Asheville Greenville or Somewhere in Between? Moving Help!

[southernNE]

Originally Posted by QuilterChick

I don't want to take this off topic here, but let me clarify a few reasons for the "dog thing". #1, I'm one of the original animal lovers. #2, I've also owned a few apartments and rental properties in my day; and unfortunately for the tenants, I could not allow pets.

Many prospective tenants do not want to live in a multi unit apt. building that allows pets. Dogs bark, need a place to "go", might jump or get aggressive with others. It can be a liability issue as well as a clean up issue. People do not always pick up after their dogs. Dogs scratch doors, window sills, not intentionally, just that their nails scrape the wood; that is a given. Dogs can barf on the carpeting, they get ill too, just like people. Pet dander in the carpeting can be an issue in renting to a subsequent tenant claiming allergies. And the list goes on. All you need is one bad apple to ruin it for the rest. In a single family rental home, let's say there is a fence. The dog digs holes under the fence to get out, wants to chase a cat etc. etc. Barks, the neighbors complain. You name it.

Whenever a long term tenant moved out of one of my places, the w/w carpeting was replaced, not shampooed, replaced. Tenants know when they move in they are getting a like new rental, and they lose their security deposit if not in re-rentable condition when they move or if something is ruined... and usually it's the carpet. Smoking is another issue, almost worse than pets; an apartment has to be totally de-smoked and that is expensive. Only once did I allow someone who begged me to get a kitten. Next thing I knew, there were 6 "kittens" in there plus the mommy. So I ask you, what kind of a landlord would you want to rent from? Someone who doesn't care about their property? Or someone who wants to provide a clean safe environment for you?



I hope that the OP can find something suitable for the children and the pets in the area; it's not an impossible task to find what they need, but it could take a bit longer. With many foreclosures available, they may have a better chance of finding a single family home purchased by an investor.

Real quick, wanted to touch on the pet thing. I have been a landlord also, and didn't allow pets, even though I have 2 cats and 2 big dogs! Same thing, they finally brought in a cat, and when we checked up on the property, they had 7 newborn kittens! GRRRR.

But it was the smoking that was worse, they were just careless people and put burn holes in our bran new carpet and we had to repaint the whole thing for the smell and the discolored walls.

I am OCD with cleaning up after my dogs, for one I have a baby who is on the floor and I hate dog hair! But I also hate carpet, and agree, it gets ruined no matter what. Plus carpet never really gets that clean, it's full of skin and dust mites and I am allergic to them. I'm up for am hardwoods all the way. I'd prefer to live in a old log cabin than have a new house with carpets.

And Kids, esp older ones, I think, can ruin a house almost worse! They color on the walls with markers, and throw up all over the place too. Plus spill juice and smush food into the rugs etc.

I think it's all about the tenants. I have no problem with a landlord inspecting cleanliness upon my rental any day! I am proud how clean I keep my house, being owned or not. My house is cleaner than any house with out pets, and hopefully the owner could see that we are responsible pet owners.

And I would never live in a complex. Don't like sharing a door with my neighbors pets or not Plus no real yard, no spot to garden, no privacy sun bathing.....it just won't work for me!

We live on a horse farm here and is perfect, but it did take us a year to find.

[schil]

I liked your comments, as I was thinking of renting my light carpeted home. I realize folks sneak pets in, and I have yet to not be able to smell a pet.
A carpet for a home like mine would be a fortune, as it has about 2000 sq feet carpeted with a heavy carpet.
I keep it clean, by only eating in the kitchen, and not making it sticky with shampoo. I like the dry cleaners. It is 20 years old and looks new.
Where can I find a renter like that????

[mwh236]

The pet thing is an issue with a lot of people but I have realized through the years that it's the PEOPLE, not their kids or their pets that determine the outcome of rental units. I have been a tenant and a landlord. In our younger years our kids and our dogs went with us when we moved. We'd have white carpet, beige carpet, no carpet, whatever. We always left the premises in better condition than when we moved in. If people are going to be trashy, then they'll be trashy whether they have a a pet or not. We once had tenants that we such slobs we had to remove and replace interior walls - they had no pets. It is amazing what kids can do to a house if their parents allow them to.

[queenofbavaria]

Just talked to our realtor about that. he told us, you may have a right to meet the pets, but no right to see the kids, before you agree on a contract. that's too bad. I am convinced, kids can be worse than pets and ... no mercy in case they team up !

It's all about how educated people are and how they raise their children and pets. I also heard, it would give you a clue to check on peoples car ... but I have to admit, our family van (MY car ) looks trashy often, since three kids and a dog just LEAVE their footprints (and fingerprints). But I at least would consider cleaning it even more than once a week, if I were about to apply for a rental.

[soxfan4life34]

First off, thanks to all of the posters for their help/info they provide -- it is very valuable for those thinking of relocating. I have researched quite a bit into Greenville, Asheville, and areas in between, so I thought I would continue this thread instead of starting a new one which appears to happen quite a bit.

I am a 27 year single male from the DC area who is considering moving to western NC or western SC, although, I am most likely interested in Greenville, SC based upon the feedback I have read online and the visit I took last year to see the town first hand. I am interested in living in downtown Greenville (which I know has so much going for it), but I have also thought about living further up in the mountains near the SC/NC border area potentially.

I work remotely, so I'm not really tied to a specific area for commuting purposes. I also don't drink that much, so having to drive back after going out won't be an issue.

I think Hendersonville might be a good fit as it offers a nice downtown, lots of outdoor activities, and has easy access into Asheville as well (which I like). However, from what I am reading online, it has a lot of retirees (as I can imagine to be the case with a lot of small, WNC towns though).

Ideally, I would drive into Greenville 3 - 4 times a week (not during the winter season though), spend 2 - 3 days locally in Hendersonville, and the other day in Asheville. So while I would live in Hendersonville, I wouldn't be there for a significant amount of time per say.

Just as a quick background on me, I love the outdoors, running, hiking, sports (tennis, golf, basketball, bowling, softball, etc), photography, and volunteering. While I currently have a full time sales/customer service job, I might look into working at a college/university within student affairs, at a non-profit, or some sort of career with working with children in the future. I would want to rent and although I am somewhat flexible on how much, I wouldn't want to go over $850 or so probably.

Are there at least some individuals in their 20's to 30's though (married or single) in Hendersonville though? Any suggestions on other potential areas that could work well for me?

Thanks for the feedback!