Everyone pushes the Corktown hype, but I saw better deals in Southwest Detroit last year.

I looked at two small warehouse spaces in 2023, one in Corktown listed at $18 a square foot and a similar one off Vernor Highway for $11. The Corktown building needed a new roof, adding maybe $50k upfront. The Southwest spot was turnkey with newer HVAC. The rent difference paid for the commute in under two years. The foot traffic argument for retail makes sense, but for light industrial, the math is clear. Has anyone else found better value outside the usual hot zones?

3 comments

3 Comments

terryk1014d ago

You're right about the math not lying. My friend got a whole floor in a Hamtramck building for what a tiny Corktown office costs. The extra square footage beats a trendy zip code for actual work.

the_brian14d ago

Honestly terryk10, you're onto something bigger here. Everyone talks price per square foot, but they forget the mental cost of a cramped space. I mean, if your team is on top of each other in a cool area, the stress kills the vibe anyway. That extra room in a place like Hamtramck isn't just physical, it lets people breathe and actually think. A fancy address feels empty if you can't work right.

logan2369d ago

That bit about the mental cost of a cramped space is key, like the_brian said. I read a piece on how workspace size directly affects team focus. The math on paper never includes that stress, which is a real cost.