Possible move to Grand Rapids, areas to consider. (Wyoming, Forest Hills: estate, property taxes)

[lpvinyl21]

Hi everyone,
My husbands job may possible transfer him to Grand Rapids around June, we are currently living in Maryland and really have no clue about GR.
- We are looking for a single family home
- Safe and family friendly area, where I can go for walks with my 1 year old son, good school district, parks
-We are willing to spend up to $200K (maybe a little more if the house is perfect)
-We are trying to get a fairly large home, as my husband will be working from home and will need a seperate office and I am stay at home mom. So we really want to get the most bang for our bucks without sacraficing location though.

I was hopping to get some suggestions on what areas areas we should be looking at giving the above criterias?

Any feedback provided will be greatly appreciated

[mich2fla]

Plenty of good school districts outside of Grand Rapids...we live in Ada and our kids attend Forest Hills schools. We are pleased with it. We having a bike trail and a couple of parks nearby. We've been here since fall of 1999.

Check your DM box.

[mimberly]

Two of my older kids have lived in the Grand Rapids area a few years. They have moved several times as they rent. I really thought the Grandville area seem nice. Although Michigan is certainly having it problems and many people are leaving. Grand Rapids is one the areas that have some oppurtunities.

[mimberly]

Oh I forgot they live in Wyoming now in that area and they like it there. THese are all communities around Grand Rapids

[SouperStar34]

Ada and East Grand Rapids are my favorite areas.

Forest Hills, Northview, and East Grand Rapids are all nice schools in the Grand Rapids area.

I coach high schoool volleyball; I have been to a lot of schools in and near GR.

[suydam]

There was a pretty big thread about this topic last year:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/michi...-info-ada.html

I posted the following description which still holds true:
Search the threads for Ada/Cascade vs. EGR...there have been several discussion on this subject.

Here's my take:

Schools are outstanding in either area.
Demographics are similar in either area (affluent folks predominate).
That's where the similarities end, however.

In the interests of full disclosure, I live in EGR, so my opinions are those of a resident. We moved here 3 years ago, weren't from Grand Rapids at all and had never lived here. We've got 2 kids under 3 and are in our 30s. Sounds like a similar family situation.

Ada/Cascade is suburban living full of newer developments with bigger lots and bigger homes. There are gated communities that are so popular around the rest of the country, there are un-gated suburban sub-divisions and there is everything in between. There are hills, the Grand River (it's gorgeous through Ada/Cascade), the Thornapple River, great parks and an incredible system of bike-paths.

There are plenty of condo developments and I'm assuming some apartment complexes as well though I'm not sure if they'd be family-oriented or retiree-oriented. I'm sure you could find a house to rend in a family-friendly neighborhood. Because the schools are good, people moving to Ada/Cascade are generally families with kids that are either school-age now, or will be eventually. It's also expensive to buy (so is EGR) but if you're looking there you already figured that out.

EGR is a living, breathing Norman Rockwell painting updated for the modern era (take it or leave it). Armies of strollers take the streets every day (I'm only half-kidding...and my wife is among them) to walk around town, walk around Reeds Lake, walk to the library ($9M, brand new in 2006, lake front), walk to the coffee shop, etc. Kids walk to school (there are no school busses here) and their parents walk with them. There are block parties in the summer, there are sledding parties in the winter. There are candle-lined streets on Christmas Eve (east of Breton Rd. in the Maplewood St. area). Seems like most houses are older, most have garages to the side or behind the house and many homes have that "front porch, hey how ya doing neighbor" thing going on.

That's just how it is.

As you'd expect, with all the walking and front-porch residential, everyone seems to know everyone, at least that was my take when we got here. It was intimidating actually. Now, 3 years later, we're used to it and have our own cadre of jogging-stroller-dog-walking friends. I'd say EGR is what it is....you either love it or hate it and there seems to be no in between.

Property taxes in EGR are considerably higher than Ada/Cascade. That's mainly because EGR is a city and city taxes are always higher than township taxes. Plus, it's a tiny little city that strives to provide big-city type services. Again, if you like that, you'll feel it's worth the money. If you're moving from a township where you pay low taxes, EGR will be a shock to the system.

