Rent questions for those in PA

[lmkzbcb]

What should we expect to pay for a house that is about 2,000 sq. ft., on about 1/2 an acre, oil heaters, built within the last 30 years, out in the "country", 3-4 bed, 2 bath?

 

If you can't give an exact, a range would be okay too. This isn't a specific house I have found, but based on my poll; I had better keep looking for something like this and wanted to know kinda what to expect to pay. I know it will be different for the different areas of PA, but still would like to know what it is in your area.

 

Also, someone had mentioned making sure I was in a newer house b/c of insulation and the cost of utilities. The term "newer" is relative. Could someone give me an idea of what to shoot for in age of a house? Or atleast what age not to go past?

 

And one last question. Is kerosene easily accessible and relatively inexpensive there? Does anyone use it for heating their home?

Edited May 8, 2011 by lmkzbcb

[RoughCollie]

In the Pittsburgh area, it is extremely hard to find a larger, newer house for rent. If you do, it will cost $2500 to $3500 a month, based on my perusal of the real estate ads on Craigslist and elsewhere over the last several years, and on my actually looking at lots of horrible houses. The rental housing stock here is very limited and the vast majority of houses are ones I wouldn't live in unless I were Truly Desperate. Heck, I wouldn't live in this house except that I realized that if we didn't rent it, we'd have to live in tents. It was the best house we could find within a 50 mile radius of Pittsburgh.

 

It is hard to find a house with more than 3 bedrooms, and it is hard to find a house with what I consider to be normal sized bedrooms. Our biggest bedroom is 12 x 12 and the smallest is 9 x 7.

 

It is hard to find a house with more than 1.5 baths, and the half bath is usually in the basement and is exactly big enough to hold a small toilet and a miniature sink. A large adult will not fit into a mini-bathroom.

 

It is hard to find a house with a large enough kitchen to use. Many houses we looked at had 6' of counter space, for example.

 

A well-insulated house that has newer, insulated windows is a must. The pantry in our house is a room about 10 x 8. It is the only room without a new, insulated window. Cold air pours through the paneled walls.

 

You also have to make sure that the quoted square footage is that of living space. The attic and a crappy, basically unfinished basement do not count.

 

Out in the country where we live, it is normal to rent a property and have the landlord use the attic and sheds and barns for storage. One place even came with the caveat that we had to take care of the horses, including a Clydesdale stallion.

 

It is also normal for the houses to have several heat sources. We have 2 propane fireplaces, a pellet stove, and an oil furnace. I don't know anyone who uses kerosene to heat, but some people use wood-burning stoves (usually the stoves are outside) and some still use coal. Despite our varied heat sources, we have to use sealed space heaters in several of the bedrooms -- the heat doesn't distribute evenly throughout the house. The hallway upstairs is always toasty, though.

 

It gets very humid here in the summer, so air conditioning was a must for us. None of the houses we looked at had it, so we bought 5 window air conditioners.

 

Our water comes from a well and we have a septic system.

 

Depending on what you consider to be "in the country", it can take the state police 45 minutes or more to come to your house in an emergency, and an ambulance at least 20 minutes to arrive, unless their GPS breaks and they get lost. If anything comes in the mail asking for a donation or a subscription to a volunteer ambulance company or fire department, pay up. You may need these folks and if if you have a subscription, the service is free.

 

If the power is apt to go out in the winter, usually due to storms, it helps to have a generator. If you can find a 1/2 acre lot, good luck. Otherwise, your acreage is likely to require a riding mower.

 

You can look on Craigslist at the various homes for rent in whichever area of PA you are interested in, and include in your search the number of bedrooms you want.

 

The best houses are usually in rent to own ads. Many of these are scams -- like the Nigerian ones -- as I found out from experience. The scammers take pictures of houses listed for sale by their owners and pretend that they own the houses and try to rent them out. If it looks too good to be true, it is.

 

If you find a suitable house -- and your requirements will have likely greatly diminished by necessity -- sign the lease immediately. If you want to think about it until the next day, someone else will have rented it already. Also, bring a tape measure when you look at houses.

 

The majority of houses in the area have front porches. I love my porch!

Edited May 9, 2011 by RoughCollie

[lmkzbcb]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all that out for me. I really appreciate it.

 

I did notice a lot of porches. I am debating on buying a house and renting it out when we leave. Since rentals are so hard to come by, I dont think it would stay empty for too long. Can't decide.

[Hyzenthlay in Pa.]

I've heard this rule of thumb,rent is at least 10% of the homes value.

[4kiddies]

It really depends on what part of PA you are interested in buying/renting in. Can you narrow down your search location a little?

