Housing in Roanoke/Salem
I just relocated here. My gf and I started planning for this way back in January/February. Looking for housing here was a pain in the ass, so be prepared. Here is a brief recap of our hellacious situation:
One we have a large dog, so most people denied us outright.
Two, we weren't moving to the area until June so no one wanted to hold out for that long. Strangely enough, we were consistently told that owners were having a difficult time finding people that could pay rent, had good credit, wouldn't wreck the place, etc. These were all conditions that we could definitely adhere too, yet still was a problem. (So you might not get a rent check right away, but you have found someone who will consistently deliver....nahhh, I would rather take my chances. Go figure?!?)
Three, people did NOT return phone calls. This was probably the single biggest pain. I personally do NOT understand this behavior as it is becoming more and more frequent in many different industries. I am inquiring about your business, as in I may want to employ your services (so to speak) and you don't want to return my call why?
Four, one person sold us out. He said he would rent to us, we thought everything was good. 45 minutes into the return trip to what was then home, he called us and said he decided to rent to someone else. DO NOT RENT OR DO BUSINESS WITH MIKE MYERS.
Five, on more than one occassion, people would say they found someone that could rent sooner, so we were out of luck. Then a few days later the deal would fall through (usually due to one or more of the points listed in bullet Two) and they would call us back asking if we were still interested.
This required five trips. I truly believe some of the behavior described/experienced stems from people inspired by the recent boom in real estate investment (short term flipping or longer term renting) being unprepared for what it takes to be involved in renting property.
My advice: The best areas we found were generally Salem aka SW County, and the area immediately southwest of downtown, aka Grandin or Raleigh Court areas (encompasses the major streets of Grandin Rd SW, Brambleton Ave SW, Colonial Ave SW, Garst Mill Rd. and Mudlick Rd SW; bordered on the north by Brandon Ave SW and on the south by Eletric Ave/419). Some of what is considered downtown is nice, some is very sketchy/transitional, and some you want to just outright avoid all together. The SE area immediately around downtown is definitely NASTY! However, the SE area around Carilion Memorial Hospital, slightly farther from downtown, is very nice. Generally the Northern part of the city (that being everything north of 581/220) was too busy, too noisy, and too industrial for our tastes. In addition it didn't fit well with our arrangements. That being said, don't dismiss this area out of hand bc we did NOT spend a tremendous amount of time looking there. You might find something you like.
As far as renting apartments, we couldn't find many listings that served our needs: a minimum of three rooms and would accept pets. Truthfully, I couldn't mind that many listings for apartments in general; I've found apartment complexes, but not to the degree of large cities. Don't dismiss renting a home which is exactly what we had to do. We found some really good deals when comparing rent to avaialable sq footage and comparing the rent here to where we came from in the Raleigh/Durham, NC area. Currently we are renting a very large 5 bed/2 bath house for only 1000 a month. Granted it is a pretty old home, but it is in overall good condition. I can't even come close to what we found in Raleigh for the same price.
Jobs: this is a very sore subject for me. I knew the area from living here previously about 10 years ago while doing undergrad studies at Virginia Tech. Work for me will not be easily found and will probably involve a daily commute to Blacksburg (at VT's Corporate Research Center or the university itself) or be totally remote. What is prevalent: healthcare related jobs. Carilion and their competition, Centra Health and Lewis Gale Medical, are the largest employers in the area next to the local governments. Looking through the classifieds of the Roanoke Times is depressing for me. I have never seen so many listings for blue collar, general labor, and retail/service jobs at the expense of other professions ever before. If you can prove otherwise, please let me know as it would a great help.
On a lighter note, I believe the area definitely displays the good ole boy mentality. In other words, to find work other than that I listed or is advertised, you need to know people. Regardless to cover my ass, I am preparing to go back to school for a Master's at VT. This will help in the event that I cannot find meaningful employment for a protracted amount of time or at all.
I hope some this helps, please ask more questions and I will be happy to respond as I can and am able to do so! I wish you the best of luck!
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