Because the taxes are high it seems that the only people buying homes are families with kids, families with babies, or couples about to have kids. I mentioned that about Ada/Cascade too, but I think it's to a much higher degree in EGR. I haven't seen a house sell in the 3 years we've been here where the new buyers weren't parents w/kids save for one couple on our street who is adopting next year.

From a rental perspective there are a few duplexes around downtown EGR ("Gaslight Village") but other than that, renting here means renting a home. To find those, try this link (works for Ada/Cascade too) and search by school district (for Ada/Cascade search "Forest Hills" school district for EGR search the EGR school district which is almost the same as the city-limits save for a little extra chunk of land that's in GR Township + EGR Schools) http://public.grar.com/public/pubsrch.mac/start

Send me a private message if you need any more details. Either place is nice, good luck in your search.

[lpvinyl21]

Thank you for all the info everyone, it is so very helpful. Suydam thank you for the tip on what to search for in this forum. We are definetly looking to buy so hopefully we can find something we like in our price range, I doubt the taxes are going to be shocking to us we live about 30 minutes outside of Baltimore,MD right now and our tiny townhome cost almost $300k and that is after paying less then the asking price at the time, so I am quite excited at the prospect of moving to the GR area becuase the homes are so affordable compared to where we live right now and I am sure the taxes are less too Plus I am from NY so nothing shocks me as far as housing cost LOL

My husband brought up a good point that if he is transfered then we probably would not be in GR for more then 2-2 1/2 years tops so the school district is not as important right now since our son just turned 1 last month. Would you all still recommend the same areas if the school district wasnt a factor? Does EGR have newer built houses? Almost everything I see is older homes which I was trying to stay away from.

[kwhitt]

East GR is mostly older homes. There are some newer homes that I remember driving past, but they were huge...HUGE homes and on the outskirts of the EGR area. It still has my vote for atmosphere though!

I lived in Plainfield township. There are some nice suburbs there, but they aren't nearly as "fancy" as EGR. I could have lived there happily though. Lots of friendly neighbors too. Quite a few kids playing in the yards and empty-nesters tending their lawns. I used to walk the dog at night without worrying about my safety.

My husband grew up in the Wyoming area near the city proper. He said it depends on what street you lived on as to how nice it was, and I tend to agree with that. The street he grew up on used to have block parties and houses are kept up. The neighbors across the street from his mom's current house had the police visit numerous times, houses on her street sat without selling for 12 months + and there is at least one gang that I'm aware of that likes to bring their disputes into the local businesses from time to time...I'm referring to the shooting incidents. Frankly, I'd be very careful before buying in the area. Do a drive by of the house for sale and see what kind of neighbors it has, how long the house has been on the market, and who the past owners were/are, etc, etc.

[suydam]

Originally Posted by lpvinyl21

My husband brought up a good point that if he is transfered then we probably would not be in GR for more then 2-2 1/2 years tops so the school district is not as important right now since our son just turned 1 last month. Would you all still recommend the same areas if the school district wasnt a factor? Does EGR have newer built houses? Almost everything I see is older homes which I was trying to stay away from.

If school district wasn't a factor, I'd probably shy away from Ada/Cascade and EGR. They are the nicest areas in GR (in my opinion at least) but they are also much more expensive precisely because the schools are top-notch.

If you don't care about schools, your options are greatly expanded and you can get much more money for your house.

Then again, it's theoretically easier to sell a house in a great school district, so maybe you should still care. I say "theoretically" because everything's pretty stagnant right now... doesn't matter where you live there are lots of homes for sale. It's a buyer's market.

To answer your other question, EGR Is almost entirely older homes. A catholic parish sold land to a developer a few years ago. He's been building in there and so there are newer homes going up on that street (Amberly I think). There are also buildable lots in a great (but expensive) spot called "Wilcox Gardens" that was a large estate but has been split into lots and a cul-de-sac paved in for access.

