moving to Reno area.. or Carson City, purchasing house places to avoid? (Sparks: fit in)

[braindead0]

Wife and I are moving to the area next year (or so). I'll be telecommuting, so job prospects aren't a big issue. No kids so schools unimportant..

My wife is an artist, and we think (from what we can tell) that Reno has at least some sort of art 'scene' going on which is what pushed it to the top of the list (and Winnemucca to the bottom, although it's still appealing just for the name ;-).

My 2 main concerns at this point are:

1) What general areas to avoid as far as home purchasing.

2) Would I have access to better/faster broadband in some areas (maybe newer housing, would prefer fiber to the curb).

And we're definitely interested in any other info or suggestions. At this point out 'net' is being cast rather wide I would like to narrow that down somewhat.

A bit of background, we're both originally from California (now living in Ohio). Wife grew up in Santa Cruz, I grew up in Simi Valley for the most part however I spent a ton of time in the California deserts... we both are very tired of the humidity in Ohio.... I can handle 100degree heat no problem, but not coupled with 80% humidity!

Thanks for any tips, suggestions..etc..

[tanmctee]

Originally Posted by braindead0

Wife and I are moving to the area next year (or so). I'll be telecommuting, so job prospects aren't a big issue. No kids so schools unimportant..

My wife is an artist, and we think (from what we can tell) that Reno has at least some sort of art 'scene' going on which is what pushed it to the top of the list (and Winnemucca to the bottom, although it's still appealing just for the name ;-).

My 2 main concerns at this point are:

1) What general areas to avoid as far as home purchasing.

2) Would I have access to better/faster broadband in some areas (maybe newer housing, would prefer fiber to the curb).

And we're definitely interested in any other info or suggestions. At this point out 'net' is being cast rather wide I would like to narrow that down somewhat.

A bit of background, we're both originally from California (now living in Ohio). Wife grew up in Santa Cruz, I grew up in Simi Valley for the most part however I spent a ton of time in the California deserts... we both are very tired of the humidity in Ohio.... I can handle 100degree heat no problem, but not coupled with 80% humidity!

Thanks for any tips, suggestions..etc..

Too funny, I love the name Winnemucca too!

How exciting for both of you --- some changes, new address and a little closer to the home towns. Reno-Sparks-Northern Nevada is a great value right now and I believe you have made the right choice.

There is definitely an art community here and I'm sure your wife is going to enjoy getting involved with the great group of people who create some amazing opportunity for all of us (perhaps she would consider volunteering at our Art Museum as a start)....

As for neighborhoods, the best thing to do is get a tour of the area --- see what each community has to offer (it is pretty easy to experience an idea of what the area has to offer with about a three-four hour tour) and then see how they fit in with your needs and lifestyle.

I highly recommend community tours before you even start to look at houses, it will help you become acquainted with the area and the real estate agent to better understand your expectation and needs.

The other important thing to do is --- just what you are doing ---- get feedback from uninterested parties about areas to look at and potentially avoid (just remember, opinions come from perspective and what is one man's hell is something another might really love...you know what I mean..lol).

As Realtors, we are legally bound to represent an area without prejudice and as a result have to be very careful about "steering" ---

So --- get feedback from others, get a comprehensive tour of the community and then...look at houses you might consider making a home.

From a broadband standpoint --- I think you will be pleased with the service available in most of the area --- I live in an older community in Sparks, NV (home built in the 1960s) and have the highest speed available through Charter. You can google Charter to see what the coverage area is and prices. AT&T also has a strong market share in this area (I used them successfully when I first moved to Reno).

Detailed I know, but big steps and huge investments definitely require a bit more detail!

Looking forward to WELCOMING you to Northern Nevada ---- I hope this area stands out as your clear choice : )

[braindead0]

Originally Posted by tanmctee

Too funny, I love the name Winnemucca too!

How exciting for both of you --- some changes, new address and a little closer to the home towns. Reno-Sparks-Northern Nevada is a great value right now and I believe you have made the right choice.

There is definitely an art community here and I'm sure your wife is going to enjoy getting involved with the great group of people who create some amazing opportunity for all of us (perhaps she would consider volunteering at our Art Museum as a start)....

As for neighborhoods, the best thing to do is get a tour of the area --- see what each community has to offer (it is pretty easy to experience an idea of what the area has to offer with about a three-four hour tour) and then see how they fit in with your needs and lifestyle.

I highly recommend community tours before you even start to look at houses, it will help you become acquainted with the area and the real estate agent to better understand your expectation and needs.

The other important thing to do is --- just what you are doing ---- get feedback from uninterested parties about areas to look at and potentially avoid (just remember, opinions come from perspective and what is one man's hell is something another might really love...you know what I mean..lol).

As Realtors, we are legally bound to represent an area without prejudice and as a result have to be very careful about "steering" ---

So --- get feedback from others, get a comprehensive tour of the community and then...look at houses you might consider making a home.

From a broadband standpoint --- I think you will be pleased with the service available in most of the area --- I live in an older community in Sparks, NV (home built in the 1960s) and have the highest speed available through Charter. You can google Charter to see what the coverage area is and prices. AT&T also has a strong market share in this area (I used them successfully when I first moved to Reno).

Detailed I know, but big steps and huge investments definitely require a bit more detail!

Looking forward to WELCOMING you to Northern Nevada ---- I hope this area stands out as your clear choice : )

Thanks for the information.

Taking a 'tour' of neighborhoods isn't really an option or even necessary for us, all we care about are the facts. We just want to avoid the worst parts of town and get good quality network access beyond that it doesn't matter very much where we live (beyond the general geographic area we're interested in of course). We currently live in Ohio so getting out there can be expensive (dog kennel, flight, hotels, etc..) our next trip out there we will have a short list of houses to look at with the intention of offering on something.

Thanks for the info.. hopefully I can get feedback on areas to avoid from people not constrained by what I'd imagine are government mandated poorly conceived rules ;-)

[SUPERCHIC]

Visit a few areas both day and night. There area a few patches in Reno that you may want to avoid and same with Carson.

If you like city life you will enjoy Reno a lot more

If you like country life Carson would be a better choice.

Carson is also between Tahoe and Reno about 20-30 mins in either direction.

I find Reno more vibrant and young and Carson is more of a big retirement home. restaurants close between 8-9 except for the casino diners. The casinos in Carson are filled with sad looking seniors and not much entertainment unless you find red-neck gin mills exciting with the sheriff hanging out side waiting to stalk you through town running your tags, Reno you have a much more younger and mid-aged clientele and the police are more relaxed and do not follow you around.

[braindead0]

Originally Posted by SUPERCHIC

Visit a few areas both day and night. There area a few patches in Reno that you may want to avoid and same with Carson.

If you like city life you will enjoy Reno a lot more

If you like country life Carson would be a better choice.

Carson is also between Tahoe and Reno about 20-30 mins in either direction.

I find Reno more vibrant and young and Carson is more of a big retirement home. restaurants close between 8-9 except for the casino diners. The casinos in Carson are filled with sad looking seniors and not much entertainment unless you find red-neck gin mills exciting with the sheriff hanging out side waiting to stalk you through town running your tags, Reno you have a much more younger and mid-aged clientele and the police are more relaxed and do not follow you around.

Interesting, sounds to me like the cops don't have enough work to do.. which is good in one respect, but bad from a fiscal responsibility standpoint.

The entire concept of 'city' vs. 'country' life doesn't apply to us... the only reason we're not living in the boonies is that I require good quality high speed net access, something generally only available in cities. We'll not be hanging out in whatever city we move to anyway.

However, Reno sounds more and more appropriate for the wifey's art.