Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am trying to narrow down our home search in the Detroit northern suburbs (Lake Orion/Clarkston/Rochester Hills area)
Several houses tick off all of the boxes with the exception of the lots! In regards to resale and/or livability rankings which would be considered worse?
1) 1st house on the corner of the subdivision entrance when you turn off of the main road in a built up city area
2) Lot backs up to the main road (2 lane more of a country setting) with a buffer of trees/shrubs middle of the street away from entrance
3) Lot has barely any back yard and then a "drop off" to a wooded area with a small split rail fence border at edge, no homes behind. Nice view off of the deck!
4) Small yard backs up directly to the homes behind located in the middle of the neighborhood (all lots in the neighborhood are small)
5) House sits on Small hill in front yard but flat in the back with woods and larger lots/more space between homes
6) 1st House on the corner of the subdivision but a more rural main road
None of these HOA's allow fences. Our children are 7 and 9 and we do have dogs. So I am concerned about traffic should a dog get off leash! Noise doesn't really both us as we currently live in downtown Frankfurt, Germany with horns, trams, bicycle bells and such on the 7th floor of an apartment building!
I would be concerned with any hilly driveways as they get plenty of ice/winter weather!
If it helps I can add the realtor .com links if that's allowed! All of the other homes I really LIKE have huge ACRE + lots with expansive lawns which we DON'T want! We are used to having smaller lots in the middle of the subdivision. We have always backed up to our neighbors in the 2 homes we have owned. But it would be nice to back up to woods for once! Just not finding anything on the market with the right house and LOT! Which would be the lesser of the 6 evils??
I think the worst for me personally would be #1. The best option would be #5. The small hill probably wouldn't bother me as I live in a hilly part of the midwest--far hillier than anything I've seen near Detroit.
Number 5 sounds the best, but it depends on your definition of a small hill. Just as a test, would you be comfortable backing up the driveway? Not that you would need to, but a low slope should be no problem while a steeper slope would not be something I liked. 10 degrees or less I could handle easily.
The back yard sounds great, and there would be good water drainage away from the house.
It's a very subjective decision, and somewhat affected by local preferences.
Personally, I'd go with #5 unless I REALLY didn't want to do the yard work. If no yard work were a priority, I'd go with #3 or #4. I'd avoid #1 and #2 like the plague (you may not care about the noise, but it's a deal breaker for most others and will be a problem when you resell.). #4 could also be a disadvantage when you resell, to say nothing if the lack of privacy.
#6 is hard to say. Some markets hate cornet lots, others put a premium on them. Sometimes corner lots are larger (more yard work). A lot depends on how busy the streets are on the corner.
After rereading your post, you already sound excited about #3. That matters a lot!
I am trying to narrow down our home search in the Detroit northern suburbs (Lake Orion/Clarkston/Rochester Hills area)
Several houses tick off all of the boxes with the exception of the lots! In regards to resale and/or livability rankings which would be considered worse?
1) 1st house on the corner of the subdivision entrance when you turn off of the main road in a built up city area
2) Lot backs up to the main road (2 lane more of a country setting) with a buffer of trees/shrubs middle of the street away from entrance
3) Lot has barely any back yard and then a "drop off" to a wooded area with a small split rail fence border at edge, no homes behind. Nice view off of the deck!
4) Small yard backs up directly to the homes behind located in the middle of the neighborhood (all lots in the neighborhood are small)
5) House sits on Small hill in front yard but flat in the back with woods and larger lots/more space between homes
6) 1st House on the corner of the subdivision but a more rural main road
None of these HOA's allow fences. Our children are 7 and 9 and we do have dogs. So I am concerned about traffic should a dog get off leash! Noise doesn't really both us as we currently live in downtown Frankfurt, Germany with horns, trams, bicycle bells and such on the 7th floor of an apartment building!
I would be concerned with any hilly driveways as they get plenty of ice/winter weather!
If it helps I can add the realtor .com links if that's allowed! All of the other homes I really LIKE have huge ACRE + lots with expansive lawns which we DON'T want! We are used to having smaller lots in the middle of the subdivision. We have always backed up to our neighbors in the 2 homes we have owned. But it would be nice to back up to woods for once! Just not finding anything on the market with the right house and LOT! Which would be the lesser of the 6 evils??
To me, "none of the above" comes to mind.
None of the HOA's allow fences - and I'm betting there's all types of other 'non-permitted' restrictions.
I've been to Detroit, and, quite honestly, there's nothing there that would have me live there, but if I was to live there, I'd not choose any of the before mentioned properties. You've got dogs, and small children, necessitating a fence - and none of these allow that so... I'd keep looking.
To me, "none of the above" comes to mind.
None of the HOA's allow fences - and I'm betting there's all types of other 'non-permitted' restrictions.
I've been to Detroit, and, quite honestly, there's nothing there that would have me live there, but if I was to live there, I'd not choose any of the before mentioned properties. You've got dogs, and small children, necessitating a fence - and none of these allow that so... I'd keep looking.
Total Nonsense.
Plenty of HOA's allow fences (though they usually tell you what type, color and height).
Regarding your dislike of Detroit, the OP is moving from overseas, presumably for employment. For all you know, he/she is going to be the next VP at Ford Motor Co for big, big bucks. Your opinion about the city was not part of the question (though I admit to not ever wanting to live in Detroit, either)/
We have dogs and no fence. Plenty if our neighbors do, while some have an HOA approved fence. We have no kids, but plenty of our neighbors do, again with no fence
Plenty of HOA's allow fences (though they usually tell you what type, color and height).
Regarding your dislike of Detroit, the OP is moving from overseas, presumably for employment. For all you know, he/she is going to be the next VP at Ford Motor Co for big, big bucks. Your opinion about the city was not part of the question (though I admit to not ever wanting to live in Detroit, either)/
We have dogs and no fence. Plenty if our neighbors do, while some have an HOA approved fence. We have no kids, but plenty of our neighbors do, again with no fence
OP did state that none of the HOA properties they were considering allowed fences.
For the OP, personally, I'd go with #3 and an electric fence for the dogs - assuming of course that the "view" is going to stay for the foreseeable future.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
for once! Just not finding anything on the market with the right house and LOT! Which would be the lesser of the 6 evils??
