The best piece of advice I received when I was house hunting

from Hour Detroit - May 2023

The Way It Was

for my family of three 20-something years ago was “Go to the playgrounds.” My husband and I were new parents to a 6-month-old, and we were looking to move out of Manhattan and into the suburbs. Our criteria were affordability, location, schools, and town amenities.

We had already narrowed down the general location before our son was born. We picked Westchester County because it was an easy commute from Grand Central Station and every time we drove there to visit friends, I felt like I was going Up North. It amazed me that you could drive just 30 minutes from New York City and be in charming New England-style towns on the Hudson River filled with parks, rivers, and a bit farther north, mountain views.

When we were deciding between two towns, our real estate agent gave us the playground advice. He said it was the best way to get a feel for your neighbors. We had gotten so caught up in price, location, and schools that we hadn’t thought of the people who make up a community. I was a working mom, and my husband was a stay-athome dad; we wanted to be in a place where we weren’t the oddballs. We loved the diversity and cultural options in our NYC neighborhood and wanted the same in our new hometown. After a few stalking visits to both towns’ playgrounds, we found a winner.

House hunting today across the country, including metro Detroit, is not that easy. We are in the middle of a housing shortage — which began in 2008 and worsened during the pandemic — combined with rising median home prices (they more than tripled from 1991 to 2021). For Hour Detroit’s first-ever “best places to live” feature, we wanted to look at areas that have seen the biggest boom in house sales in five counties: Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Washtenaw, and Livingston. To acquire that information, we asked Jeanette Schneider and her team at RE/Max of Southeastern Michigan to crunch some numbers to find the hottest towns in metro Detroit and neighborhoods in the city of Detroit. They did this by looking at speed of sales (days on the market) and increase in sales prices (difference in median sales price from 2021 to 2022).

What you’ll find in the chart of the top towns in the five counties is not just all the usual suspects — i.e., the wealthiest ZIP codes. Some of those towns/cities are there, but you will also find towns that border those areas and some that aren’t even close. We also include data on the top towns in the luxury market ($500,000 and up) in Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties. Our profiles of 11 of these towns and two Detroit neighborhoods include interviews with new homeowners who tell us what they were looking for and what they found, as well as with Realtors who describe the appeal of each community.

My advice after raising three kids in a town we thought was perfect: Take time to go beyond the data. What you find on paper isn’t always what you get or what will meet your family’s needs. For example, my son ended up needing a school district with a great special education program, so the high school’s college readiness index didn’t mean much for him. But the support I got in that town from the community — and the parents I met at the playground (who are still friends 24 years later) — made all the difference in the world.

KATE WALSH, EDITOR KWALSH@HOUR-MEDIA.COM

From Our Readers

“Have dined there [Madam] twice. Both excellent dinners. I would like to see Madam expand its menu, though. Their Spanish octopus selection is both delicious and stunning [in] presentation!”

(“2023 Restaurant of the Year: Madam,” March)

—Ralph Kisiel, Facebook

“Took this [Wild Women of Detroit] tour last night with husband and friends. History with humor — what a delight! We learned so many things about women’s influence in the city and Detroit history. Tour guide Bailey is a wealth of knowledge. We are looking forward to going on more of these tours.” (“One for the HerStory Books,” March) —@brookemicheleschwartz, Instagram

“Love this place [C. King & Co. Café]. The pizza is sooooo good.” (“Restaurant Report: C. King & Co. Café,” March) —@vvandershell, Instagram

“Wow, this is so helpful! Ironically, I am in Dowagiac, Michigan, but I didn’t find the greatest place to stay. Your link will be very useful and much needed!! Beautiful photography!” (“An Insider’s Guide to Michigan’s Cabin Rentals,” March) —@clientconnections, Instagram

Digital Extra

From Movement and other music fests to hometown carnivals and food fairs, Detroit and the surrounding area have no shortage of summertime festivals for everyone. Get details on the biggest events happening during the summer of 2023, and keep your itinerary full, with our handy guide at hourdetroit. com/summerfestivals