Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Currently, myself, my husband and our 2 year old triplets are looking to relocate east out of California. I love the east coast, and the cost of living is much better. We are looking to rent a single family home for the first year, and then we'll be looking for a 4bd/2ba with a big yard for under $250k.
One of our triplets is autistic, so it's important that we be in an area that offers great special education services. After talking to dozens upon dozens of other parents of autistic children, it's obvious that PA is the place to be if you want your children to have every opportunity possible. And I understand there is an Institute in Erie that is really wonderful. Because we will have small children starting school in the next couple of years, school district is really important.
We'd prefer a smaller community, definitely not urban. We're leaving California to get away from houses being on top of each other! In researching school districts, it looks like Girard, Fairview, Mill Village, North East, Ft Leboeuf, Waterford, Lake City and Harborcreek are all great districts, but it's hard to determine if they would be a good fit for us.
And rentals seem to be impossible to find. We'd like to keep it under $1500 a month, but could go a little over that if absolutely necessary.
I'm a little nervous about driving in the snow, especially since I read we'd need a 4WD and we just traded mine in for a minivan (I have 2 year old triplets, so a minivan is a lot easier!).
We're looking to move in early October, before Winter sets in.
Anyway, any advice on finding a home rental and suggestions for areas that might fit our needs is GREATLY appreciated. Thank you!
Where will you be working, and how comfortable are you about the prospect of driving in snow from home to work?
Although a minivan loaded with two adults, triplets, and all the triplets' "stuff" will sufficiently weigh you down in the snow! LOL
What are you looking for in a school district? As far as I remember, most services for special needs kids are organized at the county level. You might want to look into a larger school district, though, just for sheer numbers and parental support for yourselves.
Here is a link for some more information about special education services in Erie County; there are contact links to the people who supervise autistic services:
As for rentals; sorry, I haven't much of a clue. Here are some links for you to try; the newspaper is still the best source for rental information in town.
Location: The Flagship City and Vacation in the Paris of Appalachia
2,773 posts, read 3,858,573 times
Reputation: 2067
Myndolin
Hopefully I can help a little bit with your search. My family and I moved to Erie recently and renting a single family home in the area is a bit of a challenge. My wife and I searched endlessly to find a decent house to rent for a year and luckily we found something, but many of the transplants we have met report similar issues with the Erie rental market. Here are a few things to consider:
1) The rental market in Erie is much more expensive than it is to own a home. For instance, a $1,500 per month rental will get you a decent home in most neighborhoods, but it won't even compare to what you can get for a $1,500 mortgage payment. This is true for many areas in western PA, but it seems more pronounced in Erie than other areas.
2) Buying a home in Erie is very interesting because there is a certain segment of the population who will list a house and they won't negotiate the price in any way and will list it again next year if it does not sell. I am sure this happens in other areas, but my wife and I were very surprised when we would look at a house and offer slightly below full price or ask for some closing costs to be paid and the seller would simply reject our offer with no counter. In fact the house we purchased was a full price offer with no seller assistance. This mainly happens in the better neighborhoods and you may encounter this in your price range. I think this is mainly because there is a good percentage of older residents who have paid off their house and selling it is part of their retirement so I can't blame them, but it still makes it challenging for potential buyers.
3) Finding a rental can be tricky and if possible I would recommend a trip to Erie so you can look at yard signs and talk to people locally about rentals. For instance, my company recently hired someone and they asked me about potential rentals in the area. I actually remembered seeing a yard sign down the street from me and I texted the new employee pictures of the yard sign and house so they could have an idea of the house and location. Well long story short, they rented the house and they never would have found it on Craigslist or any other website because it was not posted anywhere but on the sign in the yard.
In terms of the school districts/areas here are my thoughts:
Fairview is a great district and a very nice area, but the taxes are among the highest in the area and this is something you have to think about when buying a house. Housing is also pretty pricey here and overall you may have trouble finding something in your price range with modest taxes.
North East is my favorite small town east of Erie and the school district is pretty good with a more favorable tax situation than many other areas. Housing is a little more affordable here, but the land can get costly because this is the main wine tourism area in Erie county.
Ft. Leboeuf is another excellent school and I really like Waterford, however, it can complicate your commute driving from the southern Erie suburbs because of the increased amounts of snow south of the lake. Houses are much cheaper here and you get more bang for the buck.
I am not that familiar with the other districts to mention much about them, but overall think about commuting in the snow and being close to the amenities you would like to utilize. For instance, if you like the beach and spend a significant amount of time at Presque Isle living in Girard or Waterford might be too far away for you.
