Looking to escape the cold, have a few questions (Charlottesville: apartments, rental)

[lady katie]

Hello there! I am searching for a place to relocate my family to. We are currently in Upstate NY and looking to escape the harsh winters. My husbands company has a location in Charlottesville, so it's on our list of possibilities. For starters, I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me. Thank you in advance!!

1) How are the bugs there? I'm terrified of roaches, so this is actually a huge priority for me. Do you get palmetto bugs in your area, or is that just something you would see further south? If so, how many roaches do you have to kill (in your home) on average?

2) Could you give me a ball park figure of how much it would cost to rent a decent (average, not high end) 2-3 bedroom apartment in a complex within 15 minutes of the main part of Charlottesville? What might it cost if it were a rental house?

3) What is the starting price of newer (15 years or less) 3 bedroom homes within 15 minutes of Charlottesville? Something between 1300-1600sf in a safe neighborhood. Nothing fancy, but not a "fixer upper" either.

4) I have read that there is an autism school in Charlottesville? I believe it is called the Virginia institute of autism? Can anyone give me any information regarding this? My son (almost age 3) is moderately autistic. We're not really sure what kind of accommodations he's going to be requiring as he gets older, but at the moment he is enrolled in an inclusive preschool with a 1:1 aide and thriving there (we would move after he ages out of that program).

Well, those are my most important questions. The area seems like it could potentially be a fit. We drove through Charlottesville once a couple of summers ago because we knew we would eventually be looking to relocate, but unfortunately, we did not have much time to do more than a quick drive by. The area was really nice, and it looked like there were things to do, but it's impossible to know by simply driving through. I'll get to those details later though. Thanks!!!

[usuario]

Originally Posted by lady katie

1) How are the bugs there? I'm terrified of roaches, so this is actually a huge priority for me. Do you get palmetto bugs in your area, or is that just something you would see further south? If so, how many roaches do you have to kill (in your home) on average?

The bugs are terrible. There are lots of them. I've seen cockroaches, but only found two last year in my house. Lots of stink bugs and cave crickets, the latter freak the s**t out of me.

2) Could you give me a ball park figure of how much it would cost to rent a decent (average, not high end) 2-3 bedroom apartment in a complex within 15 minutes of the main part of Charlottesville? What might it cost if it were a rental house?

Over $1200 for sure. Check out Charlottesville Apartments - Blue Ridge Apartment Council for rental properties in the area.

3) What is the starting price of newer (15 years or less) 3 bedroom homes within 15 minutes of Charlottesville? Something between 1300-1600sf in a safe neighborhood. Nothing fancy, but not a "fixer upper" either.

Are you looking to rent or buy?

4) I have read that there is an autism school in Charlottesville? I believe it is called the Virginia institute of autism? Can anyone give me any information regarding this? My son (almost age 3) is moderately autistic. We're not really sure what kind of accommodations he's going to be requiring as he gets older, but at the moment he is enrolled in an inclusive preschool with a 1:1 aide and thriving there (we would move after he ages out of that program).

Not sure.

Well, those are my most important questions. The area seems like it could potentially be a fit. We drove through Charlottesville once a couple of summers ago because we knew we would eventually be looking to relocate, but unfortunately, we did not have much time to do more than a quick drive by. The area was really nice, and it looked like there were things to do, but it's impossible to know by simply driving through. I'll get to those details later though. Thanks!!!

Climate-wise, winters average about 45 degrees in the day and 26 at night. It doesn't snow a lot, but whenever it snows more than two inches, which happens a couple times a year, you're going to have school cancellations. This year was colder and snowier than usual but in my 6 years here I've never seen the temperature dip below 5. Summers are hot and humid, averaging 88 degrees. One annoying feature of Charlottesville summers is that it'll rain most days in the late afternoon for like 20 minutes. If there's wind then there's a high probability that you'll get a power blip and the occasional power outage.

[Armyvet1]

I'm buying a 3 bedroom home in Orange, 20 minutes to C'ville, for less then 120k. C'ville can get pricey but no where near as bad as New York, I was born and raised in Putnam County/ Northern Westchester area of New York.

Orange is a small farm type town but I like it for it's beauty and peaceful settings without having to deal with a bunch of college kids. I'm 42 and past that whole party scene thing.

Charlottesville is a nice town however, they do have a few fun things to do in the area. Carter Mountain Orchard is fun, watching the Cavaliers play football is a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon, even if you don't like football it's something to do. I saw Pearl Jam last year at John Paul Jones Arena at the UVA campus. They just built this new shopping center as well that seems to be our version of short pump. All kinda fancy stores in it.

I've lived in Washington State, Florida, and Germany. New York is my home town but Virginia is very pretty and offers something for everyone it seems. I would perfectly happy residing here for the rest of my lifetime anyway.

[Moving on up to C'ville]

Palmetto bugs are further south (Carolina's and below). I've never seen any roaches in my home/property, but I'm sure they exist. The bugs (mosquitos, gnats) are pretty normal for anywhere on the east coast north of the Carolina's (they're really bad down there). Stink bugs exist. I find about one a week in my house. My sister lives in Northern Virginia and she has a lot more than I do. Not sure why. I really hate bugs too...

Weather wise we have 90+ degree days with humidity for sure in summer. Winter's don't seem to be terrible, though I don't mind cold weather so I'm probably a bad source for information on that. In the heart of winter, its probably in the 20s-40s during the day. Might dip into the teens at night. We had quite a bit of snow this past year and suspect its due to climate change. Every place is seeing weather extremes.

I know of a woman who rented a nice two bedroom apartment with lots of amenities (pool, club house, etc.) in The Reserve at Belvedere (5-10 mins. from downtown) and i believe is paying $1500 a month. Single family houses in my neighborhood - which is about 7 mins south of downtown (on avg. 1600 sq. ft - 3 bedrooms), rent for about $1800-$1900 a month. They sell anywhere from $235,000 - $300,000 depending on size.

Can't comment on the school, unfortunately.