 
Meaghansdad
Member
Username: Meaghansdad
Post Number: 57
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 1:27 pm: |    |
Applesauce,
We're in the same boat. The taxes on our home are similar to yours, but consider the alternative. If you were living in the city, you would be forced to pay for private school, and all of the ancillary costs associated. Tuition alone would be more than taxes, and thats just for one child. |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1799
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 1:37 pm: | |
"but consider the alternative"
Like living in two dozen other communities that have lower taxes - like Birmingham, Royal Oak or Farmington Hills. Rochester Hills, Oakland Township - it goes on and on. This place is bloody expensive fore what it is. My lot is the size of a freakin postage stamp. When I lived in Oakland Township on 5 acres with a horse barn bigger than my current house - I paid less. Go figure.
But no - I would not go so far as to compare Harper Woods with East Detroit. Thats a stretch. |
Meaghansdad
Member
Username: Meaghansdad
Post Number: 58
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 1:41 pm: | |
Other than Royal Oak, the other communities are too far, for me, from everything. If you factor in fuel and opportunity costs, those locales are as expensive. |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1801
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 1:43 pm: | |
I know - Im just wonder what on earth justifies what we pay over here. We pay Grosse Pointe level taxes without having to worry about the nice lifestyle that goes with actually living in Grosse Pointe. |
Meaghansdad
Member
Username: Meaghansdad
Post Number: 59
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 1:50 pm: | |
I'm not sure what brings others to this area, for me it was a combination of:
A. Schools-I'm in the GP school district. If I were to have stayed in Detroit, I wouldve paid fairly high taxes, AND private school tuition, Tuition alone wouldve been close to $12K, and thats just for my 5 year old.Once my daughter becomes school age, I'd tack on another $12k
B. Location-The freeway is at the corner of my block. |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1803
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 4:37 pm: | |
Yeah - I hear ya. I do enjoy the 10 minute striking distance to downtown too. I can get to midtown or downtown in the heat of rush hour in no more than 15 minutes. Thats pretty hard to beat.
We are following jobs westward. |
Applesauce
Member
Username: Applesauce
Post Number: 67
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 5:04 pm: | |
The schools brought us to the area. We lived in SCS where the taxes were low & so was the local elementary school. LOL!
We contemplated private school (St.Joan) but the cost seemed too high. So, we sold in 30 days & moved. My plan was to fix up the HW house & sell within 3 years, make a little $$$ & move to GPW somewhere. Well, 4 years later we are still there, & with the market the way it is....... |
Applesauce
Member
Username: Applesauce
Post Number: 68
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 5:09 pm: | |
I commute to Ann Arbor M-F & do enjoy the close access to the freeway. I chose to commute rather than buy in A2. I'm an eastider to the bone & dont really like anything west of Cadieux!!! |
Meaghansdad
Member
Username: Meaghansdad
Post Number: 60
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 6:39 pm: | |
How much was the tuition at St. Joan? |
Mackinaw
Member
Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 3571
Registered: 02-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 7:59 pm: | |
West of Cadieux!? Now that's really relegating yourself to the eastside, Applesauce. I do not envy your commute. I have a short fuse just trying to get around Ann Arbor by car, and lack the attention span for driving back to the eastside. |
Mackinaw
Member
Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 3572
Registered: 02-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 8:11 pm: | |
West of Cadieux!? Now that's really relegating yourself to the eastside, Applesauce. I do not envy your commute. I have a short fuse just trying to get around Ann Arbor by car, and lack the attention span for driving back to the eastside. |
Applesauce
Member
Username: Applesauce
Post Number: 69
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - 10:06 am: | |
I seem to recall tuition for St. Joan was about 5-6k
4 years ago for kindergarten. |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1821
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Friday, August 17, 2007 - 8:25 am: | |
Leaving for work last night and two cop cars pull up to my house. Thats never good is it ?
I get out of my car and go to ask the one cop whats wrong, and he pulls his gun and charges into my backyard. (!)
Other cop drives away.
First cop comes out of my yard and yells at me for asking him what he was doing. He says he was chasing "a black man with a gun" and that he ran through my yard.
Well, Im sorry, but I was really concerned at the moment with the guy dressed in blue with a gun running through my backyard.
I asked if he wanted to look in the garage - he says - "naw" and drives away. Huh ? So I checked the garage myself.
What a freak show.
God- what if one of my neighbors was in their backyard or playing basketball on the driveway or something back there ?
FREEZE ! |
Buddyinrichmond
Member
Username: Buddyinrichmond
Post Number: 205
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Friday, August 17, 2007 - 8:44 am: | |
Or with their camera that resembled a weapon. Wow. |
The_rock
Member
Username: The_rock
Post Number: 1907
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 17, 2007 - 9:13 am: | |
A few years ago, my Sr.law partner had his wallet taken from him by a bad guy as he left the ATM at the NBD at 8 Mile and I-94. A young black male who was next in line at the ATM gave chase, actually apprehended the bad guy 2 blocks away,and then returned to the ATM and handed my partner his wallet back just as the Harper Woods police car drove up with two of their cops aboard.
What did the one cop do? He proceed to charge over to the black man, and tackled him roughly to the ground. The other cop held him down.
My partner said to the cops to get the hell off the black guy who was a hero, not a villian. The cops said they "figured he was the suspect."
When the HW cops prepared a police report of the incident, the black chap refused to give his home address, only his "business address" which was the old 5th precinct on E Jefferson and St. Jean. Yes he was a Detroit cop, not in uniform, and was only trying to help a person in need.
