[Mama Scribe]

Hi,

We'll be moving to the Marquette area this summer and have a few questions that I'm hoping someone here can answer. We need to rent a home in a safe area for a young family, but we're surprised by the prices and the lack of rentals in the (online) newspaper. We made a visit there in March and saw Sawyer Village. From what I saw and what I heard, it's not exactly what we had hoped to find.

We live rurally now in a college town in NY and we had previously lived in rural Maine. I cannot figure out why the rental houses (for a small 2 bedroom) are over $1000 in Marquette! We're currently paying $650 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on over an acre of land. What is going on up there? Will there be more choices this summer or is this the way it is year-round? Everyone says the cost of living is good up there, especially in relation to housing, but I'm just not seeing that.

Also, could you tell us any places/landlords we should definitely steer away from? Online, Sawyer Village looks good. In person, not so much. We don't want to end up with a surprise when we get there and it's crunch time to find a place. Are there slumlords up there? What about the following?:

Curran and Co -- Cedarville Townhomes
S&W Realty
Tourville North & West
Pondhouse Properties
Look Realty

Any input would be great! We'll consider anything within 45 minutes of Marquette. Eventually we'll buy, but want to rent until we've learned more about the area.

Thanks!

[johnfinn]

Check out Negaunee, might be cheaper rent. Marquette has a limited amount of "inventory" and much of the older areas near NMU has turned into rental for students. The housing is fairly well concentrated, limiting your choices. If I had school age children, I wouldn't hesitate to buy and stay in Negaunee.

[Mama Scribe]

Thank you! I see that there is one rental house listed in the paper currently for Negaunee and the price is lower than the Marquette listings. There just don't seem to be many listings under rental homes. Do people advertise anywhere other than the Mining Journal?

[Perferator]

Originally Posted by Mama Scribe

Thank you! I see that there is one rental house listed in the paper currently for Negaunee and the price is lower than the Marquette listings. There just don't seem to be many listings under rental homes. Do people advertise anywhere other than the Mining Journal?

Have you tried sitting down with a church list for those areas and calling someone in the office? You might find someone willing to point you in the right direction. Just a heads-up....churches dont always have a staff secretary on duty.

Just a thought.

[johnfinn]

Originally Posted by Mama Scribe

Thank you! I see that there is one rental house listed in the paper currently for Negaunee and the price is lower than the Marquette listings. There just don't seem to be many listings under rental homes. Do people advertise anywhere other than the Mining Journal?

Try Craigs upper peninsula apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

[darstar]

Sawyer Village...? Where is that ?...Not in Marquette I would guess. Stay away from Sawyer Airport area.... The reason prices seem so high in Marquette is there is a shortage of rental housing in many of the newer areas. The older stuff is in competition with the College, and the medical complexes.... I rented a for sale apt. " condo"...for 2 years. It was new and convenient while I was building my home south of town. 1,000- 1200 is about right for rent for a 2 bedroom. All the houses I looked at were run down and old, so , the apt condo rental idea worked for me.
There is still a building " boom" going on in Marquette County. The area still has a strong economy compared to the other areas in the UP .. Condos are overbuilt , so that might be a good choice still. More are going up , but are or will be on the high side.... the bet is that there are a lot of older people retiring and will be looking for a new place to downsize.
Tourville will have the best prices , but there is always a waiting list, I am told..... Looking outside the area will get you cheaper rentals , but the slection is slim when considering you want somthing nice and not old and rundown. There are a lot of projects that are in the works, but a lot has been put on hold due to the funding shortage. Look for things to change this summer as funds become more liquid, that might not help you now, but, this is a growing area. Many contractors from other areas of the UP are coming here to build as its still strong market compared to other towns and cities. Also , the Unions are still strong in the trades in the County, that drives up prices also.

[Mama Scribe]

Originally Posted by johnfinn

Try Craigs upper peninsula apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

Thank you for this! I hadn't looked at Craigslist. Looks like S.W. Property Management owns many of them. Does anyone know anything about this company?

Thanks!

[Mama Scribe]

Originally Posted by Perferator

Have you tried sitting down with a church list for those areas and calling someone in the office? You might find someone willing to point you in the right direction. Just a heads-up....churches dont always have a staff secretary on duty.

Just a thought.

Thank you for the thought. We'll be looking for a church when we move, too. I hadn't thought to ask them about it, though.

[Mama Scribe]

Originally Posted by darstar

Sawyer Village...? Where is that ?...
Also , the Unions are still strong in the trades in the County, that drives up prices also.

Sawyer Village is in Gwinn -- it's the old Air Force base housing.

I'm not sure how unions drive up the prices of current rentals, but I'm glad to know that new construction supports jobs and fair work practices for the area.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by Mama Scribe

Sawyer Village is in Gwinn -- it's the old Air Force base housing.

I'm not sure how unions drive up the prices of current rentals, but I'm glad to know that new construction supports jobs and fair work practices for the area.

Sure you can find cheap housing around Sawyer , but , the crime is worst in the County around there. Old Base housing is selling for very low pricing. I know of one Guy who bought 2 homes for under 30,000 total, and is combining them into one....Its not a very nice place to live , compared to the balance of the County. Also , if you work in Marquette, the drive and fuel costs can make a difference. Look for fuel costs to go up soon.

Now , the Union. I have nothing against Unions, its just that for some reason the Union Contractors charge higher rates and that has an effect on the final cost. I am building a house , I know costs, and quotes. So many people think comming to a remote area that all things will cost less. No so much around Marquette.