Moving to Granger, Indiana (South Bend, Elkhart: sale, power lines, sex offender)

[LeslieannS.]

We are buying a house. I am not sure in what neighborhood yet.

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by LeslieannS.

Moving from Va beach was a little hard for me. Our son was in the middle of his junior year in high school so I thought he was going to rebel and start drinking, hanging with the wrong crowd etc. The exact opposite happened. He just won " Craziest Senior" and "Senior of the Year". This move was wonderful for both of my children. My daughter was in 3rd grade at the time and she fit in perfectly. As a matter of fact, she was voted in to the Student Council at the end of her 3rd grade year. I was a little depressed, but I started going to school and everything was good after that. My husband was offered a promotion on a Saturday evening at 5pm in February. He was told he needed to make the decision within 4 hours. Then he was on the road to Indiana first thing Monday morning! My son is okay with moving since he is done with high school. My daughter was okay until she realized that school was almost over, then it really hit her. She does not want to move.

The bad thing with the railroad is once you accept a promotion, they can move you at any time. My husband does not expect to be in Elkhart for more than 2 years, sooooo we would have to move again. We are certainly not rich or snobby and it is too bad that the two towns are like that. Is your son going to Discovery middle school? If we are still there when my daughter reaches middle school that is where she will be going. Thanks for all your info!

Your hubby works for the railroad? Its interesting you mentioned that cuss before my husband accepted his job here in Indiana, he had an interview with the railroad in Roanoke. He decided to cancel the interview, I cant remember the details now but I think it had to do with lots of travel. My husband doesnt like to travel lol. He is a home body. I did so much research on Roanoke. What a small world.

I see why you have reservations about moving. I would say in this real estate market, Granger would be your best bet if you think you will move again. Granger seems to hold its resale value. We had a heck of a time getting any sellers to come down on price. In fact, the house we own now we bid on last November and the sellers flat out refused our offer. Full asking price or nothing. So we said nothing. But they came back to us in late February and asked if we were still interested. They were leaving the country and decided our offer wasnt that bad after all. They were a pain in the neck. They were very young, early 20's and wanted everything their way. You may run into that when bidding. Granger has a great rep so sellers want it all. But that will help you when you want to sell. Finding a house to rent is tough. The property taxes are cheap here so most people buy homes. We have 2 dogs and 2 cats so it was really hard for us to find a rental. We knew we had to buy and crossed our fingers that hubby's job stays stable.

Yes my son will be attending Discovery. There are 2 middle schools in the Penn district. Schumucker and Discovery. When we purchased our house the listing said Schumucker (if I spelled that right). Even our realtor said it would be Schumucker. After we moved in and I met the neighbors, they told us it was Discovery. From what I have been told Discovery is supposed to be the preferred middle school. Not sure why or how true it is. So it was a bonus we ended up in Discovery district. I met with the school and it was an unique experience. Everyone was so nice and seemed very excited my son would be attending. I was offered coffee and a muffin and I kind of felt more like a client than a parent. It has a very cool laid back vibe. The school seems very well organized. They gave me a packet of info that answered every question I could think of. The school is modern. My son thought it was cool the running track is suspended over the gym. Ive seen this before but only at Bally's fitness center. Lots of extra programs and groups for the kids to get involved in. Foreign language, drama, photography...etc. Choir, Band and/or orchestra is mandatory. My son was excited about that cuss from the previous schools he attended it was an extra activity with limited seats. He played trumpet back home but when we moved here, he missed the opportunity in Mishawaka. There is busing and its free. My son has never rode the bus before so that will be unique for him.

Is there a particular sub you are looking at? Again, if you need any more info that I can provide, just ask!

[LeslieannS.]

Originally Posted by fallingwater

Your hubby works for the railroad? Its interesting you mentioned that cuss before my husband accepted his job here in Indiana, he had an interview with the railroad in Roanoke. He decided to cancel the interview, I cant remember the details now but I think it had to do with lots of travel. My husband doesnt like to travel lol. He is a home body. I did so much research on Roanoke. What a small world.

