apartment/condo rental questions

[neims16]

Ok, I would love some really specific suggestions of places to live. I'm kind of going off of the comments from the last post and will try to give a lot of specifics about what I'm looking for

Comments

[relaxing]

What do you want to get out of city living? If "going out" on "the scene" and "dating" isn't a driving concern, maybe the burbs is the right move.

I wouldn't call anything in the city "relatively quiet." (Maybe the Northeast, but that would be inconvenient for you.)

West Philly might work, you'd have a straight commute out Lancaster ave. You're about 10 years too old to be living in Manayunk. Art Museum area is for your purposes Center City.

[neims16]

I suppose I asked for the "10 years too old" comment by including my age...:(

"Relatively quiet" to me means not living next door to undergrads. I'm fine with city/street noise.

Dating would be nice, but going out to me means restaurants and hole-in-the-wall bars rather than any clubs.

I guess I assumed that the vibe in Philly was similar to the vibe in Chicago...basically meaning that I would never have considered (and still wouldn't, were I ever to move back) the Chicago burbs. I enjoy being someplace walkable and like to avoid strip malls. In Chicago, the burbs are not at all walkable and culture is severely limited compared to the city. If Philly is not like this, the burbs seem like they would be an easier option, especially since that's where work will be.

Thanks!

[relaxing]

Oh the age thing was a comment on Manayunk, not you.

Ok so forget West Philly. But the area around Bryn Mawr is also a bit of a college town, so you'll want to screen any apartments you check out there for undergrads next door.

The Main Line is probably similar to Oak Park? Quaint little downtown areas.
If you're a "never live in the burbs" person, commit to finding an affordable place in Center City and taking the train out.

[cpl593h]

You actually won't find many undergrads in apartments off-campus on the main line. Rich people zoning laws often prevent landlords from renting to students here.

[d4b]

I'm sure you already know this, but "strange hours" and "public transit" don't always play well together. Been there; done that.

[neims16]

Yes, I think I would only be using public transit when I was working more normal hours. For the middle of the night times, I would definitely be driving (I'm also assuming that traffic would be much less of an issue during the off-hours).

Thanks!

[swingchickie]

fairmount and manayunk are fun, but having a car in those areas would completely suck. parking is horrible if you live there. take a peek around conshohocken, you might find something nice there... straight drive into the city on the weekends, plus the blue route (rt. 476) is right there and will take you to the main line (so easy-ish commute to work).

[doctorjill]

Co-signed.

I would only add: Septa is pretty much nonexistent after midnight. In highly congested areas like fairmount you'll have a bitch of a time finding parking at night. I am Philly born and raised, you'd have to drag my ass into a place in fairmount, kicking and screaming.

[neims16]

Thank you - very helpful!

[suerocks]

To add to this, there are back roads from Conshy to the Bryn Mawr area (which is part of the Main Line, in case the OP doesn't know the "lingo"), Route 23 is a nice drive and avoids the hellacious traffic getting off at the Villanova exit of 476 during rush hour. Off hours it's tolerable, IMO.

[cpl593h]

I currently live in Haverford, between Ardmore and Bryn Mawr. I'm a native of the Northeast but I enjoy living here quite a bit. It's very quiet, there are new and decent restaurants opening fairly often. Haverford and Bryn Mawr colleges have beautiful trails and campuses. I'm right by the train so getting downtown is never a problem, but I also drive so really none of it is any big deal. I currently rent a large 1br apartment for $850/mo including heat and hot water, but I got an amazing deal. One bedrooms tend to be difficult to find in this area, period, and for under $1000 they're very rare. If you do look out in this area, try to steer clear of Marks and Co. They monopolize rentals on the Main Line and they're generally shitty.

[neims16]

Thank you for your suggestions! I would definitely prefer at least a 2 bdrm (am coming from a 3 bdrm single family home) and *can* spend over $1000/mo although I'd love it if I didn't have to!

How did you find your apartment? I've heard nice things about Haverford.

[cpl593h]

2+ brs are much easier to come by here! I found my apartment on Craigslist. I looked at several apartments on the Main Line and none were bad. Just be picky about what ads you respond to. I personally look for ads posted by realtors or private landlords over companies. Don't answer any ads posted by locators, they're scams.

[jennie132]

If you are not going to be working in Philadelphia, don't move to the actually city, try to stay in the burbs. Besides the poor transit to the burbs there is also the pesky city wage tax. If you either live or work in Philadelphia you have to pay it and it's either 3.4% or 3.9%. The percentage depends on if you live & work in the city or either your work or residence is in the city.

[suerocks]

This is great advice, I totally agree.
If you live near a train station, like Haverford, Ardmore, or even Bryn Mawr, getting to the city will be easy and you can save that little bit of your money.

[neims16]

Thanks!

[ennifer_jay]

Car Insurance also goes up if you're in the city