Rental Market in RI & East side of Providence (Warwick: real estate, apartment)

[MargaretLH]

Hi everyone,

I am a new poster & finding some great info on this site.
I just accepted a job offer at a small firm on the east side of Providence (Richmond Sq area) and will be relocating there in about 1 month from Lexington,Kentucky (I'm originally from suburban Boston).

I read a couple of posts about the east side being a good safe area for a single person to live so I would like to see if I can find an apartment in that area and hopefully keep my commute short. Does anyone know how tough/soft the rental market is in Providence these days? I am wondering about things like-

-Would I be able to negotiate a move in date before Dec 1st without having to pay for all of Nov (assuming a place is vacant)?
-What should I expect to pay up front- first, last + security?
-Do the landlords pay the realtor fee if I find an apt that way?

Also, if anyone has an idea of a reasonable range for a 1 bedroom in that area I would appreciate it. A friend of mine who is orig. from Warwick said I s/b able to find a 2 bdrm for 800-1100 /mo but looking at some things online I'm not sure that's true...

Thanks for any advice you can offer-

[GermanSpy]

The rental market has softened a little bit but it's not at the point where you'll easily find 'good deals'.

Things would be a little bit easier if you could increase your search area a little bit, Swansea, Seekonk, Barrington, Warren, Riverside, all these towns will still allow you to have a decently short commute to East Providence.

Wherever you rent though you should be able to find a decent 1 BR for 850 dollars or less. 2 BRs should range up to 1200 dollars, somewhat like your friend said, but you'll need to do a little bit of looking around.

If you do find a place, expect to pay first and security, first, last and security is not asked very often. I would definitely try various realtors, I used their services regularly and never had to pay a fee.

On the moving in early question I'd think a reasonable landlord would make an arrangement with you. But that's a case by case scenario so it's hard to answer.

Here's a link to apartment listings in the East Bay area in case you decide to take a look at those towns.

East Bay Classifieds | Real Estate

Good luck!

[GermanSpy]

Originally Posted by GermanSpy

Things would be a little bit easier if you could increase your search area a little bit, Swansea, Seekonk, Barrington, Warren, Riverside, all these towns will still allow you to have a decently short commute to East Providence.

Make that the Eastside. I shouldn't post before I had my first coffee in the morning.