OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – A snapshot of the real estate market shows buyers are moving despite home sales dipping 3.6 percent year-over-year.
However, RE/MAX Southeastern Michigan reports home sales jumped 15 percent month-over-month, calling it an encouraging sign.
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The data shows the bigger question isn’t whether people are buying.
It’s where they’re going.
The answer might surprise you.
Hidden gems drawing buyers west
Realtor Eric Meldrum of Tru Living Group tracks housing market trends closely, and the communities topping his list aren’t the usual suspects.
Forget Birmingham.
Forget Royal Oak.
The suburbs quietly attracting buyers are Northville, South Lyon, Plymouth, Rochester Hills and Dexter based on new construction data.
“There’s a lot of new construction happening, and I think people from the Metro Detroit area are certainly people coming from in and around, you know, out of state,” Meldrum said. “They’re looking for new construction just from affordability and what they actually want.”
Meldrum says older homes dominate the core of Metro Detroit, pushing buyers to look north and west for space, newer builds and the lifestyle amenities that come with growing communities.
Growth by the numbers
In Lyon Township, there’s a lot of new construction going on that includes kind of the western parts of Novi, Northville and South Lyon and they’ve grown over 60% over the last decade in population, Meldrum said.
“They went from 14,000 to 27,000 people and it’s slated for the next decade that they’re going to double and go to about 45,000,” he said.
For buyers wondering whether they’ve already missed the window, Meldrum has a reassuring take.
“I don’t think it’s ever really too late,” he said. “People have still been moving to Royal Oak, like I said, in Birmingham for a long time. Those continue to be popular areas as well.”
What buyers can expect to pay
Price points vary depending on the property.
In the South Lyon area, single-family homes run around $450,000. New construction, however, commands a premium — typically between $500,000 and $800,000.
For families drawn by bigger lots and more acreage, Meldrum says the western suburbs are a natural fit, especially for those relocating from other states.
“When you’re moving in from out of state, you’re used to that coming from a place; maybe you have some acreage,” Meldrum said. “Where you’re going to find that is typically in South Lyon, kind of the western part of Metro Detroit and the outskirts of Ann Arbor.”
South Lyon: Small-town charm, big growth
South Lyon, the city with small-town charm, is home to roughly 12,000 residents.
New subdivisions are luring buyers from across the country, including Bob O’Connell, who recently traded upstate New York for a brand-new home in the city.
“We were looking for something with a neighborhood feel,” O’Connell said. “We didn’t really want be kind of the only house on a busy street.”
O’Connell and his family have only been in their new home about six weeks, but he’s already sold on the area.
“It’s really nice,” he said. “People are very friendly. There’s a lot of things around here. The parks are beautiful. A lot of lakes.”
Residents also appreciate the duality of having proximity to bigger cities while living a slower pace of life.
“We’re a very small-town feel, and you feel like you’re kind of in the country, but 20 minutes one way is Novi, 10 minutes the other way is Brighton,” said Amanda Fanson, a longtime South Lyon resident. “You’re very close to Ann Arbor, so you get the big city or you get all the conveniences you need that are very, very close by, but you get to live in kind of that more country and small community.”
Fanson has called South Lyon home for roughly 15 years and says the last eight years in particular have brought rapid change.
“It is sad to see the farms and the orchards, right, that are getting built up,” she said. “That does make me a bit sad.”
Still, she’s proud to see her community on the radar.
“It’s like, oh no, our special little gem,” Fanson said. “But also it feels a little bit selfish because it is so wonderful here. So, I get it, I get wanting to preserve what we have.”
Her husband, Paul Fanson, who is newer to the community, says downtown South Lyon is what hooked him.
“I really like the downtown,” he said. “The sort of like very classic Midwestern downtown with a lot of kind of interesting little shops and restaurants. That’s always been kind of the special part for me.”
Northville: Where authenticity meets charm
Northville earns its spot on the list for similar reasons.
Vicky Stearns, who visits regularly and lived there briefly, says the city has held onto something rare: a downtown that feels timeless.
“I love the feel here when I come here,” Stearns said. “When we hang out, we have a good time. I feel like I’m on vacation.”
For Stearns, Northville would be a natural next step.
“If I come from downriver, this would be one of the first places I would think about,” she said.
Schools, seniors, luxury condos
Growing communities bring growing pains and school districts are no exception.
South Lyon Community Schools Superintendent Steve Archibald says the district is cautiously optimistic about what the new housing surge could mean for enrollment.
“Like many districts, we have experienced a modest decline in enrollment in recent years, largely due to lower birth rates,” said Archibald in a released statement. “However, we are optimistic that new housing developments will attract young families and help stabilize enrollment moving forward.”
Archibald also pointed to a significant community investment in education.
Voters approved a $350 million capital improvement bond in November, which will fund projects including the renovation and expansion of the district’s Early Childhood Center.
“It is truly an exciting time for SLCS,” he said.
But it’s not just families driving demand.
Meldrum says an emerging trend is reshaping the market in these communities — luxury condominiums built for buyers looking to downsize.
“There’s not a lot of ranch-style condos or luxury homes that people that have been living in their 3,000-square-foot, nice homes can migrate to,” Meldrum said. “So, developers are now starting to develop luxury condominiums that are ranch-style side-by-side units and it’s going very well for them.”