Fellow (future?) MI peeps

[beninan]

It's been a long time since I've been on here... too long... like 2 years too long...

Some fortunate and unfortunate events have led me to unfortunately place brewing on the "back-burner". I bought a house, had a beautiful kid, developed a rare tumor in Mr. Righty, lost Mr. Righty, developed a degeneration in my knee caps (Im only in my mid-late 20s), now life is rough.

But enough of the woe-is-me attitude. A future potential career move might place me in MI, specifially around Allen Park. Having grown up mostly in Maine, this is a big move for me and there's a lot on my mind.

I figured I'd turn to all of you for some questions. You people have been some of the nicest, well-informed people I have grown to know.

From what I understand, I believe the cost of living is roughtly the same as here in Maine, can anyone chime in on this?

I need a safe place for me and my family, and I'm looking for recommendations for quiet, Maine-like areas within driving distance that we could move, but still remaining within a reasonable budget. Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure what my budget will be due the unknowns of living expenses.

Also, Beer. I need to try some beers that I definitely would not be able to get here in Maine.

Im sure I'll have more questions, but these are the important ones at this time.

Thanks all!

 

[Homercidal]

Nothing remotely close to Allen Park is going to be like Maine. It's going to be like Detroit. (Granted, there are nice areas in and around Detroit, but when I think of Maine, I think of as mostly being like Northern Michigan.)

I couldn't comment on the cost of living. I think a few simple Google searches might suffice to give you your answer there.

We do have great breweries in Michigan and the trend is to keep growing and to import excellent beers form other places too.

 

[VApatriot]

Dude - I work in Dearborn-I-Stan which is right around the corner from Allen Park. I'm originally from upstate NY, like near the finger lakes. I've lived here ~10 years, nothing around here, repeat, nothing around here is going to be remotely like Maine. I suggest that you take a trip over here, do some serious investigating before you accept any job. Don't get me wrong, it's not awful, but it ain't great either. There are some nice communities to the west and south of Allen Park that are within a 30-50 minute commute. It all depends on how much you can afford for a house, how much in property taxes you want to pay. One thing I can tell you for sure, this place has the highest water rates of anywhere I've ever lived (6 different states). If you love unions, and union fees built into everything, this is the place for you!

 

[brewprint]

I don't liver permanently in Michigan but I live very close. We have a cabin in the Upper Peninsula which is where I would love to live.

Allen Park near where I have to drive to get to the UP. I despise driving on 23 North all the way from Toledo OH to Bay City MI. It's the worst part of the 7.5 hour drive.

There's a lot of people in that part of the state. In fact it's the largest population of the state. There are some smaller rural areas around though. There's some water not too far away like rivers and Lake St. Clair and Erie.

The best part of MI is the beer! Bells makes some good beer. Their Hopslam is awesome. I like New Holland Brewing beers also. Specifically Cabin Fever and Dragon's Milk. There's also Founders which is in Ann Arbor. They have some good ones. There's a ton of beer in Michigan.

Northern lower MI and Western MI are great too. You have Lake Michigan which is just awesome. If you like to fish that's where to be. That's mostly why I go to MI.

 

[beninan]

I've been coming to that same realization that I probably won't find an area that is Maine-like around those parts, and that's ok with me as long as they are still safe areas. Some areas we are considering are Ypsilanti, Huron Township, and Flat Rock. It seems house prices are comparable to what they are here in Maine, I'm just not sure on safety.

I'm not good at judging the travel distances from those places though. It looks like I could commute in a reasonable amount of time, but I don't know the traffic situation and if that would turn a 30-40 minute commute into an 1.5 - 2 hour commute.

Another thing I've wondered is how property taxes are figured. Maine basically calculates a yearly amount based on propery and dwellings. The realty sites Im looking at list both a "Winter tax" and a "Summer tax", so in theory would those be added together to calculate the yearly taxes? Or am I misunderstanding something? Property taxes seem about 1k higher than what I'm currently paying, but the houses also seem much nicer, however the land amounts seem sub-par for what I'm use to (0.1 acre vs. 10 acre).

From what I understand, I may only be in this position for a year or two before being moved up, with the potential to move wherever I would like. This is my goal, so I'm torn between buying a place or simply renting a place for a while until I see what the future has to hold. So speaking of renting, any recommendations for this as well if I decide to go that route?

 

[Ridire]

Property taxes are complicated. But the overly simple version is that you pay a certain number of mills x 50% of the value of your home. The taxes are split between winter and summer...not always evenly (in many cities, 80% of the tax is paid in the summer). The millage rates tend to be between 40 and 60 mills, with a primary residence exempt from 18 of the mills.

Example: home (primary residence) is worth $200,000 and the millage rate is 60. Taxes for the home for one year is $4,200.

