Chapel Hill, NC

[HiFiWiFi]

The graduate housing information on the website is a bit confusing for UNC-CH; they list Baity Hill Graduate & Family Housing which seems aimed at families, then Mason Farm Graduate Housing. Some areas of the website imply both require families, others seem to say only Baity Hill requires families and Mason Farm you can be a single grad student. Then when you click on floor plans for Mason Farm Graduate Housing it pulls up a Baity Hill floorplan. Such a hassle!

Anyone with info on Mason Farm for single grad students who like privacy, and would you recommend it?

 

(Any other tips for affordable housing for a single grad student who doesn't need lots of space, but does want to live alone? Is there anything you must have? For example, here in Tucson if you don't have AC you will die a fiery death in the summer. Is there a similar requirement for AC in CH?)

Edited February 17, 2017 by HiFiWiFi

[banner6]

On 2/16/2017 at 8:55 PM, HiFiWiFi said:

The graduate housing information on the website is a bit confusing for UNC-CH; they list Baity Hill Graduate & Family Housing which seems aimed at families, then Mason Farm Graduate Housing. Some areas of the website imply both require families, others seem to say only Baity Hill requires families and Mason Farm you can be a single grad student. Then when you click on floor plans for Mason Farm Graduate Housing it pulls up a Baity Hill floorplan. Such a hassle!

Anyone with info on Mason Farm for single grad students who like privacy, and would you recommend it?

 

(Any other tips for affordable housing for a single grad student who doesn't need lots of space, but does want to live alone? Is there anything you must have? For example, here in Tucson if you don't have AC you will die a fiery death in the summer. Is there a similar requirement for AC in CH?)

I currently live in Chapel Hill and will be moving to Charlotte in the Fall for grad school. The street I live on (Purefoy Rd) has tons of grad students, you can walk to campus, and there's a bus stop right by the road. I live in a small studio apartment by myself and it's been great. I pay $490 a month. I rent from this company: http://www.a2zrealty.biz/

Looking for streets like this around campus may be a good bet. Carborro is also a good option.

[foodnerd]

I'm also headed to UNC in the fall! Scheduling an interview with some Craigslist roommates. So excited to get settled in Chapel Hill/Carboro~~~~~~

[3dender]

I've lived in CH/Carrboro for 15 years, since undergrad basically.  I know the area well and can answer questions on specific locations.  

In general, grad students will want to either go west to Carrboro - older crowds, less slummy lodgings - or east toward Durham in one of the complexes off of 15-501 or Hwy. 54.  The latter (assuming you have a car), gives you closer proximity to Durham and Raleigh.  You can't really go wrong in Carrboro, though it is getting pricey (up towards $1k for a 1BR).

Feel free to PM me with questions on specific streets/areas within town.

[thetemp]

10 hours ago, 3dender said:

I've lived in CH/Carrboro for 15 years, since undergrad basically.  I know the area well and can answer questions on specific locations.  

In general, grad students will want to either go west to Carrboro - older crowds, less slummy lodgings - or east toward Durham in one of the complexes off of 15-501 or Hwy. 54.  The latter (assuming you have a car), gives you closer proximity to Durham and Raleigh.  You can't really go wrong in Carrboro, though it is getting pricey (up towards $1k for a 1BR).

Feel free to PM me with questions on specific streets/areas within town.

I've been looking on Zillow and elsewhere and have been surprised to not see a ton of listings in Carrboro, at least relative to what I was expecting.  Do you have a sense of when we might expect to see more available apartments in Carrboro/CH (with definite preference for Carrboro; we loved the area when we visited a couple weeks ago)? My wife and I are hoping to find a 2-3 bedroom apartment under $1,500/month. Ideally we'd love a house/townhouse with garage, but at least a dedicated parking spot would be great. Also open to Durham though I don't know much about the apartment situation that way. Any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated!

