Michiganders, I need compare contrast on Kent County vs. Ottawa County burbs surrounding Grand Rapids (Wyoming: wood floors)
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My DH wants to return home to his state birthplace to live. He grew up with family and friends around Grand Rapids, Rockford, and Ada, but they have since passed on or moved so we need your help to narrow the scope . Start a plan of action to visit and narrow the list while we get our current home ready to sell.
I am researching and seeking info on Kent County (Rockford, Ada, Cedar Springs, Grandville, Middleville, Lowell ) vs. Ottawa (Hudsonville, Spring Lake, Zeeland, Allendale, Jenison) I know that's a lot to throw at you but a small blurb maybe helpful to determine a weekend visit list.
My concern when a friend of the family mentioned Jenison is that it appears to be unincorporated which may limit some services or make them private or inconsistent like plowing ( which we experienced in another state/subdivision this can change things for coverage of police, fire, waste disposal, redrawing school district boundaries etc.) Is Jenison unincorporated and are the services consistent stable etc. Are the other towns listed all incorporated?
Seeking close commute to Grand Rapids /Grandville, but would like good middle and high schools. Seeking homes in 200,000 range 3 bed without being on top of neighbor (side by side drive etc). We prefer not to have a long driveway (garage behind house) as one of our homes had and while that worked if we are making a change than it is not one we wish to repeat in the next home. I enjoy a library and good parks system. Due to health reasons I can't be too rural next to corn and wheat fields that could trigger inflammation. I saw a potential home listed in Rockford and then my husband pointed out it was surrounded by corn, but the part he grew up in was not as rural it may have been that particular listing.
So looking for 30 minute or less commute to Grand Rapids/Grandville
Selection of homes in 200000 price range
Likely attached garage
Minimum 3 bedroom
Good middle and high school
Home on an acre or slightly less (not on top of others) no corn or wheat field growing in area
Shopping at Costco or other large warehouse etc and access to whole non processed foods I cook from scratch and must be able to load deep freeze and have access to quick store run for produce 2 times a week
based on past experience established community, likely incorporated, less transient residence or vacation rental area
Are any of those listed a better fit to start the weekend color tour/ town visits combo later this fall.
My husband very much enjoyed Rockford until his parents relocated. He was disappointed not to finish high school there as he preferred Rockford over the one he graduated from.
My sister lives in Rockford and its pretty nice. Good schools, there is now a Meijer's and still has a few aspects of small town life. I think it is 30 min away unless you are going to outer edges of GR. There are places you might get 1 acre but I'm not sure if the house will be nice; lots of kind of crummy houses near the river on the edge of town.
There is not a ton of farmland left in many parts of of Walker, and you also tend to get larger lots while being a pretty close commute to the city and key suburban shopping areas. Also tends to fly under the radar a bit, and you might get more home for your money.
If you're thinking Rockford, educate yourself on PFAS contamination and I'd avoid anything on well water these days just to be safe.
You're also starting to get into apple season, and many of the orchards these days sell far more than just apples directly to consumers. It seems like everyone has their favorite orchards to visit.
Most of what people call Jenison is Georgetown charter township.An explanation of charter townships here:
hhwtm-Thank you for the information. As it has been awhile since he has lived there.So imagine there have been changes.
Beach mouse - Thank you that's exactly the details only someone knows about the water. You have no idea how helpful that is. I'll look at Walker too. My husband since being from Kent naturally thought of the areas he knew before.
Thanks for the link on charter townships as I need to become more familiar with it before our next move. We found ourselves once in a home that was unincorporated and there was quite a bit of divisions amongst the school systems , infrastructure, garbage etc.
Last edited by Gladiator gal; 09-21-2018 at 06:03 PM..
The PFAS/PFOA issue is not limited to Rockford. It also has been found in Plainfield Township as well. One of the issues with Jenison (Georgetown Township ) is the Septic Systems. The township is requiring all homes on Septic Systems to eventually be responsible to hook up to the public Sewer System if you are within 200 feet of the sewer. This seems like a small issue for only a few people living in the township except for the fact that the township is expanding their sewer system and eventually very few residents will NOT be with 200 feet of the system and will be required to hook up. My last client who was affected by this was quoted close to $20,000 to remedy. That certainly could be a surprise down the road. Especially since the township does not know exactly when all the upgrades will be done to the sewer system.
The PFAS/PFOA issue is not limited to Rockford. It also has been found in Plainfield Township as well. One of the issues with Jenison (Georgetown Township ) is the Septic Systems. The township is requiring all homes on Septic Systems to eventually be responsible to hook up to the public Sewer System if you are within 200 feet of the sewer. This seems like a small issue for only a few people living in the township except for the fact that the township is expanding their sewer system and eventually very few residents will NOT be with 200 feet of the system and will be required to hook up. My last client who was affected by this was quoted close to $20,000 to remedy. That certainly could be a surprise down the road. Especially since the township does not know exactly when all the upgrades will be done to the sewer system.
Thank you. I don't think I can PM you.
So here are my questions if You have the time to kindly educate me further.
