Category Archives: Apartment hunting

#newinNOLA tip, Apartment hunting, Big Easy life advice, New Orleans

How to pronounce New Orleans street names (UptownMessenger.com)

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We had a tough time pronouncing New Orleans street names when we moved here. Tchoup – a – what? Thank goodness our friends walked us through it: Tchoupitoulas is “chop-uh-too-lus” or more frequently “Chop.”

Some names are French, some are Native American and some are plain ol’ New Orleanian. We enjoyed this column from New Orleans real estate agent Jean-Paul Villere about how to pronounce street names.

Jean-Paul Villere (image via UptownMessenger.com)

Jean-Paul Villere (image via UptownMessenger.com)

His column originally appeared on UptownMessenger.com, a hyperlocal news site for the Uptown neighborhood in New Orleans. The UptownMessenger.com folks were kind enough to let us repost the column.

And now for an excerpt from Villere’s column:

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Apartment hunting, Big Easy life advice, Moving, New Orleans

How to rent an apartment in New Orleans (UptownMessenger.com)

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New Orleans real estate agent Jean-Paul Villere on Tuesday wrote a column about how to rent an apartment in New Orleans. It’s packed with good advice.

Jean-Paul Villere (image via UptownMessenger.com)

Jean-Paul Villere (image via UptownMessenger.com)

His column originally appeared on UptownMessenger.com, a hyperlocal news site for the Uptown neighborhood in New Orleans. The UptownMessenger.com folks were kind enough to let us repost the column.

Looking for more resources about moving to New Orleans? Our previous advice.

And now for Villere’s column:

Repeat after me and out loud if you like: the New Orleans rental market is not like other rental markets.  Since the beginning of the year my phone rings non stop abuzz with anxious returnees and largely clueless university parentals most all not even looking to rent till end of May and maybe August.  Ready for some contradictory advice?  Relax.  But be ready to be ready.  Why?  Read on:

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Apartment hunting, Big Easy life advice, French Quarter, Garden District, Mid City, Moving, New Orleans, Uptown

Good places to live in New Orleans

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New Orleans has many good places to live. The first step is identifying which neighborhood appeals to you. Each one has its own character and flavor.

blue-mailbox-new-orleans

We found this mailbox in Uptown. (photo by Carlie Kollath Wells/New in NOLA)

There isn’t one neighborhood that’s “bad to live in.” Every neighborhood has good places and bad places in it. It’s important to find a neighborhood that has a place you can afford and amenities you desire. For some, that might mean a small studio in the French Quarter. For others, that may mean a standalone home with a yard in Gentilly.

If you have time, it’s important to drive and walk through your block BEFORE you get your apartment/house. The neighborhoods sometimes change dramatically by block by block. And don’t rely on Google Streetview. Our city is changing so rapidly that Google’s images are frequently outdated.

We love this neighborhood breakdown from ExperienceNewOrleans.com. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it helps get you started. And, click here for a simplified neighborhood map.

Once you’ve identified neighborhoods you’re interested in, check out our guide to finding an apartment in New Orleans.

Neighborhoods highlighted on ExperienceNewOrleans.com:

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#newinNOLA tip, Apartment hunting, Big Easy life advice, Bywater, Central City, City Park, French Quarter, Freret, Garden District, Magazine Street, Marigny, Metairie, Mid City, Moving, New Orleans, Uptown

New Orleans neighborhood map

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This neighborhood map of New Orleans has been tremendously helpful. Where is Mid-City? Bywater? Uptown?

This map has the answers. Via NewOrleansOnline.com:

New Orleans neighborhood map via NewOrleansOnline.com

New Orleans neighborhood map via NewOrleansOnline.com

Storyville Apparel has a more detailed map. And, you can buy the T-shirt version of this map via Storyville.

image via storyvilleapparel.com

image via storyvilleapparel.com

Apartment hunting, Moving, Service companies

Good carpet cleaning company in New Orleans

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We were happy with the customer service and the cleaning skills of NOLA Carpet Cleaning (website). NOLA Carpet Cleaning

We researched companies on Yelp, Insider Pages and Google and then called and got quotes.

For two bedrooms and a set of stairs, the going rate last week was about $120. Some companies charged an extra fee if they had to bring their own water because you didn’t have a hose outside.

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#newinNOLA tip, Apartment hunting, Big Easy life advice, Moving, New Orleans

How to find an apartment in New Orleans

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Hunting for an apartment in New Orleans was harder than we thought. We’ve lived in aggressive apartment cities like New York, and we found NOLA in December 2012 to be on par with our NYC search experience.

image via harmony1.com

image via harmony1.com

More renters than affordable apartments = frantic rush for a place to live.

Be prepared to make a decision the day you see the apartment. If you wait, you may lose out. Do your research in advance so you’ll be able to make up your mind on the spot.

Every story is different, but this is how we found our New Orleans apartment:

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