Moving to Des Moines area - Page 2

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Moving to Des Moines area (Page 2 of 2)

Posted: 3/10/2017 10:26:06 PM EDT

[#1]

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I'm the husband, currently I work for the Illinois DNR as a state park maintainer. One of the biggest reasons we want to move is to stop having our income be dependent on the absolute shit show that is Illinois state government; also need to get away from the state pension system. I'll start job searching in that type of work and branch out from there.

We also need to give my book learned college educated wife a better opportunity for a career than the economically depressed area of western IL can offer.

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I wish I could tell you who is currently hiring but I would suggest desmoineshelpwanted.com and see what is out there. If you can pass a urine test you are halfway to a job as it seems many Americans cannot do that. I suggest you get a job and then look for the next job while you are working your current job. That is the best way I have found work. Don't miss a day and be dependable and you have a ton of options. Your best bet for your wife with the college education is with one of the insurance companies in down town Des Moines.

I have relatives who work in the Scott AFB area and they feel similar to you about Illinois but they are there for the duration because their kids and grand kids are there.

kwg

Posted: 3/11/2017 12:46:15 AM EDT

[#2]

Kalahnikid, I kind of miss the Cessna in you old avator.

There are a ton of jobs in Des Moines. What do you want to do here?

Posted: 3/13/2017 2:11:46 PM EDT

[#3]

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I wish I could tell you who is currently hiring but I would suggest desmoineshelpwanted.com and see what is out there.

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Thank you for the website. I just spent the last couple hours applying to jobs that I found on there.

Posted: 3/24/2017 1:11:51 PM EDT

[#4]

We took a quick trip into the metro area yesterday. I had a job interview in downtown. It went well.

We both absolutely loved the whole area. I was amazed at how quickly we went from downtown to Clive, to near the airport, then up to Ankeny and down around everything.

I can totally see us living around there somewhere, and being happy.

For now, we will need to live somewhere that is more...economical.

I'm guessing by all of you saying not to live in the southern or eastern parts, that those areas might be a tad cheaper?

Posted: 3/24/2017 1:38:26 PM EDT

[#5]

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We took a quick trip into the metro area yesterday. I had a job interview in downtown. It went well.

We both absolutely loved the whole area. I was amazed at how quickly we went from downtown to Clive, to near the airport, then up to Ankeny and down around everything.

I can totally see us living around there somewhere, and being happy.

For now, we will need to live somewhere that is more...economical.

I'm guessing by all of you saying not to live in the southern or eastern parts, that those areas might be a tad cheaper?

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Most of the South and East sides are cheaper. There are areas within both that are fairly expensive.

For the most part, most of the Des Moines area is really pretty nice to live in. And the areas that aren't so nice are very easy to identify. If you aren't concerned about schools right away, there is nothing wrong with the South or East. If you have children that will be in school, you will have to do your homework because, while there are certainly some good schools that can be found in those areas, there are also a lot of schools that are below average.

Posted: 3/24/2017 1:48:04 PM EDT

[#6]

No children to consider yet. We need to find something cheap to fit into our budget kinda quickly. The job starts May 1.

I've already noticed that a few of the cheaper apartments are subsidized housing, and already full. Gee...I wonder why.

Posted: 3/24/2017 1:52:52 PM EDT

[#7]

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We took a quick trip into the metro area yesterday. I had a job interview in downtown. It went well.

We both absolutely loved the whole area. I was amazed at how quickly we went from downtown to Clive, to near the airport, then up to Ankeny and down around everything.

I can totally see us living around there somewhere, and being happy.

For now, we will need to live somewhere that is more...economical.

I'm guessing by all of you saying not to live in the southern or eastern parts, that those areas might be a tad cheaper?

View Quote

Yes, largely. But there are pretty affordable houses everywhere. I live in Beaverdale, which is on the NW side. Within a mile of my house, it looks like there are houses for sale from anywhere 100-300k. Its not a hard and fast rule for me, but generally I think I'd try to be in a less expensive house on the NW side than anywhere else. You may not get as much house, but I think you would be happier on that side of town, and I'd think that it would be a lot easier to sell when that time comes too. A lot of houses in my area are sold very quickly - they don't usually stay on the market for all that long. Longest one that I can recall was my neighbor, but they didn't budge at all on their asking price. Was on the market maybe 5 months IIRC.

