Alright, so I've been testing the waters in chit chat on this subject for a while--but lately I realized that I was hoping for far too much from Chit Chat (though I got more than a few pointers). I'm hoping that by moving much of the discussion here I can get a bit of length and thought put into the advice I hope to readily receive. This is a pretty big thing to me, and I'm the kind of person who really needs to research a big decision extensively before I decide anything--I'd rather learn from other people's experiences than play crapshoot with my pocketbook.

So here's the situation: I'm currently a sophomore at NCSU, as you might imagine, and I'm looking into moving off campus at the beginning of Junior year (after the Summer). Here is the currently expected situation:

-All students of the same year, Juniors (all first time off-campus too)
-Friends. These aren't random people either, I know I can hold them to a lease.
-There will be 3-4 of us. We started off with 4 but now it's looking like 3.
-I will have my own car, but I, like any other sane person, would rather not drive to campus. At least ONE of my housemates won't be able to have a car, and will need to either be able to walk, bike, or bus.
-Price-range is modest but not "low".
-Would prefer the North side of Campus as preferred to the South side--but it seems like the South areas might be more likely at this point.
-House is preferred over apartment unless I get advised that I shouldn't NECESSARILY be in this mindset.

Now, this is partly me asking for advice but it's also me asking for your experiences with housing in the NCSU area. Personally I'd like to hear some names of property management companies I should perhaps contact, and others that I should avoid like the plague. Neighbors would also be nice, as well as apartment complexes if you're in the vein of person that would recommend them--and do if you feel like it, because I don't want to be out of options.

I am by no means asking you to pull up Craigslist--trust me, I've been doing that, but if you know what's up then help clue me in. Again, recommendations not just about location but about what I should expect from the lease, in a house/apartment, et cetera.

Previous discussions:
http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=581927
http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=578954

12/11/2009 4:02:50 AM

you're really thinking about this way too much

12/11/2009 6:16:35 AM

Don't: Live at Lake Johnson Mews...My rent went up like $300 a month in a 4 year period.

Do: Try to find a place in Cary. Good luck finding a 4-br house that isn't beat to shit or $TEXAS$ near campus.

Don't: Worry about driving to campus, live somewhere that affords you paying $5 a day if need be. It's worth it not to have to wait in the rain for the Wolfline. There is always a way to park reasonably close if you know where to go.

Do: Claim the master BR

12/11/2009 6:45:34 AM

Avoid Preiss Company and you'll probably be fine.

12/11/2009 7:35:19 AM

univeristy commons was pretty cheap when i lived there. $225/month/person for a 4 BR. I'm sure it has gone up but we also rented from a couple. I would drive by there and look for For Rent signs and see if they are privately owned. the frat bus used to run right by it, maybe still do, I'm not sure.

12/11/2009 7:52:42 AM

Quote :

"I will have my own car, but I, like any other sane person, would rather not drive to campus. "

Do what

I drove to campus from the Gorman/Avent Ferry area for three years and never had any issues

12/11/2009 8:40:57 AM

depends on what you're looking for...as noted above, you're going to have a hard time finding a decent house near campus with rates competitive to apartments...you'll have better luck in cary, but then you're going to have to drive to campus

the easiest (and cheapest) thing to do is to go to one of those places on tryon or the village green (i think that's what it's called) on lake wheeler...they're nicer than the places right next to campus (IMO), but they're still those 4br/4ba cram-in-as-many-college-kids-as-you-can places

if you can get over the driving to campus thing, you have a plethora of options...the farther you move away from campus, the more options you have, and those options tend to be nicer for the same price (if you're looking at houses and proper apartments, anyway...those 4br/4ba college slums are going to be the cheapest option in any case)

i second avoiding the preiss company at all costs...that's asking for trouble

12/11/2009 8:47:28 AM

Kensington Park northern complex where all the foreigners live. Nice, quiet, Wolfline access, decent apartments.

in '06 we were doing ~$740/month for 3-room apartment.

I also lived at Gorman Crossings, which at the time did not have apartments as nice as KP, and the tenants were sketchier. I lived in the backside near the pool; I would not recommend living in the main complex area.

12/11/2009 9:42:52 AM

Quote :

"you're really thinking about this way too much"

12/11/2009 9:46:25 AM

Quote :

"-Friends. These aren't random people either, I know I can hold them to a lease."

