jews d

RUDY THOMAS

on the cover

in
the

House Hunting

M

etro Detroit’s young Jews are on the move.
Access to an increasingly vibrant Downtown
Detroit, the search for good schools and
proximity to a Jewish community of their peers are
among the factors driving their migrations. But, unlike
in past moves, the push has not necessarily been
northwest.
Melanie Bishop, a realtor associate with Max Broock
Realtors in Bloomfield Hills, says
many young families are moving for
the school districts, with a strong
interest in West Bloomfield neighbor-
hoods that funnel into Bloomfield
Hills schools. Bloomfield Hills and
Birmingham schools are highly desir-
able, she explains.
“When the market started to come
back in 2011 and people were on the
Melanie Bishop
move again, and young families were
looking for homes, the school district
was definitely the common denominator,” she says.

10

January 11 • 2018

jn

The next wave of migration
for young Jews seems to be
headed east.

KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ABOVE: Ben, Adam, Livia and Rebecca Bershad live at Haggerty and
Pontiac Trail. They are looking for a house near Lone Pine Elementary
in West Bloomfield.

A cohort of young people who may have moved to
the western end of West Bloomfield and Commerce
for well-priced newer homes in past years has been
making a move for Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham
schools, she explains. “It’s a total reversal of history;
and the eastern end of West Bloomfield that’s in
Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham schools is so strong.”
Depending on their age and where they work, there’s

also a movement to Downtown and Royal Oak, she
explains. “The whole Woodward corridor is exploding,
anything from Ferndale to Bloomfield Hills.” Singles
and young couples without kids are exploring the
more urban lifestyles that areas like Royal Oak, Berkley
and Ferndale afford, she adds.
Momentum was strong in 2017, she says. “Our mar-
ket [in 2017] was way better than last year. We had
really light inventory, so it propelled a lot of apprecia-
tion because of supply and demand.” It’s made for a
very good year for sellers, she says, with many buyers
coming in looking for three to four bedrooms.
The Jewish community across West Bloomfield
remains strong, say real estate agents. Whether they’re
moving back to the area from cities like Chicago and
New York as they start their families, coming from
Royal Oak as they start to settle down or moving from
another nearby area, young families are especially
flocking to the subdivisions at the Lone Pine, Orchard
Lake and Middlebelt area, she says.

continued on page 12