I see why you have reservations about moving. I would say in this real estate market, Granger would be your best bet if you think you will move again. Granger seems to hold its resale value. We had a heck of a time getting any sellers to come down on price. In fact, the house we own now we bid on last November and the sellers flat out refused our offer. Full asking price or nothing. So we said nothing. But they came back to us in late February and asked if we were still interested. They were leaving the country and decided our offer wasnt that bad after all. They were a pain in the neck. They were very young, early 20's and wanted everything their way. You may run into that when bidding. Granger has a great rep so sellers want it all. But that will help you when you want to sell. Finding a house to rent is tough. The property taxes are cheap here so most people buy homes. We have 2 dogs and 2 cats so it was really hard for us to find a rental. We knew we had to buy and crossed our fingers that hubby's job stays stable.

Yes my son will be attending Discovery. There are 2 middle schools in the Penn district. Schumucker and Discovery. When we purchased our house the listing said Schumucker (if I spelled that right). Even our realtor said it would be Schumucker. After we moved in and I met the neighbors, they told us it was Discovery. From what I have been told Discovery is supposed to be the preferred middle school. Not sure why or how true it is. So it was a bonus we ended up in Discovery district. I met with the school and it was an unique experience. Everyone was so nice and seemed very excited my son would be attending. I was offered coffee and a muffin and I kind of felt more like a client than a parent. It has a very cool laid back vibe. The school seems very well organized. They gave me a packet of info that answered every question I could think of. The school is modern. My son thought it was cool the running track is suspended over the gym. Ive seen this before but only at Bally's fitness center. Lots of extra programs and groups for the kids to get involved in. Foreign language, drama, photography...etc. Choir, Band and/or orchestra is mandatory. My son was excited about that cuss from the previous schools he attended it was an extra activity with limited seats. He played trumpet back home but when we moved here, he missed the opportunity in Mishawaka. There is busing and its free. My son has never rode the bus before so that will be unique for him.

Is there a particular sub you are looking at? Again, if you need any more info that I can provide, just ask!

That is funny about your husband with the job interview. My husband has been with the railroad about 17 years and this is our 2nd move with them. I guess that is pretty good compared to some of the folks that have been moved 10 times! We are definitely going to buy in Granger I am just not sure what subdivision. I would like trees, the toll road will not bother me, the railroad tracks-well I guess I can't complain, that is my paycheck! I have two dogs and two cats and the two cats like to roam around. They are almost 18 years old and it is hard to break that habit! My price range is somewhere around 200k to 275k. I would like more towards the lower end of the range!!! I want my daughter to go to Discovery because I also heard that it was the school of choice. Schumuckers middle tests scores are slightly lower than Discovery and they have about 160 more children in Schumuckers. I love all of the extra programs for the kids, I know my daughter will try to get into all of them! So, what subdivisions do you think are nice? I guess the kids and I are going out there towards the end of June to look at houses with my husband. Thanks again for all of your information!

[fallingwater]

I really like Knollwood sub. I found the area to be confusing as first cuss Knollwood is huge. Its actually several subs put together. Knollwood, Knollwood west, Country Knolls...they all have Knollwood in the name so people refer to the areas as Knollwood. We looked at two homes in Country Knolls. We were looking in the winter and of course it seemed every time we had a house showing was during a blizzard. But the sub is full of trees and the streets have lots of twists and turns. With the fresh fallen snow, it could have been a christmas card. It was very lovely. The houses we looked at unfortunately were a little outdated and one had a foundation problem. My husband works a ton of hours and we were looking for something move in ready that didnt involve a lot of remodeling. Our budget was 150-175k. I would think with your budget you should find something quite nice in that area. There are parts of Knollwood that are in Clay township I believe. Those areas would not be Penn schools. I also think that would be Schumucker middle school if the sub is in Penn.

The subs along the toll road are around my budget. One sub though named barrington woods is very nice and more in the price line of 200k and up. That sub also has tons of trees. It is by the toll road but most of the nicer homes are toward brick road and further from the toll road. As you get closer to the toll road, are villas. Smaller detached homes that have lawn services much like a condo development. One thing to keep in mind is that many subs in Granger do not have sidewalks. I do not know if this will be a problem for you. I like sidewalks if its an option and our sub has them along with street lights. Also many homes here do not have fenced yards. I have 2 dogs so that was a concern for us.