Thank you both for your quick and thorough replies. I am a SAHM, and my husband is in IT and would be working from home. So commute isn't a huge issue. I would probably come into Erie for Target and Sam's once a week. I definitely intend to make frequent visits to Presque Island, especially as the kids get older. Given that, any more advice?
I do have an older daughter graduating from high school who may or may not be coming with us. Any community/junior colleges nearby? 4 year schools?
What do you consider high property taxes? I think locally ours would be about 1.25%, but our sales tax is 8.25% and about 9% in income tax so, I'm thinking if the property tax isn't too hideous, we might at least break even in that department. Thoughts? Thanks again!!!
I am a SAHM, and my husband is in IT and would be working from home. So commute isn't a huge issue. I would probably come into Erie for Target and Sam's once a week. I definitely intend to make frequent visits to Presque Island, especially as the kids get older. Given that, any more advice?
I guess you could live anywhere, then; the beauty of a small city like Erie is that nothing is too far away from anything else, and driving from one end of the county to another takes less than an hour. The big shopping centers (mall, Target, Sam's etc.) are mostly clustered together in one area near I-90/I-79/Peach Street.
So if it comes down to school choice, given that you need services for your child with autism, I'd stick with the larger school districts like Fairview, Harborcreek, Fort LeBoeuf, General McLane, or even Millcreek, which still does have some semi-rural land left to it. Each of those districts has a mix of small-town, suburban, semi-rural and rural neighborhoods.
I wish I knew more about the local schools other than to tell you that I have friends in each school district in the county, whose kids seemed to come out OK. I'm a product of the Iroquois school district, but that was a looooooooong time ago and the district is probably a little more compact and dense than what you're looking for.
Here's another link, this one to a page of links for each of the school districts in the county:
That might help you start to sort out what you're looking for.
Quote:
I do have an older daughter graduating from high school who may or may not be coming with us. Any community/junior colleges nearby? 4 year schools?
No community colleges, but The Erie Business Center is a two-year school and has a variety of associate programs. There are four four-year universities: Gannon, Mercyhurst, Penn State Behrend, and Edinboro; there also is the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, which also has pharmacy and dental schools in addition to the medical school.
Quote:
What do you consider high property taxes? I think locally ours would be about 1.25%, but our sales tax is 8.25% and about 9% in income tax so, I'm thinking if the property tax isn't too hideous, we might at least break even in that department. !
The state income tax is 3.07 percent; the local income taxes vary. Sales tax is 6 percent and is not collected on food or clothing. I can't help you with property taxes; sorry!
Location: The Flagship City and Vacation in the Paris of Appalachia
2,773 posts, read 3,858,573 times
Reputation: 2067
Myndolin
Ohiogirl81 knows the area very well so definitely take her advice. Next, if your husband is working from home that really opens up your search in areas that are a little further out. Nothing in Erie is very far away, but it can be a pain to drive from Edinboro or somewhere else south of Erie to the city daily for work in the winter. I have had to deal with this a few times and it was manageable, but it took a long time because of the slow going traffic and the whiteout conditions. Most people visit Presque Isle frequently in the summer so you don't really have to worry about the snow, but it is also a good place to cross country ski. Target and Sam's are in Summit Twp. so if you are traveling once a week to these stores it won't really matter where you live. These stores are close to both interstate 90 and 79 so they are easy to access from pretty much any area of the metro.
Ohiogirl81 listed most of the colleges and it is sad that Erie does not have a community college, but many of the schools she listed have associates degree programs and are pretty reasonably priced. Most of the private colleges offer significant tuition discounting for those who need it and there is a good amount of financial aid and tuition reduction available at the state institutions when you are considered an in state resident.
Ohiogirl81s advice regarding taxes was right on and I will discuss the property taxes, which are significantly higher than where you are coming from. The property taxes in Erie range anywhere from 1.9% in Albion to 3.8% in the city of Erie. This includes your city/township tax, county tax, and school taxes (which makeup the bulk of your taxes in Erie).
While property taxes are relatively high in Erie county compared to some other parts of the country, certain townships or boros have lower taxes than others and property prices usually reflect the difference in taxes. For instance, I purchased a house in the city of Erie recently and while my taxes are 3.8%, if I purchased a similar house in Millcreek Township my taxes would be 2.4%. The difference is my house would cost more in Millcreek so I have a higher tax payment and a lower mortgage payment. You will notice this when you are looking at houses and you might see a house in the city of Erie for $225,000 and that same house in Millcreek is $350,000. Also, Fairview is kind of an outlier because on paper it appears that taxes are low 2.6%, but the properties have a much higher value than surrounding areas and the appreciation has been pretty high so your taxes will rise quickly. Also, Fairview has been increasing the millage so they may be over 3% in the near future.