[3dender]

On 4/12/2017 at 8:46 PM, thetemp said:

I've been looking on Zillow and elsewhere and have been surprised to not see a ton of listings in Carrboro, at least relative to what I was expecting.  Do you have a sense of when we might expect to see more available apartments in Carrboro/CH (with definite preference for Carrboro; we loved the area when we visited a couple weeks ago)? My wife and I are hoping to find a 2-3 bedroom apartment under $1,500/month. Ideally we'd love a house/townhouse with garage, but at least a dedicated parking spot would be great. Also open to Durham though I don't know much about the apartment situation that way. Any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated!

April is a little early to find a lot of stuff.  We are on a college schedule here, so you see leases starting in either June or August for the most part.  

As far as specific places to look, there are some decent townhouse complexes that will be in your price range located on Fidelity St., which is a great location in proximity to downtown Carrboro.  There's a complex at the end of Fidelity (400 Davie) that has a bunch of brick townhouses, maybe not 3BR but at least 2.  There is also the White Oak complex at 105 Fidelity that's even closer to town.

On the North side of town, there are a few complexes off of N. Greensboro St. which are also at an excellent, walking/bus location.  These complexes are located on Todd St., Sue Ann Ct., Thomas Ln. and possibly even Pleasant St. (though I haven't been down there for awhile).  Finally, there's a complex a little further west of downtown (actually very near where I live), on Westview Dr. which is right off of W Main St. near a cool coffee shop called Johnny's.  I'd be surprised if you couldn't find something that fits your family out of all of these possibilities.  (Garages, however, are few and far between in the rental community.)

I'm much less familiar with Durham, but I know that in general you will get more bang for your buck over there.  The 25-min. commute gets unpleasant from what I hear, but if you're a student you get a free pass on the Robertson's shuttle that connects Duke and UNC.  I will be attending Duke this fall and will be commuting via shuttle.  I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions just let me know.

[JuniusBattius]

On 4/13/2017 at 7:26 AM, 3dender said:

April is a little early to find a lot of stuff.  We are on a college schedule here, so you see leases starting in either June or August for the most part.  

As far as specific places to look, there are some decent townhouse complexes that will be in your price range located on Fidelity St., which is a great location in proximity to downtown Carrboro.  There's a complex at the end of Fidelity (400 Davie) that has a bunch of brick townhouses, maybe not 3BR but at least 2.  There is also the White Oak complex at 105 Fidelity that's even closer to town.

On the North side of town, there are a few complexes off of N. Greensboro St. which are also at an excellent, walking/bus location.  These complexes are located on Todd St., Sue Ann Ct., Thomas Ln. and possibly even Pleasant St. (though I haven't been down there for awhile).  Finally, there's a complex a little further west of downtown (actually very near where I live), on Westview Dr. which is right off of W Main St. near a cool coffee shop called Johnny's.  I'd be surprised if you couldn't find something that fits your family out of all of these possibilities.  (Garages, however, are few and far between in the rental community.)

I'm much less familiar with Durham, but I know that in general you will get more bang for your buck over there.  The 25-min. commute gets unpleasant from what I hear, but if you're a student you get a free pass on the Robertson's shuttle that connects Duke and UNC.  I will be attending Duke this fall and will be commuting via shuttle.  I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions just let me know.

Would you happen to have any suggestions for an individual moving to the area and hoping to keep rent beneath $600/month? I am fairly certain that I will need to bite the bullet and get roommates to stay within my budget, but even the smallest of studio spaces would be acceptable, too.

[3dender]

On 14/4/2017 at 3:23 PM, JuniusBattius said:

Would you happen to have any suggestions for an individual moving to the area and hoping to keep rent beneath $600/month? I am fairly certain that I will need to bite the bullet and get roommates to stay within my budget, but even the smallest of studio spaces would be acceptable, too.

Being a town and not a city, there is little in the way of studios.  For that price you will need either a roommate or to look at the most budget-y of complexes, which I would hesitate to recommend.  They're safe enough, but not in very good condition.  In Carrboro there is one on the west side of town called Collins Crossing.  They have tried to renovate it in recent years (basically kicking out all of the Latino/immigrant residents in the process), so the prices may have increased.