The homes in the area have septics and wells. This was new to me. Im a city slicker and always had city services. But with having a well, most homes have sprinkler systems. Having no water bill is quite nice but I cant handle the water. It doesnt sit well with me. I cant seem to get used to it so we buy water. I got a cute crock pot water dispenser and buy 3 gallon water jugs. Also you need to set up your own trash service. Its not a big deal but again something new to me as with city life, its part of your taxes. Here there are several companies you can set up an account with. Trash collection costs me 97 dollars every 3 months. It can be a pain throwing out large items like furniture etc as you need to contact your trash service to let them know and there is an extra fee. My company charges 12 dollars per large item. ...well I cant think of anything else so again if you have questions, just ask!

[LeslieannS.]

Originally Posted by fallingwater

I really like Knollwood sub. I found the area to be confusing as first cuss Knollwood is huge. Its actually several subs put together. Knollwood, Knollwood west, Country Knolls...they all have Knollwood in the name so people refer to the areas as Knollwood. We looked at two homes in Country Knolls. We were looking in the winter and of course it seemed every time we had a house showing was during a blizzard. But the sub is full of trees and the streets have lots of twists and turns. With the fresh fallen snow, it could have been a christmas card. It was very lovely. The houses we looked at unfortunately were a little outdated and one had a foundation problem. My husband works a ton of hours and we were looking for something move in ready that didnt involve a lot of remodeling. Our budget was 150-175k. I would think with your budget you should find something quite nice in that area. There are parts of Knollwood that are in Clay township I believe. Those areas would not be Penn schools. I also think that would be Schumucker middle school if the sub is in Penn.

The subs along the toll road are around my budget. One sub though named barrington woods is very nice and more in the price line of 200k and up. That sub also has tons of trees. It is by the toll road but most of the nicer homes are toward brick road and further from the toll road. As you get closer to the toll road, are villas. Smaller detached homes that have lawn services much like a condo development. One thing to keep in mind is that many subs in Granger do not have sidewalks. I do not know if this will be a problem for you. I like sidewalks if its an option and our sub has them along with street lights. Also many homes here do not have fenced yards. I have 2 dogs so that was a concern for us.

The homes in the area have septics and wells. This was new to me. Im a city slicker and always had city services. But with having a well, most homes have sprinkler systems. Having no water bill is quite nice but I cant handle the water. It doesnt sit well with me. I cant seem to get used to it so we buy water. I got a cute crock pot water dispenser and buy 3 gallon water jugs. Also you need to set up your own trash service. Its not a big deal but again something new to me as with city life, its part of your taxes. Here there are several companies you can set up an account with. Trash collection costs me 97 dollars every 3 months. It can be a pain throwing out large items like furniture etc as you need to contact your trash service to let them know and there is an extra fee. My company charges 12 dollars per large item. ...well I cant think of anything else so again if you have questions, just ask!

Thanks for all of this information. I have been looking on Realtor.com and noticed a lot of nice houses in Knollwood, but like you said, the school was Clay or Penn schools with Schumuckers as the middle. We really do not want a house that we have to do any work since we don't know how long we will be there. I don't think a villa or condo would work for us since I am sure there are a lot of rules and rules with someone who has dogs and cats can't be good! I like sidewalks also, but where we live now we do not have them which is okay. I have noticed that hardly any houses have fenced yards. Do people in Granger not have pets? I guess I am used to living in Va Beach where everyone has a fenced yard. Building a fence can be very expensive and we would rather not put the money in for that. I also noticed that there are not a lot of houses that have walk out basements, that was something very important to me. Our 18 year old would be living in the basement if it were finished. He mostly takes care of the dogs(letting them in and out) and a walkout basement would be ideal.

We have a septic system but not a well. When we moved here I had no idea what a septic system was! So far we have not had any problems. As a matter of fact, the railroad paid for the septic to be pumped so I guess the new owner will be happy. I am not sure about well water. Does it bother you if you use it to cook? I will definitely be buying that water dispenser! I have never heard of getting your own trash service! Even in this little rural place the county provides trash pickup and like you said it is included in the taxes. I think $97 every 3 months is quite expensive! Does the area have a dump that you can load up say furniture or anything like that onto a trailer and take it there yourself? I guess before we move we need to get rid of anything that we really don't want so we don't get charged to have a trash service pick it up. Does the trash service at least provide trash cans or is that something you have to provide yourself also? Well I sure am learning a lot and I appreciate all the time you have taken to give me this information. Have a good weekend!

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by LeslieannS.

