Hi, my name is Eric. I just accepted a job in West Des Moines, and I'll be moving to to the area sometime in the next 30 days; so, I wanted to introduce myself and see what I could learn.


I'm interested in learning whatever anyone can tell me, because about all I know so far is that Ranch Dressing is a big deal, but I do have a first priority, which is finding a place to live.

I'll be working in West Des Moines, about 4.5 miles southwest of the intersection of 80/35/235, so it looks like something generally to the west or south looks like it would be a good place to start looking.

Granger, Dallas Center, Dexter, Winterset, Indianola and Pleasantville all look like they're about a 30-minute commute, but even places like Panora, Polk City, or some places by Lake Red Rock are only about 45 minutes out. That's with me not knowing anything about local traffic of course.

I could come closer in, even inside the "beltway" around the city, but generally speaking I prefer country living to city living.

Also, I'm looking to rent. I don't have anything against buying, but there are practical considerations that make renting a better option, at least for this year.

It's just me and the dog, both of us on the older side, so having some kind of yard is a plus. That generally means a house, as opposed to an apartment, but I'll figure that out as I go.


Anyway, I'm interested in any thoughts at all on locations, commutes, maybe even property management companies or real estate office I might want to call. Plus anything else I should know.

And look... If anyone has a house they're looking to rent out, or know someone who does, I'd definitely be interested.

My best guess is that I'll be in the area around the end of the month to scout a place to live, then heading back to Ohio to collect my dog and my stuff.
So, if anyone want to do the tour guide thing for me, I'll buy the lunch and the beer.

I cant help you with housing stuff, I dont live in Polk county but I just want to say welcome and I hope you enjoy living here once you get here. Im a transplant too and have no regrets about moving to Iowa.

@ericscher

Welcome to Iowa.  It is a great place to live.  If you are going to be working in SW area of West Des Moines you have a lot of good rural and small town options and still have a very easy commute.  I have a relator that I have used with great luck with in that past located in WDSM that knows that rural area well.  Let me know if you need his info.  I have lived in the metro area (Ankeny) since about 2012 minus a few years spent in Hilton Head, SC.  Currently in Ames but will be moving to Winterset in ~May/June once my new house is completed.  

Traffic is pretty easy, it is not stupid busy like big cities but there is a definite increase during commuting hours.  Everything is pretty new in that part of the metro so you will have about any store/restaurant or shopping option you could want.  Need any info let me know and I will try to steer you in the right direction.

Welcome Eric,

I live out by Panora. Lived here going on 14 years now.

Small towns like Redfield, Guthrie Center, Adel, Panora, Linden all on the west side of Des Moines are places I would look for cheaper housing options and land opportunities. You can commute to work on back roads while avoiding the traffic of the interstate.

I regularly see rental properties posted in the local paper and the prices seem fair given the current housing climate.

Welcome! Glad to have you here.

Thanks, everyone.

And NorthFork... Yes, I would very much like that information on your realtor.

Message sent

At 4.5 miles SW of 80/35/235, you should probably be looking at Norwalk and Cumming as well.

What are your looking at for max reasonable one way commute time to work daily?
You have a lot of options, but price will also be a factor. Obviously the closer to town
the more its gonna cost, anything west is growing and prices are rising. You can still
find some great small town living with rental property if you look off the beating path
Most the money moving west want direct highway access and commutes. if you don't
mind small town 2 way roads and such you can get in to a rental fairly cheap. There wont
be anything in town but a Casey's gas station and the local pub n grub. So you'll want
to pick up most supplies while in town. Lots of opportunity but all depends on you factors.

Welcome to Iowa!!!!!

welcome!

if you need another realtor let me know
my guy is a gun guy
he usually sells his own places but can definitely can help you out.

I would say the smaller towns are better if you want space
otherwise lots of new townhomes and such around west des moines

I moved from Florida to Des Moines a little over a year ago. Great place to live.

Welcome.

Welcome to Iowa!

I'm a transplant as well......but am in the Quad Cities so can't help much with your relocation. I will say that there there is a lot of things to see and do within a 3 hour (or so) radius of Des Moines. It's a great place to be. However, driving I80 between here and there is a mess.....no need for cruise control as no one seems to be able to maintain a constant speed.

Hello again.

I've been on the road for a bit, and I'm back in Ohio now, but I will be flying to Texas tomorrow and then to Iowa at the end of the week, so that I can find a place to live.

I expect to arrive Thursday evening and I want to begin searching Friday morning. I'm scheduling 6 days to locate and secure housing, but with any luck, I can have that done before the weekend is over.

After that, I fly to NY to visit a couple of relatives, collect my dog from my sister, then head back to Ohio to pack up what I'm bringing and put the rest in storage. Then it's two days to Des Moines. Hey, that's a good movie title. I should trademark it.


If everything goes according to plan...