[Carrie12345]

I'm mostly familiar with the Carbon/Monroe area. It can vary fairly widely, depending on when the landlord bought the house.

There's a beautiful colonial for rent in my development (on an acre) for $1,500, which is a great deal for that house, imo. But I also know that the people who live down the street from me have rented out their perfectly comparable house for just $1,000/mo.

Others with less glamorous properties but similar rooms (usually less total square footage) can go as low as $800/mo.

 

My house is all electric, but most of my neighbors heat with oil or propane. Our development has deals with several nearby companies for reduced rates for our residents.

[lmkzbcb]

Location is within an hour radius of Harrisburg, Reading, and Allentown.

 

And judging by the prices RoughCollie gave, I am so glad we are not moving to the Pitts area.

 

Some information will be similar though; so I appreciate anything you can tell me about PA rentals.

 

The whole "heating the house during those winters" fear; has gotten me into a dither. :svengo: I hate being cold. I mean really.truly.hate. Which wouldn't be a problem if oil wasn't so expensive. Most houses I have looked at on the mls, have oil heaters. Someone told me she knows people who pay more for their utilities than their mortgage during the harshest months. I can't figure out how to figure out how much utlities are going to cost in order to make the household budget. :confused:

Our price range is affected by how much utilities are going to cost us. Which makes it difficult to look for a house, and when I am looking at the low range, I see a lot oil heaters OR electric baseboards. No combos. A few places have a working fireplace, but does that really help heat a house.:confused: How much does a cord of wood cost?? I can't get the realtor I was working with to email or call back. He is a broker (I'm sure he is busy), and when he found out we were more interested in renting than buying, I guess he lost interest. There isn't a relocation service in the area.

 

You see it is just so many unknows, I dont know if I am coming or going. :crying:

 

So, really, truly, anything is helpful. Whether you live in the area or not. There is a huge difference in where I am living now to PA.

[Sputterduck]

I've heard this rule of thumb,rent is at least 10% of the homes value.

 

How can that be? A 100,000 dollar home would be 10,000 a month.

[lmkzbcb]

My house is all electric, but most of my neighbors heat with oil or propane. Our development has deals with several nearby companies for reduced rates for our residents.

 

I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing with me some answers about your utilities. Is that electric baseboards or heat pump? What temp. do you maintain during winter? How many sq. ft. is your house? What is the highest you have paid for the utilities in a month and what month was it?

 

On the rentals, the neighbors down the street from you, how are they advertising their property? Newpaper, sign in yard, property management, or realty company? Or something else?

[Carrie12345]

 

The whole "heating the house during those winters" fear; has gotten me into a dither. :svengo: I hate being cold. I mean really.truly.hate. Which wouldn't be a problem if oil wasn't so expensive. Most houses I have looked at on the mls, have oil heaters. Someone told me she knows people who pay more for their utilities than their mortgage during the harshest months. I can't figure out how to figure out how much utlities are going to cost in order to make the household budget. :confused:

 

I can tell you that our <1200sf house costs a FORTUNE to heat (baseboard electric), but that is primarily b/c we have a poorly insulated house with huge vaulted ceilings. We're on a budget plan, so we pay somewhere around $250/mo. We use hardly any electricity during the warm months, but our bill would be well over $1,000/mo in the winter if it weren't for the budget.

[Carrie12345]

 

On the rentals, the neighbors down the street from you, how are they advertising their property? Newpaper, sign in yard, property management, or realty company? Or something else?

 

I believe they went through a prop mgm company when they rented out. They live there on and off (on right now) and just want people to take care of the house while they're gone.

 

The other house in our neighborhood is all over Realtor.com and Zillow (they're listed for sale and for rent).

[lmkzbcb]

The rental housing stock here is very limited and the vast majority of houses are ones I wouldn't live in unless I were Truly Desperate.

That is what I am finding too.

 

You really did give me a lot of great information, things I wouldn't have thought about. After rereading it, several things struck me that didn't sink in before. So, again thanks.

[RoughCollie]

That is what I am finding too.

 

You really did give me a lot of great information, things I wouldn't have thought about. After rereading it, several things struck me that didn't sink in before. So, again thanks.

 

You're welcome.

[lmkzbcb]

I can tell you that our <1200sf house costs a FORTUNE to heat (baseboard electric), but that is primarily b/c we have a poorly insulated house with huge vaulted ceilings. We're on a budget plan, so we pay somewhere around $250/mo. We use hardly any electricity during the warm months, but our bill would be well over $1,000/mo in the winter if it weren't for the budget.

 

Good grief!! Over a $1000/mo? What do you mean by "budget plan"? Is that something the electric company sets up with you? They take your bills for the last year and then cost average it out over 12 months?

