Renting in Philly Questions (Girard, Dover: apartment, rentals, condo)

[stampmypassport]

I'm hoping to move to Philly by the end of Jan. 2010(contingent on getting the job I interviewed for, please cross your fingers for me).

I currently live in Delaware, and I'm relatively familiar with the neighborhoods of Philly, but have some questions about renting.

First, is 3 months rent at lease signing the norm (first &last plus one for security deposit)? This sounds high to me, but I've read a few places it is what I should expect.

Second question: how hard is it to find a large dog friendly place? I have a yellow lab, and my husband is about to deploy to Iraq for six months, so taking the dog with me is a must.

Third question: has anyone used Locators to find a place, and is it worth the fee? I'm considering it for 2 reasons: not living in the city now makes hunting more difficult, and finding a place that will except the dog without charging a ridiculous fee.

My first inclination is to look for a place in the Fairmont/Spring Garden area. I don't want to rent in a high rise; I'm really hoping to find a place in a row home with a yard, even if I don't have direct access from the apartment a yard it a huge convenience.

I want to feel fairly safe, so no dodgy area just to save $$.

I love the city center, but would prefer to live in a neighborhood with parks and yards, rather than right downtown.

I know Fishtown/Northern Liberties is up and coming; would you say it has arrived enough for a small young woman living alone to feel comfortable?

My budget is about $1000 inclusive for a one bedroom, at least 600 or 700 square feet.

When are you moving? End of month
Where are you coming from? Dover, DE
Why are you moving? work
Where will you be working? North Philly (hopefully)
Have you been here yet? many times

Will you buy or rent? rent probably, buy possibly
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend?
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? apartment in townhouse
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? walk-up

Are you married or single? Do you have children? married, but living alone + dog
Do you prefer public or private schools? n/a
Do you have pets? yes
Do you want or need a yard? yes
Are you keeping a car? yes (I need parking spot or fairly easy street parking, but will take transit to work.)
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? bustling

What do you want to be closest to?
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) ****
Nightlife ***
Train or subway stations **** (or bus route)

What areas do you think would best meet my criteria?

[solibs]

3 months is the standard here. Expect to pay more for your dog and expect it to take longer to find a place.

A lot of the twins in Victorian West Philly have decent sized back yards (for the city). You're not going to find many worthy of the name in South or North Philly. As you get into Germantown and Mt. Airy you start to see outdoor space that many suburbanites would recognize.

Unless you're renting a whole house it's not likely that you'll have access to the outdoor space anyway.

Your best bet is to try to set up shop near a dog park. I'd look in Passyunk Square - search a 4 block radius of 12th & Reed - there's a great dog park there. You also might want to try Northern Liberties.

[stampmypassport]

Thanks for you help, I appreciate the info.

[stampmypassport]

And to clarify, I'm only looking for a 'yard' where I can let him out when he needs to go in the middle of the night, so it doesn't need to be much bigger than a postage stamp. I plan on taking him on walks and to parks for play time.

[Shino306]

You can also try Craigslist...it's pretty reputable for finding a place to live in Philly. The advertiser will let it be known whether they accept pets.

Passyunk Area, Northern Liberties and Art Musuem area may be a good fit for you.

[solibs]

Originally Posted by stampmypassport

And to clarify, I'm only looking for a 'yard' where I can let him out when he needs to go in the middle of the night, so it doesn't need to be much bigger than a postage stamp. I plan on taking him on walks and to parks for play time.

in that case, i would try to find a 2 or 3 bedroom house. You can certainly find them in decent parts of South Philly for $900-$1000.

Or, if you'd consider a roommate, you could get yourself some nicer digs in the $1200-$1600 range.

[ooodsie]

1. 3 months is the norm, and if you have a pet it will definitely be at least 3 month (1st, last, security and probably a pet deposit)
2. It'll be harder to find a place with a dog, yes. In my experience helping clients find rentals about 75% of the homes on the market do not accept pets.
3. Do not use a locator service - any realtor will do this for free for you.

[thekish]

Originally Posted by stampmypassport

I'm hoping to move to Philly by the end of Jan. 2010(contingent on getting the job I interviewed for, please cross your fingers for me).

I currently live in Delaware, and I'm relatively familiar with the neighborhoods of Philly, but have some questions about renting.

First, is 3 months rent at lease signing the norm (first &last plus one for security deposit)? This sounds high to me, but I've read a few places it is what I should expect.

Second question: how hard is it to find a large dog friendly place? I have a yellow lab, and my husband is about to deploy to Iraq for six months, so taking the dog with me is a must.

Third question: has anyone used Locators to find a place, and is it worth the fee? I'm considering it for 2 reasons: not living in the city now makes hunting more difficult, and finding a place that will except the dog without charging a ridiculous fee.

My first inclination is to look for a place in the Fairmont/Spring Garden area. I don't want to rent in a high rise; I'm really hoping to find a place in a row home with a yard, even if I don't have direct access from the apartment a yard it a huge convenience.

I want to feel fairly safe, so no dodgy area just to save $$.

I love the city center, but would prefer to live in a neighborhood with parks and yards, rather than right downtown.

I know Fishtown/Northern Liberties is up and coming; would you say it has arrived enough for a small young woman living alone to feel comfortable?

My budget is about $1000 inclusive for a one bedroom, at least 600 or 700 square feet.

When are you moving? End of month
Where are you coming from? Dover, DE
Why are you moving? work
Where will you be working? North Philly (hopefully)
Have you been here yet? many times

Will you buy or rent? rent probably, buy possibly
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend?
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? apartment in townhouse
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? walk-up

Are you married or single? Do you have children? married, but living alone + dog
Do you prefer public or private schools? n/a
Do you have pets? yes
Do you want or need a yard? yes
Are you keeping a car? yes (I need parking spot or fairly easy street parking, but will take transit to work.)
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? bustling

What do you want to be closest to?
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) ****
Nightlife ***
Train or subway stations **** (or bus route)

What areas do you think would best meet my criteria?

I think first and last month's rent is more reasonable. I won't hurt to try to negotiate better terms.

Fairmount is a pretty good neighborhood from Broad to the Art Museum. I would not go above Girard College.

Fitler Square and the area along the river is a very good neighborhood and there is a park for your dog.

I would also checkout East Falls and Manayunk. East Falls is more isolated but there are good parks for the dog. Manayunk is more trendy and there is nightlife but it is still close to the park and it is a safe area.