WestWind Apartments Blog

As a place to live or work, the Roanoke area is one of the best.  Located in the central part of the East Coast, is perfectly positioned for economics with a mild climate year round. Roanoke is an excellent place to find a job, and it is known for a low cost of living.

If you are relocating to the area, consider renting an apartment in Roanoke, VA. With so much to offer, you’ll find  no better place to live than WestWind Apartments.
 
WestWind apartment community is located only minutes away from Downtown Roanoke. Schools, restaurants, entertainment and shopping are all in the neighborhood.

We have spacious one bedroom apartments, two bedroom apartments, and three bedroom apartments as well as corporate suites.  The corporate suites offer the ultimate in housing convenience. Relocating to Roanoke is made much easier with furnished corporate apartments.

Located right near downtown, you have your choice of activities with plenty of outdoor offerings such as biking, water sports, and hiking and of course there are plenty of cultural options too. Contact WestWind for more information on renting from us.  

Perhaps you are relocating to Roanoke, VA and you have just started the search for a home.  Regardless of where you are in your home search, consider some questions before you decide between renting and owning a home. Buying a home is a big commitment both financial and otherwise, so take the time to weigh pros and cons.

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself:

Will I own it for at least five years?

The first and most important question you should ask yourself before you consider buying a home is whether you will own it for a long time. People buy homes to increase wealth and five years, maybe even more today, is about the break-even point for earning appreciation in value. If you don’t plan on holding the property for longer than five or more years, don’t buy it! Renting a home is NOT necessarily throwing money away. Buying and selling quickly will usually leave you worse off financially.

Can I afford it?

It is more expensive to own a home than you think.  Even if the mortgage lender qualifies you for the loan amount, you need to make sure YOU can afford it. Lenders don’t take into account home maintenance costs, child care expenses, health care expenses, expensive lifestyles and habits, etc. So make sure that you can comfortably afford your housing payment, still pay your other bills, and still save at least a little more for retirement. Also, if you are not sure of your continued employment situation, don’t buy a home.

Do I know about the neighborhood?

Did you do adequate research, look at enough properties, and learn the neighborhoods. If you just moved to Roanoke or if you don’t know the area, rent an apartment in Roanoke for a while. Get to know the city.
 
For information on West Wind Apartments in Roanoke, VA, contact us.

Excerpts from Onlinesentinel.com

WestWind Apartment Homes would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season.

We also would like to remind everyone of our holiday hours. The Welcome Center will be closed Friday, December 22, 2011 thru Monday, December 26, 2011 re-opening Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 9:00 am.

See Attached: Click Here.

Many people can tell you a list of reasons why you should buy a home. But as with everything else, it depends on who and where you are, in your life as well as your career. Despite the prevailing assumption that everybody, everywhere should settle down and buy their own home, research shows there are actually times and circumstances when renting might be better than buying.

Will you put in the time?

In any investment, there's no such thing as a sure thing. What usually makes real estate a better risk than most is time. The longer you commit to a property, the better your chances of seeing its value appreciate.

If it is likely in any way that you will move, change jobs or stay in the house for a short period of time, buying may not be a good idea. Letting go of a property before it has appreciated enough to cover the costs and commissions is not pleasant and if you bought with less than a 10% down payment, it could be brutal. Commission and closing costs will likely wipe out appreciation gains, if there were any. If the purchase was made with an even smaller down payment, chances are you'll come out at a substantial loss.

Will you like the neighborhood?

If you are new to a state, city or town such as Roanoke, research suggests you take ample time to acclimatize before investing money in a house and its neighborhood. If you are relocating to a place you hardly know, spend a year in an apartment in Roanoke until you're certain where and how you want to live.

Will you be happy giving up the freedom?

Initially at least, renting is less financial pressure than buying. Paying a first and last deposit doesn't compare to the big chunk of change required for a down payment on a house. And even if you have enough savings, you could invest it otherwise and hope for significant capital gains. With current market volatility that may not seem prudent, but just imagine if you'd invested a typical down payment amount in the stock market ten years ago.

Renting gives you the freedom of time as well, with no yard or home maintenance projects. Renting is also lower risk because natural and other disasters the problems of the landlords.

Even though rents tend to increase by 3 percent a year, unexpected maintenance costs or sudden property tax hikes don't concern you either.
 
Relocating to Roanoke, VA? You should look at WestWind Apartments.

The newest data confirms once again that the Roanoke Region of Virginia offers a comparably low cost of living -- second lowest metro in the Commonwealth and 7.4% lower than the national average.  The Roanoke Region's cost of living index value is 92.6 compared to the national average of 100, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research's Cost of Living Index for the second quarter 2011. The Roanoke Region's costs are lower than nearly 65% percent of metros across the country.

The region's cost advantages are strong across the board but are particularly strong in terms of food prices, housing costs, and transportation costs. If you are relocating to Virginia, look for an apartment in Roanoke.

Information from Roanoke Regional Partnership

Relocating to Roanoke, VA will allow you to nurture your adventurous outdoors side as well as your chic and cosmopolitan side. The City of Roanoke has been recognized regionally and nationally for its outstanding quality of life.  And did you know that in 2010, Roanoke was voted Number 2 in Kiplinger’s Best Cities Reader’s Poll award.

Right near the Blue Ridge Mountains, Roanoke, VA is a great urban center with arts, shopping, entertainment and culture. But then, don’t go too far, and there are gorgeous views, country inns, outdoor adventures and hiking trails. Alongside urban and chic destinations there is also an abundance of nature in Roanoke: 69 parks, 5 greenways, Carvin’s Cove, the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail. If you are relocating to an apartment in Roanoke, VA, consider WestWind Apartment Homes. 

So if you are a hiker, or sports fanatic, enjoy nightlife or a good restaurant you will love Roanoke and the WestWind Apartment Homes.  Whether you are seeking the active life or a quite retreat, WestWind Apartment in Roanoke's location is hard to beat. The apartment community is located only minutes away from Downtown Roanoke.