 

Do you think electricity is more or less expensive than oil? Also, what temp. do you normally keep your house in winter? And, what is the coldest months during the winter season?

 

Thank you for your time and help.

[4kiddies]

I used to live in Hershey which is just outside of Harrisburg and now live in the Scranton area just north. If you are interested in renting there your best best to is to call a realtor and ask their recommendations. Some good ones in the area that do rentals is RSR in Camp Hill and Jack Gaughen Realtor. They would be a good place to start. As far as winters, that area tends to be mild with snowstorms although this past winter was the exception. When I lived in Hershey my electric bill was typically $200 a month for my all electric 2000 sq ft house.

 

If you have any specific questions about that area feel free to pm me or ask here and I will do my best to answer.

[Parrothead]

First thing you are going to have to realize is that you won't be able to wear summer clothes in the winter. I can't tell you how many newbies I've seen/heard complaining about how blasted cold it is or how much it costs to run the furnace when they are running around in summer clothes (because sweaters and long pants are too restricting) and the thermostat set to 75*F.

 

I would start shopping now for next year. You may be able to find some really good deals on clearance since winter is over.

 

My thermostat is set on 60*F and we wear a couple layers in the house. This winter I've had to fill my fuel oil tank (which runs my furnace and hot water) 1.5 times. That was $700 for a 250 gallon tank. I also have a pellet stove. We went through 3 tons of pellets. A ton of pellets was $225 this year. I'm way further north than PA and it is still in the 30's at night. but my furnace is off.

 

Budgeting: I'd take what you pay for electric to run the A/C during the height of summer and double it for the dead of winter. Just to be on the safe side. So if you are paying $200 for electric to run the A/C in August, plan on spending $400 for heat in January.

 

Age of the house: I'm in a house built in 1890. You know I have no insulation in my walls. Some things that will help if you get into an older house.

 

 

• Make sure there are storm windows available if the windows have not been replaced.
  
• If there aren't any storm windows, invest in heavy clear plastic to cover the windows.
  
• Make sure you seal (weather proof) the windows, doors and electrical outlets with plastic and/or weather stripping in the fall.
  

 

If you have specific questions about heating or staying warm I might be able to help. Also remember your first winter will feel colder to you until you become acclimated to the area.

 

ETA: I would stay away from electric heat if possible. I know where I am electric heat is outrageous.

Edited May 9, 2011 by Parrothead

[lmkzbcb]

First thing you are going to have to realize is that you won't be able to wear summer clothes in the winter. I can't tell you how many newbies I've seen/heard complaining about how blasted cold it is or how much it costs to run the furnace when they are running around in summer clothes (because sweaters and long pants are too restricting) and the thermostat set to 75*F.

 

:lol: Well, I do wear winter clothes including wool socks that go up to my knees, and that is down here where it very, very rarely snows. And it is true, I like to keep my thermostat in the 70s during winter. I really hate cold. But I also dress for it too. So, I think it is a matter of I am cold even when it is in the 70s in my house. Me thinks PA will be a challenge.

 

I would start shopping now for next year. You may be able to find some really good deals on clearance since winter is over.

 

My thermostat is set on 60*F and we wear a couple layers in the house. This winter I've had to fill my fuel oil tank (which runs my furnace and hot water) 1.5 times. That was $700 for a 250 gallon tank. I also have a pellet stove. We went through 3 tons of pellets. A ton of pellets was $225 this year. I'm way further north than PA and it is still in the 30's at night. but my furnace is off.

 

Budgeting: I'd take what you pay for electric to run the A/C during the height of summer and double it for the dead of winter. Just to be on the safe side. So if you are paying $200 for electric to run the A/C in August, plan on spending $400 for heat in January.

 

Age of the house: I'm in a house built in 1890. You know I have no insulation in my walls. Some things that will help if you get into an older house.

 

 

• Make sure there are storm windows available if the windows have not been replaced.

• If there aren't any storm windows, invest in heavy clear plastic to cover the windows.

• Make sure you seal (weather proof) the windows, doors and electrical outlets with plastic and/or weather stripping in the fall.

If you have specific questions about heating or staying warm I might be able to help. Also remember your first winter will feel colder to you until you become acclimated to the area.

 

ETA: I would stay away from electric heat if possible. I know where I am electric heat is outrageous.

 

Thank you for all the great advice. I am wondering at what age would be a safe bet on insulation. Like you said, of course a house built in 1890 has no insulation, but what about 1940 or 1960? Better than 1890 of course, but when did it get to an acceptable level? Is that still too old, should I look for something more in the 80s?

 

I guess I am asking what is the bare minimum age I can get by with in the age of a house and still have decent insulation?

