Renting in Chapel Hill/Carrboro area
July 1, 2016 1:46 PM   Subscribe

I've posted some questions about this, and I'm finally ready to pack up and move there. The only catch is that I'm not having luck finding an apartment, and I wonder if I just don't know where to look. Difficulty level: I'm a few hours away and can't tour places on short notice, and my credit is poor.

I'm moving from near Blacksburg, VA to the Chapel Hill area and had planned to live in Carrboro or Chapel Hill proper. In other places I've lived, I always found places on Craigslist, but that doesn't seem like a great option in that area. I've been checking Louise Beck's website for properties. Where else should I be looking? I think I will have better luck with smaller landlords, but I don't know how to find them online. I will not be university-affiliated, if that matters.

I know rent is going up in that whole region, but there must be some properties that are more affordable. At most, the $800 range is what I can do.

My credit is poor, but I don't owe any money to landlords. And I am happy to try to figure out additional things I can do to compensate for that (a larger deposit or something like that).

Now for more about what I'm looking for:
I definitely want a 1 BR, no roommates. Studios are okay if they have kitchens.

I don't drive, so it's really important for me to be on a good busline and, ideally, be walkable to stuff (groceries, a coffee shop, a bar).

I have one indoor cat. He is a support animal and should legally be accepted anywhere, but I'd rather just go where he's allowed anyway.

I don't need a lot of amenities, but central air would be fantastic, as would on-site laundry. I prefer not to be in an undergrad-type place, but I'll deal if everything else falls into place.

So, how should I be looking? Websites are welcome, as are names of landlords or property agents who might have something for me. My move-in dates are very flexible; I'm living with family and not under a lease now. Also, I don't mind subletting at first.

Thank you for reading all of this and any ideas you have. If you need more info, then feel free to ask here or message me.
posted by mermaidcafe to Home & Garden (11 answers total)
 
I think Southern Village has 1 BR apartments, although that's not a small landlord. It lights up a lot of the other things you mention. I've never been in the apartments there but the whole development is pretty posh looking. I'm sure there's air, there's no way they are renting apartments without A/C. Likewise laundry. . Strong bus service: there is a park-and-ride lot right there that serves UNC. There's a central retail area with a lot of places to eat or have coffee. There are nature trails that connect up to the town ones. There's a good grocery co-op and a movie theater. I don't know if there are any outright bars there. I don't know what rents are there, or how severe they are with credit requirements, but $800 sounds ballpark for area 1BR rents.
posted by thelonius at 3:04 PM on July 1, 2016


I hear from people who have looked more recently than me that if craigslist isn't doing it for you, you should try Padmapper. I just looked up Carrboro and it looks like a couple places show up there that would work for you.
posted by clavicle at 4:02 PM on July 1, 2016


http://www.chapelhillrent.com

These are 1 bedrooms in the $600-900 range.
posted by ZabeLeeZoo at 4:48 PM on July 1, 2016


there are some townhouses on willow dr that are on the busline and across the street from a good grocery store. I think they're mostly two bedroom and may be a little above your $800 range.

Southern village is also a decent suggestion although apartments are a little smaller/pricier. They will likely have a 1 bedroom in your range and groceries/bus are fairly convenient.
posted by noloveforned at 4:49 PM on July 1, 2016


And be very wary of anything between umstead and rosemary street in downtown chapel hill. There were always some affordable apartments but a lot of break-ins happened there.
posted by noloveforned at 5:00 PM on July 1, 2016 [2 favorites]


A good number of large apartment complexes are located in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area. Sites like apartment.com, zillow.com, etc., will list them. Don't take any posted rental prices for granted.

Here's another site that seems fairly busy: http://www.chapelhillrent.com/

And this one: http://millsrentals.com/

Bus service is good and, as I'm sure you know, free (funded with taxes and student fees). Here's the route info Chapel Hill posts. Not the most convenient I've seen, but click through and there are maps of each route. (http://www.townofchapelhill.org/town-hall/departments-services/transit/routes-schedules/all-routes-schedules)

Ideally, you would select some candidate locations, and travel to Chapel Hill with checkbook in hand, make a choice, sign a lease, and return to Blacksburg to prepare to relocate.

If that is not possible, you can make a decision based on what you find online, and phone calls. (Use Google to look at a location and the surrounding area.) This would require that you transfer money from Blacksburg and that an arrangement be made for you to sign and return the lease. (Faxing, I imagine. Bank transfer would be the fastest way to get money to the landlord. Or credit card, it they'd do that.). Dealing with such long-distance rental setups must be common given the student population.

A co-signer might ease those credit concerns.

The rental market is dominated by students, with the few properties that target non-students at the high end of the market.

Be prepared, and willing, to move again after you've been in town for that first year and learned more about the area. Get yourself in town and in a place and go from there.

I've seen complexes along and near East Franklin street running north out of the downtown area. Bus service along there is excellent, and I can think of one that's walking distance. or a bus ride, to the public library, a small shopping area with a busy Whole Foods, etc, and a larger shopping center is just north of that.
posted by justcorbly at 5:01 PM on July 1, 2016


My sister, her husband, and newborn lived in Chambers Ridge Apartments when they first moved down to Carrboro. Not in the prettiest spot but they had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apt for $800 I believe (granted it was 6 years ago). It's not the prettiest, but it can be easier to move into an apartment complex and then move after the year is up. They found it quick and easy to move into I can't remember if they signed anything before moving down from NYC or not).
posted by raccoon409 at 8:40 PM on July 1, 2016


If you don't mind being a (as mentioned above, free of charge) bus ride away from campus and downtown, the Finley Forest condo development off of NC 54 has units toward the upper end of your price range.
posted by Captain l'escalier at 4:13 AM on July 2, 2016


"be walkable to stuff (groceries, a coffee shop, a bar)"

This would describe Carrboro downtown . The properties there are mostly expensive rentals or houses. You'll probably need to fit with a bus line.

Southern Village could fit your budget, and does meet those requirements.
posted by sandmanwv at 7:57 AM on July 2, 2016


Estes Park in Carrboro is the cheapest place in town.
posted by oceanjesse at 8:53 AM on July 2, 2016


Oh word, I had a friend who lived in Estes Park as a grad student and her 1br was super cheap and seemed fine, it was small but everything seemed to be in good shape and it was quiet. Only on one bus line, but the bus picks up right at the complex and goes through downtown Chapel Hill.
posted by clavicle at 12:42 PM on July 2, 2016


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