would you move next to the rail trail?

[Fredwina]

Since my lease is coming due, and my "new" landlord (complex was sold and the new owners had some problems addressing maintenance issues in a timely fashion) I've been out shopping.
and found some next door to the trail- only they want more more money, buthave no private washer dryer -or they're across the street, a little less money, but are smaller(by about about 100 sq ft), but have connections for a stackable w/d combo (i have a full size one) and a garage (vs a carport) - or the one about 1/4 mile away - no w/d. But bike lanes in street vs taking your life in your hands for about 1/4 mile)
What i'm interested is how you'd place a value on all this? I'm still debating th merits of each.

[Irulan]

In my advocacy work, it is a given that access to rail trails ALWAYS gives property a higher value. Having lived two blocks from one in CA, I would say that closer is always a good thing.

[Biciclista]

imho, being 1/4 of a mile from a rail trail is awesome!

which is the better apt?

[breezy]

I am a serial renter and have figured out the nickels and dimes of renting. All my research has come to one grand conclusion...you get what you pay for. If it costs more it is probably better.

Garage is worth 2X more than a garage port.
Stackable washer/dryer is cheaper to run than a full size one.

[Fredwina]

Mimi , which apt is better ? I thought you'd tell me!:rolleyes:
As I sorta hinted in my previous posts they are plus and minuses to each;
Current place
on busy street -2 lanes each way/ center turn - no bike lanes- only one way in and out - no light. I used to be able to sneak thourgh a school yard to a less busy street- but no mas. Has full size w/d - built -in mircowave on 2 floor
1/2 mile from gorcery store
2 miles from library
Candidate 1
half block away - same sq foot
bit more in rent
2 lanes each way / center turn - has bike lane, but no light
No W/d - no connections
has fitness room
Has additional entrance /exit on side street
Candidate 2 - across the street from #1
Literally next door to trail
smaller - with space for a stackable unit - garage included has w/d connections, but BYO Mircowave
only one way in and out
Both 1 & 2 are about 1/4 from Grocercy strore,drug store, and Library
Candidate 3 and 4 are across the street from each other - both are run by the same management co.
Streets are semi- busy - 2 lanes each way with median and bike lanes They meet in a 4-way stop both have more than one way in and out.
No w/d connections in either
one has built in mike and one has a garage (need to verify if it's extra)
1/2 mile from two different Grocery stores(same chain)
1/2 mile from Drug Store , and a major strip mall (Target, ex-Meryvns, Best Buy , Barnes and Noble, Michaels, Marshalls....)
current apt is about 2-3 miles closer to work
As I said, pluses and minuses to each situation location

[Tuckervill]

I like option #2.

A w/d connection is critical for me. I hate doing my laundry in a public place. And, you can get a stackable set now that is full size, and way more flexible no matter where you live. (Move into a house? Put 'em side by side.)

Decent microwaves are literally 50 bucks, so I'd take that out of the equation. The rail trail right outside my window, though, might concern me for noise and loitering. I don't know what the situ is there, though.

Karen

[bmccasland]

Fredwina - how are the apartments kept up? Things appear to be in good repair? Have you cruised the parking lots - what do the cars of the residents look like?

Back when I was renting, I'd get ideas about where I'd consider living by the condition of the place, and the types of cars in the parking lot. I figured if there were a bunch of Beemers I couldn't afford to live there, and if there were a bunch of rust buckets, I wouldn't ever trust my neighbors.

Loosing 100 sq feet can be a lot of space. There's 200 sq ft difference between the house I live in now and the one I had in NorCal, and I really miss those 200 sq ft! Of course if we're talking the difference between 2000 sq ft and 2100 sq ft maybe it doesn't matter!

[Fredwina]

BMc,
I i've got a couch that The savation army refused to take:o That should be good for 25;)
we're talking 600 vs 700 sq ft _ a pretty good cut
Tuckerville,
#2 and my current place are both gated. IMO, that's a scam, as it seems like the gates are broken or there's line of cars waiting to get in. plus number 2 has one way in and out on a busy street - which can be a PITA at certain times. but it has man - man springs babbling by my prospective window (my luck : they flood)
They all appear to be in good shape, (went by another that's close, but didn't appear to be kept up.)but I didn't get to see the garage at number 2. but it's been ten years since I had a shared W/d
The trail's website
http://www.pacificelectrictrail.org/
another website is www.apartmentratings.com only one complex is on there (PM me for the name) That I found from looking at my past places is usually accurate

[Blueberry]

No way, no how would I give up a washer dryer. That's worth a LOT to me. More than the square footage (especially if you're gaining a garage - there's a LOT you can do with that). If there's not a significant maintenance difference, though, I'd be tempted to stay put. With a short-ish term lease. Of course, I hate moving, so I'm not the best one to ask:)

Good luck!