If everything goes according to plan, I should pull in on Friday afternoon/evening. (The 18th)
If it doesn't, it might be Sunday afternoon/evening. (The 20th)

Right now I'm predicting my start date at work to be Tuesday the 15th, though I'd prefer beginning on Monday if I can manage it.
_

So, thanks again for the kind wishes, and yes... I am interested in any help that anyone has in the way of locating a place to live. I figure that it being just me and the dog, with me being 57, I'm a desirable tenant.

I wanted to put this in my first post, but I'm new, so I only get 2,000 characters.

I'm looking forward to Iowa, and I figure I'll like it just fine. I'm originally from NYC, and while I can't fault the place for food and entertainment, it's pretty much the OPPOSITE of where I want to live, in every way imaginable.
I've been in a little place called Millersport Ohio since 2007, which is best known for our Sweet Corn Festival at the end of summer. One gas station, one traffic light, two dollar stores and three churches. You never have to use your turn signals because everyone knows where you're going.

I do like to shoot; though ironically, I don't own an AR. This just happens to be the most active gun forum that I can find for the State of Iowa.


As far as what I'm looking for, if I were going to describe my ideal find, it would be:

1. A ranch house outside of town, hopefully with a half-hour commute or less.
2. I really want a garage, preferably attached, but unattached definitely beats no garage at all.
3. Probably 2 or 3 bedrooms, because I'd like a place to sleep AND a home office, but it could be more or less.
4. Reliable internet is pretty important, though that's probably not an issue these days.
5. Direct lease from an owner is better than a property management company, but that's a preference, not a requirement.
6. A place where I can shoot in the back yard would be fantastic, but that's also just a preference.
7. A fenced yard would be fantastic, but again... just a preference.

Item numbers 1 and 2 are the ones that I think of as important, the commute a little less so. I've had 3 different jobs where I am currently living that were an hour's commute in much heavier traffic than I like. As near as I can tell, there are a bunch of places to look around Des Moines that have much shorter commutes AND less traffic.

Good luck finding what you're looking for, especially in your timeframe.  

When my wife and I moved to Des Moines 5 years ago we moved into a sketchy apartment complex near Army Post and 9th. I went out to do some laundry one day and the there were 4 cops stacked up about to raid an apartment a couple doors down. Lotta drug traffic, murder in the other building while we were there. Murder about a year after we moved out...

I wouldn't recommend that.

Welcome to Iowa.  I live in Ankeny but I am from Winterset.  During your search don't pass up St. Charles and Truro.  There has been some building going on in St. Chuck but very little in Truro.  None the less, there are plenty of places to run your dog if you stop in and get permission first.  My brothers and I have 46 acres east of Winterset if you move that direction you could run the dog on our place.  The hunting rights are already given out but dogs are welcome to come out and stretch their legs.  Plus, there is a dog park just east of Winterset if you end up in town.

kwg

Thank You.

I've pretty much decided that my best bet is West of 35 and South of 5, which is totally in line with what you suggested.

There are also some good possibilities in the box formed by 235/28/5/35 too.
I'm flying out either Friday night or Saturday morning, and trying to locate a house for rent, for less than $2,000, on a short time-frame.
I would REALLY like to find something under $1,500 if I can, but whether that's feasible remains to be seen.

Sounds like you are going to end up really close to me. Reach out when you get settled in. 515.554.7338.

I'm sorry I don't have any leads on housing.

I'm flying out much earlier tomorrow than I figured I would.

The company I work for seems to enjoy changing things on the fly.

You can talk to catfish he is ok people.  If some dude name joel tries to talk to you stay clear he is bad news.

Welcome to the state make sure if you decide to do electrical work on your new home you adhere to our laws.

VELKOMMEN from the right wing stronghold of NW Iowa!

Northeast here, always willing to light the grill and pour a whiskey if you drive up.

@cwar_USA

Are those laws still, 1. Do it yourself even though your not a licensed electrician and 2. You must be willing to take a little zap every now and then.

I haven't keep up with current laws recently and do have a shed to power up this spring. Just want to make I am still doing it correctly.

Homeowners can do their own work as long as they meet the requirements of the homestead tax credit.  If you are adding a circuit to the panel it needs to be done under a homeowner permit and be inspected.

Welcome to Iowa, there are a bunch of good people on here.  Personally, I'm from the Guthrie Center area.  If you happen to find a place around here, give me a shout.

Welcome. I'm on the Polk/Jasper county line.

Welcome to Iowa. I'm a transplant also, from KC.

Good meeting you at the store today also! Don't be a stranger there!

Welcome you will like it here!

Update:

Found a place to live in Waukee, near the High School and Centennial Park.

THOUGHT that I'd found something in Urbandale, but that turned out to be a false alarm. Good thing I had safety choices, though really, this was actually the best option.


Looks like I'll be back in Iowa next Sunday. Probably get a hotel room and move in Monday, since it's pretty much a 2-day drive from Columbus.