A marginal step above that, there is a large sampling of complexes that will be more expensive than your price, probably in the $800 range for a 1BR.  There are many such complexes along Martin Luther King Blvd. in Chapel Hill, off of Estes Dr. Extension across from University Place (also in Chapel Hill), off of Hwy. 54 Bypass in Carrboro, and off of Smith Level Rd. in Carrboro.  There are also 1BRs on Fidelity St. which I mentioned above, but they will certainly be above your preferred budget.

I wish I could be more helpful with your request, but I'm unfamiliar with this market as it's been over a decade since I was involved with it.  My hunch is that you won't be able to live alone for less than $800, if that.  Sorry!

P.S. Just found one called Estes Park that apparently has 1BRs for $710.  That's the cheapest I can imagine.  But now that I think about it, another route would be Craigslisting to see if people are renting out garage apartments.  A friend of mine was recently staying in one for $500/month.  Definitely rundown, but cost effective.  This one was at 208 Hillsborough Rd.  Good luck!

Edited April 16, 2017 by 3dender

[catqueen]

@3dender it looks like Estes Park is owned by a company that has several other properties in the area (Royal Park, Kingswood, and Pine Gate), and they all have 10% off the monthly rent for students which brings it down to the $600s/low 700s for 1br. Do you know anything about any of these apartment complexes? They seem to mostly have decent reviews online, and photos look good. I'm wondering if the student discount brings in a lot of undergrads though? I can't seem to think of any other downsides, but I haven't heard of any of these places recommended for grad students... Thanks for your input!

[3dender]

12 hours ago, catqueen said:

@3dender it looks like Estes Park is owned by a company that has several other properties in the area (Royal Park, Kingswood, and Pine Gate), and they all have 10% off the monthly rent for students which brings it down to the $600s/low 700s for 1br. Do you know anything about any of these apartment complexes? They seem to mostly have decent reviews online, and photos look good. I'm wondering if the student discount brings in a lot of undergrads though? I can't seem to think of any other downsides, but I haven't heard of any of these places recommended for grad students... Thanks for your input!

Yes they'll have a fair amount of undergrads, but perhaps you can talk to them about locating you in a quieter section of the complex.  Estes Park will be closest to downtown Carrboro/Chapel Hill, while Royal Park and Kingswood are closest to buslines.  PineGate is the furthest away from campus, kind of in the no-man's land between CH and Durham.  But if you think you'll want to spend more time in Durham/Raleigh that could be the way to go.

[moon_cat]

Hi all, I'm going to UNC this fall to start my phD as well. I'm looking for housing and wonder if anyone could share some info regarding utilities? How much does internet/gas/water/trash/electric normally cost? There's an apt that offer a flat rate $195 flat rate for utilities and I don't know if that's too much or average of a price. 

[3dender]

54 minutes ago, moon_cat said:

Hi all, I'm going to UNC this fall to start my phD as well. I'm looking for housing and wonder if anyone could share some info regarding utilities? How much does internet/gas/water/trash/electric normally cost? There's an apt that offer a flat rate $195 flat rate for utilities and I don't know if that's too much or average of a price. 

Unless you use a lot of electricity that is high. I live in a 3BR/2Bath house with a family of 4, and our electricity runs from $50ish in the spring/fall to $150ish in the winter, with the summer in between.  We don't have a TV, so if you watch a lot of TV this might be an okay deal.  We are a pretty energy conscious family, fwiw -- our thermostat is at 74 in the summer and 68 in the winter.

Our water bill, which we actually share with the 2BR/1Bath house next door (unique arrangement), is never more than $80, and usually $70.  That's for 6 people total, albeit eco-conscious ones.

A person of average environmental consciousness should probably expect to average $40 for water and $80ish for light (understanding that this will be much cheaper in the ideal climates of spring/fall and higher in the extreme seasons.  If your place has gas heating your energy will be even cheaper.