You are helping narrow things down . Your knowledge base is the type of fact based science/engineering/ water municipal/ private source details one like me seeks at this stage of researching the next move. We love wood floors and granite countertops as much as next person , but things like foundation, sewer , services, water quality, water table , schools assigned, are fundamental to a home purchase for us and not easily changed like carpet. My husband reminds me not everyone tackles moving to a new area researching like I do. And even then no home is without some blemishes. I just try to stack rank them accordingly☺
We did have a new sewer line installed for our current home to street that was not revealed until after purchase when I was doing a large load of towels in the washing machine. Tree root vs clay pipe as you know tree won. Indoor plumbing is a great thing many take for granted until, well you got a 10,000 -20,000 bill. I feel for your client , been someplace similar to there. This is of course not a deal breaker, but most New homebuyers would reduce offer price etc for this repair. As most new homebuyers don t have excess funds freed up for major repairs. So thanks for your wisdom on local systems. I have more questions.😁
Do you know off hand which townships or towns are Lake Michigan/municipal / centralized water source/ sewer?
It appears from me reading up after your posts to my ?'s that Wyoming and Grandville are. That Wyoming is strict on water quality and tested at 5ppt for PFAS? I still have yet to find the Grandville ppt number just water quality report for minerals etc. It appears Wyoming and Grandville have acceptable numbers. Is all of Grandville supplied by Wyoming? And therefore Lake Michigan sourced? You do mention pits so some of Grandville is private well water or is it they have a waste water pit? I consider myself a centralized municipal infrastructure sewer kind of gal. Once I read Grandville and Wyoming are Lake Michigan sourced my heart skipped a beat. So bluntly just say gladiator gal these out your options .... ? Township, ? City/town
I been born and raised on municipal hook up to lake Michigan -city gal. Our current town ( lake Michigan sourced) just did storm drain project and new sewers, and sewer liners for those eligible). We did move to a county further out about 13 years back in our current state , and I missed the lake Michigan water. So then we moved to our current home, and I got my lake Michigan water back. At an unknown cost at the time -new sewer line to street, storm drain project, New sewers, our gutters were not connected to sewers, but some of our neighbors were, and foundation issues are coming up for them as they disconnect and drain per code. Grateful we were already disconnected and properly graded lot/ foundation (our former original deceased owner was an engineer )
So for now you know why I am seeking info to lock and load on areas or neighborhoods with likely established infrastructure /services as the fundamentals supersede having a new home. The new build option appears to be too far out from the surrounding 30 minutes radius to Grand Rapids we seek correct?
As of now based on what you have given me I am leaning toward Grandville or Wyoming
Likely existing /established home
Grandville school district
Lake Michigan water source, direct sewer line hook up, drainage to code, no pit
Municipal infrastructure/services with Grandville schools.
Does this sound realistic and concise to tell real estate agent going forward ?
I believe although not 100% certain that Wyoming serves Most (if not all) of Grandville and Byron Center township Municipal water supply. I do believe a quick phone call could be made to test that out. Also, there is the City of Grand Rapids who serves a large portion of the area too. They have a feed from Lake Michigan also.
There are septic systems in use throughout the counties that you are looking in. Mostly they will be more rural areas away from the cities. They can be in use but not very likely. Most of the time you will find that established neighborhoods within the city are on public water and sewer in this area.
As far as new build goes, there are plenty of areas in town that will offer you public water and sewer within 30 minutes of downtown Grand Rapids. However I do not believe many builders are building in the $200,000 range anymore.
I would not rule out Jenison and Hudsonville either if you are looking on that side of town. Much of the area is served by Municipal water and sewer and has some sweet neighborhoods. I can not speak of the snow removal there though. I do not know much about it. The septic system issue in Jenison and Hudsonville (Georgetown township) is just something you need to be aware of ahead of time and be prepared to hook up to in the future.
I believe although not 100% certain that Wyoming serves Most (if not all) of Grandville and Byron Center township Municipal water supply. I do believe a quick phone call could be made to test that out. Also, there is the City of Grand Rapids who serves a large portion of the area too. They have a feed from Lake Michigan also.
There are septic systems in use throughout the counties that you are looking in. Mostly they will be more rural areas away from the cities. They can be in use but not very likely. Most of the time you will find that established neighborhoods within the city are on public water and sewer in this area.
As far as new build goes, there are plenty of areas in town that will offer you public water and sewer within 30 minutes of downtown Grand Rapids. However I do not believe many builders are building in the $200,000 range anymore.
I would not rule out Jenison and Hudsonville either if you are looking on that side of town. Much of the area is served by Municipal water and sewer and has some sweet neighborhoods. I can not speak of the snow removal there though. I do not know much about it. The septic system issue in Jenison and Hudsonville (Georgetown township) is just something you need to be aware of ahead of time and be prepared to hook up to in the future.
Ottawa County snow removal is not too bad. I work in Ottawa County a lot in new construction. The main issue is that they just get so much more snow than East of US-131 so it's a lot to keep up with, especially when we/they get those 24 - 48 hour lake effect dumps.
Jenison (Georgetown Township) and parts of Grandville are probably going to be your best bet under $200,000, for what you're looking for. Ada is a no-go, as I've been looking for property in that area under $200,000 and there isn't any. Byron Center is also a no-go at that price. Allendale is a definite maybe. Cedar Springs is a definite maybe.
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Thanks Grand Rapids Native