FYI, I saw a job on USA jobs the other day for a ranger at Saylorville. IDK if its still open or not.

Posted: 3/24/2017 2:05:48 PM EDT

[#8]

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FYI, I saw a job on USA jobs the other day for a ranger at Saylorville. IDK if its still open or not.

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@kalahnikid

Posted: 3/24/2017 2:07:14 PM EDT

[#9]

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Yes, largely. But there are pretty affordable houses everywhere. I live in Beaverdale, which is on the NW side. Within a mile of my house, it looks like there are houses for sale from anywhere 100-300k. Its not a hard and fast rule for me, but generally I think I'd try to be in a less expensive house on the NW side than anywhere else. You may not get as much house, but I think you would be happier on that side of town, and I'd think that it would be a lot easier to sell when that time comes too. A lot of houses in my area are sold very quickly - they don't usually stay on the market for all that long. Longest one that I can recall was my neighbor, but they didn't budge at all on their asking price. Was on the market maybe 5 months IIRC.

FYI, I saw a job on USA jobs the other day for a ranger at Saylorville. IDK if its still open or not.

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I would love to buy a house, but not ready to do that until he finds a job. I don't want to buy one then find out he got a job 45 minutes away and he has to live within 30 minutes commute. That would just suck.

Posted: 3/24/2017 2:48:51 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
We took a quick trip into the metro area yesterday. I had a job interview in downtown. It went well.

We both absolutely loved the whole area. I was amazed at how quickly we went from downtown to Clive, to near the airport, then up to Ankeny and down around everything.

I can totally see us living around there somewhere, and being happy.

For now, we will need to live somewhere that is more...economical.

I'm guessing by all of you saying not to live in the southern or eastern parts, that those areas might be a tad cheaper?

View Quote

re: red - congrats!

For @Kalahnikid might be worth your while to look at local Cities for employment (parks dept/ streets dept/ etc) Not a lot of turnover in DNR positions it seems.* (*Friend is an animal ecologist and struggling to find DNR openings in central IA) but Cities are a larger job pool. Ankeny is a great city to work for - plenty of $$ in their budget

Posted: 3/24/2017 4:19:41 PM EDT

[#11]

Another option for you if your working downtown. There are tons of new apartments/lofts right in downtown that are pretty cheap. They are not the biggest places but they could work for you until you get fully up and running. My daughter moved into a brand new loft downtown last year when she got out of college. She was there for six months while finding the right job. I believe her rent was $650 a month. It was a really nice place. They rent them on six month or 1 year leases. It is a younger crowd in most of them, but the few times I went down to her place the people I came across were nice people or just completely kept to themselves.

http://www.downtowndesmoines.com/for_rents

Posted: 3/24/2017 4:28:40 PM EDT

[#12]

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re: red - congrats!

For @Kalahnikid might be worth your while to look at local Cities for employment (parks dept/ streets dept/ etc) Not a lot of turnover in DNR positions it seems.* (*Friend is an animal ecologist and struggling to find DNR openings in central IA) but Cities are a larger job pool. Ankeny is a great city to work for - plenty of $ in their budget

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Thanks.

Posted: 3/24/2017 4:29:04 PM EDT

[#13]

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Another option for you if your working downtown. There are tons of new apartments/lofts right in downtown that are pretty cheap. They are not the biggest places but they could work for you until you get fully up and running. My daughter moved into a brand new loft downtown last year when she got out of college. She was there for six months while finding the right job. I believe her rent was $650 a month. It was a really nice place. They rent them on six month or 1 year leases. It is a younger crowd in most of them, but the few times I went down to her place the people I came across were nice people or just completely kept to themselves.

http://www.downtowndesmoines.com/for_rents

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Excellent. Thank you.

Posted: 3/24/2017 5:12:57 PM EDT

[#14]

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Quoted:
Another option for you if your working downtown. There are tons of new apartments/lofts right in downtown that are pretty cheap. They are not the biggest places but they could work for you until you get fully up and running. My daughter moved into a brand new loft downtown last year when she got out of college. She was there for six months while finding the right job. I believe her rent was $650 a month. It was a really nice place. They rent them on six month or 1 year leases. It is a younger crowd in most of them, but the few times I went down to her place the people I came across were nice people or just completely kept to themselves.

http://www.downtowndesmoines.com/for_rents

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Your idea of a really cheap apartment must be very different than mine. Studios/lofts downtown pretty much start at $650/mo. 1 and 2 bedroom apartments typically run between $1200-$1700/mo. Out in Ankeny, 1-2 bedroom apartments are in the $700-$1100 range.

