OT: Need advice for moving to Michigan
I have spent most of the last 10 years on the west coast in Washington and California. Washington for the Army, California to be near my kids after the ex relocated here. My youngest is a senior and I am ready to get out of here when he graduates. California is beautiful when it isn’t on fire, but it’s too damn expensive. I’m from Toledo but I have no desire to live in Ohio, I like the legal weed too much. So I have been looking at Southern Michigan and I am curious to hear any recommendations on where I should be focused. Hoping to work remote in my current role, remote is the key part, I’m not married to my company. Would be nice to have some land or be on a lake. $350k is about the max I want to spend. Hoping to be inside of 2 hours from Toledo to visit the family.
This is the only online community I participate in regularly, and as much of a bunch of assholes you all can be, I value your opinions and I can’t think of a better group to ask this question. If it’s too OT, feel free to nuke it, moms.
November 17th, 2021 at 8:12 AM ^
I'd recommend checking out Milford/Brighton if you're looking for lake property with great communities. Even White Lake/Dexter depending on budget.
November 17th, 2021 at 8:13 AM ^
HIllsdale area is nice (and cheap). Plenty of land to be had. Plymouth township or Salem township are close to A2 and there's space available for almost any budget. It sounds like the suburbs are not what you are looking for.
November 17th, 2021 at 10:17 AM ^
Grew up in Hillsdale County. if you're cool with a rural area but want a nice house on a lake check out Baw Beese Lake just outside of Hillsdale. You can get a nice place next to the 9 hole country club if that suits your fancy and should not have to pay an arm and a leg.
November 17th, 2021 at 8:23 AM ^
Tecumseh, MI is the place for you. Lots of lakes. Close to Toledo without being so close that family casually turns into a nuisance. I left Ann Arbor for the military and spent most of my adult life living at least 1500 miles from "home". Good luck.
November 17th, 2021 at 8:32 AM ^
Remember the long undies and a sunlamp for January to April to avoid the sun deprivation blues.
November 17th, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
Grand Rapids Area- it’s 3 hours from Toledo but hella better then the east side of the state
November 17th, 2021 at 8:41 AM ^
Maine is awesome if you don't mind winters, but don't come here...too many people already are.
November 17th, 2021 at 11:16 AM ^
I hear Derry, ME is a great, quiet place to raise kids. Might just have the IT factor that OP is looking for.
November 17th, 2021 at 8:47 AM ^
I moved back to MI (near TC/Elk Rapids/Torch Lake) after living in NC for 9 years. It's my favorite place ever. And yes I'm aware of cold weather. Housing is really stretched but you can find something for $350k here (it will need work) but not on a lake. That's not really a problem because you can't throw a dead cat without hitting a body of water in these parts.
November 17th, 2021 at 8:50 AM ^
Hey ToledoWolverine. Shoot me an email I’d be happy to offer advice. Have helped many on MGoBlog with real estate and financing here in Michigan. matt (at) homesurerealty.com
Go Blue!
November 17th, 2021 at 9:18 AM ^
I have some friends who just got a lakehouse on Lake Dianne. 5 minutes from Ohio and 20 minutes from Indiana. I'd never heard of it but it's beautiful. A nice little community out in the middle of nowhere. It would be worth looking at.
November 17th, 2021 at 9:27 AM ^
Only thing I’ll add is this is a bad year to be a buyer in Michigan. Prices are sky high due to lack of supply all over SE Mich.
November 17th, 2021 at 9:40 AM ^
Great year to refinance though. 6 years after buying my home I refinanced at 150% of the original purchase price, with a rate of almost half the original.
November 17th, 2021 at 10:01 AM ^
Yea I got a Heloc after 2 years and was quite pleased with the new appraised value. The sub had a bunch of high comps so it was justified.
November 17th, 2021 at 9:43 AM ^
Two hours from Toledo allows you to go north to Lansing and west to Battle Creek. There are a huge variety of options in this region and I'm certain you will find something to your liking in your price range.
Once you narrow it down a little, a good realtor who knows your focus area is your best option. If you are more of a DIY person, use a real estate aggregation website (like zillow/redfin/realtor.com) to set your search criteria to monitor the market.
I recommend you pay close attention to the property tax rates--you will find enormous differences in the property taxes you pay depending on where you buy. The Michigan Total Property Tax Rate Table is your friend.
November 17th, 2021 at 9:43 AM ^
My homerism forces me to suggest my birthplace, Coldwater.
November 17th, 2021 at 10:23 AM ^
state police stationed there are crooked as all hell ... well, at least they were in the mid-late 1990s
November 17th, 2021 at 10:48 AM ^
Don't....In all seriousness, we lived in Fenton and it's a really nice small town. You are on US 23 and close to I-75. It was maybe 90 min to Toledo, 50ish to Detroit, 35ish to Ann Arbor. There are tons of lakes. Some really good restaurants and some nice crafty cocktail establishments. For Michigan, taxes aren't terrible as long as you are outside city limits though significantly more expensive than Hilton Head Island (where I live now), I hate the cold and love the ocean so I got out, but you could certainly do worse than the Fenton area.
November 17th, 2021 at 11:07 AM ^
brooklyn has some nice lakes, not bad getting to Toledo from there
November 17th, 2021 at 11:49 AM ^
As my username implies, I'm in the Kalamazoo area and have loved it. Cost of living is low, cultural things to do in the city, easy to get to Lake Michigan, or Chicago/Detroit (and about 2 hours from Toledo). Lots of smaller lakes around here too. Even with the recent housing price increases, you could get a nice house with land for $350k.
November 17th, 2021 at 7:43 PM ^
We’ve been looking to buy lakefront in the Kzoo area for the last year. Used to live there and want to come back. The waterfront housing has skyrocketed, especially on the all sports lakes. So we keep looking…
November 17th, 2021 at 11:51 AM ^
Do not bring your politics with you!!:)
November 17th, 2021 at 12:21 PM ^
Do not move to Grand Rapids. It sucks, you’d hate it. There’s to many people here. The other day I was driving on the express way and traffic just stopped. It’s as if there were to many cars on the road or something! I’ve never seen anything like it before! It took 30 minutes to travel 25 miles to work instead of the 25 like normal!
November 18th, 2021 at 3:53 AM ^
As someone who grew up in Grand Rapids. I concur. Do not move to Grand Rapids. The traffic here is just terrible. The other day I was driving on the Beltline and boom, there was a giant traffic jam all of a sudden. Out of nowhere. I mean it was bad. So bad we had to abandon our cars right there on the Beltline and walk a yonder to the nearest brewery. Thankfully that was not very far, but that's another problem. There are too many breweries around. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a brewery. Or a traffic jam. Or a person that identifies as Dutch. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But seriously, do not move to Grand Rapids.
November 17th, 2021 at 11:04 PM ^
Don't.
November 18th, 2021 at 1:44 PM ^
Traverse City