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I was born and raised in CT, attended RISD for a year, then moved to Arlington, TX in the 80's for my job. I am now on permanent disability and will be moving back to the East Coast in a month with my 11 year old daughter, who is also disabled.
I loved living in Providence and think that will be a better bet for me and my daughter than moving to CT. I've been doing research on Craigslist and it appears rents are lower in RI than in CT and no state income tax (yet!). Also winters are milder from what I remember.
Since I am a wheelchair user, I cannot commit to rent a place until after I've seen it, so I need a very low cost place for my daughter and I to stay once we arrive while we look for an apartment. Any suggestions? It would be helpful if it has access to public transportation as we do not have a car. We'll be shipping our things using PODS and they will remain in storage in PVD until we find permanent housing.
My research on Craigslist indicates a lot of rental housing will be opening up in the next few weeks due to the end of the school year - is it better to search for a place on our own or should we use a realtor?
Also on Craigslist I have seen ads for several rent-to-own condos and such - no down payment/assume monthly payments - anyone have any experience/thoughts on these deals?
I have a whole bunch of questions....these are just a start!
As someone who has lived in both Texas and Southern New England, I think you should think long and hard about moving here.
First, I don’t where you heard that RI does not have a state income tax—it does. It is a progressive income tax that is based off of your federal AGI. In fact, RI has (according to a recent study) the 7th highest tax burden in the U.S. It is a high tax state—in fact, Massachusetts has lower taxes that Rhode Island.
Second, the cost of housing here is significantly higher than it is in Texas. Housing here is generally older, smaller, and more expensive, and the most affordable places tend to be in rough areas/towns. As someone on a low income, you should give this VERY serious thought. Apartments in Texas are generally newer (i.e. built in the last 20 years) and usually fairly well maintained in large apartment complexes with room to walk and adequate parking. Since you lived here briefly, I assume you know that apartments here are often in old (50-100 years old) tenement buildings/duplexes. These building are often three stories high (they’re referred to as “triple-deckers”) with little, if any, yard and limited off street parking . (see, for example, this picture of a row nice triple-deckers: http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/hotc/images/cache/119-1962_IMG.jpg (broken link) )
Groceries and eating out are more expensive here, too.
New England is beautiful and there are a lot of things going for it. But compared to most other parts of the U.S. is expensive and, IMHO, can be a tough place to live on a limited and/or fixed income.
I may have misread information about the state income tax on another site - thanks for the heads up.
Right now, I am paying 1100.00/mo for a 2 bedroom apt. My electric costs are 250.00/mo Oct-Apr and 500.00/mo May-Sep. I am paying 400.00-500.00/mo for taxis (NO public transportation and nothing is within walking distance) plus the oppressive heat here is absolutely debillitating so we do NOT leave our apartment May-Sep.
While I realize I will have to deal with cold weather and snow, from what I remember Providence was pretty good about snow removal and there were only a few days out of the winter when I couldn't get out at all.
A "plus" is that I have *never* lived in a "handicapped accessible" apartment. As long as I can get *in* (ramps can sometimes be built) I can usually make it work.
Have you considered moving to a more northern city in Texas? There are several that should have good public transportation. Also, you wouldn't have to deal with the snow of the Northeast. I have been doing research on apartments in a few areas in Texas so I'd guess you're either living in one of the most expensive areas or in a very upscale apartment complex.
Below is a site to check out for tax comparisons. Since you won't be working, state income tax would not be something you'd have to worry about.
I don't know if you've checked out the CD site for Providence, but it does seem to get an awful lot of snow. Also, the average rent three years ago was well over $800 a month.
Just wanted to let you know that I'm very sorry about you and your daughter's disability. It could happen to any one of us and I wish you both well.
make a lot of phone calls first to ascertain how hard it will be to find a wheelchair acccessible apt. in Providence or surrounding area. Like the previous poster said, apts. here are generally older ( to antique) and rarely handicapped accessible. There are also a few steep hills in area of RISD as you may recall. Maybe a city like Cranston or Warwick might have something. Try calling an agency here first & good luck to you......
I am already living in the Northern part of Texas (Arlington). In addition, as I stated previously, we don't need a "handicapped accessible" apartment - as long as we can get IN the unit (or it's possible to build a ramp) then we're okay and can make it work for us.
