Best Suburbs to Buy a House [[Long-Term Outlook)

[Roxy]

I am looking to buy a home within close proximity to Detroit. If I didn't have a budget, I'd definitely choose Oakland County. However, Oakland County seems overpriced at the moment. Other than Birmingham and Troy, the school systems in the other cities aren't stellar for the price you pay to live there. I don't think the housing stock in Royal Oak, Ferndale, and Clawson are that great either, at least compared to the Grosse Pointes. Rochester Hills, Lake Orion, and Novi seem nice, but a bit too far for a daily commute to Downtown Detroit.

I live in Macomb County now and I am not a fan. I am not looking at Macomb County seriously to buy a house, although it isn't entirely out of the question. Would welcome anyone who thinks Macomb County's outlook beats Oakland or Wayne.

I love the housing stock in the Grosse Pointes, but I am wary about their long-term outlook and how much my house will appreciate over time. Grosse Pointe Woods' housing prices appear stagnant and schools are on a downward trend, although still good. GP Farms, City, and Park have great houses and schools at a lower cost than Birmingham, which can be a good and bad thing. I want my house to grow in value. None of the Pointes seem to be growing communities on par with Oakland County. Also, there isn't much going on around the East Side compared to Oakland County. Thankfully, there are more things to do in Downtown Detroit now, so I see myself hanging out in Detroit more if I were to move to the Pointes.

Realistically, I see myself narrowing down my search to Grosse Pointe Farms, City, and Park in Wayne County. In Oakland County, probably Troy. I am open to a good deal [[great house in my price range) if I find one in Madison Heights, Royal Oak, Clawson, Pleasant Ridge, and Huntington Woods.

Sorry for the rambling, but I wanted opinions on what people think are a good suburb to buy now based on long-term outlook and trends. This would include the suburbs that are further out, like Lake Orion and Romeo, but where you predict more people will eventually migrate to if sprawl continues northward. Is Royal Oak worth the price, or will there be another cheap neighboring city to see a boom and be the next Royal Oak or Ferndale [[such as Hazel Park or Madison Heights)?

Where are places you think are overpriced and will likely see a decline in popularity in a few years, and which places you believe could see a turnaround and would recommend buying now? No one can predict the future, but the worst case scenario to me would be, for instance, buying a house in Warren or Harper Woods 25 years ago only to see the value of your house plummet. Not to say those places won't see a turnaround, but no one wants to be in the position of buying in an area that becomes stagnant or more dangerous.