New Subdivisions mean Young Family & Young Kids? (Canton, Novi: houses, neighborhoods)

[DTWflyer]

South Lyon Real Estate & South Lyon MI Homes for Sale - Zillow

$234K - 2013 construction Green Oaks Twp, just across the county line from South Lyon
4 BD / 2 bath 2200 sq. ft

South Lyon Real Estate & South Lyon MI Homes for Sale - Zillow

$299K - 2013 construction Canton, MI
4BD / 3 BA 2600 sq ft.

Macomb Township Real Estate & Macomb Township MI Homes for Sale - Zillow

$264K - 2013 construction Macomb, MI
3 BD / 3 BA 1900 sq ft

Birmingham Real Estate & Birmingham MI Homes for Sale - Zillow

$499K - 2013 construction
4BD / 5 BA 2700 sq ft (on a 4700 sq ft lot)

Birmingham Real Estate & Birmingham MI Homes for Sale - Zillow

$649K - 2012 construction Birmingham, MI
3 BD / 2.5 BA 2600 sq ft (on a 6800 sq ft lot)

[BBCity]

wow! thanks for all the replies in the first place... yes we are sticking to novi & northville primarily because of schools and this is not too far away from work and other major activities.

We are in the market for a longtime and I have been doing a lot of driving around and anaylzing. I see my theory(new subs mean younger parents with younger kids) to be true at least for the new subs in the novi/northville area, in particular - church hill crossing, arcadia ridge, liberty park, island lakes of novi, bella terra of novi, kirkway estates, cheltenham(by thornton creek school) & etc. For reasons other than our toddlers, I see us parents liking subs aged approximately 20 years primarily between 10 mile and 6 mile road, but most of the kids there are teenagers. I have spoken to a few & they claim that school buses used to be full in those 20+ year neighborhoods even in smaller subs, but now everyone is at high school are done with school. And the playsets in older subs aren't necessarily indicative of younger children in my opinion because playsets seems to stay put for awhile even when not in use. Newer subs don't tend to have playset unless homeowners have younger children.

[BBCity]

We are looking for under $500k with about 3000 Sq. Ft. I work in milford my wife works all along I-275 north of canton & southfield. We live in novi - for over a decade now, but our toddler needs an upgrade - our current home is 1500 sq ft and we have run out of space. Thanks again!

[DTWflyer]

Part of what you are seeing is related to economic growth/recession tied to the real estate market.

Novi experiences its building boom back in go-go, hey-day, SUV boom, life-was-good 1990s. Novi was the new frontier, and going through a building bonanza for much of that decade. Much of Novi was built-out by the early 2000s which is also when the local/state/national economy tanked in 2001. Michigan never really pulled out of that economic mess, and then of course the housing market fell off a cliff about 4-5 years ago.

Novi experienced rapid growth from a lot of younger familes during the 1990s, now 10-15-20 years later those little kids that used to play on all those swingsets are now in high school, college, or out on their own. The parents may still live there. Many are still working and not in a position to sell their houses or waiting for the market to recover.

Add in the fact the brain-drain in Michigan, the lack of job growth over much of the past decade there just have not been the influx of younger families into these not-as-new places like Novi. Plus, people are getting married later, and delaying having children and/or not necessarily as interested in suburban living.

I'm just saying I'm not surprised as many of those types of neighborhoods have not turned over much yet.

[scolls]

There was just a recent article and the census estimates had places like Novi and Macomb Township as the fastest growing in the area with Detroit, Livonia and Taylor as the fastest declining.

1500 square feet is too small for a couple and one child? Gee whiz my 1300 square foot house has ample room. To think in the 60's-70's 3000 square feet was almost unheard of.

[BBCity]

yeah 3000 square feet seems to be the new standard for an average family with 2 kids...

[313 TUxedo]

One common thing to a lot of these posts is that many posters can't believe older adults would be buying McMansions and other homes in the outlying suburbs.

They do, quite often a condominium, but sometimes a much larger house.

For one thing, they tend to be paranoid of urban crime and assume "the further out, and newer, the safer".

Second (this I heard from a friend in the old neighborhood whose mother bought a condominium when she started becoming ill), they see an expensive house as a place to shelter their wealth from the medical-industrial complex. He said (I don't know if he was correct) that if one held money or securities, that one's assets could be seized to pay for expensive long-term medical care (i.e. multiyear nursing home stay) until their bank accounts/portfolios ran out, before Medicare would pick up the tab - but if all of grandma's money were used to buy a house, they could draw Medicare as soon as her pocket money ran out, and the children could inherit the McMansion, and cash it out upon the owner's death (I have always been skeptical of that - but if enough oldsters believed it to buy into it, the housing market is impacted nonetheless).

A lot of estates probably got burned by the 2008- housing bubble collapse (I personally know a pair of sisters who did).

[Almont1]

Originally Posted by 313 TUxedo

One common thing to a lot of these posts is that many posters can't believe older adults would be buying McMansions and other homes in the outlying suburbs.

They do, quite often a condominium, but sometimes a much larger house.

Of course some older couples buy McMansions, but it isn't the typical buyer.

It makes no sense for this demographic, because they're buying useless space, paying for schools and child-centered amenities they won't use, and moving away from family and friends in established neighborhoods.

I think the target market for Novi/South Lyon type McMansions is the 30-something buyer with kids. Yes, there are exceptions.

[Almont1]

Originally Posted by BBCity

yeah 3000 square feet seems to be the new standard for an average family with 2 kids...

It's the standard in newer developments, but obviously the average family doesn't buy into these communities.

The average U.S. family has an household income of around 50k, so I don't think they're in the market for developments that are 300k, 400k, 500k and up.

[Almont1]

Originally Posted by DTWflyer

South Lyon Real Estate & South Lyon MI Homes for Sale - Zillow

$234K - 2013 construction Green Oaks Twp, just across the county line from South Lyon
4 BD / 2 bath 2200 sq. ft

South Lyon Real Estate & South Lyon MI Homes for Sale - Zillow

$299K - 2013 construction Canton, MI
4BD / 3 BA 2600 sq ft.

Macomb Township Real Estate & Macomb Township MI Homes for Sale - Zillow

$264K - 2013 construction Macomb, MI
3 BD / 3 BA 1900 sq ft

Birmingham Real Estate & Birmingham MI Homes for Sale - Zillow

$499K - 2013 construction
4BD / 5 BA 2700 sq ft (on a 4700 sq ft lot)

Birmingham Real Estate & Birmingham MI Homes for Sale - Zillow

$649K - 2012 construction Birmingham, MI
3 BD / 2.5 BA 2600 sq ft (on a 6800 sq ft lot)

You're not really comparing similar places though. Birmingham is total outlier, and not comparable.

South Lyon means Lyon Twp, really, not Green Oak Twp., and Canton is nowhere near.

Macomb is the cheapest of the three.