So yes, that's high, especially for just one person.

[moon_cat]

@3dender Thank you for the info. I'm moving with my spouse and I think we won't stay at home much during the day and probably won't be back early in the evening. We only want internet at home. I've never have cable since entering college. I searched and saw that they have Time Warner Cable for $45/mo. Is that the norm? 

Also, I'm thinking of using the bus to get to UNC. Do you think public transportation in CH is good? Can I survive without a car? Thank you for any info.

 

 

[3dender]

8 minutes ago, moon_cat said:

@3dender Thank you for the info. I'm moving with my spouse and I think we won't stay at home much during the day and probably won't be back early in the evening. We only want internet at home. I've never have cable since entering college. I searched and saw that they have Time Warner Cable for $45/mo. Is that the norm? 

Also, I'm thinking of using the bus to get to UNC. Do you think public transportation in CH is good? Can I survive without a car? Thank you for any info.

 

 

Yes I can't imagine a better bus system for a small town.  Free buses every 15-30 minutes most weekdays.  Depends on how far out you're living, but yes I think it's do-able without a car.  The problem is that there's not much to DO if you're not ever leaving CH.  But if your spouse has a car then you'll be fine.

As for internet service, yes $45/month is about as low as it gets.  You could try going back and forth between them and AT&T to see if someone will give you one of their totally arbitrary discounts.

[moon_cat]

@3dender Thank you. My concern is: I'd often stay late at my lab and how late do these buses run typically? I'm looking at Ridgewood Apt. they have 10% off for students. Pricing seems to fit my budget. Do you know anything about this place?

[3dender]

18 minutes ago, moon_cat said:

@3dender Thank you. My concern is: I'd often stay late at my lab and how late do these buses run typically? I'm looking at Ridgewood Apt. they have 10% off for students. Pricing seems to fit my budget. Do you know anything about this place?

I don't know that complex specifically, but all of the budget ones are pretty similar -- definitely safe, but otherwise you get what you pay for in a relatively expensive market (for NC).  

The good news is that your bus, the J route, is the most frequent, running every 15-20 minutes throughout the day, and every hour after 7pm.  The last one leaves from the University at 11:30pm.  Details below (you are stop 7):

J Route PDF

[moon_cat]

Thank you very much. That's good to know. I'll contact more places and see how pricing is going to be. This town does seem to have high rental prices.

[3dender]

16 hours ago, moon_cat said:

Thank you very much. That's good to know. I'll contact more places and see how pricing is going to be. This town does seem to have high rental prices.

It's one of the few places in the country that went pretty unaffected by last decade's housing crash.  University + Liberal + Quality of Life + Limited space for growth = overpriced housing.  That said, it's only really expensive in comparison to the rest of NC and other cheap-to-live states.

Edited April 22, 2017 by 3dender

[Ggsk]

Hi

I notice no one talks about staying in school grad housing Baity hill grad/family housing. 

Most of you are looking at private ones out of school.

Are there any reasons why? 

I am coming with my spouse and two young children in August 2017 - flying in from South East Asia.

 

[3dender]

22 hours ago, Ggsk said:

Hi

I notice no one talks about staying in school grad housing Baity hill grad/family housing. 

Most of you are looking at private ones out of school.

Are there any reasons why? 

I am coming with my spouse and two young children in August 2017 - flying in from South East Asia.

 

I think the Grad housing is a fine option, though I don't know anyone who has stayed there and I'm not sure on details such as cost.  There have always been lots of international students going that route.  The main downside is that the location, basically right next to the hospital, is not the greatest in terms of amenities and things to do.  That said, Chapel Hill is a small town and you'll only be a 10-minute car ride from just about anything, as well as a 5-minute walk from several bus routes.

2 hours ago, sociologicals said:

Does anybody have recommendations for apartment complexes in the Carrboro area? I'm a bit flexible with price. I'd prefer to have washer in the unit, and other amenities are nice, but I mostly want to avoid insect problems. 