Thanks for all of this information. I have been looking on Realtor.com and noticed a lot of nice houses in Knollwood, but like you said, the school was Clay or Penn schools with Schumuckers as the middle. We really do not want a house that we have to do any work since we don't know how long we will be there. I don't think a villa or condo would work for us since I am sure there are a lot of rules and rules with someone who has dogs and cats can't be good! I like sidewalks also, but where we live now we do not have them which is okay. I have noticed that hardly any houses have fenced yards. Do people in Granger not have pets? I guess I am used to living in Va Beach where everyone has a fenced yard. Building a fence can be very expensive and we would rather not put the money in for that. I also noticed that there are not a lot of houses that have walk out basements, that was something very important to me. Our 18 year old would be living in the basement if it were finished. He mostly takes care of the dogs(letting them in and out) and a walkout basement would be ideal.

We have a septic system but not a well. When we moved here I had no idea what a septic system was! So far we have not had any problems. As a matter of fact, the railroad paid for the septic to be pumped so I guess the new owner will be happy. I am not sure about well water. Does it bother you if you use it to cook? I will definitely be buying that water dispenser! I have never heard of getting your own trash service! Even in this little rural place the county provides trash pickup and like you said it is included in the taxes. I think $97 every 3 months is quite expensive! Does the area have a dump that you can load up say furniture or anything like that onto a trailer and take it there yourself? I guess before we move we need to get rid of anything that we really don't want so we don't get charged to have a trash service pick it up. Does the trash service at least provide trash cans or is that something you have to provide yourself also? Well I sure am learning a lot and I appreciate all the time you have taken to give me this information. Have a good weekend!

No problem. There was a lot of stuff I learned that people didnt tell me. I think its because they get used to how things are and for a newcomer, it can be a shock. The trash service kind of surprised me too. There are different plans you can choose. 97 dollars is the most expensive one. Im somewhat of a neat freak and was afraid if I got a lesser plan I would be stuck with trash each week. I chose the plan where I can throw out 15 bags of trash each week. I filled the can up each week for the first month but now that we are settled in, I could have chose the lesser plan. It can be changed at any time but I havent yet cuss I want to monitor our trash output a little longer to see what we really need. You can use your own can if you choose or none at all. I asked for their can which cost me 15.00. Trash cans at the store run about that for one, so I figured I saved money by using theirs. You kind of rent of it I guess cuss when you stop service, you give the can back. They deliver it to you and pick it up. Its 95 gallon I think. Its a big can on wheels. I can fill it up and then add another can of my own if my trash doesnt fit. Like I said, my limit is 15 bags. They also have a great recycle program that pretty much takes most things, that can is also about 95 gallon so if you recycle as much as possible, it cuts down on the trash. There are two dumps in the area and not sure how much they charge. I think if you had a lot of really big items it would be worth it to haul it over there.

The water here is hard. It has lots of iron in it which can be good for you but its a tad hard on the tummy. I will use the water while cooking if its for things like pasta cuss I dont want to use up my whole water jug. But we do use our bottle water for making coffee and other things. When we rented we bought a dispenser that you may find in an office that makes the water cold and hot. But when we moved in here, I didnt have a place for it in the kitchen. I was disappointed cuss the darn machine cost me 120 dollars a Lowe's. But while shopping at Walmart I found a cute crock pot dispenser (30 bucks) that sits on the counter. I use that now and put the other machine we bought in the garage so when my son is out riding his bike and gets thirsty he can get his water right there in the garage. Most homes in Granger have water softners. But the rental we had in Mishawaka did not and let me tell ya, I had a bad hair day for 9 months! The iron and other stuff in the water leaves a residue on your hair that weighs it down. I used clarifying shampoo every other day cuss my hair got really dark and dull. The hard water is very hard on appliances and anything you wash. I had sweatshirts for years that looked new but after washing them here after month, the shirts looked a 100 yrs old. The water is pretty hard on stuff. You may also see rust stains on the sides of houses and on driveways because of all the iron. I have rust stains on my siding from the sprinklers. Its just how it is. So anyway, I highly recommend a water softner! Our clothes no longer take a beating and Im glad to say my hair is now what it used be when I lived in Michigan. Also water bills here are high compared to what we paid in Michigan. I guess I took for granted that we lived so close to the great lakes. Our water bill back home was 80 bucks every 3 months. Here if you do have city water, it runs about a 100 per month. We looked at sub that had city services and figured what we paid in trash was still cheaper than having city water. The cleaner CLR will be your best friend. It removes a lot of minerals that may build up. It helps with the rust stains too.

