In Search of Pet-Friendly Rental Home (preferably with fence)

Hi. I am a PhD student at NCSU, hopefully with 2 years or so to go on my degree. I am recently divorced, and am looking for a place to live. Unfortunately, I realize that what I’m looking for may not exist… But I have to ask in order to know.

Warning: In the following, I am being completely honest and upfront. I’m probably giving more information than is needed, but I’m seriously looking for a place that will accept me and mine.

I have 4 pets, 2 indoor cats and 2 outdoor dogs. All of the pets are well-behaved and spayed or neutered. My dogs are very different – one is a 3.5-year-old smaller chow chow/shepherd mix, about 45 lbs, who is vocal only when someone/something is around that should not be. The other is a larger dog, ovcharka mix, about 100 lbs. He’s a 2-year-old giant teddy bear and loves everyone! He has been rather vocal in the past, just for the heck of it, but since putting a bark collar on him, he hasn’t made much of a peep for the past month and a half.

Because of the number of pets that I have, the breeds, and/or the weights, it is extremely difficult to find a place to live. These pets are my family, and after going through the divorce, I can’t give them up – I need them with me…

So, what am I looking for? A place that will let me keep all my pets. Preferably a place with a fence for my dogs, but if not, maybe a place that will let me put up a fence in the future – I have a kennel that can be used temporarily at least.
I love the house that I’m in now, but with the economy the way it is, I’d like to reduce my monthly rent. My current landlord does require 45-60 days written notice, so it would be at least a month before I can move. (I do like to have a bit of overlap to have time to move.)

From there, my other requirements are as follows:

* 2 bedrooms or 1 bedroom with another room that can be used as a study (not the living room) - this is very important as I’m doing research and will be working on my thesis before too long.
* Washer/dryer hookups – I have a nice washer and dryer already that will be coming with me.
* Fridge and stove/oven (not a gas stove)
* Not on gas/oil heat
* Rent of $650 or less – of course, the lower the better…
* A decent neighborhood. I’m a single gal, so I don’t want to live in a place where I have constant concern that I’ll be harmed or my property vandalized.
* Within a 40 minute drive to NCSU.

The following are my strong preferences, but not absolutely required:

* A dishwasher.
* Within a 25 minute drive to NCSU.
* Again, an existing fence would be wonderful for my dogs.
* I’m a loner and somewhat protective of my stuff, so I would very much prefer to be an only tenant (no room/housemates).
* Lawn maintenance.

The following are also preferences, but far reaching, I know:

* A carport/garage would be nice, as I have a chest freezer.
* A storage shed, as I have a lot of stuff from my old house that just won’t fit in a rental house that I can afford.



Now that you know what I’m looking for, I can tell you the following about myself:

* I don’t have any children.
* I don’t drink, smoke, do drugs, or party.
* I’m a quiet person, with very few visitors.

My mom is a cross-country truck driver, so on rare occasions, if she’s in the area, she and her husband may come to visit for a day (not in the rig!). My sister and her husband live out-of-state but try to come down for a Hurricanes game or two each season, so they may stay over-night once or twice a year. Otherwise, I don’t have anybody that would be spending a great deal of time there. (My ex-husband and I are still friends, and for right now, he’s the one that’s been helping me around the house. This may come to an end before too long, but) I may have a friend over every once in a while to handle the yard or other things that I can’t do myself.
* I have no criminal background at all.
* My credit is actually decent –

the house that my ex-husband and I bought is still in both of our names. He is waiting for the best time for him to refinance (but he has to have the money up front for closing). So, my credit is good, it just looks like I spend about 2-3 times my income, which is not the case.
* I have the income needed to pay all my bills. However, with the economy as it is, I don’t have as much “disposable” income as I used to, so I’m trying to make things easier by keeping an eye out for a nice place that will fit what I need at a price that I can afford.

Please, if you have a home that you can rent to me, or if you know of a home like this for rent, can you please contact me and let me know? I have no strong preference about the home – I’m perfectly fine with a mobile home. I just need to be located somewhere where my dogs can stay outside, so a trailer park is not the place for me, but if you have a mobile home on a bit of land which has the features that I described above, please send me your information. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions that you have! Thank you so much!!!