Thursday, April 30, 2009

The rental season starts again! Finding rentals in Baltimore for school or work

Now is the time of year when students (and others) are leaving their apartments and moving to other chapters in life and other people are moving in. So a lot of incoming students, post-docs, and hospital employees will soon start looking for places to rent in Baltimore.

I am hoping to help some of them, as my international relocation company, Dwellworks (formerly RAI-Relocation Assistance Incorporated) has not been having much work in Baltimore lately. So, perhaps I will help people moving to Baltimore find a rental, using my full day or half-day rental finding tours--as an independent consultant.

I've only been averaging about 1 rental-finding tour each month since the economy collapsed in October-maybe even earlier.

I found it interesting that 5 out of the last 6 rental tour clients I've had did not rent in the city, which was really interesting, since previously, almost all of my young professionals wanted to live in either Canton, Federal Hill or Fell's Point. It's really troubling for a lifelong city resident like myself, since I find most of the rentals in the surrounding counties, with some exceptions, to be sterile, cookie-cutter, almost you've seen one-you've seen-em-all kind of thing. "There's no there, there!", as one of my young gals put it.

I'm a bit concerned that crime and rowdiness and general icky-ness of traffic and parking will drive people to live in the evil counties.

I've noticed that the signs of spring are here: for rent signs have sprung up all along places where Buz travels in North Baltimore.

One newly-renovated property of interest is the big apartment building at University Parkway and Roland Avenue; it's now being called the Ardmore, and Mr. Preller, of Preller Properties has been spending a great deal of money on it and appears to have done a great job. They're-offering two months free rent as part of their grand opening, and do allow pets; they have both one bedrooms and 2 bedrooms. Buz has not been in there yet, but hopes to see the inside soon.