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My husband was just offered a position at the Baptist Medical Center. We will be moving there in July 2012. We have lived in large cities like Chicago & New York. I have read this forum for inputs before posting, but what I have found is either out dated or specific to someone's situations. I have read again and again about Clemmons 27012 (I like it) and zip code 27103 & 27104 as being safe and nice.
We are a couple in our early 30's with a new born. We will be renting intially for appx 3 - 6 months and start our house hunt in that time frame. What rent should we expect to pay for a 2 BR Townhouse/condo/apt? I have no clue since the rent we pay for a studio in NYC is thru the roof, so cannot judge for the rental in WS.
We would like to be near grocery stores and such. Schools are not so much of an issue as of now atlst. What other neighborhoods would you suggest? Can you'll suggest any Apt. Rental properties which do short term lease and not charge excess rent?
The Ardmore Terrace apartments are very close to the hospital...probably easy walking distance and definitely within biking distance. Harris Teeter and Whole Foods are close by there and there's a Trader Joes opening around August in the nearby Thruway Shopping Center.
My recommendation is that you all should come down for a weekend or three before you move to drive around and get a feel for the area yourself before deciding on a place.
When you're ready to buy, if you're looking in the $300-$500k price range, I highly recommend Meadowlands subdivision in northeast Davidson County, southeast of Winston-Salem. Might be too suburban/rural for you, though...I don't know what you're looking for when you buy. I grew up in Westchester County and we love it here.
Hi Notkim, and welcome to Winston-Salem! First, just to get the obvious out of the way: W-S is not New York, so it will pale in comparison if you're expecting the big-city amenities and lifestyle. I assume you already realize that, so no need to dwell on it other than to say...despite its small size, W-S offers a diverse array of positives that make it a great place to live. Arts, food, shopping, entertainment, festivals, outdoor activities, etc. are quite adequate (again, for its size), and if you need more, Greensboro, Charlotte and the Triangle cities are all a relatively short drive away. And if you want even more, the beautiful mountains of NC are less than an hour's drive, and the beaches are about 3.5 hours.
Regarding housing, as you may know from other threads there is a wide variety of living situations available here. You didn't say what your budget range is, but coming from NYC I think it's a safe bet to say you'll be pleased with what your money can afford here. There are downtown condos and "close-in" neighborhoods, there are suburban neighborhoods with tree-lined streets, neighborhood pools, and well-groomed yards, there are typical apartment and condo complexes in all budget ranges that are convenient to shopping and restaurants, there are small, custom home developments hidden away in the rolling hills surrounding the city, there are large planned neighborhoods (like Meadowlands mentioned above), there are rural settings with a few houses here and there and lots of land in between, and much more.
So it just depends on what you prefer. Downtown activity has surged in recent years (but of course it's nothing like NYC), so maybe you want to be part of that. Or maybe you want to do a 180 turn and go for a country setting with a large lot and plenty of space for kids and pets. If you can help narrow down your preferences perhaps we can help you with more specific info.
Thank you all of you for the prompt response. I appreciate the above inputs you'll have given. Relocating to a new city is very stressful and all the more with no guidance. I have read so many threads where you all have given your respective suggestions and that is how I gathered the info that zipcode 27103, 27104 & 27012 (West & SW of W-S) are the places to look.
Thaat said, yes I agree and I have very well accepted the fact that WS is not anywhere like NYC. But we are now prepared to settle down and give our child some quality life. Waiting to leave this stressful NYC life!!! We want our child to grow up in a clean, open and relaxed enviornment. Anyways...what we are looking of is an inbetween of city life and country life (Urban ???).
After the kind of rent we pay here in NYC, anywhere else looks decent to us. But at the same time, we don't want to pour our money in rent (saving for a house). Our range is $500 - $700 and we are looking for a short term rental, either a condo/apt/townhouse.
I have scanned craigslist, but all that comes up is all the private apt. companies like Ambercrest, Hawk Ridge, Hunt's Club, Alvaris, Providence Pointe apts, The Pines at Bethabara etc. and seeing that I might have a hard time doing a short term lease. Even if I do get a short term lease, the rent might be expensive. Apart from that I have read some bad/horrifc reviews about all these apts...like people not getting their deposits back or they being handed over to collection agencies and their credit report taking a hit etc. Here in NYC we are renting from a private home owner and have not had any probs. So we don't know how things work with these companies.
My husband graduates this June (14th) and we were thinking of moving in 1st week of July (ds not make sense paying NYC rent, bec DH ds not start work till Sept 2012). He will get vacation only from June 25th. So we just have from June 25 - June 30 to come to WS and finalize an apt and then come back to NY and pack up and move.
Deacon Dawg suggested that we come down and drive, but are 2 - 3 days sufficient to drive around and finalize an apt? I am trying to look online and then narrow down, so when we come there, we can save our time and focus well. Any suggestions or help is appreciated.
I'd suggest giving them a try. In NC, decent apartments run from about 800 a month on up, plus utilities, cable/internet and water/sewer. For a 2BR/2BA I'd expect to pay at least 900 a month, more if you want a short-term lease. I also recommend a garage if one is available.
Edit: sorry, I missed where you posted your price range. Good luck.
We moved here last summer from Atlanta, rented for a year just north of WFU and are now under contract on a house. We checked out Clemmons but found it to be too far out and too suburban for us. There are plenty of safe, family-friendly neighborhoods in or closer to town. Our favorites are Ardmore and the Mt. Tabor area. We're buying a house in Old Sherwood after an exhaustive search. Our landlord is letting out of our least a month early b/c he's also our agent. So, you might try finding a real estate agent that also rents out properties so you can strike a similar deal. (I can also connect you up with our landlord, if you like.)
We moved here last summer from Atlanta, rented for a year just north of WFU and are now under contract on a house. We checked out Clemmons but found it to be too far out and too suburban for us. There are plenty of safe, family-friendly neighborhoods in or closer to town. Our favorites are Ardmore and the Mt. Tabor area. We're buying a house in Old Sherwood after an exhaustive search. Our landlord is letting out of our least a month early b/c he's also our agent. So, you might try finding a real estate agent that also rents out properties so you can strike a similar deal. (I can also connect you up with our landlord, if you like.)
wstransplant,
This sounds good. Yes pls can you PM me your agent/landlords contact info. We have Clemmons on our list, bec of what I have read on this forum about it. Have to see the area in person yet, so things can change and we have kept our options open.
I'd suggest giving them a try. In NC, decent apartments run from about 800 a month on up, plus utilities, cable/internet and water/sewer. For a 2BR/2BA I'd expect to pay at least 900 a month, more if you want a short-term lease. I also recommend a garage if one is available.
Edit: sorry, I missed where you posted your price range. Good luck.
superk,
Thanks for the above links. We called one of the Colonial Prop Trust bec one of the properties fall in our renting budget range. Are there not any private owners who rent the apts/house in WS? All I am seeing is some company/agent.
Thanks for the above links. We called one of the Colonial Prop Trust bec one of the properties fall in our renting budget range. Are there not any private owners who rent the apts/house in WS? All I am seeing is some company/agent.
Thanks.
Look on HotPads. There are a number of condos for rent by owner in the desirable Wake Forest U area and a smattering of listings in the nicer historic areas in town.
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