[LemonPink]

My husband and I are both from Michigan and are living on the east coast. We are looking to possibly relocate back to Michigan but don't quite know where to start. I asked a few years ago but life has changed so I thought I would ask for recommendations. Neither of us are looking to move back to our home towns.

Criteria: 3 bedroom houses for $300k or less
Good schools (they don't need to be excellent)
Not looking for a big city or big suburban area
Preferably Within 30 minutes of a college or university

Right now, Rockford is a town we are looking at. We will be back in Michigan for a visit soon and would like to take a look at a few more towns.

Thanks!

[Coldjensens]

Grand Haven or South Haven maybe? Lovely place. There is a boatload of colleges in Grand Rapids/Allendale. Grand Valley is the big one but several major universities have extensions there and there are also four or five small colleges. The west side of the State is less crowded and prettier.

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by LemonPink

My husband and I are both from Michigan and are living on the east coast. We are looking to possibly relocate back to Michigan but don't quite know where to start. I asked a few years ago but life has changed so I thought I would ask for recommendations. Neither of us are looking to move back to our home towns.

Criteria: 3 bedroom houses for $300k or less
Good schools (they don't need to be excellent)
Not looking for a big city or big suburban area
Preferably Within 30 minutes of a college or university

Right now, Rockford is a town we are looking at. We will be back in Michigan for a visit soon and would like to take a look at a few more towns.

Thanks!

Rockford will be hit or miss in terms of your price range, but is definitely an attractive area to live. If Rockford has your interest I'd also look at Cedar Springs, Comstock Park, Walker, Hudsonville, and Lowell. All going to be within that Grand Rapids sphere of influence meeting your criteria.

[Reading Railroad]

Rockford is great but a little more expensive. Lowell is a little more affordable. Lowell is really nice, strong community and close to Grand Rapids. It has its own downtown and great schools.

[craig11152]

If you don't want to move back to your hometowns it might help to know what they are

[lynnc99]

I am originally from Rochester, and we just moved back after 15 years away. We found a great selection of homes (same price range as you would like) in the Waterford/ Clarkston area which puts us in good school districts (for resale value only as our kids are grown). We are within minutes of DTE Music Theater, Oakland University wirh Meadowbrook Theater and Music Festival, and not a bad drive at all to Ann Arbor or MSU. Downtown Detroit is within easy reach as well. Honestly I never knew much about this area but we are very pleased! (We have an exemplary realtor, if you need a referral. No, it's not me but it made our looking much more focused to have someone great to work with in the north Oakland areas. PM if you'd like the name.)

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by LemonPink

Criteria: 3 bedroom houses for $300k or less
Good schools (they don't need to be excellent)
Not looking for a big city or big suburban area
Preferably Within 30 minutes of a college or university

Minus the third point, you've described where we live in Ann Arbor perfectly.

[SouthernProper]

My #1 choice: Ann Arbor and surrounding areas ... absolutely wonderful.
#2: Traverse City. Mid sized college town.

I'm a native Michigander.

[usroute10]

I am surprised no one mentioned Kalamazoo/Portage area. It fits the OP's criteria to a TEE. Western Michigan and K-College are right there.

[EastBoundandDownChick]

I would look at Ann Arbor and also the surrounding area. Saline, Dexter, etc. Dundee is a nice little town about a 30 minute drive south of Ann Arbor with good schools. Your money goes further in those communities as they are developing but are in no way overdeveloped yet. Much of it is still farmland. For 300K you would be able to buy a newer, larger home with all the bells and whistles there. Even on 200K I'd imagine you'd find something quite nice.

I actually considered an apartment in Dundee as a single person but chose Ann Arbor simply to be close to work. The truth is if I had chosen Dundee, my dollar in terms of housing quality would have stretched a lot further. Like many people, it became a toss-up of short commute vs. luxury amenities. My apartment is very basic but I love Ann Arbor. Very walkable, excellent schools, access to nature, and a short bike ride to downtown and great restaurants all made choose to be here. In the smaller communities you still have quaint downtowns but the quality isn't the same. But some people prefer the lack of congestion and traffic, plus the housing benefits I mentioned above.