Westmere, NY is located along the First Great Western Turnpike, a series of roads connecting the east and the west dating back to 1799!
Westmere, NY, is a hamlet in the town of Guilderland in Albany County, NY
Westmere, NY is located along the First Great Western Turnpike, a series of roads connecting the east and the west dating back to 1799!
Westmere, NY, is a hamlet in the town of Guilderland in Albany County, NY. It is home to 7,284 people and is a suburb of Albany, where many residents commute for work. Route 20 is the main road running through the city and is the place to head when looking for shops and restaurants. The town has a high livability score of 77, meaning that residents find it extremely livable and easy to get around. It has a very stable housing market and very low crime rates, both great reasons to look for a rental property here!
If you're thinking about moving to Westmere, you'll be happy to know that the properties here are a good mix of both rentals and owner-occupied units. That makes it much easier to find an apartment rental in Westmere than areas that are solely owner-occupied buildings! However, there is some bad news: the vacancy rate here is pretty dismal. This means that the housing supply in Westmere is very tight compared to the demand for rental housing. On the flip side, it also means it must be a very desirable place to live if there is such a high demand for housing!
When to Look
The best thing to do in a situation like this is to start looking early. Allow yourself at least a few months to find a house. It helps if you're looking with other people, too, as they have a bigger supply of three-bedroom houses for rent here. If you're looking for high-rise apartments, you might want to look in one of the neighboring towns, or look within Albany, because there aren't many here. It also helps to look in the winter months. Even though they will be icy cold and snowy, you might have a better chance of finding an opening because fewer people will be looking. Basically, just be sure to allow yourself plenty of extra time to find an apartment here. You don't want to move out of your old apartment until you're certain you've secured housing. It might be worthwhile to rent a short-term apartment in Albany while you're waiting for something to open up in Westmere.
Old vs. New
Another thing to be aware of is that most of the housing in Westmere was built around the 1940s or before! That means that there are some big, old houses here that have an antique charm to them. But old houses can also come with old problems so make sure you aren't getting a lemon! Ask your landlord about any potential problems the house might have before you sign a lease.
Making Appointments
In order to get started on your hunt for apartments in Westmere, think about what you absolutely need from an apartment and what you could possibly sacrifice. If you have your heart set on living alone, it might be harder to find a place here than if you had a couple of roommates. Likewise, if you're insistent on looking for places in a quiet subdivision, your search might take months longer than if you're more flexible about options. Think about what is absolutely essential for your next home and what you could maybe wiggle a little on. Once you've settled on what you're looking for, reach out to some realtors and get a feel for what is available in the area. Realtors can usually give you the lowdown on what the housing market is like at the time of year you're looking and will give you a good sense of what challenges you're facing. If you can locate some available apartments, don't waste any time!
What to Bring
Set up a meeting right away to view your future apartment and bring along all of your rental documents so you can get the application process started right away! You're going to need a copy of your ID or birth certificate, bank statements, pay stubs, credit report, letter of employment and possibly contact info for your current landlord to prove that you were a good renter. Bring your checkbook along, too, so you can write out a deposit check if you need to!
Westmere is a tiny village that only covers about three miles on the map. There aren't any actual neighborhoods, but here's a little info about what you can expect to find in the different parts of town.
East Westmere: This side of town is close to Crossgates Mall, the biggest mall in this part of New York! Western Avenue crosses right through it, where you'll find a lot of great restaurants, like Athos and Sushi Tei.
West Westmere: The westside of town is primarily residential and borders State Farm Road, a main thoroughfare. It's close to Nott Road Town Park and has a lot of older, stately homes.
Life in Westmere leaves little to be desired. You'll find a bunch of strip malls, shopping plazas and commercial buildings along Western Avenue, and residential areas on the smaller side streets running north and south. This is the main thoroughfare of town, containing heaps of great restaurants, as well, such as MezzaNotte and the Cafe Calabria. Crossgates Mall is the area's biggest shopping mall and is located in the northeastern corner of the town. A Regal Cinemas is over here, too. It's right off of I-87, which can swoop you into Albany in no time at all, and it also borders The Dunes, a lovely outdoor area with lots of hiking, biking and jogging trails! Because the town was settled in the early 1800s, many of the homes are old, beautiful historic buildings that give the town a lot of character. You'll find many pretty, tree-lined streets north and south of Western Avenue, and the town offers the perfect solution for anyone who wants to have the conveniences of a big city with the little charms and benefits of living in a quaint village.
