Moving to Des Moines in December (Urbandale, Orange City: extended stay, sublease, apartments)

[Qazulight]

Well,

It is official, I have been transferred to Des Moines. (Urbandale actually) I am not really looking forward to it. I started out in Fargo, I loved Fargo, got transferred to Sioux Falls. I learned to love Sioux Falls. I looked Des Moines over in the spring. It is a nice town, but I really have no desire to live there.

Maybe it will be like one of those arranged marriages where I fall in love after the fact.

Anyway. I am a 56 year old AT&T Tech. I make good money and am well set up. My wife spends the winters in Texas in our house there. She just spent a really nice summer with me in Sioux Falls, but will probably not spend a great deal of time with me in Des Moines. In other words, she will not bring the cat and will not attempt to make it a home or get involved in Church. Just a few weeks here and again.

So, I will probably look for a room or basemen to rent.

That will keep me from accumulating too much stuff and signing long leases.

Ideas about room mates, or other low cost accommodations? After January 1st, once I have a clearer picture of my long term outlook, I will probably look for an apartment. I like quiet and privacy.

Thoughts welcome.

Thanks
Qazulight

[ElleTea]

What is causing you to have such a negative opinion about Des Moines before you even arrive? I've been to Sioux Falls a lot, I'll take Des Moines any day!

[Qazulight]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

What is causing you to have such a negative opinion about Des Moines before you even arrive? I've been to Sioux Falls a lot, I'll take Des Moines any day!

I don't know.

We went down and spent a few days checking the city out. There is nothing wrong with Des Moines. I just didn't find it attractive. It seems like the further south I go the culture changes in ways that remind me of my home in Texas. It isn't bad, it just isn't attractive.

We will see. I didn't like Sioux Falls when I came here last year. I really liked living in downtown Fargo. It was fun and safe and walk-able. Sioux Falls is trying, really trying but the streets are so wide that it makes it hard to walk and they are trying so hard the downtown is all shiny and new looking. Like a guy deciding to be a cool biker dude and buying a clean new leather jacket and brand new Honda.

Des Moines seems to have a little lower rent, and a growing downtown. So it might be a better place than I give it credit for. I just was hoping to move to Tacoma or Platteville Colorado.

Cheers
Qazulight

[BetterCallPaul]

I hope you learn to love it here. I've lived all over the State of Iowa and always end up back here. There are some great housing options in Urbandale, if you want to live closer to your work.

[Qazulight]

Originally Posted by BetterCallPaul

I hope you learn to love it here. I've lived all over the State of Iowa and always end up back here. There are some great housing options in Urbandale, if you want to live closer to your work.

I suppose my problem is not Des Moines vs. Sioux Falls, or Des Moines vs. Orange City Iowa, (although Orange City has a great festival) Rather I was hoping to secure a job within my company and finish out my last 8 years in the Pacific Northwest, or in San Lois Obisbo or Teluride or Great Falls or Duluth, or maybe even a big city like Minneapolis.

We looked at downtown Des Moines and a realtor was telling us about a nice condo with a view for 299,000 dollars, (actually for where and what it is, not a bad deal). When the realtor said, "It has a great view." My wife leaned over and whispered, "So you can see the Cascades?"

From a 299,000 dollar condo in downtown Tacoma you can see Mount Ranier. From a small, and I do mean small condo in Morrow Bay you can view the bay and the ocean. A nice log cabin on the Rio Grande can be had for 299,000 in the edge of the mountains in Colorado. A house in Plattville Colorado can be had for 325,000 with a view of the Rockies off the back deck. Coeur d'Alene has simular expense, while colder it is absolutely beautiful.

So, while I don't dislike DesMoines, I thought any place that gives rise to Zombie Burger can't be all bad, there are other places I would like to while away my time.

Cheers
Qazulight

[601halfdozen0theother]

You Des Moines boosters need to stop boosting for a second and give this poor person some practical advice about the most interesting DM neighborhoods in which he is likely to find a nice quiet affordable 1 bedroom apartment for the short term which he can use as his initial base in DM.

My knowledge of DM neighborhoods is pretty old at this point and I can't help much, but I feel sorry for him! Yes, DM is depressingly much more like Texas in ambiance than it is like the Pacific Northwest where he had hoped to go.