Barrington Woods sub I meant to say is mostly homes but in the back part of the sub are villas. Those are the ones that have the lawn services etc. Barrington is part of Discovery. Most subs in Granger will have HOA. There are rules. I was concerned cuss I dont like rules much but found most of the HOA rules were pretty common sense stuff like...you cant park RV's in your yard, you cant built some make shift shed etc. Our HOA is really laid back and Ive noticed some people dont follow all of the rules. Hubby and I did look at one sub in Osecola and they were so strict you couldnt put out any garden decor in your landscaping. So every house looked plain and dull. Im not into people being tacky but I do feel if your paying a mortgage, you should be able to do some self expression! Ask your realtor what the HOA is like in whatever sub you are serious about.

Not sure if you use Google maps or not but there is a great feature where you can do street view. I LOVEE IT. I used it a lot especially during the winter months when I wanted to see what a house looked like (besides the realtor photo) and what the street looked like and didnt want to risk my life during a blizzard. Realtor.com is okay but I found the Cressy Everett realtor website more helpful. You can search by city like realtor.com but you can also search by subdivison. This narrows down the areas you become more interested in. So lets say you have your heart set on Knollwood, you can click the tab for search by sub and look at all the knollwood houses only. I believe you can also search my school district as well. There are some houses with walk out basements in subs that are more hilly. People here do have dogs but I think they opt for the invisible fencing instead. Our neighbors behind us have two dogs but dont have a fence. I like the security of a fence, plus one of my dogs is a beagle. She follows her nose and there are lots of rabbits to chase here. If you dont have a pesky beagle, you would be fine with invisible fencing.

Also just a tid bit. The libraries here are awesome. The one in granger is small but has a cute cafe in it with wi-fi. The mishawaka library is huge and they are all connected so you can check out books and movies from either one. Also I love the South Shore train. It leaves from the South Bend airport and takes you right into the heart of Chicago. Its cheap. 10 bucks for adults and I believe kids under 12 ride free. Its a 90 min. ride and takes you right to all the shopping and major attractions in Chicago. Ive have gone several times alone with my son. Its very easy and a great way to spend the day doing some cool stuff. Ok...so again...if there is anything else you need to know, just ask!

[LeslieannS.]

Originally Posted by fallingwater

No problem. There was a lot of stuff I learned that people didnt tell me. I think its because they get used to how things are and for a newcomer, it can be a shock. The trash service kind of surprised me too. There are different plans you can choose. 97 dollars is the most expensive one. Im somewhat of a neat freak and was afraid if I got a lesser plan I would be stuck with trash each week. I chose the plan where I can throw out 15 bags of trash each week. I filled the can up each week for the first month but now that we are settled in, I could have chose the lesser plan. It can be changed at any time but I havent yet cuss I want to monitor our trash output a little longer to see what we really need. You can use your own can if you choose or none at all. I asked for their can which cost me 15.00. Trash cans at the store run about that for one, so I figured I saved money by using theirs. You kind of rent of it I guess cuss when you stop service, you give the can back. They deliver it to you and pick it up. Its 95 gallon I think. Its a big can on wheels. I can fill it up and then add another can of my own if my trash doesnt fit. Like I said, my limit is 15 bags. They also have a great recycle program that pretty much takes most things, that can is also about 95 gallon so if you recycle as much as possible, it cuts down on the trash. There are two dumps in the area and not sure how much they charge. I think if you had a lot of really big items it would be worth it to haul it over there.

