West Hartford, CT ? (New Britain, Newington, Windsor: apartments, rentals, condos)

SaveTheSeaTurtles · 10-17-2010, 12:28 PM

It appears that my husband will be transferred by his company to West Hartford, CT by January 1.

Can anyone give me suggestions on specific apartment/townhome rentals?
We would be looking to stay close to a budget of $1000/mth - we are not interested in nightlife/clubs at all and would in fact actively avoid those areas.

Would like to be close to grocery stores, stores, etc. in a "quiet" area - Would love to have a small yard if that was even within the budget amt. but not sure if it would be (we have two dogs). Would prefer something that is not terribly old so I am not dealing with "aging" issues of the place like poor plumbing, insulation problems, etc. Definitely want to be in low-crime area !

We would like to be within 20 miles of West Hartford so he will not have a huge commute every day.

I am dreading the move just a little - we just did a major move and here we go again - BUT I am looking forward to being somewhere where the seasons change again and I am so grateful that we have a job to go to when so many do not in this economy!

Any help is greatly appreciated. We would be moving from out-of-state so most of the preliminary searching is being done online.

Thanks again!

OneCoolDude2010 · 10-17-2010, 08:19 PM

My advice is to thoroughly check out the locations. When we visited the Hartford area we found a lot of neighborhoods were unsatisfactory and places I would not live in for any price. Anything inexpensive must be carefully inspected as must the neighborhood it is located in. Wish you to best of luck! Ultimately, we decided to go for some of the smaller towns located a little bit far out.

KH02 · 10-18-2010, 06:18 AM

What do you want in an apartment for the 1000 budget??

Also, just so you know it will make it a lot tougher to find a rental, since you have 2 dogs. Most places will allow at most 1 dog and generally under a certain poundage (small dogs).

Jessica Beganski · 10-18-2010, 09:24 AM

I know of very few rentals (apartments/condos) that allow two dogs. And if they do allow them, they usually have a combined weight maximum and breed restrictions. If you have two small dogs (under 50 lbs combined), there are a few complexes that allow them.

If they're larger, then your best bet would be a single family home. But the rent would be higher - likely around $1200/month.

If you're interested, you can private message me and I'll send you my current list of pet friendly apartments (including their pet policy) and a list of current single family rentals.

7 Wishes · 10-18-2010, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneCoolDude2010

My advice is to thoroughly check out the locations. When we visited the Hartford area we found a lot of neighborhoods were unsatisfactory and places I would not live in for any price. Anything inexpensive must be carefully inspected as must the neighborhood it is located in. Wish you to best of luck! Ultimately, we decided to go for some of the smaller towns located a little bit far out.

I think you are thinking of HARTFORD or maybe EAST Hartford, not WEST Hartford.......

mlassoff · 10-18-2010, 11:24 AM

The commute might be a tad rough, but the OP might want to look at Vernon Gardens on Talcottville in Vernon. They have townhomes, allow dogs and you might be able to sneak in for 1K a month. It's a quite community and all the conveniences are near by. Stop and Shop is less than a half mile. I believe they allow dogs-- but I don't know about two pets.

SaveTheSeaTurtles · 10-19-2010, 11:35 AM

Thank you to those of you who responded. It looks like it might not be a bad commute from Avon or Farmington - am I wrong on that? Maybe there are suitable rentals in that area?

Also, my 2 dogs - they are not large dogs - one is 30 lbs and the other is 9. I don't have any concerns on breed restriction policy as one is a mini-doxie and the other is a spaniel mix...

$1200 would not be outrageous, IMO - but I really don't want to go higher than that, unless the rental was REALLY great.

I did check Vernon Gardens, thanks. They do not have anything that will be available when we need it.

If there are any other suggestions, I would love to hear from you! TIA !

goldenband · 10-19-2010, 12:10 PM

Personally, I'd recommend living in West Hartford proper, since it's better to save time and money on gas and pay a little extra in rent. I would look in the area roughly bounded by Quaker Lane (or Trout Brook) on the west, Farmington Ave. on the north, Prospect on the east, and Park Rd. on the south. You might also try the Elmwood area.

Either way your best bet IMHO is to rent an entire floor of a multi-story, multi-family home, or something like a mother-in-law apartment. That's the best chance to get something really appealing with your budget, though it'll take a lot of looking. Most of my friends who have rented in WH and been happy with the results -- i.e. a nice place that doesn't cost too much -- have gone that route. Some have even had dogs!

KH02 · 10-20-2010, 05:32 AM

Avon and Farmington don't have nearly as many rentals as West Hartford. They would also be more expensive.
West Hartford would still be your best bet.

parentologist · 10-20-2010, 09:37 AM

I think you're going to have a hard time finding a good rental apt. in WH for 1000/mo that will allow dogs. You could find a 1 BR in bad condition that will allow dogs for that price, or a 2 BR in poor condition that doesn't allow dogs for that price. Newington also has a lot of rental stock, and New Britain has a ton of rental stock. Some areas of New Britain aren't too desirable, but some areas near WH are okay, and because people don't want to send their kids to New Britain schools, the prices are lower. If you don't have kids in school, I'd seriously consider renting in New Britain. Also could consider renting in Windsor or Bloomfield. Farmington and Avon are great, but not a lot of rental stock, higher prices because of desirable schools. Check out Craigslist.