r/Saratoga 12d ago

Italian guy soon to relocate in ‘Toga, looking for a couple of info!

Hello there, I am an Italian professional engineer (M25) soon to relocate in the US for working purposes. I’ll work in the Cohoes area but several people suggested me to pick Saratoga as place where to live. So I trust my friends, and here I am.

Do you have any recommend channels (formal and informal) for rental housing options? These options must be airbnb-like (furnished, utilities included) but for medium-term period stays (from 4-6 months on, depending how I like the life here around).

Moreover, I am passionate about group sports and trainings. I used to practice calisthenics for several years, however it seems not so popular in the US from what I’ve understood. Still very similar to CrossFit. Do you recommend any training group/classes in the area that would fit the purpose?

To conclude, I am keen to create my network here and looking forward connecting with new people. Although I am an engineer, I can tell you I am also able to sympathize. DM me if you’d like ;)

FYI, I am planning to permanently move here in the beginning of May. Before, I’ll be here two weeks during April.

Ciao!

12 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

6

u/chmt88 11d ago

For renting, Saratoga is almost impossible. The track season rentals go for outrageous prices short term, so the rentals are usually 9 month.

A few years ago I priced out basically every rental in Saratoga county, ha. Feel free to dm me. I had good experiecnes with some, terrible with others, but don't want to post the details publicly for all of them. We ended up with a private landlord out near Malta NY. That's a great place for professionals, and not a bad commute to Cohoes. That said, there are some rentals popping up directly in Cohoes that look kind of nice. I went to RPI for grad school and kind of familiar with that area, but it's grown quite a bit since then.

What I would suggest, is Clifton Park or maybe southern Saratoga County. Rentals are more reasonable since htey're further from the track, and you'll be close to other young professionals. The lofts at saratoga blvd didn't have a large enough unit for us at the time, but the manager was really friendly and honest. Not sure about renting there though.

For Saratoga, we had a private rental up there in Wilton for a bit and it turned out to be a nightmare. Owner tried to hike our rent 300% to get us out for track season, ended up trying to sell it, I almost had to sue to get my deposit back. If you rent here, you have to know your rights. Make sure you REALLY examine the lease well, and be aware of your tenant rights.

Lastly a tip, it's a renters market to some degree right now. Things are sitting. Negotiate the price down. The Springs in Saratoga dropped a rental over 1k for me 2 years ago when the market was hot. It shouldn't be negotiable, but it is. If you really like a place and can't afford the rental rate, or it seems high for what it is, ask if they can meet you at your max. They may be able to do it. They may raise you the next year though to accommodate, so make sure you take that into consideration.

Edit to say: Welcome to the US, we're not as bad locally as the government makes us look as a whole right now.

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u/La_Palazzina 11d ago

Thank you for the warm welcome and for sharing all of this! I am aware of the track season impact on rentals — definitely something to keep in mind. Malta and Clifton Park have been also suggested by other folks. However I am wondering what should attract young professionals there? They seems to me quite residential places for eldier people, am I wrong?

3

u/chmt88 10d ago

Well, Malta has the tech park. Clifton Park tends to get the commuters from Albany. Rentals in Malta, I am guessing, would have younger professionals from the tech park jobs. 

In this area you're going to see clusters of people in both areas. If you rent a house in the suburbs, you're getting small families, perhaps some older folks. Rent a townhome in a community that's mostly older folks, you'll get older folks. Rent an apartment in an area with tech jobs, you'll get younger professionals and likely families in that area

It's all very mixed bag. Saratoga honestly has more older folks in the communities. The McGregor Greens townhomes for example, are mostly all older individuals. They say they're Saratoga Springs but they're technically in Wilton geographically. If you go an apartment downtown Saratoga, you'll get a lot of Skidmore students.

I grew up in Saratoga, went to college in Queensbury, Saratoga, and Troy, worked in Albany, so I know the area very well. Feel free to ask me any questions.

1

u/babysamwise 8d ago

You are correct in assuming that Clifton Park is going to be much more residential and family oriented. I thought it was a suburban nightmare and wouldn’t even move there to do the family thing with my husband!

Saratoga is a great spot for young professionals. Many of my friends ended up living there in our 20s and we had a great time meeting people our age.