$200,000 x 50% = $100,000 Taxable Value x 42 (60 mills, less 18 exempt due to primary residence) = 4,200,000 / 1,000* = $4,200 annual taxes.

* 1 mill = 1/1,000

Living in a city, versus a township, tends to result in about 15 - 20 mills more than living outside of a city.

And yes, that is the simple explanation. There are all kinds of rules about taxable value increases being capped at the rate of inflation, etc.

Also, some Michigan cities have a city income tax. Most do not, but some do.

 

[Ridire]

As for Allen Park, I can't help much. I am not really familiar with the Downriver area. I'm about the same distance in the opposite direction (Northeast) from Detroit. Traffic can be bad at rush hour.

 

[VApatriot]

I live relatively close to Ypsi, I don't think you want to live there, not really the best area. Flatrock is acually about 35-50 minutes away depending on highway traffic and of course the weather. Don't know about Huron TWP.

I would suggest that you look at Northville, Novi, Plymouth, Canton, possibly Livonia. All would have fairly easy commutes ~30-45 minutes on street roads or a combination of roads and highways.

You are correct about winter and summer taxes. Combined they make up your total annual property taxes. Auto insurance here is not cheap, sales tax is currently 6%.

On the plus side, there are some very good homebrew shops here, one not too far from Allen Park called 'Adventures in Homebrewing' on Van Born Road.

If you are not going to be here long like more than 5 years, I would definitely rent, I wouldn't think twice about that. I moved here in 2004 from out of state, bought at the top of the market and lost a ton of equity. If I could turn back the hands of time, I would have rented until I was very familiar with all the surrounding areas and then bought and not the house I currently own either.

Again, I highly recommend traveling here and looking at the area in person. Having moved several times in my career, this is an absolute must.

 

[DGibb]

I am from Livonia, myself.

I was born in Detroit, and have lived in Livonia, Belleville, Ypsilanti, Westland, Canton, and Royal Oak.

I am a homeowner in Livonia, and my neighborhood (5 mile and Farmington Rd, center of Livonia, three blocks from the police station) was established in the 1960s. I have a 1,600 square foot cape cod style home with a 1,000 sqft basement. Annual property taxes for 2014 were $3,200. We have 100 year old trees and great neighbors. Livonia has over 100,000 people, and very little to do.

Within a very, very short drive (5 miles each way), I have the Farmington Brewery and Liberty Street Brewing Company (where my homebrew club, the Sons of Liberty is based), and in Ypsilanti there is the Corner Brewery; Ann Arbor has Wolverine, Blue Tractor, Arbor Brewing, Jolly Pumpkin... Don't get me started on how close it is to Kuhnhenn, Dragonmead, B Nektar, Schramm's, Atwater, Detroit Brewing, Batch, Motor City.... the list goes on and on.

If you are looking for something scenic and huge yards, the Metro Detroit area isn't it, but we have a lot of people, crappy roads, and great beer. Come visit, look in to renting, and give me a shout if you come in town. There's always time for a pint.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, Suh don't live here anymore, so the crime rate just dropped a few points...

 

[Ridire]

Well, Suh don't live here anymore, so the crime rate just dropped a few points...

I would have bought his plane ticket to get him away from the franchise tag. Too-da-freakin-loo....

 

[beninan]

Thanks everyone. Im still trying to wrap my mind around all of this. one minute im thinking I'll rent, then the next I'm thinking about buying. Anyway, the place needs to be big enough to fit me, SWMBO, and Miss SWMBO Jr., and I would really like to have a garage large enough to work on a vehicle if needed. I've given up on finding a Maine-like location, just want safety.

Since I'll be working in Allen Park, how is it? Ive found several houses that seem pretty decent, that fit my needs, and are a good price. But I feel something may be too good to be true

 

[Homercidal]

From what I've seen in the Detroit newspapers, the Detroit housing market is pretty low right now. You may not need to worry if it seems a bit cheap. The prices took a nosedive back in the recession and haven't come back like before yet.

 

[Ridire]

From what I've seen in the Detroit newspapers, the Detroit housing market is pretty low right now. You may not need to worry if it seems a bit cheap. The prices took a nosedive back in the recession and haven't come back like before yet.

They have come back pretty strong in the past two years, actually. I bought at the height of the market (2004), lost nearly 40% of the value through the worst of it (2008-ish), and am confident I could sell now for about what I paid for it in 2004 (given, I did put a ton of money into bathrooms and kitchen). But, the prices are rising fast in my neck of the woods (Macomb).

 

[Homercidal]

They have come back pretty strong in the past two years, actually. I bought at the height of the market (2004), lost nearly 40% of the value through the worst of it (2008-ish), and am confident I could sell now for about what I paid for it in 2004 (given, I did put a ton of money into bathrooms and kitchen). But, the prices are rising fast in my neck of the woods (Macomb).

Good to hear!