Recommend places to live downtown

**gopher** · January-26-10, 06:06 AM

hey folks i just got a sweet job downtown, any recommendations on housing, rent or buy that has a garage area where i can work on my cars and projects and be secure in my many tools and toys? have a wife but no kids and none planned.

**gnome** · January-26-10, 06:53 AM

congratulations gopher! that is great, especially in this economy. Downtown...hmm, I think the closest place would be in Corktown. The folks at O'Connor realty, yes, the same family which owns Slows should be able to help you find a place.

here is a cute place for rent:
http://www.oconnordetroit.com/proper...333_labr/1.htm
no garage, but face it, your new gig is going to work your ass off and you won't have extra wrench time.

But maybe I'm wrong and you really need a garage, here is one for 159K, new construction with a 2 car attached garage and fence:
http://www.oconnordetroit.com/proper...511_broo/1.htm

bartock · January-26-10, 09:33 AM

Not to threadjack, but looking at the Realtor site, I'm surprised to see Casey's for sale. Also surprised that three story red brick building on Cass near I-75 is no longer listed. Always thought that with the means it would be a great location to build something. Hope it becomes something.

**cman710** · January-26-10, 10:23 AM

The house on Brooklyn Street is very nice, if a bit overpriced. How much new construction like that has there been in Corktown?

**RickBeall** · January-26-10, 12:02 PM

If I was looking for a place, I would look at the housing just East of Wayne State. It's close to downtown and I like the mix of students, professors, and street people.

Route29 · January-26-10, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by gopher

hey folks i just got a sweet job downtown, any recommendations on housing, rent or buy that has a garage area where i can work on my cars and projects and be secure in my many tools and toys? have a wife but no kids and none planned.

Garage area complicates things a bit - one reason being, in downtown proper, and in Midtown, there are few garages.

Secondly, garage break-ins are not uncommon. You would need to make sure your garage is quite secure.

It might be difficult to find a place in Woodbridge that has a big enough or secure enough garage, or a garage to begin with. It's a great, eclectic neighborhood about 10 minutes from downtown, with beautiful architecture and a diverse population.

Corktown is probably your best bet in my opinion. Housing can be relatively expensive but you can usually find a decent size garage. The garages abut the alleys, which are clean in that neighborhood. Great, prized neighborhood. Diverse but full of professionals.

Perhaps West Village? I'm not sure what the garage situation is like there. If you landed a really sweet job and want a 10+ car garage you could try a mansion in Indian Village.

Congratulations on landing a sweet job in this economy! I'm sure you will enjoy working downtown - and hope you enjoy living here as well. I live in the City and work in Midtown and love it.

**terryh** · January-26-10, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by cman710

The house on Brooklyn Street is very nice, if a bit overpriced. How much new construction like that has there been in Corktown?

price is probably negotiable....

**terryh** · January-26-10, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

congratulations gopher! that is great, especially in this economy. Downtown...hmm, I think the closest place would be in Corktown. The folks at O'Connor realty, yes, the same family which owns Slows should be able to help you find a place.

here is a cute place for rent:
http://www.oconnordetroit.com/proper...333_labr/1.htm
no garage, but face it, your new gig is going to work your ass off and you won't have extra wrench time.

But maybe I'm wrong and you really need a garage, here is one for 159K, new construction with a 2 car attached garage and fence:
http://www.oconnordetroit.com/proper...511_broo/1.htm

the first place look cute comfy and cozy but $800 bucks a month seems kind of steep unless heat and water is included+ maintainence...

**chitaku** · January-26-10, 08:45 PM

these places are all WAY overpriced for this market!

**adamjab19** · January-26-10, 10:05 PM

$160,000, new construction, 2000 sq. ft. is over priced?!?.....ouch! that's really too bad.

Long Lake · January-26-10, 11:49 PM

$160k for Corktown sounds pretty damn high to me, at least in this economy.

I do like the neighborhood, though.

**jt1** · January-26-10, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by adamjab19

$160,000, new construction, 2000 sq. ft. is over priced?!?.....ouch! that's really too bad.

paying $80/sq ft is overpriced pretty much everywhere in Michigan right now.

**RickBeall** · January-26-10, 11:54 PM

Woodbridge! If you work downtown, you will probably use a tank of gas every two weeks and the short commute means more time to spend with your wife ... or in your garage. ;-)

**gnome** · January-27-10, 06:18 AM

Hey Gopher, you might want to check out Navarre Place. It is a group of condos near the Meis places at lafayette park. I'll bet ya you'll be able to buy one cheap, but maybe you could rent one. It is a condo so there are resrictions on what you can do, so depending on how extensive your auto repairs are, that may alter your options.

I don't know too many condos who would give you a pass on grinding sheet metal or pulling the engine in the driveway, but it's worth a check.
http://www.trulia.com/property/10921...troit-MI-48207

With these places you get 4 bedrooms, full basement and an attached two-car garage, that means you'll be able to park your ride and your project vehcile inside ... meanwhile the close-in location will allow you to walk, bike or segway to downtown.

**Zacha341** · January-27-10, 06:45 AM

Houses too close together for my taste...

Originally Posted by cman710

The house on Brooklyn Street is very nice, if a bit overpriced. How much new construction like that has there been in Corktown?

DetroitDad · January-28-10, 12:08 AM

Originally Posted by Long Lake

$160k for Corktown sounds pretty damn high to me, at least in this economy.

I do like the neighborhood, though.

South Corktown doesn't have enough supply on the market to meet demand. It's the only functional neighborhood in walking distance to Downtown, and prices in Corktown have stayed relatively unchanged through the mortgage crisis [[?).

