Moving from Chicago to Raleigh (Cameron: hardwood floors, apartments, lease)

[fotique]

Greetings!

My boyfriend and I are set to move from Chicago to Raleigh this August. He will be attending graduate school at NCSU and I will be working. Right now, my biggest concern is finding somewhere to live. It is too expensive for us to fly/drive down, rent a car, and stay in a hotel for a week(end) to search for an apt., so we will likely be signing something without seeing it first.

We visited Raleigh in the spring and were able to get a feel for the city. But without ever having lived there, we are clueless as to where we should look for an apt.! What we're looking for:
- 1 - 2 bedroom 800-900 max/month apt.
- Either walkable or on a bus route to NCSU
- Safe, nice neighborhood
- Preferably not an apt. complex filled with undergraduate students
- Cat friendly!

The following would just be some added bonuses:
- Hardwood floors
- Near shops or restaurants/walkable neighborhood
- pool
- vintage
- lots of windows!

Does anyone have suggestions for neighborhoods/apt. complexes/where we should look/etc.? Any advice is greatly appreciated! We are pretty open and easy going. We also don't mind an older apt. with some character. The building we live in now was built in the early 1900's and we love it.

I've searched around the forum for a similar thread but didn't find what I needed. Sorry if this is a duplicate post - I am new to the forum so just point me in the right direction! Thanks so much!

[Francois]

Check around Cameron Village--there are some old ("vintage") apartments and townhouses that are rented, and C.V. is a wonderful shopping center with the most interesting boutique-y stores in town as well as the basics, plus a great library. It's technically walking distance from parts of NCSU (though not practical to do regulalry) and buses go by there. I don't think undergrads would like them because a lot of senior citizens live there, too.

The rents may be more than what you are wanting, but it's something that ame to mind right away. Definitely safe, near NCSU, free of undergrad shenanigans, near shopping, and "vintage", as far as your bullet points.

[Bardot]

You're going to have a very hard time finding apartment buildings older than 1970s. The whole Raleigh area has only recently grown in the last 20 years. There are some historical registered buildings but they're mostly government owned.

[lovebrentwood]

Try "Raleigh Apartments" near Cameron Village. No pool. Very vintage. My son enjoyed living there for all the reasons you mentioned. They accept pets.

[mjd07]

Originally Posted by fotique

It is too expensive for us to fly/drive down, rent a car, and stay in a hotel for a week(end) to search for an apt., so we will likely be signing something without seeing it first.

This is probably not a good idea. I was in Chicago while my spouse was here. We wanted a short-term lease so we were not rushed to buy a house as soon ours closed.

I found several apartments online and he drove around to see them. He visited during various hours of the day and night to get a "feel" of the areas. He eliminated about 95% of them during this process. Keep in mind, ALL of them looked great "on paper."

If you can't visit, personally, maybe you can post an ad looking for someone to "scout" areas for you and send you information. It will probably save you time, headaches and money later on trying to get out of a lease.

Good luck.

[fotique]

Thank you so much for the advice!

[miamiblue]

Originally Posted by lovebrentwood

Try "Raleigh Apartments" near Cameron Village. No pool. Very vintage. My son enjoyed living there for all the reasons you mentioned. They accept pets.

I second Raleigh Apartments. I have no experience with them personally, but the location is great, they are vintage, and the rents are low. You will likely not have some modern conveniences such as a dishwasher, washer/dryer in the unit or possibly central a/c (I think they use window units).

Also, there are a few other apartments in the same area by the same property management company. I think they are called Shamrock and Wedgewood. Not sure what the rents are like at those.

Another couple of options in the same category and similarly good location would be Boylan Apartments (recently renovated, on the historic register) and Cameron Court.