Ah, yes. Apartment hunting. I have been apartment hunting a grand total of 5 times:
- Moving out of the dorms in college
- Choosing a new apartment during college my senior year
- Leaving my sister’s townhouse in Northern Va. to live with my future ex-wife
- Finding a larger apartment with my future ex-wife
- Weird time after I sold my house during the divorce and I needed someplace for me and my dog Farley
That’s it. I’ve moved to other places – condos, townhouses and single-family homes. However, the act of actually hunting down an apartment has never really been one of my most favorite things and here I am looking at layouts, communities and ammenities online. Meh. Now I remember why I enjoy owning a home.
What’s worse is that I have no idea which apartment community I want to live in. Let’s get things straight the first time: I’m snooty. I may not seem like it, but I like living the pampered, affluent lifestyle. A washer and drying in my apartment is a luxury that I can’t be without. I hate community laundry rooms. I hate laundrymats. I want to wash my clothes and not worry about someone stealing my favorite pair of boxer shorts from my dryer while I left it unsupervised in order to stop by the 7-11 to get a Super Big Gulp and a Snickers bar.
I have no idea how long I’m going to be in this apartment. I’m guessing possibly 6 months or so or longer. It all depends on how long it takes a house to be built.
By the way, did I mention that I got a new job and that I’m definitely moving?
So, I definately have an opinion on this because not only did I work on this contract but I also rented for years in this area (before I bought a house) and had to commute to this exact location.
I recommend living by Woodcroft to start off with. That’s in Durham, NC. I lived in WoodsEdge for a year in grad school but before that I lived in a townhouse on the other side of Woodcroft by the intersection of 54/55 (on the same side as the grocery store– a Harris Teeter I think). Those are really nice but there used to be a waiting list and I am not sure if they will have 6mos leases. I know at the end, Rob and I did go mos to mos for a while. So maybe they do. Check that place out.
You can buy an apartment guide and drive around to different places. One day is probably all you’ll need. Been there done that.
To put your concerns aside, the whole RTP area is full of northeners. I don’t remember ever seeing an apt without built in amenities. What’s that? No worries. You pretty much in yuppy land. You’ll feel right at home.
The commute from Woodcroft is like 10/15 min. Traffic tends to back up on 54 but nothing like DC. Route 40 is probably the worst which is why I am recommending Woodcroft so that you can avoid it.
Another option that I never pursued is living in RTP itself. There are apartments there which are fairly new but there is not much in the way of a neighborhood feeling.