CA

[OakLeaf]

Most places in the US it's the last thing you're thinking about right now, but the other half of the year you don't care about the dryer, you want to know if your landlord/zoning/POA will permit a clothesline. But the washer you want regardless. And the garage. There's no substitute for a garage. Or a basement.

[GLC1968]

I like the sound of #2. A garage is a HUGE plus in my mind. In our last apartment we had a garage for the first few months and then gave it up when we bought our house. We still lived in that apartment for two months with no garage and boy, did we miss it! It's sooo wonderful for biking in and out and when working on said bikes...

I also agree that a good microwave is really inexpensive these days, so don't let that color your choice.

Also, while 100 sf could be a big difference, it could also end up feeling like you have more room if the space is well designed (or well designed for your needs). We moved from a 2400 sf 'new' house to a 1700 sf 'old' house and it feels MUCH larger because we have so much storage now that our living area is more liveable. A garage could do that for you, too.

[shootingstar]

lst priority would be the condition of the unit and what neighbours appear to be like.
guess it depends how often you use a car, for the in and out situation to bother you.
Does the rail trail get to places that you commonly /frequently need to go to? If yes, go for it.

Here are the places where I've lived:

Place in Toronto was in highrise, right across the street from subway station.
Also 1 km. away was start of a bike route into a series of interconnected ravine parks that took me all the way to downtown Toronto from edge of suburb where I lived. I also had a chose of another bike route, different direction that followed a waterfront lake route.

I was on a very major aetrial road but it was wide and well-lit with traffic lights. For either of above routes, one had to cycle this busy road depending on route slection for 1-4 kms. In early morning, for fitness and commuting rides, it wasn't much traffic....

Right now in Vancouver, we live at the foot of a 20 kms. bike route with choice of more bike paths in the downtown core.

You said you were leasing, then maybe this whole value thing is less of importance vs. utility and safety for you.

And yea, my own washer/dryer is important to me. Less need to babysit clothing cycles. Gone are the days of sharing appliances with other building residents.

We live in 760 sq ft. for 2 people. For me that is 50% less space, because before it was just me in my own place in Toronto in same amount of space. :)

Less space, forces me to spend less and accumulate less stuff.

[Fredwina]

GLc, I agree layout does make a difference - My current place has the bedroom and Living dining rooms connected by long hallway with the kitchen and bath off to a side- sorta wasted space.
Tucker - I haven't run in to loitering yet, but yes, that would a concern. Number 2 is set up with the Garages on the outside.(good architect)
another thing - 3 and 4 are newer by about 15 years than Current or 1 or 2 (2002 vs Mid-80s).

[batsheva]

if in doubt, do nowt...

i have just taken a short term 7 month lease in my apt i have been living in for some time-- and am looking at moving for the same reasons you're looking at - nothing was quite right to move to right now, although i do intend moving... i obviously chose the short term lease with a view to having more time to look around for the RIGHT place... doesn;t sound like quite the right thing has popped up yet for you???

[Fredwina]

if in doubt, do nowt...

i have just taken a short term 7 month lease in my apt i have been living in for some time-- and am looking at moving for the same reasons you're looking at - nothing was quite right to move to right now, although i do intend moving... i obviously chose the short term lease with a view to having more time to look around for the RIGHT place... doesn;t sound like quite the right thing has popped up yet for you???
my lease is up on 2/1, and mist place here work on a 2 weeks deadline, so I'm a bit ahead of myself (which is good)

[ilima]

My LL raised my rent dramatically despite prices being on the downslide. So I'm looking to get out as soon as I can.

And a W/D (or at least connections) is a must have! I'm too old to lug my laundry around.