That incident never made the local paper. My partner thanked the hero, even wrote a note to his 5th precinct commander regarding the exemplary work the officer had done when he had no obligation to even get involved.
Just another day in Harper Woods.... |
Genius
Member
Username: Genius
Post Number: 32
Registered: 03-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 - 9:16 am: | |
"How much was the tuition at St. Joan?"
For 2007-08 it's $3,706 in-parish and $5,266 out-of-parish. Current enrollment about 500. |
Applesauce
Member
Username: Applesauce
Post Number: 73
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 - 4:33 pm: | |
I was driving through Eastland the other day & noticed a new building going up on the grounds on the 8 mile side. Any know what this is? |
Patrick
Member
Username: Patrick
Post Number: 4849
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 - 5:18 pm: | |
That Chase/NBD is horrible. I HATE going to that ATM at night. So much shit happens there and why not? I94 is right there so they can jump right on it. |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1833
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 - 5:35 pm: | |
The local paper said somebody got robbed at that ATM just two weeks ago again.. scrazy.
Cool that theyre building in the Eastland lot, but too bad they dont reuse the abandoned structures in and around instead. Two car repair facilities and a gas station sitting empty. Oh, and the theater too. Looking a bit desolate along 8 mile right before Vernier. |
Maxcarey
Member
Username: Maxcarey
Post Number: 174
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 - 6:48 pm: | |
I had heard that a Chili's is going into that area at Eastland. Apparently, an announcement is also coming soon about the old JC Penny carport that is close to Vernier too. |
Applesauce
Member
Username: Applesauce
Post Number: 75
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 9:24 am: | |
Well, the town is certainly changing. I've lived in the area most of my life & have owned a home in HW for the past 4 years or so. Things seem to be more orderly/quiet on the east side of the ditch, but seem to be slowly changing.
There are 5 homes for sale in & around my street. They range from $186,000 to $95,000 (foreclosure 2 bedrm). I've watched 3 of them start near $200,000 4 months ago & now have dropped to the $150,000 - $165,000 range. Wow! I was planning on putting my place up next spring, but I fear I'll just be adding to the mix & spinning my wheels. |
Maxcarey
Member
Username: Maxcarey
Post Number: 175
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 4:13 pm: | |
^^^ But does that have more to do with the fact that there just aren't as many people around here as there used to be or the fact that the area is "going downhill" as some have intimated?
I live in this area (although not HPW) and I struggle with this issue. Some folks act as if their street will turn into an urban prairie in a matter of months.
I read terms like "getting out" and "scary" and try to read what that means. Is it because the area has now become diverse? Is it because the older folks can't upkeep their homes or simply are leaving them vacant?
Haven't we moved past this? I'm not trying to single anyone out specifically, but it troubles me to get the feedback about the area where I live. Personally, I don't see it. Should I be worried? Am I naive? As long as folks are good neighbors, isn't all that matters? Is that not happening? Are the city services in decline?
Sorry to pop off, but I am trying to understand both sides of this issue, if there are even two sides to understand. |
Dave70
Member
Username: Dave70
Post Number: 16
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 8:28 pm: | |
Hey Max,
Did you ever see the neighborhood 20 years ago?
Kelly Road was much nicer then, on the Harper Woods AND the Detroit side. |
Maxcarey
Member
Username: Maxcarey
Post Number: 179
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 8:47 pm: | |
Yes, I lived here 20 years ago. Kelly was nicer and its not now.
Does that mean I should "get out" as soon as I can find a buyer? Should I fear for my safety? Is this not an area to raise children?
I can't agree that the answer is to pick up and move out past Hall Road. Is it enivitable that the inner ring suburbs will go through a period of crisis/withdrawl like the city of Detroit did? |
Maxcarey
Member
Username: Maxcarey
Post Number: 180
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 8:56 pm: | |
Yes, I lived here 20 years ago. Kelly was nicer and its not now.
Does that mean I should "get out" as soon as I can find a buyer? Should I fear for my safety? Is this not an area to raise children?
I can't agree that the answer is to pick up and move out past Hall Road. Is it inevitable that the inner ring suburbs will go through a period of crisis/withdrawl like the city of Detroit did? |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1834
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 9:15 pm: | |
"Post them, then. Otherwise, I have some severe doubts."
Yeah well, what can ya do. Im sure theres a more responsible reaction to that situation than posting a photo on the internet. And like I said, I still have to work with those people - even though its through a different company now.
And the photos were taken with a medium format Bronica film camera with studio lights. Hahaha ! |
Fury13
Member
Username: Fury13
Post Number: 2101
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 9:16 pm: | |
" Is it inevitable that the inner ring suburbs will go through a period of crisis/withdrawl like the city of Detroit did?"
Only if the majority of the residents believe it. |
Maxcarey
Member
Username: Maxcarey
Post Number: 181
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 9:22 pm: | |
I certainly hope so Fury. I am not seeing it where I live right now, even though I keep hearing that its "just a matter of time." |
Reetz12
Member
Username: Reetz12
Post Number: 186
Registered: 09-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 9:24 pm: | |
Yes it will be a Chili's in the parking lot. Chili's had a 6 month schedule, with a completion date to open up by January 15th, but I see them finishing before the holiday rush to get some of that action.
Also you should hear an annoucement about the jc penny tire repair store, being converted into a strip mall. THey are in the process of locking in tenants. |