Need a rental agent in El Paso (Fort Bliss, Horizon City: real estate, rentals)

[Huntsville82]

We are moving to El Paso in May and need to find a rental home and agent. I've checked those listed through Google searches, but was hoping to hear first-hand accounts of reputable rental agents. We are in need of at least a 4 bedroom or 3 bedroom/loft house in an area close to Ft. Bliss, with a good Elementary School. Looking to spend no more than $1300/mo. rent.

Any ideas of neighborhoods to look at or agents to use? Thanks!

[midwifemama28]

Hi. We just rented our home back in Dec. We ended up going with Moderator cut: real estate after we found a home we liked through them. I asked on a homeschool list here in El Paso for feedback about them and one of the moms, a lawyer, actually knew them well as her mom used to work with them. She also bought her home through them and highly recommended them. Well, we have been very happy with them. Our agent is Tom and he has been great to work with. They seem to really care about their clients.

I don't know if websites can be posted here, so instead, if you just do a google search for Moderator cut: real estate it will come up with their site. Otherwise, if you just search for Moderator cut: real estate you will end up pulling up lots of other sites instead.


One other realty that we almost went through was Moderator cut: real estate. I don't think they have a website, but just place their rentals on Moderator cut: real estate. They were very friendly and helpful. Just didn't have exactly what we were looking for at the time. We never did get far with them, like applying, but they did stand out above all the others we talked to. Both them and Moderator cut: real estate.

You definitely can find a nice home for under the price you are looking at. We live on the east side, though maybe a bit farther than you'd like. We are off Edgemere and Loop 375. To get over to the commissary or clinic on Bliss it takes us probably about 25 min. But there are lots of houses closer in on the east that would take even less. I think our neighbor said he only takes him 20 or less to get to where he works on Bliss. You should find some nice houses through Benchmark's site, as I was just looking at them. I am familiar with some of the neighborhoods and they are nice. Also, you may want to consider the northeast. They have a several for that area, too. Northeast is close to Ft Bliss, especially some areas.

Since we are so new and homeschool I have no clue about the schools, so I cannot help you with that one. Moderator cut: real estate recommendations.

Best wishes and welcome to El Paso!

[eplifestyle]

Rent is pretty cheap in El Paso. If you can find a place in Central EP you'll only be about 5 to 15 minutes from Fort Bliss. In that part of town don't let anyone charge more than $1000/mo per rent unless the house is fairly nice. You can actually find 3 bedroom homes in that area for $600-$700 if you spend some time looking. Four bedroom will cost a little more, as they aren't as common (it's an older part of town).

It's better to rent directly from the homeowner than from a rental agent. You end up paying less. I realize it's hard to go directly to the source when you're not already in town, but it might be worth it to take a few days and fly in. Rent a car and drive around the Fort Bliss area. The savings in rent might pay for the cost of the plane ticket.

You might want to keep in mind that $1300/mo. will buy you a home in El Paso. Average house in EP costs $127,500, and because of the Fort Bliss buildup, real estate around the base is rising in value fairly quickly. And if you live in it for at least 2 years, there will be no capital gains tax when you sell it.

I know purchasing a home isn't for everybody. It's just something you might consider.

Hope this helps. And BTW welcome to El Paso!
-eplifestyle

[Huntsville82]

Thanks for the information! I would love to be able to fly in to look around, but we are PCSing from Germany, so that's not going to be possible And, my DH only has a year left before retirement, so I don't think we will be there long enough to buy, although we might consider a lease to buy option in case we decide to stay there.

After looking at the map and trying to cross-reference it with the schools, I'm still unsure as to a good area for elementary schools in relation to Biggs Army Airfield. I have a daughter that will be starting kindergarten so I want her first year to be a success. Is the commute from the West side very long? I've found several homes in Horizon City for rent that look fairly new and reasonable. Is that a long way to Bliss? Is it close to shopping or do you have to travel across town?

Thanks for any and all information that you might have for me!

[midwifemama28]

You want to avoid Horizon City. It is way out there for the most part. There are a lot of nice houses for a good price and we went out there looking when we got here (though we had our rental already), just to see. I figured "How far can it be?" I was amazed. So I would not look there. Horizon City is way out east.

The west side can be further away than the east, northeast or central, depending on where you are at. The west side generally is more expensive for housing, though you can still find a home under what you are wanting to spend. A lot of people like it over there, as it is not so busy. But that does mean there are less choices for shopping.

Sorry again that I cannot help you with the school questions! Hopefully someone who knows about the schools will be able to assist you.

I understand your hesitance to buy if you are only going to be here a year. My husband is just retiring next month after 21 yrs service in the Marine Corps. We are out here because I am going to midwifery school for 1-2 yrs. We may end up staying as we like the area, though we've also been looking at some other places in Texas, too.

Best wishes!

[eplifestyle]

After looking at the map and trying to cross-reference it with the schools, I'm still unsure as to a good area for elementary schools in relation to Biggs Army Airfield. I have a daughter that will be starting kindergarten so I want her first year to be a success. Is the commute from the West side very long? I've found several homes in Horizon City for rent that look fairly new and reasonable. Is that a long way to Bliss? Is it close to shopping or do you have to travel across town?

Horizon City is a nice area, but it is still somewhat isolated from most of EP (the exception being the Eastside). It really depends on what your idea of a long commute is. From Horizon City to nearest Ft Bliss gate via I-10 is roughly twenty miles. Your commute from the Westside will be 15-20 miles to Fred Wilson or Cassidy gate depending on whether you go through downtown via I-10 or across the mountain via Loop 375 (Woodrow Bean/Transmountain Drive). It's not so much a matter of distance to Fort Bliss as it is convenience to other parts of town. Horizon City has nice homes, but its proximity to malls, government offices, etc. leaves something to be desired if that's important to you. On the other hand, some people like being off the beaten path. My bias is that I've always lived within 5 minutes of downtown and I like it that way.

As far as schools, I don't know too much about elementary schools here. I have friends who teach high school in the El Paso Independent School district, but that doesn't really apply to your situation. I do know that some representatives from the DOD education office visited some El Paso District schools recently. Here's a brief article from the KFOX website:

http://www.kfoxtv.com/education/10905948/detail.html

Not very in depth, but it may help you.

There is also an article on the El Paso Times website, but it's in the archives. You can download the article for a few dollars. Go to:

http://www.elpasotimes.com/search?vertical=archive

...and use search term "Department of Defense Education" (without the quotes). Maybe this will help you out.

Have a good weekend...
-eplifestyle

[Armywife77]

Moderator cut: real estate recommendation

I have only been here a few weeks myself. As far as schools not really sure on that (I homeschool) but i hear Ysletta is a good district. I personally got a home in the NE area. Its not far from Bliss. I also looked at Horizon City, the only reason we didn't go with that area is I wanted to be closer to a hospital(high risk pregnancy).