[Di bear]

Since my lease is coming due, and my "new" landlord (complex was sold and the new owners had some problems addressing maintenance issues in a timely fashion) I've been out shopping.
and found some next door to the trail- only they want more more money, buthave no private washer dryer -or they're across the street, a little less money, but are smaller(by about about 100 sq ft), but have connections for a stackable w/d combo (i have a full size one) and a garage (vs a carport) - or the one about 1/4 mile away - no w/d. But bike lanes in street vs taking your life in your hands for about 1/4 mile)
What i'm interested is how you'd place a value on all this? I'm still debating th merits of each.

I would place more value on the cost of utilities, if anything is covered, neighbors, privacy, etc.

As far as living next to a rail-to-trail, absolutely not, but this is something that needs to be considered from area to area. In my area, rail-to-trails are also used for 4-wheeler and snowmobile traffic. You hear engines roaring by at all hours of the night. That isn't particularly desirable to me.

[Fredwina]

It's stricly non-motorized traffic.(the trail).

[tulip]

If it were me, I'd go for #2 (condition of the units being equal). I'm also partial to lots of light, so that would factor into my decision. My last apartment before I bought my latest house in August was light and airy and had a w/d, but it was right near the dumpsters and the trash chute for the building. It didn't smell but it was loud.

A w/d is mandatory for me. I just hooked up my washer and dryer in my little house (the plumbing had to be brought up to code) after a few months of taking my clothes to my BF house all the time. I'd sell your full size ones and go for the stackable unit. Besides stackables are really fine--they are not inferior in my experience.

For me, being near a trail is a big plus, particularly if that trail goes somewhere that I want to go!

[redrhodie]

Keep looking. 4 places isn't enough to choose from.

[Fredwina]

Keep looking. 4 places isn't enough to choose from.

Ok I'll admit it.:o
I looked at another one
half mile from the trial, but 120 feet of climbing coming back Currently, I 've got to do about 2 miles and 200 feet to get to the current end, It supposed to be extend to right behind the grocery store at my current place (this may be several years)
800 sq ft:)
but no w/d - and a carport
The unit I saw was on busy street - no light out on street, but two ways in and out, and no gate.
complex backs up to freeway:(
1 block from grocery and drug store:) 1 mile from library.

[Fredwina]

#1: from the trail
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq93/Janalingo/downsized_0101091113.jpg
side walk:
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq93/Janalingo/downsized_0101091117.jpg
#2 from the trail:
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq93/Janalingo/downsized_0101091119.jpg
Sidewalk:
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq93/Janalingo/downsized_0101091202-1.jpg
The trail:
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq93/Janalingo/downsized_0101091114.jpg
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq93/Janalingo/downsized_0101091120.jpg
http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq93/Janalingo/downsized_0101091156.jpg

[redrhodie]

The newest place, sounds like a contender. I'm reading your description of it as being bigger, closer to the path, with more options for coming and going than you have now. Is traffic about the same on this street as the one you live on now? Is it comparable rent to what you're currently paying?

The lack of w/d is a drawback. How far to do laundry? Would your unit face the freeway? Can you hear or see it through the windows?

[Fredwina]

quieter street., on site laundry. The Unit I was shown was not on the freeway.
It closer than my current place (but not right on like #1 and #2)
I have no idea about the age, but I would guess it's another mid-80 from looks and the neighborhood

[spokewench]

I think I would go with choice #2. I would want to be close to the trail and have a w/d hookup, at the very least. W/D makes life so much easier than having to go to the laundromat!

[Fredwina]

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106777707078219244229.00045f8566338ba44b1b3&ll=34.1209,-117.551136&spn=0.067503,0.109863&t=h&z=13

[Irulan]

. In my area, rail-to-trails are also used for 4-wheeler and snowmobile traffic.


Legally? Ew.

[Fredwina]

Legally? Ew.

it looks like it's it's legal in Michigan: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10371_10402-205818--,00.html
Fredwina, who took another look at number 2 today.

[sgtiger]

It all depends on layout, but I'd go for #2 based on the garage and W/D hook-up. It looks like the other places are close enough to the trail that there wouldn't be an advantage to pick #2 based on convenience of it being next to the trail. But the noise of motorized vehicles on the MUT at all hours would drive me nuts. Have you visited the place to see how much actual activity there is in the late evening?