specific question - iowa city real estate (rentals, mortgages)

[doublelle]

yes, I searched....but I hit on over 300 matches and read thru about 50...(ug!)

Moving to Iowa City this spring. Will start working at hospital in July. It's a 2-year committment and then (most likely) we will relocate. Wondering if renting is the best option for me. If we were to buy, would look at prices around 140-170K. We've driven around and I know there are a lot of empty new constructions up there....we just haven't talked to anyone yet. Don't want to get stuck with 2 mortgages in 3 years, but also don't want to throw money away in renting. Does anyone know if the market is improving in the area?

[Pearlbob]

Ran across this post...I can't help you with purchasing real estate, but I do want to just emphasize that IC is a huge college town, so the majority of rentals will be occupied by students (undergrad or grad). Grad students tend to live further away from campus, but just keep in mind that if you rent a unit that has other rentals around it, most likely you will be among some young students (no clue what your age is or why you'll be at UIHC...) For me personally, I'm still "young-ish" but I sure wouldn't want to live around college kids.