I'm not sure what price range they are in, they are looking for apartments or houses, and their preference for smaller communities or not. You used to be able to find some pretty cheap apartments in Altoona. Not sure if that is still the case or not.

Posted: 3/24/2017 5:15:17 PM EDT

[#15]

I've budgeted $750, but would prefer to stay below $650.

Community doesn't matter much as long as I don't feel like I need to keep a gun on me at all times.

We are looking to rent for now. Home or apartment doesn't matter. Apartment would be easier, though.

Posted: 3/24/2017 6:04:49 PM EDT

[#16]

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I've budgeted $750, but would prefer to stay below $650.

Community doesn't matter much as long as I don't feel like I need to keep a gun on me at all times.

We are looking to rent for now. Home or apartment doesn't matter. Apartment would be easier, though.

View Quote

There are very few places in Des Moines that you will feel that you need to be armed all of the time. There are a few more that you will want to be armed after dark, but, overall, Des Moines is a pretty safe area. Your choice of community will, more than likely, be based on convenience. Some people like to be close to work. Some would prefer to see less people, or be closer to some of the things that they like to do (like be close to a range).

Are you looking for 2 bedrooms? More, or would a 1-bedroom apartment work? Are you looking for particular amenities (pool, gym, etc)?

Posted: 3/24/2017 6:23:54 PM EDT

[#17]

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There are very few places in Des Moines that you will feel that you need to be armed all of the time. There are a few more that you will want to be armed after dark, but, overall, Des Moines is a pretty safe area. Your choice of community will, more than likely, be based on convenience. Some people like to be close to work. Some would prefer to see less people, or be closer to some of the things that they like to do (like be close to a range).

Are you looking for 2 bedrooms? More, or would a 1-bedroom apartment work? Are you looking for particular amenities (pool, gym, etc)?

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1 bedroom, at least. We live in a tiny apartment right now, and would like more sq footage. I think we have about 400sqft right now.

I would LOVE to have washer/dryer hookups, but I don't see many complexes so far that offer that.

Posted: 3/24/2017 10:45:09 PM EDT

[#18]

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There are very few places in Des Moines that you will feel that you need to be armed all of the time. There are a few more that you will want to be armed after dark, but, overall, Des Moines is a pretty safe area. Your choice of community will, more than likely, be based on convenience. Some people like to be close to work. Some would prefer to see less people, or be closer to some of the things that they like to do (like be close to a range).

Are you looking for 2 bedrooms? More, or would a 1-bedroom apartment work? Are you looking for particular amenities (pool, gym, etc)?

View Quote

I think this post is pretty spot on. Some neighborhoods are kind of run down, but there aren't too many I would say are straight up unsafe.

I think you should be able to find either a place on your budget that fits your parameters (1 bedroom and more than 400 sqft) pretty easily.

ETA: Congrats on the interview.

Posted: 3/25/2017 12:11:27 AM EDT

[#19]

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1 bedroom, at least. We live in a tiny apartment right now, and would like more sq footage. I think we have about 400sqft right now.

I would LOVE to have washer/dryer hookups, but I don't see many complexes so far that offer that.

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1 bedroom for under $750 should be pretty easy to find on any side of town. Washer/dryer hookups would be pretty rare in that price range. Perhaps in a duplex.

Posted: 3/25/2017 7:44:32 PM EDT

[#20]

Congrats Compass. I hope all works out for you two. We'll have to set up the Iowa hometown get together for sometime after the 1st of May.

Posted: 3/27/2017 9:52:27 AM EDT

[#21]

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I would love to buy a house, but not ready to do that until he finds a job. I don't want to buy one then find out he got a job 45 minutes away and he has to live within 30 minutes commute. That would just suck.

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30 minute commute covers a lot of ground in the DSM metro. even going in the worst direction in the morning west to east then east to west in the evenings is a 15 minute log jam (barring accidents) then smooth sailing.

You can be from one side of town to other in 30 minutes, again barring any major traffic issues such as wrecks or major construction.