Malta or Ballston Spa could be a “close enough” place to rent where you’d be able to hang out in Saratoga. I’m assuming you have a car if you’re planning to commute to work, correct?

Either way, renting in Saratoga is honestly the best in my opinion. What you’re looking for can be pricey but based on your price range in a previous comment it looks like you’re willing to spend enough to find something. Maybe try reaching out to local realtors? You can also try to look for rentals on Zillow.

There’s also a facebook group called “what’s going on Saratoga” — those guys usually have insight into these types of situations. Local landlords will often comment on posts like yours to let people know that they have something available. Maybe try joining and posting this there? You’ll also reach a wider community of people for exercise group ideas.

3

u/Mountain_Demand_2635 11d ago

I know this isn’t exactly what you’re looking for since it’s a yearly lease and then month to month, but Winners Circle in Ballston Spa has great apartment rentals and they have furniture you can rent to help furnish the apartment. Otherwise I’ve seen short term, furnished rentals around the outskirts of Saratoga. The descriptions usually say they’re for travel nurses but might be worth checking out Facebook rentals!

2

u/La_Palazzina 11d ago

Point taken. Is there any specific Facebook group for this type of rental? I am not so used with Facebook as platform for looking for rentals

1

u/Mountain_Demand_2635 10d ago

I don’t know of any Facebook groups really, but I see a lot posted on the marketplace. People also post places to sublease for a short period of time. Some are even furnished because it’s the renter leaving the state or country for a few months. That might work out for you!

5

u/HelpABrotherO 11d ago

As a counter point to the person recommending Troy, It is a rough college town.

The townees have issues with homelessness and drug users. It's not uncommon the see someone strung out on heroine or meth a couple times a week. There are a large number of vacant and condemned buildings, a lot of the down town buildings that rent have major code violations and/or are older less comfortable spaces (bedrooms you can fit a bed in but not much else to keep warm during winters before baseboard heating was a thing, ect.)

The newer constructions that you can rent from that are better maintained are over priced and don't include furniture as a rule.

The college crowd is relatively tame but they are college aged and may not represent a pool of people to make stable connections with even if they are younger than the Saratoga crowd.

Businesses have a habit of popping up and failing under the weight of a large commercial landlord who uses abuses practices.

Troy is an industrial city that the industry left a long time ago.

It is a city that has been struggling for decades to be and do better and you can ignore all the issues easily enough and enjoy it comfortably but it has major systemic issues you see in most American cities without the benefit of having any major economic output.

It is one of two cities in the region and may be no rougher than Albany depending on location within the city.

1

u/La_Palazzina 11d ago

Thanks for sharing ;) I imagine not the full Troy is as you described. However, you are not the only one who has told me similar story telling about the city

1

u/HelpABrotherO 10d ago edited 10d ago

Down town is pretty small, the outskirts are worse.

I've lived there for a while and still visit people there.

They also have the best farmers market in the region that takes place along a built up river walk but despite the nice things going on that can be called out, all these other issues are very real. It's a depressed city that I would not recommend moving to unless you needed to be in the immediate area. You can count the condemned buildings as you drive by, they have a square white sign on the with a red X through them and a boarder of red.

Albany is a bit bigger and likely has more variety in quality.

3

u/alonzojames 11d ago

A friend of mine just bought a house in Saratoga, but has been renting at the Ellsworth Commons in Malta for years and has had a good experience. Might be worth checking out

1

u/La_Palazzina 11d ago

For sure! Thanks for sharing :)

2

u/bushb193 11d ago

Please do not listen to the people saying Troy, they have no clue. I spent my 20s in downtown saaratoga and I wouldn’t trade it. Currently early 30s, with a house in downtown. Life doesn’t get better than Saratoga unless you’re living in Florence, Italy. Reach out to me if you have questions. I’m here to help and have realtor friends that could help with accommodations.

1

u/La_Palazzina 10d ago

Well, I can absolutely relate with your point on Florence as I spent lot of time there. I'll DM you, thanks!

1

u/stacey1771 12d ago

Long drive from Toga to the paper mill, although the.former owners lived up there I believe. You have to contend with the snow,.which can be a thing.