Today at least, a search of GRAR shows 5 listings in EGR for homes less than 5 years old.
and 9 additional listings of homes 5-25 years old. SO yeah, it's mostly older homes.

There are also a fair number of tear-downs going on at any given time in EGR. On San Lu Rae for example, people have bought up tiny ranches on big lots and replaced them with 4,000sq. ft.+ homes.

The best tool (by far) for searching property in GR is the Grand Rapids Assoc of Realtors (GRAR).

You will have less trouble finding newer homes in most other areas. EGR is tiny (a circle about 3 miles round, with a lake in the middle).

[Tracy08]

Originally Posted by lpvinyl21

Hi everyone,
My husbands job may possible transfer him to Grand Rapids around June, we are currently living in Maryland and really have no clue about GR.
- We are looking for a single family home
- Safe and family friendly area, where I can go for walks with my 1 year old son, good school district, parks
-We are willing to spend up to $200K (maybe a little more if the house is perfect)
-We are trying to get a fairly large home, as my husband will be working from home and will need a seperate office and I am stay at home mom. So we really want to get the most bang for our bucks without sacraficing location though.

I was hopping to get some suggestions on what areas areas we should be looking at giving the above criterias?

Any feedback provided will be greatly appreciated

GREETINGS, MY HUSBAND AND I MOVED TO GR AREA 5 YRS. AGO FROM UPSTATE NY. WE HAVE 3 SONS AGES FROM 8 TO 21. AT THE TIME, OUR OLDEST WAS IN 10TH GRADE. WE RENTED A DUPLEX IN BYRON CENTER SCHOOL DISTRICT (SW SUB. OF G.R.) . SCHOOLS WERE OUR 1# PRIORITY AT THE TIME. BYRON CENTER IS A BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL DISTRICT, VERY NICE SCHOOLS WHICH OFFER ALOT. WE ENDED UP BUYING A HOUSE IN BYRON CENTER. I DID NOT WANT TO UP ROOT MY BOYS INTO DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS AGAIN. WHAT I CAN SAY ABOUT BYRON CENTER IS THIS.... IF YOU WERE BORN HERE, IT IS WONDERFUL. IF YOU ARE AN OUTSIDER WHO DOES NOT GO TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY (SUCH AS US). YOU'RE NOT VERY WELCOME. ALSO, CONTRARY TO WHAT MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE. THERE IS A HUGE DRUG PROBLEM HERE WITH TEENAGERS, ETC. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW DISAPPOINTED I AM TO HAVE BOUGHT A HOUSE HERE. IF I WERE TO DO IT AGAIN, I'D BUY A HOUSE AND SETTLE IN THE LOWELL, ADA, CASCADE, CALEDONIA AREAS. BASED ON WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD. THEY ARE MUCH MORE WELCOME THERE. BYRON CENTER IS A VERY NICE LOOKING AREA. MANY NEW SUB DIVISIONS, NEW METRO HEALTH VILLAGE, ST. MARYS URGENT CARE, ETC. IT AT ONE TIME WAS A VERY SMALL TOWN. IT HAS GROWN TREMENDOUSLY SINCE WE'VE BEEN HERE. NEW NEIGHBORHOODS ARE GOING UP EVERYWHERE, WHERE IT WAS ONCE FARMING LANDS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING OR IN AN AREA. COUNTRY? NEIGHBORHOODS? ETC. IF I KNEW THIS INFO, I COULD RECOMMEND WHAT DIFFERENT AREAS. BASED ON OUR EXPERIENCE. I DO LIKE WEST MICHIGAN. I THINK IT HAS ALOT TO OFFER. IF YOU LIKE COUNTRY, WE'VE GOT IT, IF YOU LIKE LAKES, WE'VE GOT IT, IF YOU ARE INTO CITY LIFE, WE'VE GOT IT, ETC. ETC. . IT'S KIND OF A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING. I HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL TO YOU. I KNOW HOW FRIGHTENING IT IS TO MOVE INTO A NEW AREA WHERE YOU DON'T KNOW ANYONE! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS. TRACY