Home Search (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point: real estate, apartment, rentals)

[KayBee718]

I'm a CT native who has lived in DFW since 2007 with a 3 year stop in Williamsburg, VA between CT & DFW.

I am moving to the Greensboro area in late June for a new job that is located just west of GSO airport.

I do not have school-age children. My 22 year old daughter lives with me.

I am selling my home here and I am going to rent for a year while I get the lay of the land and figure out whether the Triad is right for me.

I am coming to the Triad next Wednesday (5/30) to find a place to live. I need a single family home because I have dogs. While I'd love an apartment, I don't think there are any that would entertain my herd. My maximum budget is $1500/month but I'd like to keep it lower. I want something suburban or rural, not city.

I have a bunch of questions.

I'm really surprised that the distance between the east side of Greensboro and the west side of Greensboro is 30 minutes. It doesn't look that large on a map. What are bad traffic areas around my workplace (see above) that I should try to avoid when looking for a place?

It seems like it's just as far from my workplace to Winston-Salem as it is to the east side of Greensboro? The rents in WS are much cheaper and that makes it somewhat attractive, but I'm suspicious and wondering why. Is it considered "undesirable"? Are there more desirable areas of WS that I should look at and less desirable areas of WS that I should stay away from?

I saw a house for rent in Rural Hall that I was absolutely drooling over. Gigantic back yard with breathtaking views. After living in TX for 10 years with neighbors 10 feet away, it was a breath of fresh air. Probably too far though, right?

One of my new co-workers lives in northern High Point, sort of near The Palladium, I think she said. I don't see many home rentals in HP though.

Any advice on how my 22 year old daughter can meet and make friends?

I'll be looking for a great non-denominational Christian church in the Triad. Recs on that?

I contacted two real estate agents that my new employer recommended. One was pretty nice and I need to swing back around to see if she can show me around. The other was more along the lines of, "I'll send you a list of property managers" as if she can't be bothered to show rentals. Any property management companies that are stellar vs. "not so much"?

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by KayBee718

going to rent for a year while I get the lay of the land and figure out whether the Triad is right for me.
I am coming to the Triad next Wednesday (5/30) to find a place to live.

I contacted two real estate agents that my new employer recommended.
I need a single family home because I have dogs.

It sounds like you have a real solid handle on things. Good luck.

I saw a house for rent in Rural Hall that I was absolutely drooling over.
Any advice on how my 22 year old daughter can meet and make friends?

Renting that house in W. Greensboro rather than Rural Hall;
let alone not being forty miles from work.

I'll be looking for a great non-denominational Christian church in the Triad.
Any property management companies that are stellar vs. "not so much"?

I'll leave these to the W GSO locals ...but finding the Church maybe after finding the house?

[BC1960]

For both G'boro and W-S, the nicer areas are west and northwest of the city. If I were you, I'd start looking around Kernersville, Colfax, Oak Ridge areas.

[BrianGC]

We live in the NW part of GSO, and I commute from there to the part of town where it sounds like your job may be at. Very easy commute, about ~15 minutes for me. Compared to some of the other metros I've lived in, rush hour around here is relatively easy overall.

Our apartment is in a very suburb-ish area. Clean and safe, with lots of shopping options. It will be very easy to find a nice apartment or even possibly a townhome below 1500/month. Check zip code 27410 on zillow or trulia. I can't speak for house rentals, though.

For your daughter making friends, definitely look into events and maybe neighborhoods associated with the colleges Wake Forest (if you live in WS) or UNCG (if you live in GSO) for starters. Otherwise, downtown GSO has a lot of younger folks as well. Of course, you may not actually want to live in those locations if you're looking for more space.

We're not as familiar with WS, but it does have a really nice downtown, too, from the visits we've made. Main reason we picked GSO was that our research found the nightlife seemed better.