Confused/Location location location (Indianapolis, Fishers: rental market, movers, crime)

[kerilw]

Okay so I've read a bunch of threads on where to live in Indianapolis-or on the outskirts. My hubby and I and baby will be moving to IN in June and well where the heck should we start looking at houses to buy?
I thought Greenwood-but is that too country-or slow paced?
Carmel -too snobby?
Zionsville-too small?

I would like to be close to things-I live where I have to drive 45 minutes just to get to a Target now or a movie theater and I am so tired of it! I would like to be able to go to Starbucks or a nice gym-but I also like to trail run-or go to nice parks to run w/jogging stroller and dog.
I like trendy places or martini bars for nights out-But I also like hangen in my sweats as well and watching a movie at home-so I need even keel atmosphere.

What is a good family oriented not too slow paced somewhat modern place to live w/commuting to dowtown Indianapolis for work???

Appreciate the Help-
K

[fbama73]

As a Southsider all of my life, I can tell you that Greenwood might once have been 'country," but it's nothing like that now.

In all honesty, you need to visit the areas you are considering, but as someone who has lived on the Southside, I can address a few og your questions:

Starbucks shops are pretty much like mile markers around here, now. No matter which one you go to, you'll repeat your order three times, and they'll still get it wrong.

The Southside has several good gyms. The Baxter YMCA has OUTSTANDING workout facilities- best 70 bucks I spend every month.

Plenty of shopping. More than plenty.

Several parks in G-wood, and they're all pretty nice.

Trendy places? Maybe. But it's less than a half hour to downtown, where you'll get as trendy as you can get in Indy.

[MikiJayne]

I live in Avon, and I love it here. I live 2 minutes from Target, the movie theater, Starbucks, and the grocery store. A great gym is about 5 minutes away, and they are getting ready to build an even better one, but they haven't broken ground yet. My kids are in a great day care and my son's Elementary School is a 4-star school. My neighborhood is quiet, friendly and safe, but I can still get downtown in an half an hour to go out for the night with my husband. Avon has 2 great parks, both with trails. One has more paved trails, while the other features more nature trails.

[domergurl]

Strollerfit has a pretty big following in Fishers. They meet in Holland Park. They are also trying to keep up with building new paths for joggers and bikers.

And there's a supertarget in Fishersl. Took me 15 minutes from out by the reservoir.

[jrod2828]

Broad Ripple area..

About 10 minutes from downtown. You can get anywhere in Indy pretty quick. We live on the westside of Meridian in Meridian Kessler. The area is great. Close the bars and restaurants in broad ripple but far enough away that we don't get the traffic. Quick shot down Meridian to downtown. Actually we are moving south this summer and looking to sell our home. Let me know if you want information on our home and area. Good Luck!

[sweetana3]

Like we all say, Indy is a big spread out place. Some people want short commutes some dont mind. Some have money and can choose anything, some are very limited. Some have special needs.

You are the only one who can make the decision. Think about how long you will be there, what you want your daily family life to be like. What activities are mandatory and you need to be near and what is near. What kind of driving do you want to do. What is your budget.

The people responding are from all kinds of life styles and places. For example, I am close to retirement and living close to work was primary. No kids so the schools did not matter and I checked out the crime issues beforehand. If you have school kids or will be placing kids into a school system while you are living in that one location, then maybe the school quality will be one of the items at the top of the list. If you are renting other things come into play since you will not be living there for years and years probably.

Remember everyone has their "favorite location" and you need to develop what you want to be your favorite from specific items not general statements. There are wonderful and horrible areas on all four sides of town. Used to be the big money was on the North side but all four sides have developed. So, do you have any specifics we can help you with?

For a young family, I still like Broad Ripple for its closeness. If you can afford it, Meridian Kessler has a lot of families and wonderful charm. If you want a developed subdivision with emphasis on quality schools, many of the Fishers, Zionsville and Carmel areas would perhaps suit you.

All four sides have shopping but North has a lot of the ritzy stores(Keystone at the Crossing and Clay Terrace), south has a good blend, west also has a good blend. Only the East side is having issues with shopping. If you are unfamiliar, corporate movers usually concentrate on the North side first especially if you have the financing. If you want land, then the other sides are a little more affordable.

[kerilw]

Thank you all for your help. We will be visiting IN in May I think-only problem is we are not "supposed" to buy a house until my hubby finishes his schooling to make sure they don't decide to send him somewhere else-so frustrating. Are there a lot of houses quick to move into there? I like the Ryland Homes I have found online-I like the style and layouts-any thoughts on those builders?

[sweetana3]

There are times when renting is a good idea. Renting while in school will give you financial freedom to move to the location of the best job without any ties. You wont have to worry about selling at the wrong time of year or haveing to sell while maybe underwater with a mortgage and selling costs. Right now the rental market is full of houses that cannot be sold so you are in a good position to get a house rental for much less than the financial cost of ownership.

Plus if you stay in Indy, it gives you some valuable time to find the perfect spot which you probably cannot do in a hurry.

The market here may not be at the bottom yet so you still have some downside risk to buying. Rental will give that some time to work out also.

Just a thought.

[kerilw]

But can you rent month to month?

[CoolBeans]

Stay away from Fishers, the traffic is insane.