I would suggest looking for apartments so you can get a better lay of the land. Apartments in your price range can be found almost anywhere in the city. The largest groups of apartments are going to be in the western suburbs such as West Des Moines, Clive, Urbandale and such. However Altoona, Ankeny and the metro area has plenty of places and many more going up by the day.

Posted: 3/27/2017 10:04:28 AM EDT

[#22]

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30 minute commute covers a lot of ground in the DSM metro. even going in the worst direction in the morning west to east then east to west in the evenings is a 15 minute log jam (barring accidents) then smooth sailing.

You can be from one side of town to other in 30 minutes, again barring any major traffic issues such as wrecks or major construction.

I would suggest looking for apartments so you can get a better lay of the land. Apartments in your price range can be found almost anywhere in the city. The largest groups of apartments are going to be in the western suburbs such as West Des Moines, Clive, Urbandale and such. However Altoona, Ankeny and the metro area has plenty of places and many more going up by the day.

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Yeah, I spent most of the morning yesterday looking at apartments.com seeing what apartments are available. I've got a list of them that I need to narrow down so that we don't spend every waking moment looking at apartments when we come back for a visit.

I am very glad to see how many options there are. I just wish they all had their own websites. Dallas spoiled me with that.

Posted: 3/29/2017 10:57:31 AM EDT

[#23]

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For now, we will need to live somewhere that is more...economical.

I'm guessing by all of you saying not to live in the southern or eastern parts, that those areas might be a tad cheaper?

View Quote

Both the south and east sides have good places to live, it's just finding a decent neighborhood. People call the Fairgrounds/ East High School (I graduated there) area the 'rough' Eastside. Southside sucks pretty much everywhere except for near Fleur (that's the road the airport was on), and there's a very nice neighborhood south of Park Ave, just west of Fleur.

Better areas in the East side would be Pleasant Hill and the Hoyt middle school area.

We live on the Southside currently and it fucking sucks. House kitty corner to us got struck 3x in a random shooting last year. There's still families out for walks, etc - it's 'safe' but still a rough crappy spot to live. I would not buy a house here.

Posted: 3/29/2017 12:13:41 PM EDT

[#24]

What's the deal with some of the apartment complexes having low income restrictions?

Posted: 3/29/2017 7:18:38 PM EDT

[#25]

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What's the deal with some of the apartment complexes having low income restrictions?

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Gotta get them tax credits from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

It means the developer/owner gets a tax credit to keep the apartments aside for people with low income.

Never mind that you could afford the apartment without assistance. They'll let it sit empty before they would rent it to you.

Posted: 3/29/2017 7:29:13 PM EDT

[#26]

Looks like Altoona, Pleasant Hill, and Des Moines have apartments available between 650 and 1,000. I don't know exactly what you want just know you were wanting to be around $750.

Posted: 3/29/2017 8:19:13 PM EDT

[#27]

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I'm the husband, currently I work for the Illinois DNR as a state park maintainer. One of the biggest reasons we want to move is to stop having our income be dependent on the absolute shit show that is Illinois state government; also need to get away from the state pension system. I'll start job searching in that type of work and branch out from there.

We also need to give my book learned college educated wife a better opportunity for a career than the economically depressed area of western IL can offer.

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Happy you found at least one job here.

Most of the Iowa government jobs are clustered around Des Moines, similar to Springfield. State government employment options are going to be poor for the foreseeable future. Tax revenues are growing slowly and past sweet-heart Union deals have employee costs way outpacing revenue/inflation growth. That said, the Iowa pension system, IPERS, is 80+% funded and rated very high nationally for soundness. If you can wait awhile, government service in elsewhere might even partially transfer in IPERS.

The central Iowa job market is pretty strong, significantly stronger even than the Quad Cities. I did laugh at the last headhunter who called me for a Des Moines job as their hiring range was half of what I am making now (Wells Fargo was who called.. The guys who consistently set new depths for corporate morals). The wages in Des Moines seem a bit depressed compared to the recent increases elsewhere, but the cost of living is still reasonable around Des Moines.

Posted: 3/30/2017 1:09:53 PM EDT

[#28]

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Quoted:
What's the deal with some of the apartment complexes having low income restrictions?

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The short and sweet of it is that they've renovated downtown Des Moines with beautiful buildings full of beautiful apartments and then reserved 80% of them for people who are too poor to have any business living there in the first place.

Government subsidies, etc.

