Moving to Louisville, need advice on areas and finding a place! (St. Matthews: apartment, renters)

[Colvin1005]

Hello All,

My wife and I will be moving up to Louisville this summer and I need some advice on finding a place to live. We are planning on renting for 6 mos – 1 yr until we figure out the city and then hopefully buy a house.

-Where you are working - Downtown
-How much you are willing to spend on housing - Not sure, I don't have a good feel for pricing in the area, we'd like a two bedroom house or apartment, and I'm thinking ~$1,000, but it could be revised
-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate - Sorter the better, 20-30min max.
-If you have kids: Private school or public school? - No Kids
-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight? See below
-Community amenities important to you I'd love to be able to have a garage/covered parking, see below for more thoughts
-Pie or cake? Bread Pudding with rum sauce!!

We're 25 & 27 year old, and we're moving up from the gulf south, so we like old cute homes with character, but a place with good insulation will be key ;-) We'd rather not live in suburbia, and small city excitement sounds nice. From what I've heard the highlands and St. Matthews sound really nice. We don't go out drinking all the time, but having some non-chain restaurants, bars, and shops would be great. We also would love to have a park nearby, for running/biking, but we're not marathon runners. Of course safety is very important.

I've been trying to look for places online, but I've had some trouble finding stuff. Do places tend to just have signs up in their yards? How far out should I start to look? (For example in some cities the norm is a 60 notice for current renters when they move out so you have to look early) We’re coming up for a long weekend in late May and hopefully that will give us enough time to find a place!

I tried to include as much info as I could, but questions are welcome as are any and all thoughts or suggestions!

Thank you,

Colvin

[mdawg]

The Highlands and St. Matthews would fit your bill, BUT beware a lot of homes in these areas do not have covered parking or garages. Have you tried craigslist? There are usually a lot of rentals on there. Use key words like Highlands, St. Matthews, Seneca Park, Cherokee Park, Cherokee Triangle, and Crescent Hill to narrow it down to places around those two areas.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Colvin1005

Hello All,

My wife and I will be moving up to Louisville this summer and I need some advice on finding a place to live. We are planning on renting for 6 mos – 1 yr until we figure out the city and then hopefully buy a house.

-Where you are working - Downtown
-How much you are willing to spend on housing - Not sure, I don't have a good feel for pricing in the area, we'd like a two bedroom house or apartment, and I'm thinking ~$1,000, but it could be revised
-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate - Sorter the better, 20-30min max.
-If you have kids: Private school or public school? - No Kids
-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight? See below
-Community amenities important to you I'd love to be able to have a garage/covered parking, see below for more thoughts
-Pie or cake? Bread Pudding with rum sauce!!

We're 25 & 27 year old, and we're moving up from the gulf south, so we like old cute homes with character, but a place with good insulation will be key ;-) We'd rather not live in suburbia, and small city excitement sounds nice. From what I've heard the highlands and St. Matthews sound really nice. We don't go out drinking all the time, but having some non-chain restaurants, bars, and shops would be great. We also would love to have a park nearby, for running/biking, but we're not marathon runners. Of course safety is very important.

I've been trying to look for places online, but I've had some trouble finding stuff. Do places tend to just have signs up in their yards? How far out should I start to look? (For example in some cities the norm is a 60 notice for current renters when they move out so you have to look early) We’re coming up for a long weekend in late May and hopefully that will give us enough time to find a place!

I tried to include as much info as I could, but questions are welcome as are any and all thoughts or suggestions!

Thank you,

Colvin

I agree with Highlands, specifically Cherokee Triangle. Very safe. Outside of New Orleans, there is nothing as urban or as walkable in the Gulf South, so you will be in heavan. Driving around calling for rent signs is still the best way. Use craigslist and google street view to help, pick a few streets, and plan to visit at least a dozen properties. The homes in the Highalnds are so old that many have small closets or old kitchens. That said, seek and you shall find what you want!

[kymbe]

hi colvin, It does sound like you would love the highlands, or even the cresent hill area. I am a realtor, and I live in the cresent hill/clifton area myself. kym

[bbkennedy]

If you will be in town I highly recommend driving the neighborhoods as stx12499 suggests. It's good advice. The areas proffered in the previous responses are the best Louisville has to offer & you should be happy with any of them but you need to drive them to get a feel for where you will be the most comfortable. Their flavors are all delicious but different. Welcome to Derby City. It's a comfortable town & I hope you will feel welcomed when you get here.