Apartment Living in NC? (Raleigh, Wilson: apartments, foreclosures, lease)

[Abredin]

Hello, my question is about how families who live in apartments are perceived in NC, and specifically around Wilson through the eastern Raleigh area. My family (me, my husband, and two young children) will be moving to NC in the next month or two. I have a couple reasons for wanting to live in an apartment for a while...# 1 - to get to know the area, # 2 - We are selling my "dream house" right now. We've owned for less than 3 years, and I'm just not ready to shop for another house for a while. But what I am worried about is that here in Kalamazoo/Portage Michigan (where I live now) it is odd for a family to rent. By odd I guess I mean the family would be perceived as having problems financially or as being lower class than other families in the area. My husband and I don't really care about this but I worry it would effect the way my children were perceived in school or the friends they would make.

What is your take on this, am I worrying for nothing (non-issue?) or are there certain areas where this would be better understood than others?

I really appreciate any advice
Thanks!

[cheerbear]

Where I came from (rural, coastal NC), I saw a definite homeowner's bias. Most people owned houses, no matter how small or dilapidated, and this was a big source of pride for them. People who lived in apts. were definitely not the norm. However, I'm sure people would be more tolerant in urban areas because renting is a bit more common. Also, with home foreclosures, more people in general will probably be pursuing rent options. I'd reccomend living near a larger city if you want to find a good apt. big enough for your family.

As an alternative, if you lived a little further out into the country or suburds, perhaps you could find a house to rent. This could ameloriate the stigma for your children. After all, no one really has to know that you are renting a house if you're really concerned about experiencing prejudices.

[Orion619]

For whatever it's worth, I would never under any circumstances buy a house in an area I am totally unfamiliar with. There are just too many things that you might regret by not getting to know the area. I'm in almost the same situation, I'm here from NY 2 months now and my wife and I have moved into a very nice apt complex just west of Knightdale in Raleigh. Very affordable I might add, at least compared to NY). I see many famlies in the complex. We're looking for a house now and we would never have known all the areas we're interested in now had we not moved into an apt first. NOT buying a house is the best move we ever did.

[Abredin]

Thanks for your replies. We are less than two weeks away from the move and have an apartment lined up on a short lease. I'm looking forward to getting to know the area so that we can take our time and find a house and neighborhood we love. Earlier it was just so hard to get excited about house shopping when we had done it so recently and had also been lucky enough to find our perfect house. Now as the time gets closer and as things are being packed away I'm getting more and more excited.

I just wanted to say thanks for your answers. They have helped me feel more excited about the move!

[FlowerGirl1824]

Originally Posted by Orion619

For whatever it's worth, I would never under any circumstances buy a house in an area I am totally unfamiliar with. There are just too many things that you might regret by not getting to know the area. I'm in almost the same situation, I'm here from NY 2 months now and my wife and I have moved into a very nice apt complex just west of Knightdale in Raleigh. Very affordable I might add, at least compared to NY). I see many famlies in the complex. We're looking for a house now and we would never have known all the areas we're interested in now had we not moved into an apt first. NOT buying a house is the best move we ever did.

Hi Orion. My hubby and I were also looking at apts in that area. What's the name of the complex?