The water here is hard. It has lots of iron in it which can be good for you but its a tad hard on the tummy. I will use the water while cooking if its for things like pasta cuss I dont want to use up my whole water jug. But we do use our bottle water for making coffee and other things. When we rented we bought a dispenser that you may find in an office that makes the water cold and hot. But when we moved in here, I didnt have a place for it in the kitchen. I was disappointed cuss the darn machine cost me 120 dollars a Lowe's. But while shopping at Walmart I found a cute crock pot dispenser (30 bucks) that sits on the counter. I use that now and put the other machine we bought in the garage so when my son is out riding his bike and gets thirsty he can get his water right there in the garage. Most homes in Granger have water softners. But the rental we had in Mishawaka did not and let me tell ya, I had a bad hair day for 9 months! The iron and other stuff in the water leaves a residue on your hair that weighs it down. I used clarifying shampoo every other day cuss my hair got really dark and dull. The hard water is very hard on appliances and anything you wash. I had sweatshirts for years that looked new but after washing them here after month, the shirts looked a 100 yrs old. The water is pretty hard on stuff. You may also see rust stains on the sides of houses and on driveways because of all the iron. I have rust stains on my siding from the sprinklers. Its just how it is. So anyway, I highly recommend a water softner! Our clothes no longer take a beating and Im glad to say my hair is now what it used be when I lived in Michigan. Also water bills here are high compared to what we paid in Michigan. I guess I took for granted that we lived so close to the great lakes. Our water bill back home was 80 bucks every 3 months. Here if you do have city water, it runs about a 100 per month. We looked at sub that had city services and figured what we paid in trash was still cheaper than having city water. The cleaner CLR will be your best friend. It removes a lot of minerals that may build up. It helps with the rust stains too.

Barrington Woods sub I meant to say is mostly homes but in the back part of the sub are villas. Those are the ones that have the lawn services etc. Barrington is part of Discovery. Most subs in Granger will have HOA. There are rules. I was concerned cuss I dont like rules much but found most of the HOA rules were pretty common sense stuff like...you cant park RV's in your yard, you cant built some make shift shed etc. Our HOA is really laid back and Ive noticed some people dont follow all of the rules. Hubby and I did look at one sub in Osecola and they were so strict you couldnt put out any garden decor in your landscaping. So every house looked plain and dull. Im not into people being tacky but I do feel if your paying a mortgage, you should be able to do some self expression! Ask your realtor what the HOA is like in whatever sub you are serious about.

Not sure if you use Google maps or not but there is a great feature where you can do street view. I LOVEE IT. I used it a lot especially during the winter months when I wanted to see what a house looked like (besides the realtor photo) and what the street looked like and didnt want to risk my life during a blizzard. Realtor.com is okay but I found the Cressy Everett realtor website more helpful. You can search by city like realtor.com but you can also search by subdivison. This narrows down the areas you become more interested in. So lets say you have your heart set on Knollwood, you can click the tab for search by sub and look at all the knollwood houses only. I believe you can also search my school district as well. There are some houses with walk out basements in subs that are more hilly. People here do have dogs but I think they opt for the invisible fencing instead. Our neighbors behind us have two dogs but dont have a fence. I like the security of a fence, plus one of my dogs is a beagle. She follows her nose and there are lots of rabbits to chase here. If you dont have a pesky beagle, you would be fine with invisible fencing.

Also just a tid bit. The libraries here are awesome. The one in granger is small but has a cute cafe in it with wi-fi. The mishawaka library is huge and they are all connected so you can check out books and movies from either one. Also I love the South Shore train. It leaves from the South Bend airport and takes you right into the heart of Chicago. Its cheap. 10 bucks for adults and I believe kids under 12 ride free. Its a 90 min. ride and takes you right to all the shopping and major attractions in Chicago. Ive have gone several times alone with my son. Its very easy and a great way to spend the day doing some cool stuff. Ok...so again...if there is anything else you need to know, just ask!

I had no idea about hard water and stains. This is so good to know because if I ruined by husband's work clothes, he would not be happy! lol I have extremely flat hair so I am guessing the water would just make it even worse! How is that possible?! So, does the trash service company county how many bags you have in your trash can? What if you slip 16 bags in the can , how would they know?

I can't imagine living in a subdivision that you could not even have garden decor. That is a little much. I can understand not having a rusted out truck with a toilet stuck inside of it on your front lawn, but not a nice little gnome! Oh, the whole rusted out truck with the toilet, yeah I have one of those a couple streets over !!!

Thanks for the info on the website. I like the fact that you can look at the street. Also I like how you can look up a certain subdivision with that Cressy Everett realtor website. I will try it tomorrow. I could never have a invisible fence, my dogs are very stubborn! I have a great dane, but she has some sort of hunting dog mixed in with her. She sees a squirrel, rabbit or whatever and she is trying to go over the fence. I would also be afraid if other dogs came in to my yard because when my dogs are together they think they are real tough guys. Alone they are wimps !!