My advice, for what it's worth, would be to hunt on Craigslist for a tiny little house in the Beaverdale neighborhood. It is (or was) a unique walkable neighborhood with interesting small restaurants and stores.

Remember now, DM posters! Stop boosting and try to be helpful!

[IowaRose]

I would check Craigslist for subleases or temporary housing first and then after you are there a while, try to find something more permanent. If the company is helping with temp housing to get you started, there quite a few nice extended stay hotels to choose from.

I hope you find Des Moines to be better than expected, but I understand what it is like when you would rather be living somewhere else, and it just isn't possible at the moment.

[BetterCallPaul]

Originally Posted by Qazulight

I suppose my problem is not Des Moines vs. Sioux Falls, or Des Moines vs. Orange City Iowa, (although Orange City has a great festival) Rather I was hoping to secure a job within my company and finish out my last 8 years in the Pacific Northwest, or in San Lois Obisbo or Teluride or Great Falls or Duluth, or maybe even a big city like Minneapolis.

We looked at downtown Des Moines and a realtor was telling us about a nice condo with a view for 299,000 dollars, (actually for where and what it is, not a bad deal). When the realtor said, "It has a great view." My wife leaned over and whispered, "So you can see the Cascades?"

From a 299,000 dollar condo in downtown Tacoma you can see Mount Ranier. From a small, and I do mean small condo in Morrow Bay you can view the bay and the ocean. A nice log cabin on the Rio Grande can be had for 299,000 in the edge of the mountains in Colorado. A house in Plattville Colorado can be had for 325,000 with a view of the Rockies off the back deck. Coeur d'Alene has simular expense, while colder it is absolutely beautiful.

So, while I don't dislike DesMoines, I thought any place that gives rise to Zombie Burger can't be all bad, there are other places I would like to while away my time.

Cheers
Qazulight

Yes, if you're comparing to the Pacific Northwest, you're not going to have that kind of view in Downtown Des Moines. I chuckle when I hear my colleagues say something about "a great view." I always think, compared to what? If you're looking at the $300,000 price range, you can get a great single family home in Beaverdale, Waterbury or the Western Suburbs. There's a lot to offer in these communities.

[Qazulight]

Originally Posted by BetterCallPaul

Yes, if you're comparing to the Pacific Northwest, you're not going to have that kind of view in Downtown Des Moines. I chuckle when I hear my colleagues say something about "a great view." I always think, compared to what? If you're looking at the $300,000 price range, you can get a great single family home in Beaverdale, Waterbury or the Western Suburbs. There's a lot to offer in these communities.

I don't really want a nice house. I have a nice house.

I will probably just rent a room or something temporary until the spring. If my son moves down from Dickinson we might see about buying in a bad neighborhood that is being redeveloped and rebuilding a house.

Or going together and renting something nice downtown. A loft or something. Once I know the time frame of how long I will be in Des Moines I will have a better idea of what to do. I am thinking we might flip in and out of an old cottage in 24 months. It would give me a project to work on anyway.

I have seen where the city is working to redevelop some of the older neighborhoods where the houses were chopped up into apartments, and I know downtown is growing like crazy. If might be profitable to pre-buy a condo and flip out in a couple of years. I was in the D.C area in the 80's. People were making good money taking contracts on unfinished townhouses and selling the contracts out once the building was finished. They would make 5 or 10 percent on the gross price of the place without ever closing on it.

I am pretty sure that kind of crazy stuff has been arbitraged out by the banks by now. But the rate of expansion in downtown reminds me of that time.

Cheers
Qazulight

[Pringlescan]

Originally Posted by 601halfdozen0theother

You Des Moines boosters need to stop boosting for a second and give this poor person some practical advice about the most interesting DM neighborhoods in which he is likely to find a nice quiet affordable 1 bedroom apartment for the short term which he can use as his initial base in DM.

My knowledge of DM neighborhoods is pretty old at this point and I can't help much, but I feel sorry for him! Yes, DM is depressingly much more like Texas in ambiance than it is like the Pacific Northwest where he had hoped to go.

My advice, for what it's worth, would be to hunt on Craigslist for a tiny little house in the Beaverdale neighborhood. It is (or was) a unique walkable neighborhood with interesting small restaurants and stores.

Remember now, DM posters! Stop boosting and try to be helpful!

There is advice in boosting a city. If someone comes in and already doesn't like the city, no great neighborhood is going to fix that. Especially if they have to stay long term or for a few years.