New to Providence, RI

[Jennifer Huynh]

Dear All,

My son will come to study at RISD this fall. I am looking for renting a house first then buy a house for investment later. I want to find a safe place to live, preferable East side of Providence like Wayland or Blackstone, College Hill...and easy to get long term tenants if later on we move out of RI. I'm not sure when we can come to RI because of the pandemic uncertainty. It will take us 6 hours to flight to RI. I keep looking online every day on house for rent and sale. But online maybe very different from the reality.  Although it's hard to get a good house in the preferred neighborhood like Wayland and I may miss them at this time if there is a good one there, it's hard and almost impossible that we can buy a property in a short term while we just can see it online. In addition, I think the house price will come down so it maybe better I rent first and buy later. For rent (single/multi home, apartment,condo) I am not sure which one is best in term of safety, cost, location and convenience.  We need two bedroom one for rent. There are a lot of things I should know. When I rent a place in RI near RISD, what I should know and do? The winter there also scares me. Maybe we don't stay there during the winter break. Except Wayland having 0% crime, other places have high crime records that worry me. I appreciate all your feedback or comments. Thank you in advance!

Jennifer

[Eric Martinez]

@Jennifer Huynh

I highly recommend renting first until you have a better understanding of the area. While you are here, you can drive the neighborhoods, go out to eat at different locations, find where you are comfortable, and search for a property to buy in that neighborhood. I would also focus less on the form of property (single, multi, apartment or condo, as you said in your first post) and hone in on the location you want. Safety, parking, walkability, and proximity to campus are important factors that come to mind. Some places near RISD may be more expensive and have less parking but are safer neighborhoods. Others may have plenty of parking but the cars get broken into often. And when the snow comes in the winter, it's nice to have a garage.

Feel free to connect with me and message me if you have questions about the area. I'm no Realtor but I have spent my whole life here! Providence is a great place to live and RISD is fantastic. Good luck with the move!