All Over Albany

there are so many houses in my neighborhood for sale, NO money down! Village of Castleton-on-Hudson, 10 mins from Albany, excellent school district.

... said Fessa's Mom on Apr 28, 2011 at 10:49 AM | link

There's a small 3 bedroom house w/ garage for rent near me. 5 Hopi St. (right off N. Scotland in Albany, near the golf course). Nice, quiet, safe neighborhood, on a bus line. Has a decent sized yard where someone could garden, even grow vegetables. It's for rent or sale right now (both, through owner, not realtor), so you might be able to rent with option to buy. Great house for a person with a dog since the dog park is a couple of blocks away. Back yard might be fenced in, I can't remember. Has a small deck in the back. There is a sign with a phone number in front of the house to contact owner.

... said chrisck on Apr 28, 2011 at 10:56 AM | link

Don't know how many people you have to house, but there is a half-house for rent at the end of Oxford Road (the street across from the Eagle Elementary School on Western). The owners (young couple) live in the other side and have two cute dogs.

(Whether or not those are appealing factors to you is subjective I suppose, but typically when landlords live in their properties, you can be assured of quiet enjoyment of your apartment!)

... said Rebecca on Apr 28, 2011 at 11:37 AM | link

Pass on that Hopi St. property. Nice area for sure, but a bad house. Almost like a clubhouse your kid would build in the woods.

... said CapRegion on Apr 28, 2011 at 12:16 PM | link

@CapRegion -- I hear you on the Hopi St. house. I personally chose not to buy it a couple of years back, but at the right monthly rent, I'd consider renting it if I were looking to rent a house right now. In this economy it's all about price whether something is good or bad, also you have to compare it to a lot of rental situations with no parking, let alone a garage, no yard, no quiet, and other quality of life issues. I'm also thinking that at this point the owner might be ready to seriously lower his expectations on rent just to make some money back on his renovations.

... said chrisck on Apr 28, 2011 at 2:29 PM | link

Chrisck - Where is the dog park in that neighborhood? I just moved to that area and was looking for a park to walk the dog to.

... said C on Apr 28, 2011 at 3:05 PM | link

Crystal -

Two things:
1. Do yourself a favor and check out the Federal Home Loan Bank's "First Home Club" that is offered to NYS residents. Basically, the federal government matches you $4 for every $1 you put in up to $7,500, which gives you a nice down payment in a year or two. The minimum length of time you have to be in the program is 10 months, the maximum time you have to buy a house with that money is 2 years, 3 if allowed the extension. You can withdraw the money at any given time without penalty and you gain interest just like it's in a normal savings account. The only thing you lose is the time it takes for you to take a couple of the free classes on home buying and money management, but that could be worth it even if you think you know everything already. To qualify, you have to make under $59,000 in a 1-2 family home. You and your significant other can not both do the program individually then join accounts when ready to buy. That would be nice though! Here's a link for more information: http://www.ahphome.org/cdida.htm

Also, there are a few houses for rent in Delmar. A really nice one in the neighborhood behind the Four Corners off Delaware avenue (3 bed, 2 bath, really well kept with a garage and nice backyard). I believe it's on Adam's Place. Just turn left onto Roweland (across from the Town Hall) and another left onto Adam's Place. There is also one on Delaware Avenue a bit before the light at Cherry Avenue. Both are close to the library.

I'm a young Realtor in the area who's looking to invest in a house in the next couple of years too so I always have my eyes peeled when going through new areas for myself/friends/clients. If you ever need any more information, please don't hesitate to contact me at jhenrikson@realtricity.com!

... said Judi H. on Apr 28, 2011 at 3:41 PM | link

@C Hartman Road (off New Scotland, one street up from the entrance to the golf course). There is a dog park and a community garden there. Also, you can let your dogs run at the golf course before tee off, but you have to get there early to get out of there early. In the winter (mid-Nov to mid April), it's open 24/7 for dogs, skiiers, sledding, snow shoeing.

... said chrisck on Apr 28, 2011 at 3:58 PM | link

How could buying a house in the United States possibly backfire? It's like free money!

... said mr slow loris on Apr 28, 2011 at 4:36 PM | link

i am alos looking to rent a house in the albany area, one that will accept dogs.... any ideas? phone numbers to call would be a help too! Thanks in advance!

... said joe on Apr 28, 2011 at 9:49 PM | link

I've rented two beautiful, ridiculous houses in the area (one a 300+ year old farm house on 22 acres, another old cow barn on 1+ acres with a view of the catskills) for really cheap ($1000 for a 3br). Post an ad on craigslist. Talk about yourself and how great you are. They'll come to you.

... said Katie on Apr 29, 2011 at 10:00 AM | link

Following up on Rebecca's comment, you might have better luck trying to find a good two-family to rent. There are a ton of them in Albany. And if they're not broken up, the units are the size of a small house (~1,200 square feet) -- and they're good space. Plus, since you're sharing the building with only one other unit, the chances of it being quiet are higher.

And if you can find an owner-occupied one (of which there still seem to be many), even better.

... said Greg on May 2, 2011 at 4:00 PM | link