[cristoq]

I agree with MichiganBob. East Lansing is a great place to live. Small city with big city extras. Good school system for kids. I raised three boys here, 1 mile from campus and stores, but right next to a wooded area on a pleasant cul-de-sac with owner-occupied homes. Three blocks to buses and they are handicapper accessible. Snow is plowed promptly and driveways slope down to the street slightly, so we can always get out in the worst weather.

[blckisusan]

Sorry, I dozed off from the messages

I'm always torn between buying and renting. It would be nice to not be the ones worried about repairs for awhile, but there is something about a place being "yours". I agree, though, I've been checking out the market, and its definitely a buyer's market. Which means, if its still the same in 3 years, we'll be kicking ourselves. It will probably come down to what is available when we get there and how badly we may lose $$ on our current house. We might even have to become landlords ourselves with the way our local market is going!

I'm not worried about a job after law school since we're Air Force, if we go, he will be a JAG afterwards. Although, sometimes I wish we were out and could just settle down somewhere. Then I remember... retiring at 43, with pay and benefits.. you can't find that anywhere else! So we just need to suck it up and deal with going where they tell us.

I would rather have charm than convenience sometimes, and sometimes I'd rather have convenience. As long as I'm not looking out my window at a WalMart, I'm not too concerned. The first home we bought was on this cute tree-line boulevard. We bought it on a weekend visit knowing we would soon be living in the city and we later found out that the Salvation Army was one street over. Loved the street, hated the neighborhood, but it was more of a safety issue.

Thanks for all of the feedback, it seems there are lots of options in locations and we will probably start with Waverly and work our way outwards from there!

-Shelley

[GAisGreat]

Old Town, around LCC/Cooley Campus is nice, but also not the safest. If transportation isn't a problem, like others would definately recommend East Lansing/Okemos/Haslett. Waverly is definately nice also, and cheaper.

Would not recommend buying at all. I guess I don't understand the situation with the Air Force...are you going to be stationed locally? Does the Air Force help you get rid of the home if you are stationed somewhere else? Believe me when I tell you...1. it is going to be very hard to sell the home, 2. you will have a very hard time getting back what you paid.
We came very close to buying a home in MI, last year, and I poured over and over the numbers...did tons of research...there was just no way at all it was worth it. And believe me, I'm typically a risk taker, and optimist that things will get better at some point, but no matter how hard I tried, just could not see it happening there.

[blckisusan]

We weren't settled one way or another on buying or renting. The AF doesn't help you get rid of a house, but we were thinking of keeping it as a rental IF we did buy. Its just that when I start looking at rentals that are available, I'm very disappointed with a lot of what I see. I don't need anything fancy or huge, but a decent home with a decent amount of space is hard to come by in a rental market sometimes.

Any place to see rentals available online besides craigslist.com? If so, please share I could use some optimism!

[teachbeach]

The Lansing State Journal is the local newspaper. It's the 3 capital letter initials.com that will get you to the website.

[electromechanicAl]

I live by Frances Park which is just Southwest of downtown. I can easily ride my bicycle to Cooley from here. My neighborhood is as nice if not better than any neighborhood in the "burbs" (like Waverly or East Lansing). Sure Lansing has its bad areas but I think people who have replied here have thrown out the whole city because of a few bad areas. Colonial Village is a quiet neighborhood with small houses I would recommend to someone on a budget. Rite Aid and L&L (a decent grocery store) are close by as well as Quality Dairy (convenience store).

[electromechanicAl]

I forgot to ad that Mt. Hope road is an East/West road that goes from Waverly all the way East to Okemos. So, from Colonial village you can travel (via Mt. Hope road) through the South edge of East Lansing (and Michigan State University) all the way to Okemos without a turn.

[Mimi24]

I'm surprised no one mentioned our serial killer who struck in Old Town and in an area on Verlinden last summer (two of the areas people mentioned that were OK to live...not!).

Ummm yeah...thrilled that we are leaving Lansing soon!!!!

[cardwellave]

Originally Posted by Mimi24

I'm surprised no one mentioned our serial killer who struck in Old Town and in an area on Verlinden last summer (two of the areas people mentioned that were OK to live...not!).

Ummm yeah...thrilled that we are leaving Lansing soon!!!!

Of course! Because one incident automatically makes it a bad area.

[Mimi24]

That makes two incidents...not one. And that's where just two of the murders occured...there were more.

But that was in reference to the serial killer. There are more murders and violent crime in this town than those related to those serial killings. Lansing is bad all around.