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The drawbacks for the island is that there isn't much going on in terms of retail or restaurants. I also think budget plays a part. I think you need a budget of at least 200K+ to get a home that is worthwhile.
There are a few decent restaurants now with Smokies at the Township golf clubhouse and the Thai/Sushi place next to Kathys. Both are good enough to bring people from outside the township to eat there. Hopefully something will eventually move into the Vitales location as well.
200K really will not get you anything except maybe I condo I think. I am not certain, but I think the typical subdivision houses are now int he $250K range with canal access and extra large lots running into the $300s. river frontage is going to be at least $450,000 on West River and about $600,000 on East River. There are occasional exceptions once in a while, for example a home without a dock or water access will be cheaper as weill one with another house in what used to be the back yard. The view off of East river, is remarkable however. It may be one of the best views to be found in the country. A wide stretch of water, but not just and endless vista of water, Canada is just far enough away to pleasantly break up the view and the variety of boats, yachts and ships going by is perfectly balanced with he natural view. (Hence the huge price tag for East River homes).
There are a few decent restaurants now with Smokies at the Township golf clubhouse and the Thai/Sushi place next to Kathys. Both are good enough to bring people from outside the township to eat there. Hopefully something will eventually move into the Vitales location as well.
200K really will not get you anything except maybe I condo I think. I am not certain, but I think the typical subdivision houses are now int he $250K range with canal access and extra large lots running into the $300s. river frontage is going to be at least $450,000 on West River and about $600,000 on East River. There are occasional exceptions once in a while, for example a home without a dock or water access will be cheaper as weill one with another house in what used to be the back yard. The view off of East river, is remarkable however. It may be one of the best views to be found in the country. A wide stretch of water, but not just and endless vista of water, Canada is just far enough away to pleasantly break up the view and the variety of boats, yachts and ships going by is perfectly balanced with he natural view. (Hence the huge price tag for East River homes).
I look almost everyday and see homes in the high 100's but you are correct, most would be 200k+ and this not any sort of water view. The Hawthorne condos generally are 250K and in my opinion pretty pricey and not sure exactly why but that type of style never interested me anyway. Of course it all depends on what one is looking for. I love putting my own stamp on homes so I wouldn't mind a home that needs a bit of love or some updates. A completely renovated home would definitely be much higher. The water view homes are stunning but seem to be slow sellers.
If you find SFRs in the high 100s, there is something up. It could be tiny. It could be near the sewer plant, it could have no electricity or no plumbing (there are a couple like that).
Hawthorne condos are ok. They have had a lot of problems (water, fire, and just general construction problems). We have several friend who live there, They are a mix of older couples and smaller families. I am not aware of anyone there who has 2 kids, but there are probably some. There are some older condos a the end of Macomb street (on East river) that are not terribly expensive and have water view and one of them has dockage available.
There are not a ton of condos in general, so they come up for sale only rarely. The condos are not loaded with ameneties like many of the new complexes (no pool, tennic court etc), but the community has all of that available, so it is not necessary.
They have started building a few new subdivision homes here and there (too many IMO). They are ugly, but big and new which is what some people want. It is not easy to find a place that fits you. It can take months or even years of looking and watching the market. You cold always buy a condo and live there while you look for something else then rent it out and save it for retirement or to give to your kids.
I went and looked. There is a house on realtor .com for 149,000. It is 1500 s.f. and include an empty lot to the north. I cannot figure out what is wrong with it. Meridian is our busiest street, but not terribly busy. If you are looking for a cheap house on Grosse Ile, that may well be a great buy. It is certainly no a beautiful house, but it is really cheep. Even if you had to gut it and remodel inside completely, it would still be a deal. Maybe is has structural problems.
If it is still for sale, I am going to go look at it. The price does not make any sense.
