Apartment or Rental Home? and When?

I had an apt with small kids - not good. Rent house is better. Kids have a yard to play in and noone complains about noise but you are responsible for yard maintenance and utilities are higher. I have no experience with a townhome, but the ones near me are mostly older widow women that dont seem to tolerate children easily!

Contact a rental company. Even if you do not go with something they have to offer they can show you what is out there in your price range.

When single, I had no issues with apartments at all. When we were transferred here, we had the choice of short term lease with an apartment or longer lease in a house. Not knowing the rules and ins/outs of the market here, we thought it'd be a cinch to purchase a home, so we got a short term apartment. With 2 young children. It was HELL! The apartment itself is fine. Life in one, if you can help it, is not fine. There wasn't a yard for the "big boy" to play in, even though it was a nice sized 2 bed/2 bath it was still tiny in "real life" and where do you put all your stuff? The kitchen: I cussed more than once over that. There were some college age guys that ran up and down the stairs all hours of the night and made the LOUDEST noise ever (who knew stairs made that noise to the person below?). It was winter time and the guy who parked in front of my bedroom window would go start his very loud rumbly truck to warm it up (with headlights on!) and then go inside and eat his breakfast. At 4:45am. Monday thru Friday. Headlights directly in my cheap tiny apartment-grade blinds, so I was up for the day (very light sleeper). My son was very concerned that there was a monster in his room. I thought it was just his age so I dealt with it like it was his imagination for a week (he was very upset by this) and one night it was cold so I snuck in to check on him, and hark! The man on the other side of his bedroom wall snored so loudly, it sounded like a big monster growling (funny!). Also, lighting kinda sucks for apartments, in general. Which makes for slightly depressing without knowing why until you're gone again. If you live downstairs, you have to deal with everyone's noise. If you live upstairs, you have to carry groceries and babies upstairs (blech) and then you are responsible for every little noise your kids make. I will never go to an apartment again with kids.
When we found out the house that we FINALLY agreed on was a short sale (dang!) I insisted we get out of the apartment and into a rent house before I went crazy, got even more depressed, or stabbed my husband in the eye for making me move there. (haha) We're closing on our house (months later!) in May, but are all perfectly content here. It's $200 more per month, for 4 beds/4 baths, a lot of open area, lots of windows and natural light, with a great yard to play and fish in, and walking distance to a community playground and pool. SO much better.

Apt living sounds nice because of all the amenities but I lived in an apt in Chandler without kids and used the gym twice and the pool only once. the people next to us were so noisy; the walls are so thin. Our electric bill was more than our huge house because the windows and insulation are not as good in apt. Not sure if you can find affordable houses for rent in Tempe but if you're willing to go a little further east, there are lots of houses for rent for even less than apt. I would suggest you start looking now since so many people move at the end of the school year. You may also want to check Craigslist.

I personally like the house way more than apt. With an apt you have to worry about who is above/below you and I feel like there are a lot more fees and rules. However, utilities on a house are probably going to be more. Craigslist and weichertrents.com are both places that we have found rental homes before.

start looking right away. The selection will get slim the closer you are to your move date. The price for a house rental is usually more negotiable than an apartment. Also the longer your lease is the more negotiable they are with the lease. Example, if you can sign a year lease you can usually negotiate alittle off of the monthly rent. If you offer a 2 year lease you can almost always get even more off of the monthly rent. Make sure when you are negotiating the lease it is IN Writing who will do the yard work, pool maintance, pest control. I recommend you use a Realtor or professional. They get paid by the owner not you and they represent your best interest.

Good Luck!!!

If you go the rental house route make sure to know who is responsible for mowing. With the house you could possibly have your own yard if you have kids. Also with a house your neighbors aren't sharing a wall with you like you would in an apartment. I would start contacting them now some may have a wait list or may take a little bit if they need a back ground check on your family. It never hurts to look early and often, but I wouldn't really settle on something unless time is running out. From previous posts it seems the people who have settled regret it a few months later for one reason or another.

I am moving to a house in September *hopefully*

I have found that in our 2bed/2bath apartment, it still feels too small and it is just me, my boyfriend, and the baby. But, we definitely ned more space. I think we all need our own "spaces" as well as the family space. Plus, I have the world's noisiest neighbors. I don't think they sleep EVER and they have a teenager who is constantly yelling for his parents from his room even though the whole apartment is maybe 1000 sq. ft. Plus, when my son starts walking and stuff, I want him to have a yard that he can play in. We also got a noise complaint one time from our neighbor that was being caused by our other neighbor. She just couldn't tell where it was coming from and assumed that it must've been us because we're the youngest couple. So I don't have to worry about that with a house. I have lived in a house before and it is definitely worth it.

The benefits of a house are that you don't share walls, floors, ceilings with potentially noisy neighbors and you don't have to be worried you are being too loud in a house. Houses usually offer more living space and a yard to play in or have bbq's in. If you rent a house in a subdivison with a clubhouse/fitness center/swimming pool you will most likely have access to those as well. However, houses usually have higher utility deposits and bills and more upkeep. Some owners will do all maintenance and pay for landscaping service, while others will have the tenant be responsible for those things. You just have to look around and see what each one has to offer to decide which one is best for your family. If you are planning on moving at the earliest at the end of May, you should start looking now. When looking tell the landlord when you plan on moving in and if it isn't right away, they may be willing to hold it for you if you give them a deposit. I have lived in apartments, rented houses, and now own my house. If I had to go back to renting, I would do everything I could to rent a house instead of an apartment. It is up to you what is best for your family and your finances. Start looking around now to see what is out there.

If you are financially able, and especially if you have kids, try to find a house. Apartment life is hard with kids, because they can be pretty noisy. You have to keep them more quiet than you would in a house out of consideration for your neighbors. Plus, with a house, normally you will get a yard. Much more fun for the kids!