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Hey all. I grew up in Canton but left the area for college, now that I've graduated I am hoping to come back to Canton or one of the surrounding cities in the area. I am trying to look up apartments and the only resource I've found so far for reviews is apartmentratings.com, and according to that website every complex in the entire state of Michigan under 800 a month is completely uninhabitable because of the crime. ... Could that possibly be true? I am hoping to find a $600/mo 1br somewhere within driving distance of Canton where I won't have to worry about my place smelling like pot or getting broken into, I am a woman and will be living alone and am not accustomed to having to worry seriously about crime besides being sure to lock my doors. Is that attainable ANYWHERE in this region or do I need to move back in with my folks?
I would think you could get a place in Westland, Livonia, Garden City, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights...for that price. Actually my friend does live in Canton and her 1 bedroom is $600something. Do you have a job lined up though? I grew up in Westland/GC but moved when I graduated from college due to not being able to find a job in the area.
Of course certain parts of those cities (well, westland and dearborn heights) are less desirable, but they are easy to avoid and you don't have to sacrifice safety for affordability. Like in Westland stay as north as possible. South of Palmer is less desirable. You can probably get a place near the Westland/Canton border or Westland/Livonia border for $600 a month and those are decent areas near I-275.
There are a few crummier apartment complexes in Canton and Westland, but most are fine. Crime and drugs are not going to be serious issues in most complexes. This is just a general rule of thumb, but if the complex looks seedy, it might very well be seedy. Newer, cleaner complexes usually attract a better crowd and higher income people. You have to remember that most people in the suburbs who live in apartment complexes aren't living there because they really LOVE apartment living. They are usually only living in an apartment because they can't afford to buy a house or need to be transient residents for work or something. Therefore, apartment dwellers are a somewhat self-selecting group. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with apartment dwellers, as I have always been an apartment dweller myself, but most of the problems are going to be around older, lower rent complexes.
OUr youngest daughter had been looking at apartments and said anything under $700 was rather iffy. She finally went to Northville (6 mile & Haggerty area) at $850 / $900 for a two bedroom.
Coming back to Michigan AFTER graduating college?! Sounds like the polar opposite of what most of us are doing. But I guess it all depends on what you majored in and what field you are trying to break into. That website saying that places in Michigan under 800/mo are uninhabitable? Lol! You can find decent places for $600 in most areas. My suggestion to you is find which places accept Section 8 and avoid them (nothing against Section 8 people in general, but it does tend to attract a criminal/drug element from what I've seen). Also look for places with low vacancy rates. I never paid too much attention to apartment rating sites like the one you mentioned. You don't know who wrote all of the reviews. The place could be a total dump but the landlord could pretend to be a tenant and make it sound like it's the best place ever. The only way to really get any type of honest opinion is simple- go in person and talk to the people who live there first. But you can definitely find a nice place for the price range you mentioned. Maybe not luxury, but definitely pleasant and safe.
There are a few crummier apartment complexes in Canton and Westland, but most are fine. Crime and drugs are not going to be serious issues in most complexes. This is just a general rule of thumb, but if the complex looks seedy, it might very well be seedy. Newer, cleaner complexes usually attract a better crowd and higher income people. You have to remember that most people in the suburbs who live in apartment complexes aren't living there because they really LOVE apartment living. They are usually only living in an apartment because they can't afford to buy a house or need to be transient residents for work or something. Therefore, apartment dwellers are a somewhat self-selecting group. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with apartment dwellers, as I have always been an apartment dweller myself, but most of the problems are going to be around older, lower rent complexes.
Lol, nice way to stereotype apartment dwellers. Did you ever think that some people actually PREFER apartment living? This obsession with having a house is part of what got this country into the financial mess it's in in the first place. I could afford a nice little home but why? So I can make mortgage payments and help the banks get richer? Not to mention the market hasn't hit bottom yet. So no- it's not that we can't afford a house. It's that some people aren't dumb enough to jump into a market that is toxic and completely unstable. Sheesh
Lol, nice way to stereotype apartment dwellers. Did you ever think that some people actually PREFER apartment living? This obsession with having a house is part of what got this country into the financial mess it's in in the first place. I could afford a nice little home but why? So I can make mortgage payments and help the banks get richer? Not to mention the market hasn't hit bottom yet. So no- it's not that we can't afford a house. It's that some people aren't dumb enough to jump into a market that is toxic and completely unstable. Sheesh
I wasn't trying to stereotype everyone! I tried to make that clear... Like I said, I am an apartment dweller by choice- I love my building's location and living in an apartment suits my lifestyle, but I'd be willing to bet that the majority of people living in the average MEGA apartment complex off the freeway are not living there because they absolutely LOVE it. I'm not talking about about luxury townhouses on the golf course, I'm talking about run-of-the-mill, generic apartment complexes built in the 1970s, not located in any particularly special location. Most people living in such places are *typically* there because of (1) finances, or (2) a need for mobility.
Maybe so, but there are a lot of very nice places to live that fall somewhere between 'luxury townhouse on a golf course' and 'butt-ugly mega complex built in 1972 right off the highway' lol! Here is my total list of reasons why renting is better:
- if something breaks someone else fixes it for you. no dealing with roof repairs, lawn mowing, replacing furnances, etc.
- no having to deal with property taxes (which are often artificially increased through questionable means)
- unlimited hot water, oftentimes free heat... i can take as many long showers as I want without a care in the world!
- perks- like access to a gym, cutting out a major chunk of money that would otherwise go to a membership. free pool, free jacuzzi, free volleyball court, tennis court, etc.
- being able to cut and bail if I need to leave the state for work
- obviously not having to deal with an extremely depressed and uncertain housing market which has not gotten its massive excess of inventory anywhere near normal levels
- being able to go out on the weekends and party and shop like crazy while my homeowner friends are looking for a toilet chain or whatever at Lowe's and trying to repair their yards
- the ability to take money that I'd otherwise be wasting and invest it to produce REAL wealth, through much more reliable means, giving me increased leverage and financial power
Seems like a good deal to me anyway! Quote for the day: "If you follow the parade, the only thing you are going to end up with is elephant poop all over your shoes"
Trust me, I am not moving back for the job market, but my whole family is here and my fiance is still going to school in Ypsi. I love Michigan and I am willing to sink to some pretty outrageous depths to stay here. :P Just hoping to find a safe place to live! I have had friends who have lived in Village Squire and Stoneybooke, both in Canton, within the last 5 years and they were both happy there, but I've read awful things online so I am not sure what to think-- and everything in westland was uniformly bad on that apartment ratings website, as was Plymouth which surprised me. Didn't think to check Livonia, that's an idea. I will have to go check the places out myself and see, but I am just terrified of signing a lease and THEN realizing it's a bad situation after I'm trapped.
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