Questions about moving to Lawrence, KS (Kansas City, Topeka: real estate, rentals, how much)

[tstcbunny]

My fiance and I are relocating to Lawrence due to his job. I actually like the area. However I have several questions/concerns.

First: What is up with all the 2 story, bright/odd colored homes? I didn't see any brick homes (I wasn't looking into the student/old homes). All of them seemed to have siding?

Second: What is up with most of the houses, pretty much all with the exception of very few, having no fences??? From what I could tell Lawrence is a fairly dog friendly town. Not to mention, doesn't anyone feel like their privacy is violated?

Third: Is the dog park there fenced? It said it was at the lake?

Fourth: Why is the cost of living so high there? Its more expensive then living in Dallas, TX. You can get a nice 3/2/2 brick home with a large privacy fenced in yard for $1200 in a nice area of Dallas. What gives?

Fifth: It seems to be hard to find a home thats not directed to students and that is newer/nicer. I couldn't seem to find a realtor with a good selection. Is driving around looking for rent/lease signs in the yard the best way to find a nice home?

Sixth: What areas or streets would you recommend looking for a rental? We need at least a 3 bedroom, 2 bath and preferably a 2 car garage for $1200 or less, that has a fenced yard, allows dogs and is newer/nice or at the very least recently updated/remodeled.

Seventh: Any advice, ideas or suggestions you would give about the area and relocating there?

Thanks!

[Okey Dokie]

I'll try to answer a few of them.

No brick homes: This is just the way it is around here. Look at Kansas City. Same thing. You might get some brick facing on the front, but an all-brick home built in the past 25 to 30 years is extremely rare. DFW, OKC, etc. are big on brick ranches. Not so here.

Cost of living: Lawrence is expensive. Much more so than Kansas City or Topeka. I don't know why, but it's just the way it is.

Lack of "adult" rentals: Lawrence is a college town. The whole city revolves primarily around the student population. I would suggest looking on the west side of Lawrence. You might try some of the smaller surrounding towns - Eudora, Lecompton, Tonganoxie. You could even consider living in the far western suburbs of Kansas City such as Olathe or DeSoto, or even Topeka. Check the on-line classifieds for the Lawrence Journal World. Plenty of rentals there.

[tstcbunny]

We plan on building a home there in 1 to 2 years. We would defiantly want brick. Is it more expensive to get brick there or is there a lack of builders that use it when building a house?

<<<Lack of "adult" rentals: Lawrence is a college town. The whole city revolves primarily around the student population.>>>

I've lived in Waco, TX as well as Norman, OK and now in Fayetteville, AR. All three are college towns. All three are 70k to 120k people. However, even with the supply and demand of college students there have always been plenty of 'adult' rentals. Most college towns revolve around colleges as they are their lively hood. It doesn't mean they have to neglect the families that share the town.

Thanks for sharing the journal site. I couldn't find anything before on it. And craigslist is full of college homes or really expensive ones beyond what we need.

[Okey Dokie]

Maybe since KU is about to start fall semester, there is an overabundance of student rentals right now.

And I really don't know the story on brick. We lived in OKC for 3.5 years and were thrilled with the all brick homes there. Back in KC now, and back to wood siding.

[USCtemes]

Hey
1. It's a college town.
2. I didn't realize that everyone in the United State needed to have fenced in back yards to have privacy or therefore feels violated by their neighbors able to see their choice in patio furniture.
3. It's called googlemaps and I really wish that you would start using the declarative considering so far everything you have said is a statement not a question.
4. The cost of living is high because as stated before it is a college town and it is also very near a large metropolitan area with good schools. It is very telling on how open minded and educated you are by referring to one small geographic part of the U.S. i.e. Dallas.
5. I'm tired of answering your pretensious post and I think to address your last question maybe you should get one of those garish brightly colored house with no fence and spend the money you saved on an education and learn some manners.
P.S. If you find it neccesary to have a home that is brick then you might decide to A) Get a job or B) Find a husband that makes more than 70K a year and learn how much building materials cost.

[RadioSilence]

1. Wood is more easily available and less expensive. Wood is a better insulator than brick. Wood expands and contracts more easily with the temperature. Vinyl siding is also less expensive.

2. I grew up in Lawrence. My family didn't have a fenced back yard when I was a kid. We had a verbal agreement with three of our neighbors to abstain from building fences, allowing easy access between streets and a larger play space for me, my brothers, and the neighbor kids. I imagine it varies by neighborhood. It makes good sledding when you live on a hill without fenced yards!

3. Off-Leash Dog Parks | City of Lawrence, Kansas - Parks and Recreation

4. Housing prices in Lawrence increased as more people from Johnson County and Shawnee County treated it as a bedroom community. The demand is still high because of the large student population.

5. This is the real estate site associated with the newspaper. Lawrence, KS Real Estate | The Journal World | Real Estate Lawrence, KS
Unfortunately you won't find much under "residential for rent." You may have to make some calls or do some driving if you don't see anything you like on craigslist.

[lovefranki]

Definitely check out the West Side past Kasold, not Massachusetts cause that is "technically" where the town is divided by east and west. Or even the South West side there are a lot of new homes springing up all over there.
I live in Lawrence and I'm from another college town and the other town I lived in was much more family oriented than Lawrence.
Basically if you don't go to KU or have something to do with KU around here you are an odd man out. I don't know why it's that way, but the college thinks they are better than the town around it.
As far as brick homes go, they are harder to maintain and so many of the beautiful old houses around here someone has destroyed to turn it into student housing.

I currently live in the "student ghetto" because rent is cheaper (sometimes) here, but I wouldn't suggest a family moving in.
Avoid old West Lawrence if you want quiet neighbors and to be around other families.