Don't assume just b/c you're friends w/ someone that you'll be able to hold them to a lease, not have any rent problems/money issues, or that they'll be the perfect tenant.

12/11/2009 9:50:24 AM

Quote :

"univeristy commons was is pretty cheap ghetto"

12/11/2009 10:36:56 AM

Don't: Live at Lake Johnson Mews

12/11/2009 10:41:09 AM

What do you consider a modest amount, and does this include utilities?

Also, do you have a preference to have an all inclusive rate or to pay a base rate plus all utilities?

12/11/2009 10:47:40 AM

for your first off-campus place, I would suggest living in a college-style apartment. this will offer you several handy conveniences:

- separate leases for each of the tenants (so you don't get screwed by your friends)
- utilities included in the rent (don't have to set them up yourself)
- access to stuff like a pool, gym, or sometimes, wireless internet.
- transportation to school (many complexes have their own bus service)
- neighbors who won't care that you're partying
- minimal upkeep of the residence

Things to look for when choosing a place:

- PARKING. if the place has permits, make sure visitor parking is readily available, or choose a place with no permits
- in-unit washer and dryer
- sketch factor of 6 or below (on the 1-10 scale)

12/11/2009 10:47:55 AM

Quote :

"-Friends. These aren't random people either, I know I can hold them to a lease."

ha, when it comes to money, a friend is as bad as a sketchball, I don't care how good a friend he is, how trustworthy, etc. friends will fuck you over just as quickly as some deadbeat.

12/11/2009 10:56:46 AM

Erh, maybe I should qualify about the friends. It's not to say I trust them with my life, but two of them have parents who can readily afford the place, are willing to pay for it, and wouldn't even begin to let think about skipping out on anything. So, I'll tread more carefully with my words--and I'll make sure we get those separate leases anyway.

Quote :

"You're thinking too much."

When I know next to nothing about the subject, thinking about it is all I really can do.


DRIVING: Okay, so I'm hearing something in this thread that I haven't heard before, that driving to campus from a farther distance isn't all that bad. Now, I'm fine with this except for parking. It seemed to me like NCSU has horrible parking options, and I simply don't know what to do if I want to get a parking permit next year. What lots do they have available for people who commute to campus? Is Brooks Lot an option (I'm an English student and I'll be spending most of my time in the Court)? Is driving your car to campus and parking on or near campus really that easy or manageable?

If I move out farther, especially south near Lake Wheeler, I already know of a ton of great places--but the drive seemed too far, and again, one of us will not have a car. I know a lot of places in that area, and others on the way to Cary like Wolf Creek, offer their own little bus, but I've heard that's difficult to manage time-wise because the bus doesn't run a very tight circuit--but maybe that's bull.

As far as apartment/condo/townhouse type duplexes in the area, what ones are decent and what ones are complete slums? I've seen Lake Park Condos plastered all over the place lately, and their units seem nice, but I was also told to avoid Lake Park for some reason. Same with another place... maybe closer to Lake Wheeler--it was on a road called Technology Woods or something.

12/11/2009 1:36:33 PM

Draw up a roommate agreement form for everyone to sign in addition to your lease agreement. Include provisions about common area rules, chores, furniture, etc.

12/11/2009 1:55:01 PM

I just forgot that I didn't say anything more about price.

Okay, I say "modest/moderate" because I'm not well off or anything, and I want a good deal, but I do NOT know the pricing range of the market. I've seen anywhere from 225-400, all of which I assume is without utilities--and even then, I have no idea how much utilities -generally- cost.

12/11/2009 1:58:47 PM

best place you can live: 21 or 23 enterprise street. It's a duplex owned by Nelson Bunn of hodge and kitrell. I lived there for three years, and it was the best rental experience I ever had. Mostly because we didn't have many neighbors, and got away with loud parties on the regular without anyone complaining or cops bothering us.

The landlord will leave you alone as long as you pay your rent and no one bothers him for shit you do. no shady as preiss company here. The building is only 10 years old, so you don't have to worry about shit falling apart, and your energy bills should be reasonable due to recent insulation.

