[Sunny K]

Hey there. I'm 30 Recently married and living in a Troy for last 3 years in an Apartment.
I am looking to buy a house. My Top Budget is 180k. Following things are very imp to me. Me and my wife are both Indians.

Commute-I will be commuting to Troy around Crooks and 18 mile. I would like a house with less then 20 min commute and preferable west of Van Dyke. Also My wife doesn't work yet, she plans to study for 2 years and then work., but I don't want to live very far away from I75/96 so that even if she gets a job in Novi area or Detroit or Dearborn, her commute is not that bad.

School district-Although I don't have kids now but someday it would matter. My preference would be Troy or Rochester school district. Alternate districts I have considered are Royal Oak, Berkley, Utica, Avondale. Are there any other school district's which I am missing. I have heard warren school district is not that good

Neighborhood-A kid friendly neighborhood is of course ideal. I want my son to be able to play outside and have peers on the block so he doesn't spend his childhood inside with his iPad and no social skills.

Stability I would like an area that is stable and not going to decline. I am planning for this to be my home for at least 10-15 years. Of course none of you have s crystal ball to predict the future but if there are any areas that are okay now that you think may decline or suffer please alert me so that I can be diligent about doing to research to steer clear of that.

I am just trying to buy a starter home(1200,1300 sqft Minimum) which is either move in Ready or a fixer upper(if I get super cheap). I am not handy and wont have time so a contractor has to fix

I was considering following neighborhoods based on above criteria and Preference

1.Troy, Rochester Hills- fulfill the criteria, but most of the houses are above my budget

2.Royal Oak, Berkley-Close to Highways and work. Problem is Most of houses in my budget are very small, old and really small rooms. Also I am not sure how stable are the area in terms of school district/ stability.

3. Shelby Township- Good school district(UTICA) Affordable and decent size house, Only Problem seems some of area are very far from I96/75. if I buy it would in south west are of Shelby

4. Sterling heights- North of 17 mile and west of Vandyke is the area which fulfills all my criteria. There are some houses between 17 mile and 18 mile and west of Vandyke which fulfills my criteria of good school district/ decent size home/commute and not that far from I75.
I would like if some body could tell me about the neighborhood in this area i.e between 17 mile and 18 mile and between Dequindre and Mounds?

There are many houses in my budget if I go to south part of sterling height with warren school district, but as I mentioned I am not sure warren school district and if selling after some years would be difficult.

Thanks in advance for your kind help.

[belleislerunner]

That area in Sterling Heights is perfect for you. You can just shoot down a Mile road to work.

It's a short drive to all the amenities on Hall Road and/or Somerset.

[DTWflyer]

All of the areas mentioned are stable.

Troy, Rochester, and Utica School Districts are some of the best in state. The other school districts are all still good too, just not in the top 5% like the former.

Royal Oak and Berkley are more centrally located in Metro Detroit and enable a better commute to downtown Detroit, Dearborn, Novi, and I-275 corridor than Troy, Sterling Heights, or Shelby Twp. All of the places are reasonably close to Troy.

You will get more house for your money in Macomb County than Oakland County. That is just how it is based on property values. Comparable houses will be more in places like Troy and Rochester versus northern Sterling Heights and Shelby Township