I went and looked. There is a house on realtor .com for 149,000. It is 1500 s.f. and include an empty lot to the north. I cannot figure out what is wrong with it. Meridian is our busiest street, but not terribly busy. If you are looking for a cheap house on Grosse Ile, that may well be a great buy. It is certainly no a beautiful house, but it is really cheep. Even if you had to gut it and remodel inside completely, it would still be a deal. Maybe is has structural problems.
If it is still for sale, I am going to go look at it. The price does not make any sense.
I really like the one on Grays drive. It was just reduced to 187,000. Says it is across the street from the HS. That could be a factor along no A/C, possibly no first floor bath but I like the style.
Put aside your bias for the place, tell me what the negatives are.
-It's downriver. A less desirable part of metro Detroit. Grosse Ile itself is great, and I'd consider it middle to upper middle class for the most part, but considering it's surrounded by the typical downriver blue collar, lower middle class communities, it's less desirable than other middle class and upper middle class areas.
-There's a free bridge and a toll bridge. You have to drive farther to get to the free bridge if you're coming from the north. The toll bridge costs $1.50 one way and the free bridge is 4 miles south of the toll bridge.
I really like the one on Grays drive. It was just reduced to 187,000. Says it is across the street from the HS. That could be a factor along no A/C, possibly no first floor bath but I like the style.
Near the HS can be noisy during game nights and when the drumline practices at about 5:30 or 6 a.m.
Traffic on Grys is awful in the morning and at 2:30 and during games and events people are parked all up and down grays.
I will look up the house later. I think I know who owns it.
I've lived in the so-called "Undesirable" downriver my entire life. I would not consider myself or my family "Hickish" and really take offense to those comments. My father was educated and retiree from Ford Motor as many in the area work for the auto companies. I am educated as is my husband and I am always amazed at what a bad rap it gets. Some areas of downriver the bad reputation is earned, but the communities like Trenton, Grosse Ile and Riverview are quite nice. While some might consider blue collar areas as hickish there are many down-to-Earth friendly people. Keeping up with the Jonses as someone also mentioned in another post and if that is a concern for you - you probably would not fit in.
Also if you continue down into Monroe County such as Carleton or Monroe itself there are some beautiful country homes and it is rural farmlands. It's quite nice there and commutable to Detroit or to Toledo.
I live in Riverview. While there isn't much of a downtown they have good schools. Most of the homes are older, but there are so-called McMansions over by the golf Course off Sibley Road. People brush off Trenton as just a big box complexes and subdivisions. However, the old downtown of Trenton is quite nice. It's really quaint and it ends in Elizabeth Park, which is a REAL gem right on the Detroit River. The free bridge over to Grosse Ile is at the Southern of Elizabeth Park. They have some beautiful stone bridges in the park. The "toll" bridge to the Island is further north in Riverview off West Jefferson. That area isn't as nice. Mostly old McClouth Steel plant is there, but Riverview's vast majority of homes are not in this area.
Wyandotte has a really great downtown with tons of restaurants. It's not far for Grosse Ile natives to travel to. There are shops there too and Some nightlife. Probably no where near what the north suburbs have though. Wyandotte has some stunning older homes and many Victorian homes but it's not as safe and the schools aren't as good are Riverivew,Trenton and Grosse Ile schools. GI is probably the safest community, but Riverview was voted in the top 8 safest towns in the entire state. GI was probably in the top 3.
If you are looking for a lot of nightlife I don't think GI is for you. It's considered one of the "Richest" areas in downriver, but honestly it's mostly upper middle class, but there are some multi-million dollar homes especially on East River Drive (facing Canada).
There is a lot of wildlife on the Island. The Township has designated open spaces (wooded areas) and a wildlife sanctuary at the north end of the island off Horsemill road. There is a riding stable at Centennial Park. Of course, boating is a big thing on the island. I believe there are 3 yacht/boat clubs. There is also a marina at Elizabeth Park in Trenton just across the bridge. There is a golf course and Country Club if you like those things.
