Moving from Orange County, CA to Madison ? (Middleton, Eagle: bank owned, low income)

[ajo]

Have you considered sabbatical homes? There is a website (can't remember the name--google it), and a lot of profs around here will rent their homes out during a leave.

[mommyntheoc]

I did, actually I found a duplex house on Williamson today. Unfortunately, the move in is right away - we need something at the end of May or beginning of June. It said it was close to the co-op so I got excited about the prospect of it. Just wondering, do a lot of homeowners there just advertise with a FOR RENT sign on the property rather than take the time to list it online or in newspapers? It seems like there are very few rentals for a city with Madison's population.

[mommyntheoc]

Ajo...that is a WONDERFUL idea! I'll google it, if you find the website, would you PLEASE let me know? Thanks!!

[MidwesternBookWorm]

Originally Posted by mommyntheoc

I'm having a lot of trouble locating any houses for lease online for Madison. I've looked at Craigslist, googled every property managment company in Madison and looked at their websites, and I've tried to search on the suggested websites for realtors who list rentals. There isn't much out there. Especially not for a late May-early June move-in. Would owners list their properties in a newspaper there? If so, which one would it be? Any other ideas to find a rental? I can find a lot for sale and a lot of apartments, but that is about it.

What we found when we moved here a decade ago is that there just are not a great many single-family homes for rent in Madison, and while I commend your diligence, the truth is that you may not find a house to rent. You can try the Madison Newspaper website, here: madison.com or the Isthmus, which is the weekly alternative newspaper, here: ISTHMUS | The Daily Page | Madison, Wisconsin. And you may want to contact a realtor, to see if they might also be acting as rental agent for a home. But the bottom line is that it may be necessary to make some compromises during that initial short-term rental period when you first arrive in Madison.

And the phrase "short-term rental period" is the real key here. You're talking about a three to six month period, not a lifetime. I think your expectations for a three-to-six-month rental may be a bit higher than is realistic for Madison. This is a great community and I like it very much, but it's only about 200K people, after all. And there are a lot of other folks who would agree that you're describing the "ideal" home, which means there's a good bit of competition for that kind of property in the rental market here.

Looking at it from the other side, if you were a landlord with a prime 3-bedroom rental house on a big lot with space for a garden and within walking distance of parks and Trader Joe's, would you rather rent to someone who's likely to stay there for several years, or to someone who tells you up front that they'll be out within 6 months' time? Turning over a property (changing tenants) involves a certain amount of time and expense for a landlord, and they don't want to do so any more frequently than they need to.

From what you've said, your kids aren't yet old enough to be in school, so you don't need to worry about having to move them in the middle of the year or anything like that, nor do you even really need to worry a lot about the quality of the closest school to the place you rent; by the time the elder one is ready to start kindergarten, you'll have bought a place close to a school that you do like. If I were in your shoes, I would broaden the scope of the search and consider apartments and townhouses and duplexes as well as houses. Keep reminding yourself that it's a SHORT-TERM thing, and if you've been able to put up with your current community this long despite your dislike for it, three to six months in a not-quite-perfect rental should not be that much of a hurdle.

I'm really not trying to depress you, nor am I downplaying the importance of the criteria you are using in your housing search. I just think that there is a huge, huge difference between a short-term rental and actually purchasing a home, and I suspect that you're setting yourself up for a very frustrating experience with your expectations for what you're going to find in a rental. A transcontinental move happens in stages; I don't think it's possible, except by pure dumb luck, to make a single leap and plop down in *the perfect* place. Getting as far as living in the city is a great first step, and then finding your perfect spot is the task to tackle when you're already on the ground.

I do wish you luck! We've done what you're doing now twice in our lives, and it is quite possibly the biggest and toughest task we've ever tackled. The payoff, if you wind up living in a community that you love, is incalculable, but the effort required is not a small matter. Hope it proves to be worthwhile for you and your family!

[mommyntheoc]

By house, I should have clarified, I've looked at duplexes, detached houses, and townhouses. Apartments don't work because we've had constant tension of if we are upstairs, the neighbors downstairs complain from the kids running around all the time. If we are downstairs, our kids can't sleep at night because the footsteps upstairs scare them and then we just hear about "ghosts" all the time.

We're currently in a townhouse with 2 bedrooms, the kids are sharing....and we have not slept in nearly 2 years (since the youngest was born) because they share a room. We'd really like to be able to sleep and be clear headed at the earliest time we can manage at this point! LOL

I've been a landlord and I can look at it from both sides of the fence, except having been a landlord, I leave the places we rent in BETTER condition than they were upon move-in. Usually, our rentals have the new tenants move in the next day because there are definitely no repairs to be done and everything is cleaned beyond professional standards. Due to this, we've had no problem negotiating with landlords previously to allow for short term leases as needed. But that is here, so who knows...I just kinda feel like if we can swing that good of a reputation here in the place of the untrusting and greedy, we might be able to find someone there. I just wish we were moving in the middle of winter when they were more willing to work with us on terms (although we may have some play room since it is not August 15 like everywhere else).

Thanks for your advice! :-) I wouldn't say what we're looking for is anywhere near ideal...3 rooms with some dirt and a fence around it doesn't seem like it is stretching too far towards the stars - hehe - but then again, I've been spoiled here most likely. I must say I was an out of state landlord for years for a house in IL, and I have done a long distance move on a whim before (from CA to ID). I flew there one weekend, the 1st time I'd ever been, drove around, found a FOR RENT sign, looked at it, signed the lease, flew back to CA, packed up, and moved in 2 weeks later. It was very smooth and it was a WONDERFUL neighborhood...so here's to hoping I may just have blind luck again! LOL

I wish there was some way to google mark all the grocery stores on the map so I could see what neighborhoods have stores by them within walking distance...that is really my #1 preference...since we get groceries in small batches 3-5 times per week (unless the sidewalks are iced over, we'd like to walk to get them).

[RemiJP]

There actually is a way to mark things on Google Maps. Click the "My Maps" tab.

[mommyntheoc]

Is there some way to look up all grocery stores in a city and have them pinpointed on a map though? Hmm...not sure I'm that saavy...LOL

[mommyntheoc]

@ Ajo....THANK YOU! The sabbatical site is GREAT! We've found a lot of homes to rent, below our price range even, right next to the university...GREAT FIND! THANK YOU!

[mommyntheoc]

We found a house we'd love to check out, it is on Westmorland park. My question is, and this will sound very west coast...but there is an outdoor ice skating rink there and I'm wondering how that works as far as when it melts, does it pose a mosquito issue or drowning hazard, etc. Or is it only an inch of ice or what? Is it used for roller skating or hockey in off season? I'm completely unfamiliar with outdoor ice skating, IL and ID didn't have these. Help? *blushes*

[ajo]

Skating rinks come in many types around here. If it isn't on a frozen pond or lake, then they are made basically by putting down a layer of water with a garden hose, and only a few inches thick. This is the type you'd see in Westmoreland Park. It just gets reabsorbed by the ground in spring; you'd have no idea it was ever there in the summer. No mosquito hazard or drowning hazard.

Westmoreland is a great area for young families. Walkable to the new nice library, ice cream shop (yummy), new coffee shop about to come in. Very close to UW, downtown, State Street. Some people don't like the elementary school that much, but that is down the road for you I gather.

Glad the sabbatical site helped.