Looking at house in Farmington Hills (Novi, South Lyon: for sale, apartment complexes, neighborhoods)

[jnickell41]

I have been reading posts here for some time and I am finally ready to post a question. My wife and I just moved to the area for my job from upstate New York. We looked at a house in Independence Commons No 1 in Farmington Hills around Drake and 11 Mile. I was wondering what everyones opinion is of this subdivision and area in general. From what I have read the further north and west you go in Farmington Hills generally the better the neighborhoods, this is just a little further south than some other areas we were interested in. We are not too concerned about the school district since we are not planning on having kids for a couple of years and who knows what the schools will be like in 15+ years. Any information you have will be helpful, thank you.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

I work about a mile away from the subdivision you are looking at and it is a very nice area. I can't comment on that specific sub, but all of the subs off of Drake between Grand River and 12 are very nice. You'll be close to plenty of shopping, freeways, etc. 12 Mile can get pretty nasty during rush hour, but there are plenty of alternate routes to get you where you need to go.

Even if you're not planning on having kids soon, I would still take a good look at the schools. The quality of your school district is one of the biggest factors affecting the value of your home.

[YohnCarter]

Just recently moved out from the other side of 11-Drake. From experience, I would suggest that you recognize that FH while still an excellent community, has seen some very significant declines in its educational reputation, and is probably not going to be a good investment relative to Novi, South Lyon, Northville or Plymouth. There are a lot of higher priced homes for sale in the immediate area that have been on the market a long time. The homes directly to the north are $350-900k. The market has been EXTREMELY soft in this area for higher priced homes. (350k and up) so these are depressing prices and you can get some very good bargains in this area. Your neighborhood is nice, quiet, and well maintained. The problem with this area is heading south, you are into the big apartment complexes like Muirwood, Drakeshire, and Independence Green. There is a steady stream of stories, gossip, and reports about drugs , crime, etc., associated with these complexes. The shopping centers along Grand River, with the exception of Busch's Center, look very run down and seedy. The area to the south is a clear drag on property value. Basically a very nice area but bordering an area which is a significant drag on property values.

[Detroiteanca]

I think that price would play a very important role in this decision. If you are able to get a property in neighboring Novi or Northville for the same price, I would go with that. I lived in Farmington and I think it is a great place to be...for the right price. Farmington schools are a quality district in general, but some schools have seen overcrowding due to the recent closure of a few schools. The area you are speaking of is very nice and well maintained, but I would suggest negotiating for a very competitive price in case you decide that for some reason this is not the place you want to spend the next 15 years.