Affordable Outlying Areas? (Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Muskegon: for sale, real estate, houses)

[LakeEffect2]

I'd move to GR in a flash if I could afford it. Housing may seem "bargain" to those coming from larger cities, but coming from northern Michigan it's rather pricey.

How far away from GR do you have to live in order to find decent housing in the the $60-$75K range? I realize there are homes in this range for sale in GR but I doubt they're in safe neighborhoods. If I'm wrong about that, I'd enjoy hearing about such neighborhoods.

Otherwise, what are some outlying towns that might offer homes in my price range? Lowell is less expensive that GR but still up there.

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by LakeEffect2

I'd move to GR in a flash if I could afford it. Housing may seem "bargain" to those coming from larger cities, but coming from northern Michigan it's rather pricey.

How far away from GR do you have to live in order to find decent housing in the the $60-$75K range? I realize there are homes in this range for sale in GR but I doubt they're in safe neighborhoods. If I'm wrong about that, I'd enjoy hearing about such neighborhoods.

Otherwise, what are some outlying towns that might offer homes in my price range? Lowell is less expensive that GR but still up there.

Honestly I'm not sure you could find a house in this range in the metro area unless you settled for one of the neighborhoods in the city that haven't had a lot of resurgence. Maybe parts of northern Wyoming. It tends to be more working class, but pretty safe. Other than you'd have to start in the rural parts of the satellite counties like Ionia, Montcalm, or Newaygo.

[LakeEffect2]

Thanks for your response, mj. I'll check out northern Wyoming. Otherwise it doesn't look too promising. IF I settle as far out as Newago or Ionia, I doubt that I'd partake in the social/cultural aspects of GR that draw me to the area.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by LakeEffect2

I'd move to GR in a flash if I could afford it. Housing may seem "bargain" to those coming from larger cities, but coming from northern Michigan it's rather pricey.

How far away from GR do you have to live in order to find decent housing in the the $60-$75K range? I realize there are homes in this range for sale in GR but I doubt they're in safe neighborhoods. If I'm wrong about that, I'd enjoy hearing about such neighborhoods.

Otherwise, what are some outlying towns that might offer homes in my price range? Lowell is less expensive that GR but still up there.

I would say that a house at that price range in a rural area may also not be a safe area.

Muskegon and surrounding area you may have more luck.

Go here, type in your price range, and see what comes up. The Grand Rapids MLS/real estate board covers a pretty large area:

http://www.grar.com/residential/

[LakeEffect2]

Magellan,
Thanks for your comments and the link to GRAR. Very useful.

[intelfan11315]

If you could somehow bump up your price from 60-75k to about 110k you could find something in Grand Rapids.

[michigan83]

If you can find something just inside Ionia county (past the eastern boundary of Kent County) and near I-96, you will have lower real estate prices and lower taxes. But you can still get to 28th street in 20 minutes and to downtown GR in 30 minutes. If you get too far from I-96 out there then GR becomes much less convenient. The school districts aren't as desirable but it's still a safe area. Most of the growth from GR stops at the Kent County line as you head east and the prices reflect that. You also get what you pay for to an extent, because Ionia county has poor roads, less conveniences, and is just less attractive in general than Kent County.

If you do a GRAR search and search the Saranac or Lakewood school districts, or the Saranac or Clarksville zip codes, you will find houses in the area I'm talking about.

[LakeEffect2]

A person here in northern Michigan who once lived in the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming says that is a decent and safe place to live with affordable housing.

Any comments? One website, niche.com, gives it mixed reviews with a "C" rating on safety. What's going on there? Is it safe to walk streets at night? Any gang problems?

Thanks.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by LakeEffect2

A person here in northern Michigan who once lived in the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming says that is a decent and safe place to live with affordable housing.

Any comments? One website, niche.com, gives it mixed reviews with a "C" rating on safety. What's going on there? Is it safe to walk streets at night? Any gang problems?

Thanks.

Wyoming is a pretty large suburban community. It has older parts that are basically inner city, and brand new neighborhoods that border Byron Center and Grandville. You have to see it to understand.

But yes Wyoming has traditionally been a place where you could find a nice small ranch in a nice neighborhood but that's changing as the market continues to be hot.

[LakeEffect2]

Thank you, Magellan. I'll check out web real estate.