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My husband and I are originally from Syracuse (we moved to the DC area in 1991), and we're putting our house in Maryland up for sale in a couple of months and planning to move back to Syracuse to be near family. We'd like to rent for a couple of years before we buy again. We're going to stay with my mother-in-law for a month or two while we apartment hunt, so we don't have to try doing it from such a long distance. Trying to figure out what are good apartments for us to look at, some questions for you...
-When they say heat is included, does that mean you control the temperature, or you just get what you get? Apartments down here that have utilities included have no individual thermostat control (and are either always boiling or always freezing), and that's priority #1 to me-- I need control over heat and AC temps because of health issues. Also, exactly how bad are heat bills for apartments there? I've heard $1500 horror stories about houses in NY!
-Budget ideally no more than $1000.
-I've seen photos of apartments with wall air conditioners in the living room but not the bedroom. Do they allow you to put in your own window or portable unit or do they expect you to go without? Don't mind buying window units, do mind thinking one unit is going to do for a 2-bdrm apartment.
-My mom is in Van Duyn nursing home, my mother-in-law lives in the South side near the Valley. Ideally I'd like to be a reasonable drive from them. Although "reasonable" is by DC/Maryland standards, under 20 minutes is what I'm hoping for, I don't need to be around the corner. I'd prefer city over suburb, if it's doable.
-We have two cats, so we need a cat-friendly apartment.
-We both work at home, we'd do best with two bedrooms or a den with a door.
-I'm phobic as heck of roaches, please tell me about complexes to avoid because of this. Or, tell me about complexes that preventively spray (we've always had a contract for this at our houses, just in case).
-I don't mind at all getting an apartment in a private house, as long as they're cat-friendly and let us set the temps. That looks like a way to save a pretty hefty amount of money, too, and be in the city.
-When they say heat is included, does that mean you control the temperature, or you just get what you get? Apartments down here that have utilities included have no individual thermostat control (and are either always boiling or always freezing), and that's priority #1 to me-- I need control over heat and AC temps because of health issues. Also, exactly how bad are heat bills for apartments there? I've heard $1500 horror stories about houses in NY!
I think technically it could vary, but I've never seen apartments in Syracuse without individual thermostat control. I would make sure to ask that question if you're going after a heat included place just to be sure.
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-Budget ideally no more than $1000.
Definitely do-able
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-I've seen photos of apartments with wall air conditioners in the living room but not the bedroom. Do they allow you to put in your own window or portable unit or do they expect you to go without? Don't mind buying window units, do mind thinking one unit is going to do for a 2-bdrm apartment.
Unless it is specified in the lease that you cannot have them (highly unlikely), adding window units is not a problem at all.
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-My mom is in Van Duyn nursing home, my mother-in-law lives in the South side near the Valley. Ideally I'd like to be a reasonable drive from them. Although "reasonable" is by DC/Maryland standards, under 20 minutes is what I'm hoping for, I don't need to be around the corner. I'd prefer city over suburb, if it's doable.
Closest city area would be the city of Syracuse - downtown should be less than a 20min drive for you depending on traffic. Although with the $1000 budget, that cuts out the majority of places right in Armory Square. But you can definitely find something - there are some apartment buildings, lofts, etc. Also, both the Villages of Liverpool and Manlius would be about 20-30min drive and would provide some of those amenities but not the full city atmosphere.
Quote:
-We have two cats, so we need a cat-friendly apartment.
-We both work at home, we'd do best with two bedrooms or a den with a door.
-I'm phobic as heck of roaches, please tell me about complexes to avoid because of this. Or, tell me about complexes that preventively spray (we've always had a contract for this at our houses, just in case).
-I don't mind at all getting an apartment in a private house, as long as they're cat-friendly and let us set the temps. That looks like a way to save a pretty hefty amount of money, too, and be in the city.
Anything else we should know?
For individual flats, your best bet is to look on Craigslist or use site like Hotpads and Padmapper (they put everything on a map for you). I've never seen roaches in Syracuse but maybe others have places to avoid due to those issues.
If you want city areas that are fine, but close enough to Van Duyn Nursing Home, see if there are home or duplex rentals in the South Valley(south of Seneca Turnpike) or Strathmore neighborhoods. Van Duyn is on Onondaga Hill right near Upstate Medical's Community General Hospital. Both of those neighborhoods are literally down the hill from there.
Tipperary Hill may be another neighborhood in the city that would work, as it would be a quick drive down Avery Ave/Velasko Road to Onondaga Hill and then you take a left onto Onondaga Road(aka Route 173). That will take you to the road, on your left, that leads to Van Duyn just before you go down the hill into the Valley. Tipp Hill should have some home and apartment rentals.
You also could look into the East Side neighborhoods or Eastwood as well.
If you don't mind suburbs, Onondaga Hill itself has some apartments, with some near Western Lights/Westhill High/Winkworth.
Even in the apartments that do have individual thermostats, many have a lockout feature on them that only allow for a 5 degree change in either direction. They might not offer that information and tell you that the apartments have thermostat controls. the newer "green" buildings tend to have the thermostat controls.
Even in the apartments that do have individual thermostats, many have a lockout feature on them that only allow for a 5 degree change in either direction. They might not offer that information and tell you that the apartments have thermostat controls. the newer "green" buildings tend to have the thermostat controls.
Is this in regards to Downtown apartments or from what you've found in general/different complexes and buildings?
Is this in regards to Downtown apartments or from what you've found in general/different complexes and buildings?
There are LEED points and tax breaks for climate control and energy usage. This is pretty much standard in green/ LEED buildings. There is one high-rise downtown that I know has the entire building set to 70 degrees. Residents have the ability to change the temperature by 5 degrees in either direction. Windows don't open and the entire climate of the building is controlled. This cuts down on energy use and cost to the building owner and they were able to obtain LEED certification.
Are you interested in walkability and/or proximity to amenities?
Not overly, no. I have a disability, so when it comes to walkability, something 3 blocks away might as well be on the other side of the moon for all I could get there without a car. It'd be a nice change, my husband could always drop me off in the car, zip home, and quickly walk back to join me, but it'd be rare so no sense paying a premium just for a walkable neighborhood (especially not in a village).
Have to admit, though, I would love one of those lofts-- open floor plan is more spacious, love the industrial look and high ceilings. We can't afford it now, especially since my longtime (15 yr) freelance editing client just cut back severely, but if I can get another telecommute gig, perhaps a year down the line it's a thought.
There are LEED points and tax breaks for climate control and energy usage. This is pretty much standard in green/ LEED buildings. There is one high-rise downtown that I know has the entire building set to 70 degrees. Residents have the ability to change the temperature by 5 degrees in either direction. Windows don't open and the entire climate of the building is controlled. This cuts down on energy use and cost to the building owner and they were able to obtain LEED certification.
You can't open the windows?!? I don't know if I could go for that. I suppose if you can flip between heat and air so you can quickly cool the room down if you need to, but no fresh air, ever? No venting if something drips in the oven? I think that would be miserable, like living in an office building, and such a shame with how cool the summer nights get in Syracuse if you couldn't open a window and turn a fan on to cool the room down.
How common is this?
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