Re-stocking the Yup-Town ranks

With several friends among the recent post-graduation migration to Charlotte, I've been doling out plenty of housing advice these days. With that in mind, here's a very condensed guide of my very limited knowledge on finding a suitable place to rent in Yup-Town.

1) Use craigslist. It's the most comprehensive collection of properties around, and also strangely addicting. First figure out what places in your area of choice are going for. Then check back feverishly; the good deals can be gone within a day, even an hour. For-rent-by-owner is preferable to for-rent-by-sleazy-real-estate-agent.

2) Never, under any circumstances, agree to rent a property you haven't seen. Sometimes, big apartment complexes will insist on showing you a model instead of the actual unit you'll be moving into. Abort.

3) The best way to find deals better than the going rate of craigslist is to rent from someone who has never heard of craigslist. Stroll around and look for signs. Call the phone numbers listed on those signs.

4) When dealing with a realty lackey or landlord, go with your gut. If the person seems slippery, it's probably a snake.

5) Choose the right area. Some tips:
- Eastover is for people who don't want to make the effort. It's Charlotte's go-to post-college dormitory. You'll know someone who lives there; use them for access to the infamous pool.
- Gateway is nice, but it's not uptown. Don't pay like it is. The man will try to get you here.
- Same with Third Ward, which also goes by the euphemism "the Warehouse District." You can't walk to anything but Panthers stadium. And Hartigan's. If you can't walk to Trade and Tryon without breaking into a nasty sweat, you're not uptown.
- First Ward is in walking distance. But you can get shot there. Seriously. Wins the award for best Euphemism though: "the Garden district."
- Fourth Ward is where it's at. Park, Teeter, Alexander Michael's. Entertaining vagrants here and there. It's far too expensive, but deals can definitely be found. They just won't be at Fifth and Poplar.
- Each of the surrounding neighborhoods--Dilworth, Plaza Midwood, NoDa, Elizabeth--has its solid neighborhood bars. But know that you'll feel detached from center city, especially every time you get in a cab to head to the main strip of bars. You can do Dilworth cheap without living in a slum (like I did). Look to rent a room in one of the big houses. The closer to Tyber Creek, the better. NoDa is a great area--if you just count the two blocks of its main street. Otherwise, you might be in danger.

6) I'll close with some words of wisdom, passed down from a man far greater than myself: Live where you play, commute to work. In a small city like Charlotte, the commute will never be too bad.

**also, check out the rent vs. buy map on this site: http://hotpads.com/pages/features/rentRatioHeatMaps.htm