12/11/2009 2:16:43 PM

Quote :

"It seemed to me like NCSU has horrible parking options"

meh..not really. i mean, you can get a permit or pay the $5 or whatever the pay lot is now. either option really isn't bad.

i'm really not sure why you think the parking situation is bad. i drove to campus for 3 years and never had a problem with it and didnt have a permit the last year

Quote :

"If I move out farther, especially south near Lake Wheeler, I already know of a ton of great places--but the drive seemed too far, and again, one of us will not have a car."

where at? the drive really isn't bad. i lived at university house (campus crossing? now) and when i first went out there i was like OH SHIT this drive is going to suck..but it didn't. it just felt a lot further than it really was at first.

also, a lot of the places that are marketed at college students have buses that go back and forth. i know the place i used to stay at did (although i never used it) and they went back and forth every 20 minutes or so so the wait wasn't bad, or so i hear

[Edited on December 11, 2009 at 2:31 PM. Reason : asdf]

12/11/2009 2:28:58 PM

as long as you don't need 40 or the beltline to get to campus you're fine.

as for parking, have you even looked at the parking options, or just assumed that whatever dumbass you listened to was the god of parking? I'm betting you haven't even looked at transportation's website.

12/11/2009 2:37:35 PM

^

you learn to live with it

I lived in crappel hell my senior year and it was only about a 25 minute drive all freeway. Not bad compared to working life every morning.

12/11/2009 2:45:44 PM

If you want to save a little on transportation and time, get a motorcycle or scooter and ride that to campus. Gas is cheap, and if you have a motorcycle, the parking permit is really cheap compared to the 4-wheel ones. Not to mention you get to park waaaaay closer most of the time, and in two years, a cheap bike or scooter will near about pay for itself.

I'll throw in a word about Wolf Creek - they're not rabid about fucking you over, but you better keep a tight rein on how you keep the place up and what you do there. They will not give you one inch of slack when it comes to fees, but I never got hit with anything that was total BS like some places do. Parking was rarely a problem unless you get in really, really late, and in the almost year and a half I was there, I saw the tow truck once. They definitely weren't rabid about towing while I was there.

Rent is reasonable (and negotiable), the new (Phase 2) buildings are pretty nice, the only problem is that the place is turning into a ghetto. When I left, the management was starting to get wise to it and tightening up on people, so I would at least check it out. They have a bus that runs to campus, but I never used it. I heard it was decent.

12/11/2009 3:02:20 PM

I lived off of Tryon in a house for 2yrs, near the golf course. Just go up Lake Wheeler, left on Centennial, and Nazareth to Western to Pullen. It's about 10-12min.

No, you can't park in the Brooks lot. You'll want the Coliseum deck, that's where I parked. It's a quick walk to Tompkins, no bitching! It helps you stay in shape. And if it's that big of a deal, try to park in the 2hr area behind Hillsborough. But those roads are ALWAYS packed. Leave a little earlier, like 30min before class, and drive around the 2hr roads until someone leaves. BAM, free parking, and right next to Tompkins.

12/11/2009 5:59:58 PM

I saw in the paper that the velvet cloak inn is student housing now. It is about a block from north campus so...

12/11/2009 6:15:11 PM

dude, it's not this serious.

12/11/2009 9:41:02 PM

I lived off campus for four years. I'll summarize what I learned.

Method Rd:
It's cheap living and near the bus stop. But our landlords were just one step away from being slum lords. We lived there for two years without any problems until the second year. That year someone broke into our house and stole a fair amount.

Kaplan:
Lived in a townhouse. Near the bus stop. But could get kinda full though. No problems at all other than the occasional party that would take up parking spaces for the people who actually lived there.

In Cary:
By far the best housing at the best price. No crime. The only con was that it could be away from some of the fun stuff that your friends would do closer to campus. Not really a drive you would want to take with a few drinks in you because of check points and stuff. Never had a parking issue. I would park off Kaplan or Method because I was most familiar with those areas and then hop a bus.

PS
I did not remain friends with two of the girls that I lived with. The two guys were no problem. The girls ended up just being nuts.

[Edited on December 11, 2009 at 10:51 PM. Reason : .]

12/11/2009 10:49:47 PM

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12/11/2009 11:00:48 PM

Quote :

"you're really thinking about this way too much""

I disagree. If they want a decent rental house, now is the time to start looking.

Quote :

"House is preferred over apartment"

Think rental requirements. Most of you are going to have a limited credit history / income. (If somebody has coop'd recently, that will help a lot ... I never needed a cosigner because of that). Not discouraging, but an FYI.

Quote :

"Friends. These aren't random people either, I know I can hold them to a lease"

Some people are better with money than others. Have one person pay the bills, period. Be clear about how much is owed for utilities / rent / etc. every month and when payment is expected.

