Felton/Lompico... an inexpensive alternative to renting in Santa Cruz? (San Diego: apartment, rental)

[ChelseaRave]

My mom and I are moving from San Diego to Santa Cruz this January. I'm planning to attend UCSC and my mom is planning to commute out of the area for a job. We would really like to find a very 2 bedroom house for around $1500 or less...but while looking at Craigslist I couldn't find much for that price (unless it's an apartment, which my mom is not keen on). So I began researching the surrounding areas (Felton, Boulder Creek, Lompico, and Ben Lomond) and like the idea of living in the redwoods but still being close enough to SC to go to school. The rent seems much cheaper for those areas on Craigslist, but is this always necessarily true?

Thanks so much,

Chelsea

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Yes it's cheaper. You would not be paying the "beach" premium plus, some people can't handle the shadier, damper feeling of the redwoods and therefore do not exert demand on that area.

[ChelseaRave]

I'm going up there in late November, do you think I could secure a rental up there for late December or is that going to be too early? (I'm in San Diego and we're going to be driving up for 4 days, and that's the only chance we have to secure a rental!). A lot of property management places down here won't secure a rental for you if you're not planning on renting within 2 weeks of viewing the place..is it the ame up there?

Thanks again for replying!