Hi all,

I'm a British national [[ex-Military) living in Germany with my family and have been offered a job in Detroit working as head of Public Affairs with a VA charity organisation.
I'm a photographer by profession and currently specialise in weddings and social portraiture, but my background is Army Public Affairs, which is mostly combat photography, PR, press and sports - hence getting the VA gig... though I'm fervently hoping the 'combat' aspect is a thing of the past...lol

I already have a few ideas about which areas in the greater Detroit area would be suitable for relocating to, but would welcome any input from you guys.

We have a 16-month old daughter, so pre-school/school is an important factor as is the neighbourhood we choose to settle in... I'd prefer quiet/residential with a reasonable commute time [[no more than 30-45 mins at peak times) to the downtown area. I'll be visiting in June to finalise the employment details/contracts and will have a better idea of exactly where the project will be located then.

If we decide to purchase outright, we could probably afford something around the $70k mark, if we apply [[successfully) for a mortgage then anything up to $200k is well within our projected finances.
Our preference is for 'old' two storey 4-bed/2 bath brick structures w/basement/utility areas with decent sized yards, 2-car garages and off-road parking for a third/fourth vehicle.
I've been scouring zillow etc. and while they give a reasonable indication of the locale, that and Google Street maps only go so far... I'd like input from people who actually live there...

Any help you could offer would be much appreciated...

Cheers
Rob [[and Julia & Katy)