paper so cheaper rent here sometimes. I also have 1 cat and the city is not the most animal friendly, but sometimes you can talk landlords into changing there mind on pets if you have a reference on how well you take care of your animals, that they don't bark, tear up things etc.

[rnettesh]

thanks for the post. I have been using both craigslist and rentgr for my search, they are probably the best I've come across. We do have well behaved animals, but I'm sure it will be very difficult to find a place; we had the same problem in Marquette. We hope the rental will be temporary and that we can buy asap.

[lkammerer]

We're in the same boat. We live in Capac, MI, and worked for Ford. Both of us has lost our jobs. My daughter is graduating this year, and we are moving on the first of June. The southern thumb area is doing horrible. All of our friends are doing the same. So, what do we do? Thinking of trying out GR. From what I'm reading, not a good move? I'm also in accounting/ finance/ purchasing... and looking for a job since June. Nothing.... My husband was on the line. He's done. He's now a home inspector and can do welding, hard wood floors... I just don't know what to do anymore? Where is a good place to live where we can get a good job and actually be able to afford rent? rnettesh can you please let us know how things are going? How you are doing with your job finds and housing? We don't know anyone over there. If it's not the place to be, then maybe we'll have to go out of the state. I think that area is Michigan's only hope. Can you please let us know what you find? Thanks.

[cjhsa]

Find someone to rent your home to and a family member to keep your guns safe, then move to Illinois to get a job (not so far away you can't come visit your guns).

[TimWhite]

I'll go on record as saying that GR IS booming! I disagree with the post about about no jobs as well. There are jobs out there for people that look hard enough. Social work will be a bit harder to get in, but I have friends who work for DSS who are doing just fine. Accounting should be a slam dunk, so your wife will find work easily. There are homes for sale in Lowell and Zeeland that are brand new, and start from $100,000, including the lot. They are 1100-1400 square feet, and in fairly rural areas. With current rural development loans, you can buy these houses for $0 down, and interest rates are still attractive at 6.5%. Buying one of these homes would put your payment at $800 per month, and that includes property taxes and insurance. Both of these neighborhoods put you within 20 minutes of downtown GR, and since you won the home and have a yard, dogs are not a problem. To top it all off, since you are buying and not renting, you are building equity, and not throwing rent money down the drain. There are lots of tax advantages to home ownership to consider as well. Whatever you decide, GR is the best place to live in Michigan. I put my money where my mouth is by buying a second home here this week!