Quote :

"Price-range is modest but not "low" ... those 4br/4ba college slums are going to be the cheapest option in any case"

Agreed, you get what you pay for. Lowest I've seen recently is $250/month for 4 people including utilities. If you want somewhere a bit nicer, can go $350/month. 3 people, looking at $300/month or $400/month.

Quote :

"Nelson Bunn"

I was waiting for somebody else to throw this guy's name out. Lived there for a semester and he did an excellent job with his tenants.



Check out apartmentratings.com for some reviews. It's been around long enough now that the "mob" / ratings are fairly accurate.

12/12/2009 6:04:56 AM

I lived here for a number of years as my first place off campus (if you don't count UT) and was pretty pleased with it:

http://www.sumtersquareapartments.com/

It wasn't far from the Harris Teeter on Plaza West or whatever its called at the Western Blvd/Jones Franklin intersection (where the Sonic is now). It was also close enough to Crossroads in Cary to make it easy to shop, eat, or catch a movie there while still being in Raleigh. You'd have to drive to campus, but it isn't a huge distance by any means. I lived in the townhouse apartment, but I had friends who did the 3 bedroom thing.



It isn't exactly what you're looking for based on your specifications, but it might be worth adding to your list of places to check out.

[Edited on December 12, 2009 at 7:52 AM. Reason : .]

12/12/2009 7:46:04 AM

Try Parkwood Village. They have 3 bedrooms.... ask for one of the renovated ones, and stay away from the strip on Gorman St. Its really not *that* bad, mostly families. Inexpensive. I lived there for two years. Its on the wolfline, so you wont have to worry about driving if you dont want to (or cant) plus the bus goes to Food Lion and all the stuff over there on Gorman/Avent Ferry so you wont have to worry about driving around the roommate with no car (trust me, it sucks, no matter how good friends you are).

Let me know if you want any more info, I can refer you to the property manager that has been there a while and not one of the girls that started in the last few weeks.

12/12/2009 10:10:54 AM

VILLAGE GREEN, PM me for details.

12/12/2009 11:19:35 AM

I lived off campus the whole time in college. Parking was never an issue because I either walked, took the bus, or had a permit through my on campus job. If I remember correctly, here's all the places I lived:

Landmark Apts - Lake Boone Tr - Management was okay, I was too young and dumb to know any different. The guy below me played for the Durham Bulls. Commute was not a big deal.

Asheton Woods Apts - Off of Kildaire Farm Rd, near the block buster and post office in Cary. They were manged by Rhyne Properties, which were only a couple steps above slumlords. Also, my car was broken into twice while living there.

Polo Run Apts - (near Crabtree mall on Leadmine Rd, I think) - lived here with an older girl that was a friend of a friend. Much more of a young professional atmosphere. The commute was not too bad, I was on campus from ~8:00am until ~11:00pm so it didn't really matter.

The apartments at the bottom of the hill on Avent Ferry Rd, on the right, across the street from Burger King. I forgot the name of them. By far one of the best places I lived (possibly because I was living alone). Affordable, close to campus and awesome management. Mostly families or foreigners lived there. (I understand NCSU owns these now?)

Sumter Square - as mentioned above. I moved here after I graduated, but it would have been close enough to campus. If you google these apartments, you'll likely run across an article about a sewage backup and subsequent related health issues. For the record, I lived there 3 or 4 years without incident, and am still alive.

[Edited on December 12, 2009 at 12:01 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2009 11:59:58 AM

^ Champion?

12/12/2009 12:07:47 PM

that sounds right, champion court maybe?

i can't read the sign, but here's the entrance:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=35.776217,-78.679662&spn=0,359.927902&z=15&layer=c&cbll=35.776177,-78.679741&panoid=tzqEMMSnUrbx2MCtON7Bvg&cbp=12,306.59,,0,4.49

12/12/2009 12:19:54 PM

Wow, just wow to this thread.

Listen dude, the thread should start and end with "which apt complex has the hottest sluts and gives me the best chance of scoring pussy, weed, and beer on the regular".

You are about to base your living arrangements on a bunch of factors that you will completely regret when you're balding, pudgy, and stuck in a loveless relationship with a sucubus.

12/12/2009 4:35:20 PM

^actually, there's a good bit of truth to that, except it should have been:

You are about to base your living arrangements on a bunch of factors that you will completely regret when you're balding, pudgy, and stuck in a loveless relationship with a sucubus.