My first post on the last page addresses this, in response to thetemp.  Good luck on bugs, as ants and roaches are all over the place - even some new construction ends up having problems, but nothing that a little bait/boric acid can't fix.

[thetemp]

23 hours ago, 3dender said:

Good luck on bugs, as ants and roaches are all over the place - even some new construction ends up having problems, but nothing that a little bait/boric acid can't fix.

So let's talk about bugs. How big of an issue are they? Is it mostly just ants and roaches? And what might one expect to spend over a year to deal with them? Other than cost this isn't a concern of mine, but my wife on the other hand...

[Glasperlenspieler]

7 hours ago, thetemp said:

So let's talk about bugs. How big of an issue are they? Is it mostly just ants and roaches? And what might one expect to spend over a year to deal with them? Other than cost this isn't a concern of mine, but my wife on the other hand...

I second this question. Also, does not living on the ground floor minimize/erase this problem or not necessarily? Ants I can deal with, but I'd be very happy if I could avoid roaches during my time in North Carolina.

[3dender]

It is mostly ants/roaches, along with some small house spiders.  Wolf spiders don't usually get inside but they're around outside.  We have an old house (1961) with plenty of cracks, and the ants can get annoying at times (it's difficult to notice a pattern).  We also haven't gone out of our way to get traditional poison traps just because the idea sort of bothers us. . . but we're getting to that point.  We've been trying homemade remedies with sporadic success.  But you wouldn't need to spend more than $20-30/yr. for such easily available traps.

The roaches are even less predictable.  Do they start coming inside when it rains a lot to get dry? Or are they more active when it's dry and they need to find water?  Who knows.  We get mini-outbreaks every few months (by which I mean we see a roach maybe 4-5 times in one week), at which point we put out fresh boric acid pellets and they go away again.  The Harris Famous Roach Tablets have worked for us -- a box costs $5 and we've had the same one for years.

As for ground v. upper floor, that could very well be a factor that I don't have much experience with.  I've always lived on a ground floor while in NC.  I'm with you on hating roaches.  Haven't gotten used to them yet, though I'm less ashamed of them since most people aroujnd here, even with newer constructions, have to deal with them.  It's helpful to understand that here they're just endemic, and not necessarily a sign of filth or messiness.

 

[Glasperlenspieler]

4 hours ago, 3dender said:

It is mostly ants/roaches, along with some small house spiders.  Wolf spiders don't usually get inside but they're around outside.  We have an old house (1961) with plenty of cracks, and the ants can get annoying at times (it's difficult to notice a pattern).  We also haven't gone out of our way to get traditional poison traps just because the idea sort of bothers us. . . but we're getting to that point.  We've been trying homemade remedies with sporadic success.  But you wouldn't need to spend more than $20-30/yr. for such easily available traps.

The roaches are even less predictable.  Do they start coming inside when it rains a lot to get dry? Or are they more active when it's dry and they need to find water?  Who knows.  We get mini-outbreaks every few months (by which I mean we see a roach maybe 4-5 times in one week), at which point we put out fresh boric acid pellets and they go away again.  The Harris Famous Roach Tablets have worked for us -- a box costs $5 and we've had the same one for years.

As for ground v. upper floor, that could very well be a factor that I don't have much experience with.  I've always lived on a ground floor while in NC.  I'm with you on hating roaches.  Haven't gotten used to them yet, though I'm less ashamed of them since most people aroujnd here, even with newer constructions, have to deal with them.  It's helpful to understand that here they're just endemic, and not necessarily a sign of filth or messiness.

 

Thanks! Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I'm glad it's manageable.

[foodnerd]

Hey friends,

Moving from Chicago to Chapel Hill this fall and struggling to find an apartment. I want to live in Carrboro in a house and have done two roommate interviews and have been rejected both times, which is weird to me because I'm personable and clean and responsible. Maybe I don't have a good sense of demand? I'm stressed and wondering if I need to give up on the location/house dreams and suck it up and live in one of the (many) housing complexes. Thoughts? Advice?

Thanks~