Some questions on renting... (Charlotte, Raleigh: apartment complexes, renter, townhomes)

[justinclark]

Hi I have been considering moving to Raleigh sometime in the future. I currently live in Cleveland, Ohio and am just sick of the weather! Now here are my ideal living conditions, let me know if they exist in/near Raleigh: Im looking to rent (at least for a while) a 2 bedroom something in the area of $700/month. I would like to live as close to downtown as possible. Schools are important too as I have a toddler who will be ready for elementary in a few years. Other than that Im just looking to live somewhere nice, around friendly people, where there is things to do (parks, beaches, museums, restaurants, etc.) Is Raleigh the place for me? Any comments are welcome, thanks in advance.

[whisperme]

Hi there,

FWIW, I'll offer my comments as someone in a similar position, looking to move to Raleigh (surrounding area). If you can do it, I highly recommend a visit. I went this past weekend to look around and I have a much clearer view of what the area has to offer and what it would be like to live there. I would say that my perspective based on Internet research/reading the boards, etc., was different than the perspective I have now and it was worth the time and expense to take the trip.

You mentioned weather and I will say the weather was pretty warm but that may have been a fluke, I don't know.

[Xxtayce]

Raleigh sounds like it would be pretty ideal for you, but I agree: take a visit first. I have a two bedroom apartment in North Raleigh for a little over $700. Housing prices are on the rise, though, so you may want to keep that in mind.

There are plenty of things to do here if you know where to look. Raleigh is basically mid-state for the important stuff, and right around a few hours by car away from anything in the state. Beach is two hours away, mountains are four to six, depending on where you want to go and how fast you drive.

Raleigh has a Natural Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Museum of Art (which is expanding to over double its size right now), IMAX theatre, lots of regular movie theatres, Marbles Kids Museum, and two major malls within a 20 minute drive from eachother. Downtown has a lot of nice restaurants and bars with different feels to them, and there's lots of other little places along Capital Blvd, Falls of Neuse, and Six Forks.

I don't know about schools, but as far as I remember, the better ones are a little ways outside of the city of Raleigh. (Cheaper housing, too.) You may actually want to consider moving to Wake Forest or Garner or Apex so that you can drive to Raleigh if you want to do anything big, but your kids can still grow up in a place that has a hometown feel.

The people are generally friendly, kinda suck at driving (but I guess you'll find the ones who don't pay attention everywhere), and still hold open doors for you and such.

The weather is always a fluke. After a week, you'll figure that out. It was 70 degrees today, and it's supposed to be in the 40's and 50's for the highs later on, I think. One day you'll see snow flurries (that's the most we ever usually get), and two days later you'll be wearing shorts. The day will start out cloudy, wet, and miserable, but be perfect for a picnic by early afternoon.

Good luck in your search!

[miamiblue]

As a renter here, it will be difficult to find a nice 2br in the downtown vicinity for $700/month. I currently pay $700 for a 1br in a great location, and it is definitely a steal. Someone else said housing prices are on the rise here, and they are correct.

The south side of downtown might have some lower rents, but the neighborhoods are not quite there yet. In a few years they might be the hot places for the creatives and urban pioneers who can't afford anything else downtown, but for now they are still yet to be discovered in that regard. There are many apartment complexes in North Raleigh that are in decent areas, and you can probably find something in your price range, but I found that the complexes here are very hit and miss. You really need to visit and look around.

I don't have children yet, so I can't comment on schools, but as far as everything else that you mentioned goes, we have a little of everything!

[justinclark]

Thanks for the replies. Also Im curious, who is the major phone provider there (AT&T, Verizon, Bell South)?

[odu]

I'll offer my 2 cents. I currently live in Akron, OH and just visited Raleigh today for a job interview.
I wasn't in the downtown area, stayed in N. Raleigh I believe for the most part. I drove around the Brier Creek area the most, riding up and down Glenwood Ave. So I didn't see much. I also stopped by Crabtree Mall for a while. The weather was beautiful. Sunny, windy and around 65-70 degrees or so. As far as rents, I'm not sure that you can get a 2 bedroom in the Greenbrier area for $700, although I'm no expert. I'm originally from Charlotte and found Raleigh to have the "new" feel that I'm accustomed to. Most closely to the Crocker Park area in Westlake is what comes to mind. And the people were very nice.

[whisperme]

Justinclark,

Have you ever used fonefinder? You can go to fonefinder dot net and then type in Raleigh in the Search by City field. It will then list the telecom providers for the Raleigh's area codes and exchanges, wireless and landline. It's not entirely accurate since now numbers are portable....but it will give you a basic idea of who the major telecom providers are.

[Nickc121]

I'm also in the process of looking to rent in the triangle. I'm actually leaving for durham tomorrow. I live in Michigan and currently have a 2 bedroom (1000 square feet) for $660 a month. I was looking for that in Durham and havent been able to find one for that price that has a good reputation. I had to raise my limit a bit and have decided to go with a townhome instead. I have found nice townhomes for around $775 a month.