**Russix** · January-28-10, 12:37 AM

I would find a good-priced fixer upper in an up and coming neighborhood and build a garage later. Most of the old garages are wood, they are way too insecure to store anything in if they haven't been torched already.

**adamjab19** · January-28-10, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by jt1

paying $80/sq ft is overpriced pretty much everywhere in Michigan right now.

Yeah I guess I'm just amazed that, one, back in the early 2000's how much houses were overpriced, overvalued and, two, how much a house is not worth these days.

**brandon48202** · January-28-10, 12:54 PM

The house at 1511 Brooklyn St. house is really nice. The price is somewhat firm because the sellers need to pay off their mortgage. Please only ask to view this house if you have been pre-qualified for a mortgage.

**tahleel** · January-30-10, 07:58 PM

I know everyone will hate me for this, but have you tried other surrounding cities like Dearborn, Ferndale or Royal Oak? Taxes are less, and housing prices are almost the price of Detroit homes. Also, most of their neighborhoods are decent, so when you do want to start your family, you will be able to do so.

-Tahleel

Route29 · January-30-10, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by tahleel

I know everyone will hate me for this, but have you tried other surrounding cities like Dearborn, Ferndale or Royal Oak? Taxes are less, and housing prices are almost the price of Detroit homes. Also, most of their neighborhoods are decent, so when you do want to start your family, you will be able to do so.

-Tahleel

Here is an ongoing problem with our region. Someone has an interest in living in the city and others try to steer them away - and countless have been. If this hadn't happened so much in the past, the city would probably be a far different - and better - place today.

Here is what gets me too: The presumption that you absolutely cannot raise a family in Detroit. Some people will concede that you can live there, but act like your kids will be fucking stillborn if you live there when they're born. I know plenty of people who were raised in Detroit in the past couple decades, when Detroit was certainly past its glory days and is in relatively the same state it is now, and have turned out to be wonderful people. I have no children yet, so I am no expert, but I think there are worse places in this region to have a family.

Besides, poster said he had no intention of having kids.

In the grand scheme of things, it says a lot about our region when the likes of Ferndale, Royal Oak, and Dearborn are recommended places to live.

**RickBeall** · January-31-10, 12:37 AM

I hear you Route29. My wife was born and raised in Detroit. She is pretty cool!

**donpablo** · January-31-10, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by Route29

Here is an ongoing problem with our region. Someone has an interest in living in the city and others try to steer them away - and countless have been. If this hadn't happened so much in the past, the city would probably be a far different - and better - place today.

Here is what gets me too: The presumption that you absolutely cannot raise a family in Detroit. Some people will concede that you can live there, but act like your kids will be fucking stillborn if you live there when they're born. I know plenty of people who were raised in Detroit in the past couple decades, when Detroit was certainly past its glory days and is in relatively the same state it is now, and have turned out to be wonderful people. I have no children yet, so I am no expert, but I think there are worse places in this region to have a family.

Besides, poster said he had no intention of having kids.

In the grand scheme of things, it says a lot about our region when the likes of Ferndale, Royal Oak, and Dearborn are recommended places to live.

I am raising 3 children in the city of Detroit and it is working out just fine. My kids go to great schools, they are on sports teams, go to activity centers and are like any other kids. My son is going to go to Davis Aerospace High School next year and my older daughter will attend Cass. Cass Tech ranks higher than many other suburban public high schools and where else in Michigan can you attend an aerospace high school? My daughter may not attend Cass next year if University Ligget accepts her application.[[she got a good enough education at Burton International to apply) There are activity centers, YMCA's, City sports leagues, great parks, plenty of libraries and best of all; culture in the city of Detroit!! Yeah, you probably wont let your kid run the neighborhood unsupervised like i used to do when i was a kid but how many places in the suburbs are good parents still doing that?

All this being said, parents in the city of Detroit need to be more pro-active in raising their kids. What DPS is lacking in you need to do yourself but quite honestly, it doesn't seem more than what you would normally do for your kid.

**cmubryan** · January-31-10, 07:07 PM

For an inexpensive, nice apartment in the heart of downtown try Washington Square Apartments: http://www.villagegreen.com/detroit/washington-square/

My company, Village Green just took over management in August and we are in the middle of a renovation, however most of the common areas have been completed.

**tahleel** · February-04-10, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by Route29

Here is an ongoing problem with our region. Someone has an interest in living in the city and others try to steer them away - and countless have been. If this hadn't happened so much in the past, the city would probably be a far different - and better - place today.

Here is what gets me too: The presumption that you absolutely cannot raise a family in Detroit. Some people will concede that you can live there, but act like your kids will be fucking stillborn if you live there when they're born. I know plenty of people who were raised in Detroit in the past couple decades, when Detroit was certainly past its glory days and is in relatively the same state it is now, and have turned out to be wonderful people. I have no children yet, so I am no expert, but I think there are worse places in this region to have a family.

Besides, poster said he had no intention of having kids.

In the grand scheme of things, it says a lot about our region when the likes of Ferndale, Royal Oak, and Dearborn are recommended places to live.

I have lived in Detroit all of my life. I went to Detroit Public schools. I currently live in Detroit. I speak from experience.

There are several reasons why I stated the other areas might be a better place to live. Have you ever thought living in Detroit might be more expensive? Ask any homeowner who has a decent house in Detroit, and how much they pay in taxes. Ask them if any of their city services are being rendered. Ask how much they pay for home owners insurance, that is if they can afford to.

While in Detroit, tell me the closest grocery store? I have to drive from Detroit to the Walmart or Meijers in Dearborn to go to a decent non-overpriced store!

Tell me that you don't worry that you'll come home to a door thats been kicked off the hinges because the crack heads that roam in front of your house were friending and wanted something you have.

-Tahleel