I am glad there is a nice library in the area. I am not much of a reader but my daughter is. She loves the library and has stayed there for hours before. The train to Chicago sounds nice. My husband has bribed my daughter with a trip to the American Girl Doll store. That is how he convinced her to move to Indiana. She thinks they will be going every weekend, he doesn't know that yet !! I will let him find that out on his own! I am not the adventurous type, but if my husband were with me I would love to go to Chicago. I grew up in a very small town in PA and I am quite sheltered. I like small towns and I do not like going into bad parts of a town because I am a chicken!

Well again, thank you so much for all of your information. I am still very nervous about moving but talking to you has helped a little. Hopefully we will find a nice house with great neighbors when we come the 3rd week of June.

[jodyrose]

Welcome Leslieann! Fallingwater told me you are looking for Granger area to relocate to. Funny, before I moved back home to Indiana from Florida, I had almost decided on Roanoke, VA as my destination...I love that part of the country! Of course, I am also happy to be home as well

Granger has alot of great neighborhoods. I think the reason some folks "dis" Granger is because several years ago, its explosive growth (lots of new homes being built, some of them rather cookie cutter-ish) was putting a strain on the county budget. New schools needed to be built, taxes went up, etc. I am a full time realtor, but I also work part time at the Northpoint elementary school as a computer tech, and I can tell you first hand, the school is EXCELLENT. Not only the staff and facility, but they have very high rankings on the test scores, allot of parent involvment, which in my opinion is really the secret to getting better results on test scores!

Granger has a nice mix of housing...yes, you can buy a relatively new house, but there are also older more established areas, I think you could find whatever you like. If you havent hooked up with an agent and would like some assistance, I would be glad to help!

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by jodyrose

Welcome Leslieann! Fallingwater told me you are looking for Granger area to relocate to. Funny, before I moved back home to Indiana from Florida, I had almost decided on Roanoke, VA as my destination...I love that part of the country! Of course, I am also happy to be home as well

Granger has alot of great neighborhoods. I think the reason some folks "dis" Granger is because several years ago, its explosive growth (lots of new homes being built, some of them rather cookie cutter-ish) was putting a strain on the county budget. New schools needed to be built, taxes went up, etc. I am a full time realtor, but I also work part time at the Northpoint elementary school as a computer tech, and I can tell you first hand, the school is EXCELLENT. Not only the staff and facility, but they have very high rankings on the test scores, allot of parent involvment, which in my opinion is really the secret to getting better results on test scores!

Granger has a nice mix of housing...yes, you can buy a relatively new house, but there are also older more established areas, I think you could find whatever you like. If you havent hooked up with an agent and would like some assistance, I would be glad to help!

Oh so the explosive growth put people in a tizzy huh? I guess some fear change.

[irish_eyes]

We moved here 5 years ago and it's a very nice area with wonderful schools. We don't have children at home anymore so schools weren't an issue. There were a couple of things about Granger I didn't care that much for. The icky water was a kind of a big issue, most people buy huge bottles of water and all of the grocery stores have these big water machines you fill your bottles with. Some thoughts on which battles to pick in the Granger areas, you will have to live near either the toll road, the railroad tracks (many many trains a day) or high tension wires, or any combination of the three. It's almost impossible to avoid any of those things. Some bothered me more than others.

I've heard that the Penn schools are absolutely top notch, especially the elem and middle. The biggest problem with the high school is that it is HUGE...I believe close to 4000 students! In that, although it's very well run with few problems, if your child wants to play a varsity sport, unless he is the best of the best he will never ever make a team. I've had parents tell me that when say, football or cheerleading, softball, lax and some of the other favorites, 300 - 500 kids try out! Years ago my daughter went to college on an NCAA scholarship but I doubt she would have made the team at Penn.....just a thought.

The only other bad thing in this area, no matter where you live, the property tax billing system here is an just horrible. The tax bills are supposed to be sent out twice a year and since we've been here they have never ever been sent out on time. Which is a nightmare if you have your taxes taken out of your mortgage, it's just mind boggling. I will never understand it.

All in all this is a nice safe area with very friendly people. Notre Dame sports offer many games that are free or small entrance fee. Notre Dame football and basketball have very loyal fans here and if you get a chance during football season if you can't get football tickets, walk around campus it's so much fun on football Saturday's. The campus is beautiful especially in the fall. Winters are brutal! This past winter was especially bad, it snowed every day until like April. It's very depressing in the winter, so treat yourself to a great lunch at the mall and you'll forget about it for a little while. Have fun and good luck finding a home!