12/12/2009 5:16:07 PM

you can park for free really really close to campus if you know where to go

12/12/2009 5:31:51 PM

you should decide how much you care about the non-car having roommate, and how well he tolerates the bus. some people don't mind taking the bus from gorman/kaplan and some people would hate it.

12/12/2009 5:49:45 PM

I actually live on Maiden Lane and I've had a relatively awesome time. Been here 3 years. Whole house is rented to 3 ppl. No duplex shit. Hardwood floors. A lot has been redone, and the Lane has turned around a lot in 2 years now that NCSU bought the Wolf Mart building on the corner. Bell Tower wakes me up in the AM and I can walk everywhere. Don't need a car. Close to everything. Landlord is awesome (NOT Schrader - NEVER live in a Schrader Property). My rent is 400$ /mo and that includes everything.

12/12/2009 9:15:28 PM

Quote :

"NEVER live in a Schrader Property"

slumlord

12/12/2009 9:28:59 PM

Lived in Melrose Apts. for a year. Independent leases, including utilities, and bus access to campus (CAT). Unfortunately, I moved out because they were bought out by Preiss and to my understanding have become complete and utter shit. I only mention it to check and see if maybe Preiss doesn't own it anymore, because it was a nice place other than the neighbors who decided to use my roomate's window for target practice.

I can add another voice for Sumter Square Apts. No individual leases, but good rates and free (but low quality) wireless internet through the whole complex. Really anything managed by Druker and Faulk have been pretty good from what I've heard, but I only have experience with Sumter. As the person above said, you'll find some mold and sewer horror story from someone about Sumter Square, but I never once had a problem with management or maintenance while at that complex.

Lastly, just down the road from Sumter is a place called Wildwoods of Lake Johnson. This place is fantastic, quiet, and reasonable. The management is awesome and the whole complex is clean and well maintained. If you or your friends like to party loud and a lot and are otherwise obnoxious, don't even bother with Wildwoods. Parking is very limited (helps keep the beer bashes to a minimum) but there's plenty for everyone who lives there.

Do's: Get everything spelled out way ahead of time. I lived with friends for the entire time I lived off campus, but even then occasionally had trouble getting money owed for utilities and such. Make sure everyone knows up front what is due and when.

Take care of your apartment. I never had a problem with management except once at Melrose, but that was probably helped by the fact that we always got everything in writing.

Make sure you understand the type of lease you have. Regular leases mean everyone on the lease is fully responsible for the rent, so if someone doesn't pay up, it's your ass that has to cover it, and you have to get your money back from them.

Have reasonable expectations about where you will be living. Closer to campus, hamster housing, crappy neighbors, and sketchy shit will all be more common. Get a good feel for the place before you make a decision and trust your gut. If something says there's something wrong with a place you're looking at, skip it. It will always be there tomorrow.

Don'ts: Don't go based off of just the bad reviews online. Do however read the bad reviews and try to suss out whether the problem was an unreasonable tenant, bad management or both.

Don't go for the cheapest or most convenient to campus. Chances are if they aren't owned by Preiss they'll be pretty shady.

[Edited on December 12, 2009 at 10:46 PM. Reason : adsf]

12/12/2009 10:37:22 PM

why does everyone rag on Preiss? I'm living at one of their townhouses right now and haven't had any problems?

12/12/2009 11:17:26 PM

http://www.lakeparkcondo.com

12/13/2009 10:27:59 AM

hahaha do not live at lake park. my best friend lived there they had to tape the electrical sockets they weren't using closed so roaches wouldn't come out of them.

oh and don't forget the neighbors that were cooking meth and the swat team came in and all that good shit.

12/13/2009 11:09:27 AM

Actually, I think living South and or West of campus is a better idea than North - considering the wolfline goes to those places and if you don't like to park on campus, or if your car breaks down all the time like mine, its a pretty ideal location.

Just sayin

12/13/2009 11:23:20 AM

Fuck Lake Park.

Can't staaaaand roaches.

12/13/2009 1:21:12 PM

------->

[Edited on December 13, 2009 at 5:09 PM. Reason : as]

12/13/2009 5:08:54 PM

you're 2 posts off jen.

12/13/2009 6:21:39 PM

We Engarish majors run in the same vein.

But I'll pop my virginity by going ahead and set em up.

12/13/2009 7:00:00 PM