I have been following this discussion, as my husband and I are moving to Chapel Hill in August. We're hoping to rent a house until we decide where to buy in a year or so. Does anyone know if non-student rental houses are widely available? Thanks.

Hi, Melissa, it depends on what you mean by "widely," I guess. Real estate prices for single-family houses here are comparatively high (compared to the rest of NC but very low compared to most metropolitan areas elsewhere) which makes rent relatively high. And there are areas zoned so that unrelated renters (i.e. students) are not supposed to be able to rent together (although many manage to), which puts pressure on the areas with less expensive student-eligible rentals.

Many of the single-family houses are occupied by people employed outside of Chapel Hill and not at the Univ. (because Univ. salaries are only high for athletic coaches). However, there are always a few houses available because people who live here but have transfers elsewhere often don't want to give up there houses because they intend to come back for retirement. If you can take a year's lease, I would imagine you'd be alright working with any of the realtors in the area.

However, I'm guessing you're more likely to end up with a town-house/condo-villa sort of set up in a place like Southern Village -- not a freestanding house, but large enough for a small family.

Hi Melissa,
Since I started the post, I feel I should help you with info that I just received! We actually just got back from a trip to NC and found a great apartment. So, thanks everyone who helped.
As for houses, we looked into this too. There are a bunch that are for rent. I'd suggest if you have the chance, take a trip down and drive around some of the subdivisions. The ones we found to be the nicest to rent included Hope Valley Farms and townhouses in Woodcroft Parkway. Also, if you stop by the mall (New streets at Southpoint) in the foodcourt there's a little real estate kiosk set up and the two owners help people with rentals in the area as well. If you want more specifics, let me know and I'll pull from my files.

Melissa,
If you post your email, I'll forward you a link to a house that I know is for rent. Just got two pics but we've already taken a place.