[Parrothead]

 

 

 

Thank you for all the great advice. I am wondering at what age would be a safe bet on insulation. Like you said, of course a house built in 1890 has no insulation, but what about 1940 or 1960? Better than 1890 of course, but when did it get to an acceptable level? Is that still too old, should I look for something more in the 80s?

 

I guess I am asking what is the bare minimum age I can get by with in the age of a house and still have decent insulation?

You really can't tell without asking. If someone had previously lived in their antique house they very well may have had new windows put in along with insulation. My house for instance has new windows upstairs but original windows (with no screens I might add) downstairs. Upstairs I can hear the neighbors hold a conversation if they happen to be in their driveway or front yard. Downstairs I can't hear anything.

 

You might get good insulation in a house built in the 1980s or you might not. If the insulation was blown in instead of put up in rolls, it may have settled to the bottom half of the house.

 

Like with many areas right now you may not have a whole lot of choice about insulation and windows and fireplaces. So many people are renting the market is saturated. I know when we moved here 18 months ago we went into the only rental in town. There really was no choice in the matter.

 

Good luck with whatever you find.

[Hyzenthlay in Pa.]

How can that be? A 100,000 dollar home would be 10,000 a month.

 

Sorry , not thinking straight, make that 1%.:blushing:

[Hyzenthlay in Pa.]

And one last question. Is kerosene easily accessible and relatively inexpensive there? Does anyone use it for heating their home?

 

I live in Monroe county and there is kerosene available at several nearby gas stations. I don't know the relative cost.

We have over 3000 square feet and used 2 kerosun heaters with fireplace to heat during a power outage.(8 days) It wasn't a cold spell, temps were 32-25 that whole week.Our home is very well insulated, we did not heat the bedrooms, 1 heater & fire didn't keep the house warm.By warm I mean 60 degrees. :glare:

We know a few people who saw enough of a drop in their heating that month even with adding in kerosene, they started useing it . I think they had electric baseboard heat.

[TheAutumnOak]

I'm mostly familiar with the Carbon/Monroe area. It can vary fairly widely, depending on when the landlord bought the house.

There's a beautiful colonial for rent in my development (on an acre) for $1,500, which is a great deal for that house, imo. But I also know that the people who live down the street from me have rented out their perfectly comparable house for just $1,000/mo.

Others with less glamorous properties but similar rooms (usually less total square footage) can go as low as $800/mo.

 

My house is all electric, but most of my neighbors heat with oil or propane. Our development has deals with several nearby companies for reduced rates for our residents.

 

I need to move...$1000 dollars a month for rent on something that has more than one bedroom!...$1500 for a house rental with an acre of land!

[lmkzbcb]

I need to move...$1000 dollars a month for rent on something that has more than one bedroom!...$1500 for a house rental with an acre of land!

 

:lol:

[Carrie12345]

I need to move...$1000 dollars a month for rent on something that has more than one bedroom!...$1500 for a house rental with an acre of land!

 

C'mon out! :D

 

The NJ house I've been watching online has a $8,200 tax bill, so that's almost $700/mo just in taxes!

My tax bill is around $3,600, so I'm guessing my neighbors are around $4,000. BIG difference in total cost of housing!!!

 

Oh, shall I mention that those rental prices include the use of 2 pools, 5 lakes, gated entry, private security, several playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, walking trails, and a clubhouse?

(Not quite as glamorous as it sounds, but still nice perks!)

 

Otoh, gas is $4/gallon and you can't do anything (but swim, lol) without driving quite a ways.

[AnitaMcC]

I used to live in Hershey which is just outside of Harrisburg and now live in the Scranton area just north.

 

We are moving to Scranton in June. I so hope that we don't make the wrong choice of where to live!!!!! Any tips on where to stay away from in Scranton?

[lmkzbcb]

I live in Monroe county and there is kerosene available at several nearby gas stations. I don't know the relative cost.

We have over 3000 square feet and used 2 kerosun heaters with fireplace to heat during a power outage.(8 days) It wasn't a cold spell, temps were 32-25 that whole week.Our home is very well insulated, we did not heat the bedrooms, 1 heater & fire didn't keep the house warm.By warm I mean 60 degrees. :glare:

We know a few people who saw enough of a drop in their heating that month even with adding in kerosene, they started useing it . I think they had electric baseboard heat.

 

Thanks! That is a major thing I needed to know. We already have kerosene heaters so that will help with not having to purchase another equipment source of heat.

[lmkzbcb]

Like with many areas right now you may not have a whole lot of choice about insulation and windows and fireplaces. So many people are renting the market is saturated. I know when we moved here 18 months ago we went into the only rental in town. There really was no choice in the matter.

 

Good luck with whatever you find.

 

Too true!

 

and thanks!