For your situation I would recommend Summit Township 2.0% or Waterford 2.2% because you will get the most bang for your buck and they have the most favorable tax situations with a decent amount of amenities. If I were in your shoes Summit would be my top choice because you would be close to Target and Sams, reasonable distance to Presque Isle and the city, great schools, and your tax situation will be steady because the property taxes are subsidized by casino revenue. Also, in Summit you can still find a decent amount of land for a reasonable price unlike some of the closer in suburbs like Millcreek.
Wow. I am SO appreciative of all your help. This is the kind of info I was really struggling to find online. We will be renting for the first year to get a feel for the area and determine if the exact location we've picked is a good fit for us, and especially our autistic son. But it sure would be nice to get it right the first time and not have to move and switch his services.
I hope you don't mind a few more questions? Every time I get one of your fabulous responses, something else comes to mind.
So, the house we've been renting in CA for the past 5 years is about 2800 sq ft. The summers here get very hot (another reason we want out!) and running the A/C more than triples our bill during the summer. During the winter, we pay about $200 to heat the house, and during the summer...we pay $750 to cool it. We're on a mix of electric and gas. I've gathered that Erie has pretty mild summers compared to what we're used to (July and August, most days are between 95 and 105), so I'm wondering if most homes even have A/C? And during the winter, how are most homes heated? What can we expect in terms of utility bills?
We were studying average temps and snowfall in Erie to determine the best time of year to move. Our son is in a special autism preschool here, and he ages out in November. We don't want to pull him too much earlier than that, but we're thinking November isn't the best time to move to Erie. But maybe October there wouldn't be much, if any, snow to contend with. Are we on the right track?
What do you consider a decent amount of land? I ask because the more I talk to people outside of California, the more I realize that what we consider a big yard isn't at all what most east coasters would consider a big yard. Where we live, an acre of developed land goes for about $290k. Our backyard is maybe the size of an inground pool, and that's considered pretty big in our neighborhood. So, while we would fall over ourselves for an acre lot with a decent house sitting on it in our price range, we'd be thrilled to have a yard even twice the size we have right now.
Finally (ummm, for today, anyhow), if we are able to make this move, my husband will be bringing his existing job with him. Only recently a few of his co-workers have relocated to other states and started working from home, but no one has moved quite as far as we're talking about so...we don't know with complete certainty that a) he's going to be ok working from home and b) that it will work long-term with his current employer. If he were to need to find another job, is that going to be very difficult in the Erie area? Honestly, I think it will be up to him whether or not he wants to look for something else after we've settled in, but I want to make sure that he'd be able to find something.
Again, my heartfelt thanks for all of your feedback. You have both been so unbelievably helpful. Makes me that much more sure that Erie would be a good place for our family.
Location: The Flagship City and Vacation in the Paris of Appalachia
2,773 posts, read 3,858,573 times
Reputation: 2067
Myndolin
Your clarifications have helped me better understand what you are looking for each time. Erie winters are mild, but can still be humid and there are days over 90. It is nice to be near the water when the temperatures are higher and the closer you are to the lake there is a nice breeze. Your gas bill for heat will be much higher and your AC bill will be much less so it should balance out a little bit. Most of the newer homes in the Erie area have air conditioning, but those in older areas like Erie, Millcreek, North East, etc. may not. Most homes in Erie are heated by gas and there is a variety of boilers and forced air units depending on the age of the house. In terms of a decent amount of land, I thought you were talking about 5 to 20 acres or so and obviously I overestimated lol. You can still find houses in Millcreek with an acre or 2 in your price range.
In terms of IT jobs, I would think those would mainly be at Erie Insurance, GE, or the local universities. Of course there are IT jobs available with other organizations, but the bulk of the jobs will be with the bigger employers and those who have more advanced IT systems. The job market in general is not great here in Erie and if there are other opportunities to work from home in any location, those might be better options than you will find locally.
Location: The Flagship City and Vacation in the Paris of Appalachia
2,773 posts, read 3,858,573 times
Reputation: 2067
I meant to say the summers are mild in the last post lol
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm a product of the Iroquois school district, but that was a looooooooong time ago and the district is probably a little more compact and dense than what you're looking for.