True there are not many amenities on the island. There is a grocery store (Kroger) and gas stations. A few small restaurants, a lot of churches, but I think the pull for the island is actually people who LIKE this little bit of isolation. When you travel across the bridge you definitely feel like you are in a different time and place than most areas. My husband and I were driving the island and had to wait as a herd of deer crossed at multiple locations. I say herd because it wasn't just 1-2, it was literally groups including a huge buck. They were right in a church parking lot near the wildlife sanctuary and also wandering down the road. The townships takes a lot of care in preserving open spaces, wildlife and just general conservation of the environment on the island. There are a few newer subdivisions, but really I find it's more discouraged than encouraged. I've heard that there are about 10,000 residents. Not sure how accurate that number it. There are ton of biking paths - people are always out walking dogs, jogging, biking. There are multiple nature trails scattered throughout the island.
In summary, I really think the island is for people looking for a slower pace of life not a faster pace. If you want that you will have to leave the island for sure.
Biggest problem with commute are the bridges. Since I don't live there I am not sure how bad traffic, but my son does take a vocational teaching course at the High school on GI. He does have to allow time to travel across the bridge and they are fairly lenient at the high school because they know students traveling either by car or bus from other districts for the vocational program are going to encounter traffic. There are a lot of trains in the area of the mainland adjacent to the island. You have to sometimes find different routes when you encounter one. Usually not a problem. If we encounter them at Sibley and Fort trying to go down W. Jefferson to the island - we simply reroute and take Fort to Van Horn and enter the island there. The toll bridge is closer to Riverview but we rarely use it as the cost is too high, 2.00 per crossing. I believe you can buy tokens or a card that reduces price to 1.75 or 1.50 per crossing. It's privately owned and in my opinion the owner is raping the residents because well he can - there ARE only two bridges. The "free" bridge is south and less convenient in some ways, but it's free and will save you some money and only add maybe an extra 5-6 minutes to your commute if you are coming from the north end of the island.
The biggest issue for us in considering GI to live is the high taxes compared to other areas. They are definitely the highest in the area and I have heard on par with the northern suburbs. But I guess you have to look at what you get for it. GI is continually voted on of the safest communities in Michigan. It's very unique. The homes are nice. You have access to water since you are on the island. The island is very clean and there is strong police presence. There is a lot of wildlife and you get that small town feel. You can sometimes find a deal on a home if the owner wants to sell fast. The schools are consistently one of the best in the area. I have no idea why the low rating some people mentioned. As I said, my son attends Riverview HS, but he is at GI HS 3 hours of his day in a teaching cadet program. He says the schools are WAY nicer and newer. They have air conditioning, a salad bar (he was quite excited by this), the building is well kept, teachers are friendly, students behaved. They have a high graduation rate. The down-side is there isn't much diversity as far as race etc. Mostly white.
My cousin works at Wayne State downtown and commutes from Hickory Island - island off the south of the Grosse Ile and part of the township. She doesn't seem to have a problem. Yes, the island has a lot of middle level and executives from auto industry and chemical engineers, but also a lot of nurses, doctors, and medical professionals also live on the island and commute to the hospitals in Detroit. Yes, there are quite a few small business owners as well. People do tend to retire there also. Many times it's a multi-generational. People will go away from the island to attend college, but many return to raise their own family.
It's really hard to compare it to the northern suburbs - really very apples and oranges.
I would say if you like a more laid back lifestyle, you like nature and outdoors such as biking, hiking, boating, etc, and you are more family oriented this probably would be a good fit. If you want a lot of fast nightlife and you need to be near the highest end shopping and restaurants, then maybe the Northern burbs would be better.
It is not the one our friend owns. Hers is not yet on the market. We know three people who live on that part of grays. they all seem happy to be there, and while the traffic and noise can sometimes be bothersome none of them say they want to get out of there, it is just one of the things they have to deal with like deer eating your petunias. I did not remember to go look at it other than to ask my wife who owns it. She did not know but said the lot has a kind of funky layout or shape. If you are still interested and it is still for sale, I can go look. If it is still for sale, I wonder why. Houses sell in days.
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