Need Apt./House Rental Advice.

[CSquared]

My fiance and I are looking for feedback on a house or apartment, and hoping to get feedback from people more familiar with the areas we're looking in.

Our Criteria
-House/townhouse rental or APT. complex
-$1000 or less with utilities
-Must have an attached or detached 1 car garage.
-North to upper northwest side of Atlanta (Smyrna, lower marietta, Moores Mill, Howell Mill & so on)
-As close to the perimeter as possible
-Needs to be dog friendly

I've been all over craigslist looking for houses to rent, but it's so disorganized and there is so much spam that I am starting to get discouraged. I don't like the idea of APT complexes, but I will settle as long as they offer individual garages. Does anyone have any recommendations meeting my criteria?

How about better search tools outside of craigslist and realtor.com?

p.s. I would LOVE to buy, but we won't be able to scratch up enough down payment to get into a house that we'd actually want. And we're staying with family since October, so I will literally go insane if we're not out by August 1st.

[masanomi3]

Your best bet dude is to go with a town home there pretty reasonably priced.

Check out this site Apartments and Houses for Rent, Local Apartment and Home Rentals, House, Townhome, and Condo Rentals, Vacation Rentals, Roommate and Sublet Classifieds ::

Let me know what you think.

[Echonova]

Rental wise, your best off renting a town home with the criteria given. Never, ever, ever, ever buy a town home though.

Still, even in this economy that price point will be hard to find in that area. Well, I think. I haven't had to look for a house in years.

[CSquared]

Yeah im hoping we get lucky. We called for a house last weekend that would have been perfect but it was rented that afternoon.

Deeper smyrnaa/marietta seem like the only areas im finding.

I'll check that link out later and yeah no way in hell im buying townhome or condo. I didn't want to rent them either, but im officially at the point of desperation.

[JennB]

I highly disagree on blanket statements about not buying a townhome. I'm sitting in mine now which is quite nice and has appreciated very well even in the current market. It all depends on location. Buying a townhome in a suburb where the market focuses on single family homes, kids, school districts and you can get a detached home for the same price, I'll pass, buying a townhome (like mine) just outside of Buckhead or in the city, good idea. There is a great market for them in the city where there are a lot of young professionals who want an upscale home but none of the maintenance. I work in finance, have owned another home before (still have it, actually) and did more than enough research to assure it was a good investment. The one directly behind ours sold for 5% over what we paid 1 year after we bought ours. Probably going to sell and move next summer and I have no worries.

Anyway, I work over in the area you're looking and I can't think of much. I can think of apartments but they don't have garages. Most of the homes are going to be very large and not a lot of rental properties. If you look in Smyrna to the west of I-75 there should be a decent amount of choices. But that may be further out than you want. Actually, I think one of the Post Properties in the area has attached garages. It may be Post Spring. But, it won't be cheap and I know you don't really seem to want an apartment. There are definitely some other complexes in the area closer to Cumberland that offer detached garages.

Good luck!

[Julio]

I highly disagree on blanket statements about not buying a townhome. I'm sitting in mine now which is quite nice and has appreciated very well even in the current market. It all depends on location. Buying a townhome in a suburb where the market focuses on single family homes, kids, school districts and you can get a detached home for the same price, I'll pass, buying a townhome (like mine) just outside of Buckhead or in the city, good idea. There is a great market for them in the city where there are a lot of young professionals who want an upscale home but none of the maintenance. I work in finance, have owned another home before (still have it, actually) and did more than enough research to assure it was a good investment. The one directly behind ours sold for 5% over what we paid 1 year after we bought ours. Probably going to sell and move next summer and I have no worries.

Anyway, I work over in the area you're looking and I can't think of much. I can think of apartments but they don't have garages. Most of the homes are going to be very large and not a lot of rental properties. If you look in Smyrna to the west of I-75 there should be a decent amount of choices. But that may be further out than you want. Actually, I think one of the Post Properties in the area has attached garages. It may be Post Spring. But, it won't be cheap and I know you don't really seem to want an apartment. There are definitely some other complexes in the area closer to Cumberland that offer detached garages.

Good luck!

I agree with everything.. But me personally will never consider a town home upscale, dont care if its inside the best country club on the planet.

[alex14]

Find a property management company and rent through them.

[98blackcivic]

[CSquared]

What?