moving to apple valley (Minneapolis, St. Paul: sales, how much, home sales)

[sharon14]

will be moving to apple valley from sterling heights michigan..interested about info regarding property taxes for dakota county..the cost of housing,school district,etc.

[golfgal]

I live in Rosemount, next door to Apple Valley, same school district. You picked the best schools in the state and one of the top districts in the nation. There are 5 high schools in the district and they are all outstanding. Property taxes/housing costs are normal for the Twin Cities area but that is relative. Right now the market is very slow and a great time to buy. Basically you can get a 4 br, 3 bath, typical suburban 2 story house for $400,000, give or take. There is a beautiful house not far from us on the lake for $1.6 million too.

Property taxes are roughly 1% of your homes market value.

Have you settled on Apple Valley proper or are you just considering the school district? What types of activities are your kids in? That is pretty much how people pick high schools around here, not in a bad way just that academically the schools are all very good so what sets them apart are the extras.

[Robert P Stewart]

Golfgal is always on target. My past clients are huge fans of the 196 school district there in the valley of apples. They apparently have a music program there that's second to none. You'll see it mentioned in some of my other posts, but the 196 school district struck a great balance between academics, arts, and sports.

Hope this helps!

Robert

[politikally]

Hi Sharon14,

I recently moved from Michigan (8 months ago now) over to here. The taxes a pretty comparable to Michigan, though there are a few taxes that will surprise you:

1. They take a bigger chunk of your income for taxes over here.
2. Sin taxes are MUCH cheaper in Minnesota. (i.e. if you smoke, cigs are 7 bucks a pack in Michigan and only 4 here)
3. The liquor laws blow - they don't even sell wine in grocery stores around here.
4. Registering your car will probably shock the hell out of you. I paid triple what I did in Michigan to register my cars.

Finally Property taxes - aren't too bad. They're a touch worse than Michigan. But at least you won't be dealing with the Michigan economy anymore (worst in the country).

Good Luck!

[pagenunn]

Okay, you scared the heck out of me, how much does it cost to register your cars? What about groceries, utilities etc?

[mngma]

Originally Posted by sharon14

will be moving to apple valley from sterling heights michigan..interested about info regarding property taxes for dakota county..the cost of housing,school district,etc.

I live just east of Apple Valley and its not a bad place to be. Lots of shopping convienient to almost everything. If you are working in the downtown areas the commute can be tricky give yourself extra time till you are familiar about town. Winter I dont have to explain, I lived in MI as a kid and remember how it was. Cost of housing can be high. Our property costs are pretty high. Apple Valley school district (196) is one of the best in the state. Go online to the Star Tribune Newspaper, its user friendly and you will get an idea of the rents in the area. Good Luck, and welcome to Minnesota

[GeorgiaFamily]

We live in Georgia (have always) and may be moving to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in June 2007. We are sure to be in for a shock! Putting the extreme change in weather aside, we know that it will be a big change for us. My husband and I have three children: a son who is 11, a daugher who is 9, and another son who is 6. If we do move in June 2007, they will be starting 6th, 5th, and 1st grades in the Fall. I know that it will be a huge adjustment for them. We are looking at Apple Valley and surrounding areas. We have heard wonderful things about Apple Valley from some of the people who work at the company who is recruiting my husband. "The compnay" is on the SE side of the Twin Cities. Apple Valley seems like a wonderful place and from all that I have read on-line, the schools are truly wonderful. All three of our children are "straight A" students; however, we are concerned about their adjustment to Minnesota schools. They are in a great school here in Georgia and are in the "Gifted Programs".

Also, we have noticed that you can get so much more house for the money here in Georgia (Atlanta suburb). We have noticed while looking at houses on-line that house that would typically cost $250,000.00 to $350,000.00 here would be in the neighborhoold of $450,000.00 to even $500,000.00-$600,000.00 there! Also, the property taxes appear to much higher there. Here, the property taxes on our $200,000.00 home are just $1,200.00 per year. We know that we will be in for a lot of changes.

Does anyone have any advice on where we should buy a home??? Schools???Any other general advice??? Having lived in Georgia our enire lives, the though of a move to Minnesota is a bit intimidating. Though, it is very exciting, as well!!! Any advice would be most welcomed!!!

[Robert P Stewart]

If you're going to live in the Cities, Apple Valley and Lakeville have some of the most affordable housing. It really depends on what you're looking for.

I've seen some early home sales that just closed where the buyers did QUITE well. I think you're moving here at the right time.

Robert

[grace1202]

We are moving to MN this June as well and want to be in the same area you've mentioned. We looked at homes in Apple Valley, Eagan, Rosemount, and Lakeville. If you want to be in a specific school district just make sure you go to the school's website and plug that address in to make sure there are no surprises when getting your kids registered for school (thanks to golfgal on that piece of advice). Best of luck on this move!!!