Posted: 3/30/2017 2:25:13 PM EDT

[#29]

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Looks like Altoona, Pleasant Hill, and Des Moines have apartments available between 650 and 1,000. I don't know exactly what you want just know you were wanting to be around $750.

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After re-looking at the budget, we have to stay under $650.

I've found quite a few that I have feelers out for. Maybe next week or so we'll be out to narrow it down more.

Posted: 3/30/2017 2:25:52 PM EDT

[#30]

Quote History

Quoted:
The short and sweet of it is that they've renovated downtown Des Moines with beautiful buildings full of beautiful apartments and then reserved 80% of them for people who are too poor to have any business living there in the first place.

Government subsidies, etc.

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
What's the deal with some of the apartment complexes having low income restrictions?

The short and sweet of it is that they've renovated downtown Des Moines with beautiful buildings full of beautiful apartments and then reserved 80% of them for people who are too poor to have any business living there in the first place.

Government subsidies, etc.

I've never seen so many before. It's annoying. It's actually a turnoff for us.

Posted: 3/30/2017 11:16:44 PM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:

After re-looking at the budget, we have to stay under $650.

I've found quite a few that I have feelers out for. Maybe next week or so we'll be out to narrow it down more.

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Good for you guys.

Posted: 4/1/2017 4:40:52 PM EDT

[#32]

Quote History

Quoted:

After re-looking at the budget, we have to stay under $650.

I've found quite a few that I have feelers out for. Maybe next week or so we'll be out to narrow it down more.

View Quote

If you want someone to do a drive by and check them out, let me know. I can't promise or guarantee anything, but I could probably check some stuff out for you guys. I spend a lot of time at home, so its nice for me to get out sometimes.

Posted: 4/1/2017 11:38:53 PM EDT

[#33]

Are there any weekly rates promoted at any of the hotels around there?

Posted: 4/1/2017 11:39:44 PM EDT

[#34]

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If you want someone to do a drive by and check them out, let me know. I can't promise or guarantee anything, but I could probably check some stuff out for you guys. I spend a lot of time at home, so its nice for me to get out sometimes.

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Quoted:

Quoted:

After re-looking at the budget, we have to stay under $650.

I've found quite a few that I have feelers out for. Maybe next week or so we'll be out to narrow it down more.

If you want someone to do a drive by and check them out, let me know. I can't promise or guarantee anything, but I could probably check some stuff out for you guys. I spend a lot of time at home, so its nice for me to get out sometimes.

That's so awesome of you to offer! I'll let you know.

Posted: 4/1/2017 11:55:06 PM EDT

[#35]

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Are there any weekly rates promoted at any of the hotels around there?

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There are a couple extended stays around, but I'm not sure how much of a discount they may actually offer over a daily rate.

Have you looked on Craigslist for places at all?

Posted: 4/2/2017 9:59:58 AM EDT

[#36]

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There are a couple extended stays around, but I'm not sure how much of a discount they may actually offer over a daily rate.

Have you looked on Craigslist for places at all?

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Are there any weekly rates promoted at any of the hotels around there?

There are a couple extended stays around, but I'm not sure how much of a discount they may actually offer over a daily rate.

Have you looked on Craigslist for places at all?

I have not, but I'll take a look there. I forget that website exists.

Posted: 4/5/2017 10:16:53 PM EDT

[#37]

Got the all clear on my background yesterday.

Spent about 5 hours looking at various complexes today, and made a decision on which one we'll move to.

I am seriously unimpressed with the ones I saw just west of the river over in the Lower Beaver area.

Ended up choosing one over by the airport.

Posted: 4/6/2017 12:11:28 AM EDT

[#38]

Quote History

Quoted:
Got the all clear on my background yesterday.

Spent about 5 hours looking at various complexes today, and made a decision on which one we'll move to.

I am seriously unimpressed with the ones I saw just west of the river over in the Lower Beaver area.

Ended up choosing one over by the airport.

View Quote

Posted: 4/6/2017 10:05:38 AM EDT

[#39]

Quote History

Quoted:
Got the all clear on my background yesterday.

Spent about 5 hours looking at various complexes today, and made a decision on which one we'll move to.

I am seriously unimpressed with the ones I saw just west of the river over in the Lower Beaver area.

Ended up choosing one over by the airport.

View Quote

Good to hear, congrats.

Lower Beaver certainly has some interesting areas.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Moving to Des Moines area (Page 2 of 2)

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