Relocating to - Living/Working in Detroit

[Wheels]

I put my address in Livonia in at Walkscore .com. It gave it a 72 very walkable.
I would not put much faith in Walkscore.

[cman710]

Hi Rob,

Have you thought about renting for a year? Doing that would allow you to explore different areas and then make a fully informed decision before sinking $70,000 into a home. The real estate market in the metro Detroit area is still not quite on a definite upward swing, so you might even save money by waiting a year.

[Kathleen]

Plus my favourite movie of all time was set there...and how cool is that?

What movie would that be? The Virgin Suicides? Grosse Point Blank? something else?

[Kathleen]

As a 30+ year resident of Royal Oak, I can highly recommend this area. It is highly walkable to its downtown area...and Woodward Ave. It's centrally located near I-75 and I-696 to get you to points west and north. Easily accessible up Woodward to Birmingham and down Woodward to Ferndale...as well as to Downtown Detroit. There are kid-friendly events...the Farmers Market...a good library...good schools....and nice housing stock in a wide range of prices.

[Arkady001]

What movie would that be? The Virgin Suicides? Grosse Point Blank? something else?

That would be Grosse Point Blank... using The Beat's "Mirror in The Bathroom" as the soundtrack to the High School fight scene near the end was pure genius...

[Bham1982]

I think Huntington Woods is every bit as walkable as the Pointes. Perhaps even a bit more walkable.

Really all those South Oakland communities are walkable. Anything within a mile or so from Woodward, from 8 Mile to 15 Mile, is walkable.

[Patrick]

After living much of my adult life in Virginia where the road "net" is just a bunch of paved over cowpaths that meander around, give me a rectangular grid any day. When there is a problem, you can quickly find an alternate route. That was not possible in Virginia.

Ha, tell me about it! Arlington is a mess as far as road layout goes.

[cmubryan]

I think Huntington Woods is every bit as walkable as the Pointes. Perhaps even a bit more walkable.

Really all those South Oakland communities are walkable. Anything within a mile or so from Woodward, from 8 Mile to 15 Mile, is walkable.

Exactly Bham. I don't understand all of the Oakland County haters on here. Yes, there are parts of OC that are not pedestrian friendly but there are parts [[especially in southeast OC) that are just as pedestrian friendly, if not more than GP, city of Detroit, or other urbanized parts of Wayne County.

[cmubryan]

I think Huntington Woods is every bit as walkable as the Pointes. Perhaps even a bit more walkable.

Really all those South Oakland communities are walkable. Anything within a mile or so from Woodward, from 8 Mile to 15 Mile, is walkable.

Exactly Bham. I don't understand all of the Oakland County haters on here. Yes, there are parts of OC that are not pedestrian friendly but there are parts [[especially in southeast OC) that are just as pedestrian friendly, if not more than GP, city of Detroit, or other urbanized parts of Wayne County.

[rondinjp]

Hi all,

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.

Welcome Arkady,

Just an fyi for someone who has been actively looking in the gp market for a 4 bed/2 bath home for over 2 years I thought I would just give you a couple of heads up. First, a 4 bed/2 bath is almost impossible to get at this time. This is by far the HOTTEST housing sought after by many young families and these houses usually are sold before they ever hit the market [[trust me on this one). Realtors in the area that get these houses to sell, are selling to their clients and getting the full 6% commission for both the sale and purchase of the house.

With regard to your price point, a 4 bed/2 bath will also be slightly tough unless you are willing to take on a extreme fix-er-upper. For example, the one house that was posted by jst1 [[1122 Kensington, GPP) is a house that needs a LOT of updating and work. Also, it is not a true 4 bed, as you have to walk through one bedroom to get to a sitting type area that they classified as the fourth bedroom.

Don't get me wrong, I highly recommend the Pointes, especially for schooling reasons for your little one. Just thought I might forewarn you that you might want to seriously consider a 3 bed/2 bath house for your particular price point. Just remember, if a 4 bed hits the market in GP and is not already sold, it most likely needs work.

If there are any houses, or if you have any questions about the GP market, please feel free to private message me and i will be happy to answer. I have probably seen ever house that is currently actively listed.

[Hypestyles]

Has the OP been scared off yet with all the tales of crime/corruption? What happened to the couple from Sweden?

[Arkady001]

Has the OP been scared off yet with all the tales of crime/corruption? What happened to the couple from Sweden?

You get those everywhere - I was born in London and will quite happily walk the streets alone at night even though if you listen to the press stories, it's all about gun-related gang crime...
I figure a small dose of common sense applied to life goes a long way.

[Arkady001]

Hi Rob,

Have you thought about renting for a year? Doing that would allow you to explore different areas and then make a fully informed decision before sinking $70,000 into a home. The real estate market in the metro Detroit area is still not quite on a definite upward swing, so you might even save money by waiting a year.

It's not out of the question: we'll know more after I visit in June...