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I will be leaving Port Orange Florida and moving to Boise in in the second week of April. Since I will be staying with my son and his family until I find a home, I do have some breathing room before I select a house. Because of previous moves around the country I have learned to rent for a year before making the permanent commitment of buying a house.
Based on the Real Estate website Zillow, I know that both rentals and homes for sale are quite plentiful, but my question is this. I was thinking that a rental, close to Boise's city center might be an interesting option. However, even after multiple visits to the area, I really know very little about living there.
I was hoping that some of you might share your thoughts about downtown living. While I imagine that there would be advantages in living either a short walk or bike ride from the city, I was concerned about the downside in terms of any crime or other issues that would cause me to change my plans.
My son just got married in Port Orange earlier this month as he now lives in Daytona Beach. It is beautiful there although we haven't experienced the humidity in the summer. You will enjoy being able to relax outside without having to live in an enclosed screened patio here since we probably have 1/10th the bugs you are used to.
I might have a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath home coming available off 36th Street by the time you get here. It isn't very fancy, but it is pretty affordable @ $800 a month. One of my clients is closing on a house next week for a rental a bit further west that is larger and nicer for about $950 with a 2 car garage.
As Phil mentioned, Zillow and Trulia are advertising sites, not real estate sites. Their revenue is generated from ads and from Realtor's who pay to advertise on the sites so they are not required to update data and many of their homes are not actually on the market still (and some never were).
Our rental and homes for sale inventory is actually very low right now to the point we are finally building new inventory again in both single family and multi-family units. Homes priced under $150,000 typically have 5-10 offers on them in the first three days if they are priced at market and many are selling for over list price (even though prices are listed 5-15 percent over last year)!
Are you thinking of living in one of the condos in downtown or just close by? One area to consider is the "north end" (roughly from 8th - 23rd streets and north to the foothills. The homes are generally older on smaller lots and many don't have a garage or possibly a single car garage but it is very popular. The Hyde Park area is a great micro community there.
Keep in mind that even from the Boise Towne Square Mall, you are only about 20 - 25 minutes to downtown, Meridian, Eagle or Kuna.
Price range may dictate locations for you as well.
I thought that the Zillow site might have been kind of off with what was listed. I will be looking for a three bedroom house with at least a one car garage. The downtown area was just a thought, so any residential area would really be fine.
My son's home is near the intersection of W. Fairview and N. Milwaukee st. Short of living near downtown. A home in that general area would work well for me. I want to rent for the first year to gain a better understanding of the city. Hopefully I will find a property for a May 1st. (or sooner) move in date. While I will be initially staying at my son's home, I do want to find a house quickly.
Then I will be looking to buy a home to settle in permanently. Since you are a Realtor, this could work out very well.
I live very close to Fairview/Milwaukee. I rent a 2 BR/2BA apt for $735/mo in a very nice complex. Just to give you an idea of rent prices.
I prefer to live this far from downtown because as IdahoBroker mentioned I'm only about 20 mins from downtown and I don't have to deal with all the traffic/parking from BSU games.
Welcome! Hope you enjoy it
We really don't have any bad areas to speak of. My brother moved here 10 yrs ago and rented the cheapest apartment he could find in Garden City. He said it got kind of noisy but nothing more than that. I think the cops call that complex "felon flats" as a lot of parolees lived there.
I appreciate all of the feedback about finding a place to live in Boise. Considering the fact that the properties appear to be much less to rent, I should be fine. Until recently I had both a two bedroom townhouse at $850 a month and also a three bedroom apartment at $900 a month (my daughter and two of my grandchildren were living there), I expect that I will find something that makes me happy for a year while I determine exactly where in the area I will buy a home.
If you want a little more quiet, with easy access to downtown, check out Warm Springs (East end.) We found an apartment just a 5 min walk from the greenbelt. Easy walk/bike ride to downtown or the Foothills trails. Love it!
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Moving to Boise in two weeks
