Considering a move to SLC from NC - advice on a few issues, please! (house, allergies)
Salt Lake City areaSalt Lake County - Davis County - Weber County
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Actually, Katz, Daybreak was what led me to my Utah search. I heard about it years and years ago, right around when I was graduating highschool, and thought it was a really cool idea. (Urban planning doesn't happen here - at all.) Flash foward, and I had forgotten all about it until a couple months ago, after which I decided to give Utah a look-see. Go figure - maybe it's just meant to be!
After I looked at their community site and did some hunting around, I got kind of concerned about a few things, though. One, of course, is the sheer number of rules and regulations.. part of any planned area, but VERY different from having a rural area where your yard is yours to do what you want with! Especially in relation to their fencing and landscaping requirements; they look sort of crazy, and as a single person who will need to have the fence, which also means I'll have to heavilly landscape it, I'm not sure it's something I'll want to or be able to keep up with, especially with my health. The other is that it seems VERY very family oriented - I'm seeing tons and tons of families with very young kids, which I don't have a problem with, but don't know how friendly they'd be towards me. As usual, it's pretty hard to tell anything just from pictures and reading a webpage though, so it's definitely an area I'm going to check out when I visit.
That said, I'm definitely still looking for new construction, as well as purusing those areas in the city. At this point it is still more likely that living in a suburb will be most feasible, especially financially, so that may just be something I have to deal with, whether it is in that suburb or another. I'm trying to look at what some of the other suburbs are - there are a lot of conflicting stories around on the net as to what the newer developments are like, and I get the impression that a few streets in one direction or the other can make a big difference!
Cottonwood Heights is actually one of the areas that looks like it has a fair amount to offer and fairly attractive pricing on newish condos; I take it if you are happy there than it can't be horrid! With your light rail out that way, like at Midvale, are those stations that have lots for parking, so you could dock your car there if you were headed towards the city proper? I've found that sort of thing varies a LOT from place to place, and thats the big thing that makes me leery of the 'burbs, because I still want it to be somewhat convenient to public transportation.
I just might take you up on your vet info offer if I do wind up out there - my dog is SUPER important to me (It's likely that I can't have kids, so he's pretty special to me - not in a creepy way, but we're pretty tight) and has some sensitive health issues too, so having a good vet is ESSENTIAL to me.
I think Daybreak would be too family oriented for your likes. Sure it's a nice planned neighborhood community but it looks like it's full of kids. And even if you could put a fence for your pooch, I wouldn't want to live there. With that many kids in such close proximity, there's bound to be "one bad apple" who pesters your dog. Then you've got the neighborhood association rules, blah, blah, no thanks. I would want to live where both me and my dog are happy.
Moving to this dry, desert climate, be prepared for possible nose bleeds, dry skin/lips/hair/eyes. All can be managed with various products but I thought I'd warn you in advance. You'll like the dry cold winters rather than those damp coastal ones. It's been an unusally mild winter here both in snowfall and temperatures. I haven't used my snow thrower in over a year. And you'll really like the dry summers. My friend, a northern Utah native, moved to Virginia 10 years ago. She's still not used to the humidity there.
Thanks egg, that's good to know about the light rail. I'm hoping if not IN the city proper, to be close enough to a station that it's feasible. Those were my initial thoughts about Daybreak too - their HOA seems VERY active and VERY strict! Lol.
It's actually for the dry weather that I'm moving away from this area, mostly - my doctors literally think it's my best bet overall, at this point. I am a bit concerned about the dryness in the winter, but having skin issues to start with, I have a vigorous moisturizing routine, so that probably wouldn't be too hard to adjust or follow a new one. I worry about nosebleeds more, as I've only had like 2, ever, and would hate that to become a recurring problem! I'm allergic to a lot of products, so hopefully there will be some sort of.. nose moisturizer? that is hypoallergenic! Lol. Anyway, for a lot of people with skin issues, dry can cause problems, but while I deal with that, my BIGGER issue, and one you can't do anything about, is that when moisture sits on my skin or when it's humid and there is that combined moisture/sweat sheen (yes, gross) effect, it tends to act as a catalyst and react and cause rashes and hives, for no reason doctors can come up with other than my skin barrier doesn't work or doesn't exist. So dry is definitely better!
This part of the country is hideous for humidty - it's commonly cited as the worst place you can live with any sort of allergy issues. Mold is CONSTANT outdoors AND indoors in many stores, restaurants, etc - it's never really cold enough to kill it in the winter, and it's out of sight in the summer. There are also multiple environmental allergies in EVERY season, including winter, and the humidity is just disgusting and terrible for lungs. It's a shame, because otherwise, the mid-atlantic coastal states have a lot going for them, but alas, sometimes life is like that.
I forgot to say that we don't have rowhouses, I think you mentioned them at an early point? My skin/nose got used to the dry air here before the first year was up. My oil production kicked in and my nose quit complaining. You can always get a humidifier and put it near you bed.
There are a number of new condos in downtown, and going up towards the U. In that whole area you could likely find an apartment, depending on price point.
I just thought of something, do you have tree/grass/pollen allergies? If so, you might not want to buy a home/condo until you determine how your allergies will fare.
Here's a link to a zip code map of Salt Lake county. Many real estate websites are zip code/city driven. Here's another that's easier to read.
I also have a great vet recommendation. My largest dog has very severe allergies (we visit the canine dermatologist every 4 weeks for maintenance shots, etc.) and our regular vet is SPECTACULAR. We moved from near her office, but I drive all three 15 miles each way (don't laugh---it's a lot for me since I rarely use a car at all) just to continue seeing her. In addition to the allergies, he's incredibly shy/fearful of new people (he's an abuse rescue) and on our first visit she laid down on the floor of the exam room with him for a half-hour, until he was comfortable enough for the exam!
I'm literally 'allergic' to everything egg. On prick tests i show As positive for literally everything. I had over 100 vials of blood drawn for testing for pretty much everything allergy and autoimmune over the last couple years, and after over 300 specific allergen tests, there are a total of 8 things im not allergic to, most of which ive never been exposed to, like plants on the west coast. Thus, the immunosuppressants. Short of a bubble, the best i can hope for is a semi arid climate with shorter allergen seasons than here sorry if there are typors, sending from phone!allergen season than here
I can't wait to hear about good vets My dog has bad skin issues as well, and came to us with a bad Giardia infection as a small puppy that dorked up his immune system, so he is prone to tummy troubles as well.
Also, thanks for that zipcode map egga - that makes it much easier, than trying to search by neighborhood names!
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