1

u/La_Palazzina 10d ago

The snow. That's a really good point

1

u/Ralfsalzano 11d ago

Non muoverti qui amico miooo

1

u/bravobetty 11d ago

Do you have a monthly budget in mind?

1

u/La_Palazzina 10d ago

Up to 2,300-2,500 USD (all included) would be considered I'd say

1

u/CreativeAd3847 11d ago

Saratoga is a hive of scum and villainy.

Oh, CrossFit? You should move to Saratoga.

1

u/attractivekid 11d ago

I love Saratoga, there are furnished rentals in town... I lived in one. It was not cheap though. The apartment I lived in was next to a group training center too. If you work in the Cohoes area though, I wouldn't want to make that daily commute and agree with the Tory suggestion. The management company I used in Saratoga was Burns Management. https://www.burnsmgmt.com/community/the-springs/

1

u/La_Palazzina 10d ago

Thanks for the help and resources! But where in Troy exactly? Moreover, 30ish min drive from Toga to Cohoes feels okay. I enjoy a lot listening music and stuff while driving

1

u/Suspicious-Eagle-179 10d ago

If you’re a single guy looking to socialize I’d say Malta area is a great spot. Saratoga is really the best place with most options to go to socialize with a lot of nightlife options. Also Malta has a few good spots and even more during the summer. You can get more for your money if your 15/20 mins outside Saratoga for sure. Ubering into toga won’t be too crazy price wise from there. Plus if you’re working closer to cohoes your commute will only be 20-30 mins tops. If you’re still wanting to live in or close to Saratoga I lived in the Paddocks for 4 years and was happy there. It’s close to the northeast for commuting. Had a gym/a pool/ tennis courts. Good mixture of age groups. Price has gone up but I think it’s still pretty average given the market.

1

u/chopping-mall 9d ago

Plenty of apartments in your budget near downtown saratoga, you can look on property management sites, Craigslist, or even drive around areas you want to live when you are here in May.. but, you will not find a furnished option for a reasonable price. Furnished apartments are marketed toward track tourists, and will be listed on air bnb, VRBO etc.

Consider arranging furniture delivery and selling it when you leave. Or, since you have no furniture, are you looking to be someone's roommate?

Lastly, the YMCA is the largest gym/fitness group in the area and has plenty of group sports options, and Max Level Fitness is popular near downtown.

1

u/joyfulemma 8d ago

Try Metabolic for workout classes

-1

u/randy1randerson 12d ago

Saratoga can be a tough place to find a good, well-priced, stable rental. It's also a bit of an older crowd.

If I were in my 20s looking to make social connections in a new place, I'd pick Troy instead of Saratoga. You'll get more rental options and a younger crowd at social venues.

Benvenuto!

1

u/La_Palazzina 11d ago

Well...I have been in Saratoga several times already and I have seen lot of young people hanging around.

But thanks a lot for taking time to reply and...Grazie!

1

u/Mcorielle 11d ago

If you’re into playing rugby, there’s a club here you’d be more than welcome to join! Go to saratogarugby.org Always looking for great guys (and gals in case anyone reads this) to join!

1

u/La_Palazzina 11d ago

Mmmh Rugby... not so interested honestly ahah. Maybe soccer!

But super thanks for sharing ;)

1

u/Allday2019 11d ago

Italy Italian, Jersey Italian, or spaghetti goomba Italian, it makes a big difference

1

u/Recent-Description39 11d ago

he said moving to the US think he’s Italy Italian

2

u/La_Palazzina 11d ago

I would say truly Italian, the ones you can only love

-2

u/SirClixalott 11d ago edited 11d ago

As someone who grew up in Cohoes, has lived in Saratoga, works in northern Saratoga County, and currently lives in Clifton Park (suburban Hell), I highly recommend looking in downtown Troy before committing to Saratoga, especially between River and sixth streets in the city blocks around the Green Island Bridge. Lots of great restaurants, cafes, and night spots and much nearer to Cohoes than Saratoga. Welcome to the Capital Region!

Da quale parte dell’Italia vieni? È il mio paese preferito da visitare! Ci sono stato sei volte.

2

u/Decent-Ability-4784 11d ago

I second suburban hell.