Trying to rent new house/apt in lakewood

amother

Aquamarine

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 2:00 pm

Hi,

We've been living in a basement (new when we moved in) for almost four years. It's large enough for us and I thought we could stay here for ages (3 br, 1 bath, 2 toddlers), but I've been having recurrent sinusitis for almost a year (several times a month), which started pretty shortly after we had a flood. Mold removal guy came and broke down the wall, cleaned it up, etc. but I'm pretty sure that there must be some residual mold (maybe in the air?) that is aggravating my (mild) mold allergy and causing sinusitis, as I had sinusitis maybe once or twice in my life before then and when I take my Claritin regularly I get sinusitis much less often.

Anyway, sorry for the long preamble - we are pretty desperate to move out of the basement, as Claritin is not a great long-term solution and I still am getting sinusitis once in a while. Ideally, we want to rent a something (house/apt/whatever) with the following criteria, in order of importance:

1. no mold
2. windows (above-ground!)
3. location - ideally near ppl I know (Raintree, Albert, or 14th street/forest area) or in a friendly neighborhood.
4. preferably 3 bdrm as I work from home and a home office is really nice - not more than 4 because then it's too expensive usually.
5. backyard

And our budget is maximum $2000/month but we'd like to go as low as possible below that maximum, as it is a real stretch for us.

I guess I have the following questions:

1. Has anyone had similar mold experiences and then moved to a house that was older (15, 20 yrs old or older)? My mil thinks that if we don't move to a brand-new house/apt, I'll still have trouble with the mold. I don't think we can afford something brand-new (at least not in the neighborhoods we're looking at).

2. And a follow-up to #1 - can we afford something brand-new? Are there houses/apts that are brand-new in that range anywhere in lakewood (that aren't huge houses)? Especially in the neighborhoods I want?

3. There are very few new listings for house rentals in the Masa U'matan each week - is that just because no one is renting houses? Are there any other resources that anyone knows of for rentals? Is there such a thing as a rental agent who helps people find rentals?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

amother

Coral

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 2:05 pm

My neighbor is building a new house with a basement in Raintree. I don't know when it will be done or if they have a tenant yet...

amother

Smokey

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 2:34 pm

I know of a basement that will be available within the next few weeks. Brand new construction. Not in the specific neighborhoods mentioned but very centrally located rt 9 & pine/james. 3 bedroom 2bathroom . they will be asking 1200

amother

Burlywood

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 2:59 pm

Some of the new homes are very poorly built and my have dampness in the basement even if newly built.

amother

Aquamarine

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 3:10 pm

Thanks for the suggestions - we specifically do not want a basement apartment, so if we would go for an apt, it would have to be in an apartment building, I suppose (unless there's another option I'm not considering)? Re dampness in new houses, I totally hear that - after all, our house was new when we moved in...

amother

Burlywood

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 3:22 pm

So what about about a building like Washington Square. They have 3 bedroom apartments.
(not near the areas you mentioned).

The crowd there changes every so often, so I'm not sure what it is like there now.

No backyards, but there is a playground.

I'm not sure you can get a house in that price range, but I may be wrong.

Chayalle

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 4:29 pm

I suffered from allergies as a girl/teen and all of it stopped when I got married and moved to Lakewood. Every time I went back to my parents for Shabbos/Yom Tov, I'd start sniffling/tearing within a short time of arrival. I learned to start with Claritin before going, and take decongestants as soon as I arrive, and that helped alot. My parents home is old, and I'd chalk the problem up to that, since I don't get allergies at my sisters' homes, within my parents' vicinity.

In any case - my neighborhood, which is not new, would likely meet your criteria but it's hard to find an apartment here. PM me if you're interested in knowing the location and making inquiries.

jemappelle

Sun, Apr 03 2016, 11:46 pm

We have rented in Lakewood and had a mold testing company come down because there are so many mold issues in Lakewood - old house doesn't necessarily indicate mold - we tested a house in Coventry and it was fine.

amother

Amethyst

Mon, Apr 04 2016, 7:21 am

I know that some townhouses in Stamford Meadows are going for $1750.
They are brand new and never lived in.
(I do not know if they are near the locations that you mentioned.)

amother

Aquamarine

Mon, Apr 04 2016, 11:18 am

Thanks so much for your help, everyone! B'H we found an (older) ranch that seems to be very well-kept up with no carpets, and we're going to be moving in next week! Davening that there won't be any problems with mold there...