Hello Greg,

The rental market is very strong in the RTP area in recent months. People are coming to North Carolina for jobs, the nice warm climate, and the lower cost of living/property taxes. I have been living in this area for more than 24 years and have watched this place grow.

There is another major contributor to our strong rental market, the weak real estate market in other areas of US. People, who have already moved down here, are facing a hard time to sell their homes at their hometowns. They have no choice but keep renting. Some renters would not be able to buy homes due to the tightness of the lending practice. There are also some people who are ready, willing and able to buy, but hesitate to get into the market right now. Overall, we do have a lot of renters out there.

Please let me know if you need any help on your rental needs.

Thanks,

Jean

Fri May 9 2008, 21:01

Greg, I'm a recent arrival to the area also and, like you, I elected to rent for a year while we familiarize ourselves with the area. The great thing about the Raleigh area is that there are so many nice neighborhoods. In fact, one might argue that there are too many, which makes deciding where to buy a home even more difficult. We've been renting in Cary since last summer and will likely stay either in the same neighborhood or one of those adjacent to it. As for the rental market, I was not really impressed with what was available last summer but do not know how the market has changed (if at all) as the home sales market has slowed here. If you have school age kids, be sure to check the address of any rental to determine where the kids will go to school -- it might not be the neighborhood school down the street from the rental.

Fri May 9 2008, 10:25

Hello Greg,
My wife and I rented before building a home here 7 years ago, so I think that is a wise choice. I would be happy to help you narrow down the area's if you would like to provide your criteria, job locations, wants, needs etc.
Thanks, Michael

Thu May 8 2008, 12:21

Greg,I think the best move would be to rent in an area where you feel you would like to purchase a home.
So if you would like to set up a time to tour the area,please let me know and we can narrow your search
to a few select areas based on your family's needs.
I look forward to meeting you and serving as your Realtor
Roger Kenney

Thu May 8 2008, 12:12

Greg,

Are you moving here because your job is transferring you? This is important for us to know because it will mean that you need to be with in proximity of your job's location. However, if you are planning on moving here and then finding a job you have a many more rental choices to choose from.
We would also need to know what characteristics are you looking for in your rental home? We have a wide variety of rentals prices available and I also believe that Craigslist is a wonderful way to get a glimpse of our rental market.
Best of luck to you!

Thu May 8 2008, 11:28

Greg,
You can check out Craigslist.org and I know there are some good agents from Raleigh that answer on this site. Some them I believe even have rentals. You will need to tell them what you need as far as bedrooms/bathrooms. Then of course if you have any preference to location that really helps. The Raleigh triangle area is a great area.

Good luck
Larry Story
Coldwell Banker Triad

Thu May 8 2008, 10:34