[Gingrott]

I will be starting a new job in Warren MI in February, and am planning to move in the next couple months. Since I'm working with such a short time frame, I'm looking to rent or sublet for most/all of this year while I search for a house. I'm also considering areas around Warren, such as Ferndale, Royal Oak, Sterling Heights, etc. and I am open to suggestions.

I've heard insurance rates and utilities are crazy high - can anyone shed some light on this? And thanks in advance for any insight you can offer!

[Geo-Aggie]

I moved from out of state to take a job in Warren about 15 months ago. We rented for a year in Royal Oak and just recently bought a house in Berkley. Both are very short commutes to Warren and both are very safe and relatively affordable. Throw Clawson and Ferndale on that list too and maybe Madison Heights if you don't mind a town with a bit less prestige. Sterling Heights is nice, but a bit sprawly. The same could be said of Warren, Troy and Macomb, so if that's your thing check those out as well. Another place often overlooked on these boards is St. Clair Shores. It's a nice blue collar town with low crime, decent schools, lake access, and very affordable housing.

Insurance isn't that bad, but we do have this stupid law about unlimited coverage in an accident that tacks on a couple hundred dollars to your annual premium (maybe $20 a month). I pay something like $150 a month for full coverage on two cars (one is a high performance car). If you live in the City of Detroit insurance is very expensive, but the suburbs aren't bad. As for utilities, Metro Detroit isn't bad. Parts of the state will use a LOT of natural gas, but Southeast Michigan is pretty temperate and Consumers Energy provides natural gas for about $3.00/McF which is actually below the national average of about $3.50/McF and their distribution rate is well below national averages too making the final cost about $6.20/McF (from my last bill) vs. a national average of $13.74/McF.

So in summary car insurance is a bit more (maybe 20% more than I paid before moving here), but utilities are actually quite inexpensive.

[DTWflyer]

My recommendation would be to rent for a year - apartment or house to get a feel for the year.
Less than 12 month leases/sublets tend to be hard to come by and/or have a significant premium in rent.

Lots of 1000-1400 sq ft houses for rent, some via property management companies or rent from owner in the Royal Oak, Madison Heights, Berkley, Ferndale, and Warren areas. Its a good starting point.
A lot of apartment complex in Troy and Sterling Heights.

In Warren, you want to stay north of I-696. South Warren tends to be a big more lower income/lower socio-economic residents and gets spillover issues of crime and poverty from Detroit.

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by Geo-Aggie

I moved from out of state to take a job in Warren about 15 months ago. We rented for a year in Royal Oak and just recently bought a house in Berkley. Both are very short commutes to Warren and both are very safe and relatively affordable. Throw Clawson and Ferndale on that list too and maybe Madison Heights if you don't mind a town with a bit less prestige. Sterling Heights is nice, but a bit sprawly. The same could be said of Warren, Troy and Macomb, so if that's your thing check those out as well. Another place often overlooked on these boards is St. Clair Shores. It's a nice blue collar town with low crime, decent schools, lake access, and very affordable housing.

Insurance isn't that bad, but we do have this stupid law about unlimited coverage in an accident that tacks on a couple hundred dollars to your annual premium (maybe $20 a month). I pay something like $150 a month for full coverage on two cars (one is a high performance car). If you live in the City of Detroit insurance is very expensive, but the suburbs aren't bad. As for utilities, Metro Detroit isn't bad. Parts of the state will use a LOT of natural gas, but Southeast Michigan is pretty temperate and Consumers Energy provides natural gas for about $3.00/McF which is actually below the national average of about $3.50/McF and their distribution rate is well below national averages too making the final cost about $6.20/McF (from my last bill) vs. a national average of $13.74/McF.

So in summary car insurance is a bit more (maybe 20% more than I paid before moving here), but utilities are actually quite inexpensive.

All I have is this to add....

[clawsondude]

You don't mention how old you are, or if you are married with kids, single, budget etc. All of that would affect recommendations.

[scorpio516]

Michigan car insurance is the most expensive in the country. Depends on where your coming from as to how much higher. Florida is the 2nd or 3rd most expensive state to insure in.
The average person paying $1300 per year in South Carolina would pay $2500 per year in Michigan.

Michigan is 136% more expensive than the national average. Wayne county is 45% more expensive than the Michigan average.

[Geo-Aggie]

Originally Posted by craig11152

All I have is this to add....

Hahaha, you'll appreciate this

[Gingrott]

Geo-Aggie: Thank you for the detailed run down of nearby areas! I've sort of landed on a couple different areas during my apartment searches, most of the places I found are near the Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township, or near Stoney Creek Metropark in Shelby Township. I would love to be in an area with nice shopping and at least a few things to do, but I have been unable to find any nice places that are available in Birmingham, Royal Oak, etc. where most of the nicer shopping and activities seem to be. Then again, I really don't know much about any of the areas, and haven't had the opportunity to travel before I'll be moving up there very soon.

As far as utility rates, that's great to know about the ng costs. I'm looking at some apartments and town homes which use ng for heating and electric for everything else. I've been trying to find some kind of discussion or comparison tool of utility bills around the area, I know it varies quite a bit based on the construction of the place, location, and usage of course. But for newer/higher end townhouses or apartments, 2/2 or 3/2 around 1400 sq ft, which is about what I've been looking at, I would love if someone could chime in with their best guess or an example or two for something similar. I'm really going in blind, it's surprisingly difficult to budget and plan when I don't know whether to expect $180/mo or $500/mo on utility bills.

DTWflyer: I agree, I think renting for a year will give me enough time to learn more about the area and figure out what I'd like to do as far as purchasing.

clawsondude: You're right, I didn't think about that element. I'm 28 years old and single, it's just me. No pets. I may get a roommate, but that would be another single professional if so. My budget for housing (utilities and rent combined) is around $1800/mo for a 2/2 that I could share with a roommate, or $1050 for just myself.

[clawsondude]

If I were you I would look at Royal Oak near downtown or Ferndale. Rochester Hills also has a nice downtown and is less frat like than Royal Oak. Shelby is a nice place, but there isn't too much to do around there for a young guy. Probably a better place for families. I do like Clawson where I live, but it's mostly a quiet little city. You would be close to Royal Oak and could probably save a few bucks, so something to consider. We have a small but growing downtown. I don't get to explore it much myself these days since I have two young kids at home.

Wonder if you might be taking a job in Warren with my employer, General Motors.

[keraT]

I would suggest looking in Madison heights. Its not fancy but it is minutes away from warren, from Royal Oak and meets your shopping needs plus you can easy find something well below your budget