Info on Detroit Metro (Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor: apartment, for rent, house)

[Melodica]

I posted this in the Grand Rapids forum, but I am also interested in the Detroit metro area so posting here as well.

My family and I are interested in the Detroit metro area - we currently live in Alabama. I've been doing some research and I have a few questions about the area. I will also list budget, needs and what we are looking for in the area.

My husband works from home, but I work outside the home in accounting/admin type work - how is the job market in the area?

We have a child who is almost 3 so schools are a huge priority. What are the best schools in the area?

We would be renting at first and then want to buy. Our budget isn't extremely high - would love to stay under $1500 for rent (2br) and around 250k for housing. Less is always better as long as the schools are good and the neighborhood is safe. It would be nice to be within a reasonable distance of fun things to do with my child, but otherwise I'm not really too concerned with things like that. I would prefer suburban to urban areas - I don't need to live really close to the city. However, due to the winter weather, I don't want to live a large distance outside of the jobs center.

Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by Melodica

I posted this in the Grand Rapids forum, but I am also interested in the Detroit metro area so posting here as well.

My family and I are interested in the Detroit metro area - we currently live in Alabama. I've been doing some research and I have a few questions about the area. I will also list budget, needs and what we are looking for in the area.

My husband works from home, but I work outside the home in accounting/admin type work - how is the job market in the area?

We have a child who is almost 3 so schools are a huge priority. What are the best schools in the area?

We would be renting at first and then want to buy. Our budget isn't extremely high - would love to stay under $1500 for rent (2br) and around 250k for housing. Less is always better as long as the schools are good and the neighborhood is safe. It would be nice to be within a reasonable distance of fun things to do with my child, but otherwise I'm not really too concerned with things like that. I would prefer suburban to urban areas - I don't need to live really close to the city. However, due to the winter weather, I don't want to live a large distance outside of the jobs center.

Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

Milford, Auburn Hills, Southfield and Grosse Pointe schools are OK to good. In each case you would be about 1/2 hour or less from the action -- Detroit Zoo, Detroit Institute of Arts, Eastern Market, State Fair, places like that. Prices decline dramatically as you get closer to the city itself.

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by Melodica

My husband works from home, but I work outside the home in accounting/admin type work - how is the job market in the area?

We have a child who is almost 3 so schools are a huge priority. What are the best schools in the area?

We would be renting at first and then want to buy. Our budget isn't extremely high - would love to stay under $1500 for rent (2br) and around 250k for housing. Less is always better as long as the schools are good and the neighborhood is safe. It would be nice to be within a reasonable distance of fun things to do with my child, but otherwise I'm not really too concerned with things like that. I would prefer suburban to urban areas - I don't need to live really close to the city. However, due to the winter weather, I don't want to live a large distance outside of the jobs center.

Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

There are a good number of Accounting jobs in the Southeastern Michigan region. In fact, accounting is one of the few fields that downtown Detroit is deep in.

The best school districts in the metro area are:

- Plymouth-Canton, Northville, Grosse Pointe, and Grosse Ile in Wayne County
- Novi, Bloomfield, Birmingham, West Bloomfield, Rochester, and Troy in Oakland County
- Chippewa Valley in Macomb County
- Ann Arbor and Saline in Washtenaw County (if you can snag a job in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area)

Only in Grosse Pointe, could you possibly snag a home for $250,000. Other good quality districts where you could purchase a home for under $250,000 include Berkley District (includes the suburb of Berkley and parts of Oak Park & Huntington Woods), Farmington (includes almost all of Farmington & Farmington Hills), and Woodhaven.

All of these are reasonable distance of fun things to do.

[snoopygirlmi]

Honestly - you'll find that the Metro area is really spread out and that you'll want to figure out where you are going to be working before you figure out what school district to put your kids into.

My husband and I have had a lot of terrible commutes because our house hasn't been super-close to where we worked and there was no great direct route to the job.

So, even though a lot of places look like they are 20-30 minutes on a map, in reality, they are closer to 40-50 minutes because of traffic and the route you'd need to take work. (How I wish we would have had waze back in the day!)

I found myself scoffing at the suggestion that going from Milford to Detroit was about 1/2 hour because 96 is a beast for the morning commute and a lot of times after the morning commute hours are over. Milford/South Lyon/Novi are all growing areas.

As an example, My husband leaves for work at 6.30 am from South Lyon to get to Southfield in a half-hour (because there isn't a lot of traffic at that time). Sometimes, if he can't sleep, he'll get up even earlier and just leave for work, so he can get his day done to avoid both the traffic in the morning/the afternoon.

As a housewife, I really haven't found a great time to drive on 96 because Novi/Wixom/Lyon Township are always just packed at all times of the day. It wouldn't be so bad, if it was just cars, but it's all the semis that just jack up the drive- so it's just a question of whether it's a super heavy day or a surprisingly light day or whether you are unlucky enough to be driving in the flow of traffic coming or going home from work during the afternoon or morning commutes. Usually from this area to downtown Detroit (not the outskirts of Detroit) is 50 minutes on a good day - and that's not adding in weather (winter brings ice/snow/slush here)! But, yes, getting to Royal Oak or Southfield is about 30 minutes.

Rochester Hills (which borders Auburn Hills) to Southfield is about 45 minutes on a good day.

St. Clair Shores to Auburn Hills is about 45 minutes.

Southfield, Auburn Hills, Troy, Downtown Detroit are really the core job centers for admin/accounting work outside of the Big 3.

South Lyon to Dearborn (Ford HQ) is about 45-50 minutes. (Again, close to Detroit, but not Detroit proper).

We moved to our current suburb because my husband had a job in Ann Arbor which is just 20 minutes away from South Lyon. Now he works in Southfield which is usually between 30-45 minutes depending on when you leave and if there's a good traffic flow. If there's not a good traffic flow, then it's not unusual for him to be in traffic for closer to an hour to 1.5 hours. He really appreciates the days when he can work at home and not have to "deal with it".

I apologize for going on and on about this, but as a family from Alabama - I really want you to have knowledge and be realistic about what to expect. Driving is a lot more aggressive here than it is most places, but things are really spread out as well. When I moved here from a smaller city/more rural area, I was really taken aback by how crazy the traffic was because I wasn't used to people driving super aggressive and there being so much of it.

I get that you want to be close to activities - and you will be regardless where you live. However, commutes here can be a time sucker, if you don't plan well. It will matter if you live close to where you work or not. The Metro area has a lot of good/great school districts, regardless what county or area you live in. So, as I said, I'd worry about getting a job first, then find housing to meet your needs. If you end up in an apartment for the first year while you scope the area out, then that wouldn't be a bad plan.

Just because an area is affordable or what you want price wise, that doesn't mean that the vibe (culture) would fit you and your family.