Although rents may be higher in R.I., I'm fairly certain I won't be paying as much for energy (average 367.00/mo - I paid a total of 4404.00 for the past 12 months) or transportation (usually 400.00-500.00/mo).
Please - does anyone have any suggestions as to the questions I asked originally, which were:
I need an inexpensive place to stay while my daughter and I search for permanent housing, preferably a place with access to public transportation. We can deal with "roughing it" for awhile - a bed and a phone are the only two absolutes. Any ideas?
Second, would it be better to contact landlords on our own using Craigslist and the newspaper, or should we go through a realtor?
Third, I have seen advertised several "rent-to-own," and "assume payments, no money down" condos and such on Craigslist - does anyone have any experience with this?
Second, would it be better to contact landlords on our own using Craigslist and the newspaper, or should we go through a realtor?
I have seen advertised several "rent-to-own," and "assume payments, no money down" condos and such on Craigslist - does anyone have any experience with this?
I could debate you on your figures and assumptions, but I won't...
My guess is that realtors won't be of much help. Go to realtor.com, do a search and find out how many rentals you can find in the area(s) you want. These properties will be accessible by realtor. My hunch is that most lower priced stuff would be accessible via direct contact with the landlord. I would strongly suggest you not sign a lease until you seen the property and the surrounding area.
You might check out Warren, RI as a possibility. It's pretty close to Prov., is a cute little town, has some walkable areas, and has some affordable rentals.
It is my understanding that this "no money down" etc. are come-ons that try to dupe people. Personally, I wouldn't have anything to do with 'em. There is no free lunch, especially when it comes to housing in New England.
Last edited by professorsenator; 04-26-2008 at 06:07 PM..
In reading other posts in this forum, the concensus seems to be that gas heat is far less expensive than oil or electric - is this true?
I am basing lower costs for transportation on the ability to use public transportation. I've discovered we would qualify for 1/2 rate during off-peak hours (and we would be able to schedule our trips to take advantage of the off-peak hours).
I really appreciate your input, professorsenator. There are many reasons why I am leaving Texas and have decided on R.I. - far too many to go into, here! I know I'm not going to *save* money by living there - but I think I'll probably come out even, when I take into account lower energy costs (provided gas heat is less expensive as I've read and I'm able to find a place that uses gas as opposed to oil) and the ability to use public transportation.
I was born and raised in CT, attended RISD for a year, then moved to Arlington, TX in the 80's for my job. I am now on permanent disability and will be moving back to the East Coast in a month with my 11 year old daughter, who is also disabled.
I loved living in Providence and think that will be a better bet for me and my daughter than moving to CT. I've been doing research on Craigslist and it appears rents are lower in RI than in CT and no state income tax (yet!). Also winters are milder from what I remember.
Since I am a wheelchair user, I cannot commit to rent a place until after I've seen it, so I need a very low cost place for my daughter and I to stay once we arrive while we look for an apartment. Any suggestions? It would be helpful if it has access to public transportation as we do not have a car. We'll be shipping our things using PODS and they will remain in storage in PVD until we find permanent housing.
My research on Craigslist indicates a lot of rental housing will be opening up in the next few weeks due to the end of the school year - is it better to search for a place on our own or should we use a realtor?
Also on Craigslist I have seen ads for several rent-to-own condos and such - no down payment/assume monthly payments - anyone have any experience/thoughts on these deals?
I have a whole bunch of questions....these are just a start!
Thank you -
TwirlyGirly
TwirlyGirl
I suppose you can talk about the pro’s and con’s of living in TX or RI all day…
However, – the winter thing is mostly hype. I live along the south Rhode Island/southeastern Connecticut line, this year we had 15 inches of snow and I used a push-broom to move the snow…….on the 6 days ALL WINTER it snowed. If you blinked you missed the snow. The weather here since early April has been sunny and temps in the 60’s and 70’s (even a few 80 F days) already. The grass is green and my lettuce is already sprouting, although we have not had rain in 16 days, so we are hoping for some rain soon.
Compared to what people in the mountain West, Midwest, and northern New England deal with.....winters on the East Coast from Rhode Island south - are a breeze. It snowed in Denver yesterday, it was sunny and 70 in Providence yesterday.
Good luck!
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Disabled - Moving from Texas to RI
Disabled - Moving From Texas to RI
