[Voltige]

<p>Hello!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My DH landed a new job in the RTP and starts Jan 3rd.  Neither one of us are familiar with the area and could use a few pointers since this is coming up fast.  We are currently living near Philadelphia, PA so we can't just pop down for a quick visit.  I'm thinking I should just call a realtor and discuss our needs, since DH will need a place to stay very soon!  Can anyone recommend a good one that deals with rentals?  We have a house to sell here, but I don't think we want to buy right away.  I'd prefer to get a feel for the area first.  Since we have kids and dogs and a cat, I think a single family home rental would be best- but that commits us to a year lease I imagine.  Our oldest son will be starting school in the fall- so that's a consideration as well.  I realize I don't have a well defined question here, but I'm hoping someone will say something that helps us get started, LOL!  Help?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>

 

[pinky]

<p>Although it's been quite awhile since I was a renter, I had great experiences with Apple Realty in Durham.  They have mostly older homes in older neighborhoods, so it would depend if that's what you're looking for.  And depending on where exactly your dh's job is, Durham is a pretty easy commute (one of the easiest to RTP, really).</p>

 

[Lady Lilya]

<p>I just did the same in August.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I want to say that each realtor only has a handful of listings.  But since all the realtors post onto CraigsList, that is the best place to start.  Look at listings on CraigsList and see what looks interesting, and most likely the contact person will be a realtor.  </p>
<p> </p>

 

[pinky]

<p>One of the other things that I thought of is that in Durham at least, many of the neighborhoods have listservs, and there are often rentals listed on those.  So if you find a neighborhood that you like, you could subscribe to the list.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here's where I live, and it's a mix of owner-occupied and rental homes:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.whhna.org/" target="_blank">http://www.whhna.org/</a></p>

 

[Voltige]

<p>Great info, thanks!!</p>

 

[WednesdayO]

<p>DH works in RTP and we live right here at it by the Durham/Wake County borders. PM me if you're interested in more about the neighborhood. There are single family homes and townhomes for rent right now.</p>

 

[rhiOrion]

<p>Pinky has a good point about Durham neighborhood listservs.  My neighborhood is Northgate Park, and we've had two houses come up for rent recently.  Plus the one across the street from me is for rent!  To give you an idea, one was a 2 bedroom recently remodeled half of a duplex for $600, and one was a two bedroom recently remodeled single family house with a fenced yard for $800. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The houses for sale near me have had signs for "Joe Hicks Realty" out front.  I know nothing about them, but they seem to list some of the houses in the area for sale.  Their number is (919) 471-0100</p>

 

[Voltige]

<p>Thanks again for the info. I'll look up that realtor.  Anyone care to share their neighborhood links?  Are rentals being posted to these before hitting craigslist and realtor pages?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm finding several houses online that I like the appearance of, but many seem to be in school districts I'm not confident about.  Does anyone have anything to say about Parkwood or Southwest Elementary?</p>

 

[Biscuits & Gravy]

<p>We are currently renting from <a href="http://www.nchomerentals.com/" target="_blank">Block & Associates</a>, and have no complaints. We also rented from <a href="http://www.phoenixrealtync.com/" target="_blank">Phoenix realty</a> and had no problems. Not sure if that is exactly what you are looking for, but it might help! Welcome!</p>

 

[halfbakedcake]

<p>My friends rented from Bob Scmidtz (<a href="http://www.bobschmitzproperties.com/" target="_blank">http://www.bobschmitzproperties.com/</a>) for several years and had a good experience. He has some nice places, a good pet policy, and will fix anything that breaks almost immediately. The only ding on his reputation is that he can be a little strict about damages when it comes time to return your security deposit (though our friends got theirs back, no problem). They just bought a house, or they would still be renting from him. In fact, I would recommend the house they just moved from, but he's decided to sell it instead of rent it again. At any rate, we live in Trinity Park (<a href="http://www.trinitypark.org" target="_blank">http://www.trinitypark.org</a>), and rentals do come up on the listserv on occasion. That link will take you to our neighborhood homepage, which links to our listserv and the listservs of a couple of surrounding neighborhoods.</p>

 

[birthpartner]

<p><a href="http://www.horrockshomes.com" target="_blank">www.horrockshomes.com</a>   Rentals and Homes for sale.</p>