New neighborhoods: Swan Creek, Richmond

July 30, 2000

Project: Swan Creek Homes, 200 houses with six floor plans, from a two-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot ranch to a 1,900-square-foot colonial. Base prices are $149,900 to $189,900.

Place: Richmond, northeast Macomb County.

Appeal: These are the rare new houses that are neither large nor very expensive. But they look good and include many features that usually cost extra. Richmond is a turn-of-the-century town where homes date from the Victorian or Craftsman era with a thriving little downtown of 19th-Century shops.

Base price per square foot: From $94 for a larger colonial to $124 for the smallest ranch.

Included: Gas fireplace with glass doors, air conditioning, ceramic tile baths, whirlpool tub, nice light fixtures, textured shingles.

Add-ons: Ceramic tile kitchen floor ($9 a square foot), bonus rooms in some models ($10,000). Elaborate finished basements ($20,000-$30,000).

Lot size: Typically 70 by 117 feet.

Insulation: Excellent R19 walls and R38 ceiling created with blown-in cellulose. Also, a preformed basement (created off-site) has R5 insulation ;more insulation can be added. This is rare in Michigan, but an excellent energy saver, conducive to a comfortable finished basement. Vinyl windows.

Comment: Six decorated models let you see every type of house built. Models include inventive ideas for kids' rooms. Four of the six houses are between 1,200 and 1,600 square feet, a hard-to-find small size. Richmond lacks big employers, but many people live here for the atmosphere and commute to jobs elsewhere.

Schools: Richmond; math and reading MEAP scores are about 4 percent over state averages

Taxes: $40.49 per $1,000 of a house's taxable value. A $170,000 house, with taxable value of $85,000, would pay taxes of $3,442. For a complete comparison of other communities' taxes, click here!

Call: 810-727-6400, noon-5 any day.

By Judy Rose
Free Press real estate writer