Apartment vs renting a house in Cary (with children) (Raleigh: apartment complexes, rental)

[skyykell]

We are relocating from Orlando area (with jobs) and we really like the Cary/ West Raleigh area and found a fairly new apartment called Villas at Centerview. The problem is, we have 2 school aged children and we have never lived in an apartment before. My question is, has anyone on the board relocated to the area and stayed in an apartment with children for quite a while before buying or renting a house? We could find a rental home but we really love the area that the apt is in.

We are not too thrilled with the housing market these days nor are we are sure Raleigh area will be our destination of choice for years to come .. so home buying would not make sense until another 1- 2 yrs.

any suggestions?

[emanresu2]

I beleive that there are typically fewer kids in apartments, and the ones there are less likely to play outside where you can actually find them. Its very easy to find a house to rent, and rental rates are in line with apartments. There are some rental houses on mls and realtor sites, but you will have far more choices and better deals on craigslist. The disadvantage of renting a house is most are for rent by owner and some landlords are better than others in terms of maintenance and returning your deposit.

[skyykell]

Thanks for your tips

[saturnfan]

Originally Posted by skyykell

We are relocating from Orlando area (with jobs) and we really like the Cary/ West Raleigh area and found a fairly new apartment called Villas at Centerview. The problem is, we have 2 school aged children and we have never lived in an apartment before. My question is, has anyone on the board relocated to the area and stayed in an apartment with children for quite a while before buying or renting a house? We could find a rental home but we really love the area that the apt is in.

We are not too thrilled with the housing market these days nor are we are sure Raleigh area will be our destination of choice for years to come .. so home buying would not make sense until another 1- 2 yrs.

any suggestions?

Our two kids (now adults) grew up in Raleigh apts.

They had lots of friends in the communities we chose.

The pool and sports facilities were great for them.

Much easier to go over to a friend's unit to play or study.

Just find a complex with a good number of family residents.

[J_Lurk]

I have a friend who is living in an apartment with a child in Cary. From what she has told me, the newer apartment complexes can suffer from "paper thin walls", and the simplest and most normal kid activities can lead to complaints from neighbors. I'd rent on the first floor, or rent a townhouse, or just rent a house.

[Badger_in_KY]

We are currently living in an apartment in SF Bay area with our 6 year-old daughter, and while it is a nice complex, with a great pool and shops, it just is not what I want to do long term. Because it is very small, and open, there is very little privacy, it's near a busy road so very loud, and while neighbors aren't too bad we have cars flying through the parking structure and loud people when we don't want loud people... My daughter goes to bed at 8:30, and I can't really expect the neighbors to all go to bed at that time in an apt complex, but it does make it difficult to sleep for her.
It isn't horrible, but I've rented a house before, and loved that comparatively. Good luck in either case!

[ShadyOaksGirl]

My children (one of them nearly grown) have lived in apartments nearly all their lives and have suffered no ill effects. They enjoy a lot of friends (DIVERSE, too, imagine that!!), have plenty of room to run and play, and enjoy having a pool and other amenities in the neighborhood. Whenever one of them wonders what living in a house would be like, I remind them that aside from some basic chores, their weekends are free to do as they please -- no cleaning of garages, attics, or basements, no mowing or yardwork, etc.

Aside from a few years when my youngest was a rambunctious toddler, we have lived on the top floor with no complaints (except from the one childless couple who, after having a child themselves, allowed their pet ferrets to chew on the baby). I figure that one doesn't count.

[saturnfan]

Originally Posted by ShadyOaksGirl

My children (one of them nearly grown) have lived in apartments nearly all their lives and have suffered no ill effects. They enjoy a lot of friends (DIVERSE, too, imagine that!!), have plenty of room to run and play, and enjoy having a pool and other amenities in the neighborhood. Whenever one of them wonders what living in a house would be like, I remind them that aside from some basic chores, their weekends are free to do as they please -- no cleaning of garages, attics, or basements, no mowing or yardwork, etc.

Aside from a few years when my youngest was a rambunctious toddler, we have lived on the top floor with no complaints (except from the one childless couple who, after having a child themselves, allowed their pet ferrets to chew on the baby). I figure that one doesn't count.

Just my experience too.